Author Topic: Politics '12: Election year shenanigans.  (Read 15770 times)

Dunefar

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Politics '12: Election year shenanigans.
« on: December 27, 2011, 04:24:16 AM »
Post here for all your political posting needs! Try and not kill each other, please.
« Last Edit: March 27, 2012, 03:32:37 PM by OblivionKnight »
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Hunter Sopko

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Re: Politics '12: Election year shenanigans.
« Reply #1 on: December 27, 2011, 04:27:05 AM »
Oh now this early is just cheating.

Dark Holy Elf

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Re: Politics '12: Election year shenanigans.
« Reply #2 on: December 27, 2011, 09:12:33 AM »
It's a topic about election discussion, it starting too early is ironic commentary of some sort.

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metroid composite

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Re: Politics '12: Election year shenanigans.
« Reply #3 on: December 27, 2011, 06:09:20 PM »
Yeah, I've noticed how American politics feels like it's always ramping up for an election of some sort.  Except for right after a presidential race--but shortly after that it's midterm elections, and then primaries for the next presidential race are starting.

Current thoughts on Republican primaries:

1. Jon Huntsman: remember the Obama-Boehner bill when the Republicans were artificially creating a debt ceiling crisis?  The bill that ultimately had deeper cuts than the bill we eventually got?  But that some Republicans were too whiny to actually take because they didn't want a single cent of tax increase?  Huntsman was the only one of the candidates to vote for that bill/support that bill.  Making him the token sane candidate.

2. Ron Paul.  Ron Paul...kinda isn't sane (talking about switching to a gold standard during a recession--what's he going to do?  Use billions of taxpayer dollars to buy money?)  Although most of his crazy ideas are ideas I find acceptable--like...government getting out of the marriage business is egalitarian, even if it's not the solution I would default to.  And the one nice thing Ron Paul is is consistent--he's had the same message since 1980, and all the big television stations try to ignore his existence or downplay his success, which makes it sound like they're worried he won't be very corruptable.

unranked.  Gary Johnson.  Apparently he's been in at least one debate, but I don't remember him, nor have I ever heard him talked about.  Another token libertarian.

4-9. lol everyone else sucks.  Bunch of losers who signed the NOM pledge because they're either spinless or zealous nutbags.  I'm not sure whether it's worse to be a spinless flip-flopper like Romney or Gingritch, or completely insane like Santorum or Bachmann.

Nephrite

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Re: Politics '12: Election year shenanigans.
« Reply #4 on: December 27, 2011, 10:21:47 PM »

Hunter Sopko

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Re: Politics '12: Election year shenanigans.
« Reply #5 on: December 27, 2011, 11:46:56 PM »
It's a topic about election discussion, it starting too early is ironic commentary of some sort.

You'd think that, but remember: Ko is not that clever.

Pyro

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Re: Politics '12: Election year shenanigans.
« Reply #6 on: December 28, 2011, 02:26:43 AM »
http://www.newdeal20.org/2011/12/22/the-10-worst-economic-ideas-of-2011-67621/

It is always easy to find a reminder that the world is ruled with far less wisdom than we realize.

Dunefar

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Re: Politics '12: Election year shenanigans.
« Reply #7 on: December 28, 2011, 04:50:50 AM »
It's a topic about election discussion, it starting too early is ironic commentary of some sort.

I'm glad someone got the joke!
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Dunefar

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Re: Politics '12: Election year shenanigans.
« Reply #8 on: December 29, 2011, 09:45:26 PM »
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metroid composite

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Re: Politics '12: Election year shenanigans.
« Reply #9 on: January 01, 2012, 02:06:19 AM »
Something that seems like it's going to be pushed into the spotlight soon:

in 1992 some newsletters with racist/homophobic remarks were published under Ron Paul's name.  It's not clear what the real story is here; the claim is that Paul didn't actually write those articles (and apparently this is normal practice in politics, so this is a plausible answer) but certainly Joh Huntsman is already quoting them in New Hampshire attack ads:

http://news.yahoo.com/story-behind-ron-pauls-racist-newsletters-104823294.html

Dunefar

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Re: Politics '12: Election year shenanigans.
« Reply #10 on: January 01, 2012, 04:46:47 AM »
Something that seems like it's going to be pushed into the spotlight soon:

in 1992 some newsletters with racist/homophobic remarks were published under Ron Paul's name.  It's not clear what the real story is here; the claim is that Paul didn't actually write those articles (and apparently this is normal practice in politics, so this is a plausible answer) but certainly Joh Huntsman is already quoting them in New Hampshire attack ads:

http://news.yahoo.com/story-behind-ron-pauls-racist-newsletters-104823294.html

You're right that its uncertain if he wrote them or even endorsed them. It's entirely plausible and reasonable, not that this will stop the media and his opponents from using it. It will certainly be an issue unless Ron Paul is reduced to irrelevancy for '12.
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Shale

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Re: Politics '12: Election year shenanigans.
« Reply #11 on: January 01, 2012, 07:55:05 PM »
That came up during the '08 primaries too. The response was that he didn't write them himself and wasn't paying nearly enough attention to the people who did. Presumably nobody noticed because he was polling slightly above Winnie The Pooh.
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Re: Politics '12: Election year shenanigans.
« Reply #12 on: January 04, 2012, 03:18:10 PM »
So Mitt Romney, who barely tried to campaign in Iowa for most of the race, comes out in first place by eight votes over two obvious lunatics (one of whom I consider an obvious lunatic with his heart in the right place, but Ron Paul is still crazy) in the first primary of the year. This should be fun.

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metroid composite

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Re: Politics '12: Election year shenanigans.
« Reply #13 on: January 04, 2012, 07:27:58 PM »
Meanwhile, in obvious lunatic land, Rick Santorum wants to annul all existing legal gay marriages:

http://www.ontopmag.com/article.aspx?id=10520&MediaType=1&Category=26

Thank you, mister "Science should get out of politics".

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Re: Politics '12: Election year shenanigans.
« Reply #14 on: January 05, 2012, 02:54:45 AM »
Marriage isn't a constitutional right (edit* RIGHT!? Scre Prop 8). Hell, the "people" in our early constitution clearly had its passive ideological underpinnings towards slavery. I'm pro many things, "gay" marriage included, but it's SAMO all day, every day. Each bout simply reveals brighter or dimmer nincompoops that care more in detracting from the colluding forces integral to the health of our economy and the functioning of our government, and more towards moralizing party rhetoric that will honestly never end with the existence of two dominating and polarized parties.
« Last Edit: January 05, 2012, 02:58:01 AM by Dunie »

metroid composite

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Re: Politics '12: Election year shenanigans.
« Reply #15 on: January 05, 2012, 02:44:48 PM »
http://www.npr.org/2012/01/05/144698884/attacking-super-pacs-fueled-by-anonymous-donors


So: the results of the campaign finance ruling: every candidate has a supposedly "independent" advertisement group, typically composed of former aides, which can take anonymous donations, and run attack ads without people like Romney getting his hands dirty.

superaielman

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Re: Politics '12: Election year shenanigans.
« Reply #16 on: January 06, 2012, 10:11:10 AM »
Whoo, Romney won.  Good.


I am strongly opposed to amending the consitition on marriage one way or the other, so as always fuck Santorum.
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Idun

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Re: Politics '12: Election year shenanigans.
« Reply #17 on: January 06, 2012, 05:10:00 PM »
Tom Ashbrook on On Point talkin' with folks about "Can the Southwest (re: Arizona) Survive Climate Change" is a pretty damned good discussion. Free on iTunes.

metroid composite

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Re: Politics '12: Election year shenanigans.
« Reply #18 on: January 07, 2012, 12:23:05 AM »
Whoo, Romney won.  Good.


I am strongly opposed to amending the consitition on marriage one way or the other, so as always fuck Santorum.

...umm...you realize Romney signed the NOM pledge, which means he has pledged to amend the constitution on marriage, just like Santorum.

Granted, Santorum is more...unashamedly gleeful about it.

Dark Holy Elf

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Re: Politics '12: Election year shenanigans.
« Reply #19 on: January 07, 2012, 12:24:41 AM »
Romney's also much more of a flip-flopper.

Yes, that's a good thing in this case.

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NotMiki

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Re: Politics '12: Election year shenanigans.
« Reply #20 on: January 07, 2012, 06:48:09 AM »
If Romney ever, ever spends an iota of political capital on a social issue, I will shit a brick.
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Bullwinkle: A-bomb is what some people call our show!
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metroid composite

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Re: Politics '12: Election year shenanigans.
« Reply #21 on: January 07, 2012, 11:20:29 PM »
Archiving this quote from B8:

Quote from: smitelf
Quote from: metroid composite
Are you implying that getting Romney the nomination is all a pro-Obama conspiracy? o_O
The whole Republican primary season has been a pro-Obama conspiracy.

NotMiki

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Re: Politics '12: Election year shenanigans.
« Reply #22 on: January 08, 2012, 01:21:34 AM »
Rocky: you do know what an A-bomb is, right?
Bullwinkle: A-bomb is what some people call our show!
Rocky: I don't think that's very funny...
Bullwinkle: Neither do they, apparently!

metroid composite

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Re: Politics '12: Election year shenanigans.
« Reply #23 on: January 08, 2012, 07:14:47 PM »
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JB16CGR8X1A

Nicely summarizes some of my frustrations with the American system.

Idun

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Re: Politics '12: Election year shenanigans.
« Reply #24 on: January 08, 2012, 10:51:21 PM »
Ron Paul's voting history upsets me. He's coo' for all this "pragmatic," Midwestern-tell-it-how-it-is rustic approach (re: uploader's name). I'm interested to see the hypothetical third-party presence in the election, though Paul (?) stated he would not run third party.

I've been thinking about who I'd vote for, and for now I'm still coming to the solution of a write-in.