December 2005 cartoon:
American Politics thread: No Nazis Allowed
-
December 2005 cartoon:
-
Let's say Nilitch that all the different types of election districts in the US are a big family.
Your family.
You have a well to do mildly racist uncle who thinks poor people are lazy, he never votes Democrat and he voted for Trump no problem.
However recently you've even heard him mumbling about how Trump is a crazy idiot, and that he really needs to get his shit together, and maybe a surprising positive comment or two about a local democrat (though never the national party).
Your racist Randian uncle.That's the statistical significance of these close races.
-
These are usually districts that swing Republican by 25-40 percent. And the races are coming down to 1% differences.
It's not a win for the democrats perse but it's also a pretty crazy indicator of how far the republicans have fallen pretty fast under Trump.
The logic goes that when it comes time for normally competitive districts, it should be a huge landslide for Dems.
-
@Monkey:
This on the other hand was downright prophetic!
In an ideal world, "The White Hot Sphere of Horrible Lurking Fog" would be the historical title this administration is remembered by.
-
Senate bill apparently makes even more cuts to Medicaid than mean old House bill. Cuts out a lot of subsidies as well and removes any federal funding for Planned Parenthood.
-
Senate AHCA bill unveiled (sorry for NYT link):
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/22/us/politics/senate-leaders-unveil-bill-to-repeal-the-affordable-care-act.htmlMain points:
-similar to House bill. only minor adjustments
-deep Medicaid cuts (Medicaid now on budget)
-end of individual mandate for most
-system of federal tax credits for individuals
-states have right to drop benefits like maternity care, emergency services, mental health treatment
-repeal all former tax increases used to pay for ACA; tax cut for wealthy (Satan McTurtleton made sure this was balanced out by the spending cuts to keep it budget neutral/under, which allows the reconciliation process)So we're basically counting on Collins, Murkowski, Portman, Heller, and/or Rand Paul. Three of them. The first two ladies because they're "more moderate," the next two because their states receive massive medicaid $$$, and Rand Paul because he thinks the bill is too liberal lol.
Or we could just hope that Trump vetoes it for being too mean ahahahahaha cries…In related news, I started studying German last week. Also looking at New Zealand as an option, if they'll have me.
-
I've seen more complaints from the left about Nancy Pelosi today than about fucking murdercare. Priorities!
-
It's like…why should dems need a better/different message than "we are ostensibly the party that doesn't want you poor, sick, and then dead in a ditch"?
On the other hand, the self-defeating deplorables can never seem to internalize that in any meaningful way, so what's the solution, besides winning the gerrymandering cases and hoping the villains don't immediately come up with a new sneaky way to subvert democracy?
Note: not saying the solution is get rid of Pelosi. Even the slimmest chance of her getting to be pres via a 2018 house majority->impeachment 2HKO combo is too beautiful to let go of. -
"It will eventually end the generous federal funding for Obamacare’s Medicaid expansion, which covered millions of lower-income Americans.
It would also repeal virtually all the tax increases imposed by the Affordable Care Act to pay for itself, in effect handing a broad tax cut to the affluent, paid for by billions of dollars sliced from Medicaid, a health care program that serves one in five Americans, not only the poor but two-thirds of those in nursing homes.
It will institute a federal spending cap on Medicaid, limiting funding for the entitlement program for the first time.
It is also expected to defund Planned Parenthood for one year by kicking the women's health organization out of the Medicaid program."
-
Senator Roger Wicker says that Trumpcare doesn't go far enough; poor not forced to participate in gladiator fights to win access to healthcare.
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/roger-wicker-senate-obamacare-repeal-not-able-to-do-as-much
–- Update From New Post Merge ---
Also Trump was being his usual lying asshole self about the tapes; he apparently did it to try and rattle Comey, which backfired hilariously.
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/trump-has-no-tapes-conversations-with-james-comey
-
I'm not a "Trump 5D chutes and ladders!!!" type of guy but this "reveal" about the tapes just as the Trumpcare stuff is coming out and McConnell is forcibly removing people in wheelchairs from the premises is a little too obvious. Because you know what the media is going to focus on.
-
I don't think we have to believe that Trump himself is capable of chess in any number of dimensions, but his power brokers sure are. And although it's pretty clear he operates on his own terms/schedules, it wouldn't be that hard for Bannon/Priebus/Kushner to poke their Mephistopheles-ian heads into the oval office just at this critical AHCA juncture and say, "Hey why don't you clear the air about those tapes? The people will love you for being such an upright guy about it!"
…-->McConnell spitting on wheelchair people instantly forgotten -
Also Trump was being his usual lying asshole self about the tapes; he apparently did it to try and rattle Comey, which backfired hilariously.
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/trump-has-no-tapes-conversations-with-james-comey
The fun part about that is now he can never prove that he didn't have tapes and then burn them in an obstruction of justice. He can say "I never had tapes" all he wants, but he brought up having them in the first place.
-
@CCC:
…In related news, I started studying German last week. Also looking at New Zealand as an option, if they'll have me.
Cool! If a question comes up regarding your studies, I'd be glad to help you outIt's not the easiest language.
-
GOP Sens. Cruz, Johnson, Lee & Paul issue joint statement on Senate health bill: Not ready to vote for it
About half of those oppose it on the grounds that rich people aren't allowed to hunt poor people for sport.
-
Old-age Mutant Mitch McConnell recognizes someone needs to “strengthen Medicaid.” He won't have any part in it. But someone should. Other Republicans who support the bill apparently don't think Medicaid is being cut at all. Denial sounds like a nice place to live.
-
Denial sounds like a nice place to live.
A mummy rises from his slumber in the pyramid
"Whoa, whoa, easy there. Even we provided better health coverage for our slaves."
-
@Barack:
Our politics are divided. They have been for a long time. And while I know that division makes it difficult to listen to Americans with whom we disagree, that’s what we need to do today.
I recognize that repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act has become a core tenet of the Republican Party. Still, I hope that our Senators, many of whom I know well, step back and measure what’s really at stake, and consider that the rationale for action, on health care or any other issue, must be something more than simply undoing something that Democrats did.
We didn’t fight for the Affordable Care Act for more than a year in the public square for any personal or political gain – we fought for it because we knew it would save lives, prevent financial misery, and ultimately set this country we love on a better, healthier course.
Nor did we fight for it alone. Thousands upon thousands of Americans, including Republicans, threw themselves into that collective effort, not for political reasons, but for intensely personal ones – a sick child, a parent lost to cancer, the memory of medical bills that threatened to derail their dreams.
And you made a difference. For the first time, more than ninety percent of Americans know the security of health insurance. Health care costs, while still rising, have been rising at the slowest pace in fifty years. Women can’t be charged more for their insurance, young adults can stay on their parents’ plan until they turn 26, contraceptive care and preventive care are now free. Paying more, or being denied insurance altogether due to a preexisting condition – we made that a thing of the past.
We did these things together. So many of you made that change possible.
At the same time, I was careful to say again and again that while the Affordable Care Act represented a significant step forward for America, it was not perfect, nor could it be the end of our efforts – and that if Republicans could put together a plan that is demonstrably better than the improvements we made to our health care system, that covers as many people at less cost, I would gladly and publicly support it.
That remains true. So I still hope that there are enough Republicans in Congress who remember that public service is not about sport or notching a political win, that there’s a reason we all chose to serve in the first place, and that hopefully, it’s to make people’s lives better, not worse.
But right now, after eight years, the legislation rushed through the House and the Senate without public hearings or debate would do the opposite. It would raise costs, reduce coverage, roll back protections, and ruin Medicaid as we know it. That’s not my opinion, but rather the conclusion of all objective analyses, from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, which found that 23 million Americans would lose insurance, to America’s doctors, nurses, and hospitals on the front lines of our health care system.
The Senate bill, unveiled today, is not a health care bill. It’s a massive transfer of wealth from middle-class and poor families to the richest people in America. It hands enormous tax cuts to the rich and to the drug and insurance industries, paid for by cutting health care for everybody else. Those with private insurance will experience higher premiums and higher deductibles, with lower tax credits to help working families cover the costs, even as their plans might no longer cover pregnancy, mental health care, or expensive prescriptions. Discrimination based on pre-existing conditions could become the norm again. Millions of families will lose coverage entirely.
Simply put, if there’s a chance you might get sick, get old, or start a family – this bill will do you harm. And small tweaks over the course of the next couple weeks, under the guise of making these bills easier to stomach, cannot change the fundamental meanness at the core of this legislation.
I hope our Senators ask themselves – what will happen to the Americans grappling with opioid addiction who suddenly lose their coverage? What will happen to pregnant mothers, children with disabilities, poor adults and seniors who need long-term care once they can no longer count on Medicaid? What will happen if you have a medical emergency when insurance companies are once again allowed to exclude the benefits you need, send you unlimited bills, or set unaffordable deductibles? What impossible choices will working parents be forced to make if their child’s cancer treatment costs them more than their life savings?
To put the American people through that pain – while giving billionaires and corporations a massive tax cut in return – that’s tough to fathom. But it’s what’s at stake right now. So it remains my fervent hope that we step back and try to deliver on what the American people need.
That might take some time and compromise between Democrats and Republicans. But I believe that’s what people want to see. I believe it would demonstrate the kind of leadership that appeals to Americans across party lines. And I believe that it’s possible – if you are willing to make a difference again. If you’re willing to call your members of Congress. If you are willing to visit their offices. If you are willing to speak out, let them and the country know, in very real terms, what this means for you and your family.
After all, this debate has always been about something bigger than politics. It’s about the character of our country – who we are, and who we aspire to be. And that’s always worth fighting for.
. .
-
Anthony Kennedy might be retiring next week, putting another fresh-faced radical conservative on the Supreme Court for 35 years, appointed by a president who is under criminal investigation.
Someone in Chris Hayes' tweet thread there said the rumor was debunked and that Kennedy already hired new personal clerks for the 2018 term…? ...But holy shit what a terrifying country this is, that we're one heartbeat away from no more abortions. Europe's looking better and better. Except Southern Ireland of course.
Cool! If a question comes up regarding your studies, I'd be glad to help you outIt's not the easiest language.
Thanks! I'm actually enjoying the self-study so far, so I'm more likely to have questions about potential cities to live in for 6 months to a year (I'll pm you at some point :D)
-
Trump had a rally again yesterday. I tried watching part of it, hoping the crowd would be minimal but of course Trump still has his followers with him. So I turned it off. Thankfully several articles such as these has told me Trump managed to make a joke insulting Iowa's wind energy turbines. However, and I don't pretend I knew this before today, Iowa apparently has a bustling wind energy industry. Fancy that.
-
Trump had a rally again yesterday. I tried watching part of it, hoping the crowd would be minimal but of course Trump still has his followers with him. So I turned it off. Thankfully several articles such as this one has told me Trump managed to make a joke insulting Iowa's wind energy turbines. However, and I don't pretend I knew this before today, Iowa apparently has a bustling wind energy industry. Fancy that.
Last I checked, we get about 1/3 of our energy from wind. So yeah, Trump pulled yet another stupid with that comment.
-
We put our fate in the hands of people who think that the latest bit of evil from the GOP quite simply isn't evil enough.
-
@CCC:
Someone in Chris Hayes' tweet thread there said the rumor was debunked and that Kennedy already hired new personal clerks for the 2018 term…? ...But holy shit what a terrifying country this is, that we're one heartbeat away from no more abortions. Europe's looking better and better. Except Southern Ireland of course.
Uh, I think you mean Northern Ireland lol.
–- Update From New Post Merge ---
This has to be the greatest illustration of right-wing populism fucking over the common people who get carried away in it.
I have to feel like if this does go through, the results will cause serious damage to the GOP brand in the next few years.
But the cost of that lesson is going to be horrific... -
If you're a public servant, and the result of your actions puts the health of the public at risk, you have failed as a public servant.
-
Trump had a rally again yesterday. I tried watching part of it, hoping the crowd would be minimal but of course Trump still has his followers with him. So I turned it off. Thankfully several articles such as these has told me Trump managed to make a joke insulting Iowa's wind energy turbines. However, and I don't pretend I knew this before today, Iowa apparently has a bustling wind energy industry. Fancy that.
I live in said city. Trump coming literally made me stay in the house all day. I wanted no part of angry protesters or cocky supporters at all.
-
@Monkey:
Uh, I think you mean Northern Ireland lol.
Right… Oops :p
-
To be fair, abortion is illegal in vanilla Ireland as well.
-
To be fair, abortion is illegal in vanilla Ireland as well.
Wow. I actually didn't know that. Whaddya know.
I guess I was mentally confusing that with the restrictive contraception laws that they got lifted in like the 90's.–- Update From New Post Merge ---
The island of Ireland, bringing together Catholic and Protestant in being regressive anti-abortionists.
-
Oh. Phew… I thought wikipedia was lying to me for a second there lol.
The EU should have some sort of Roechambau vs. Wadeington requirement for entry.
-
The three EU countries where abortion is illegal are Poland (illegal), Ireland (very illegal) and Malta (extremely illegal). It's legal on certain conditions in Finland and the UK (but the latter is leaving anyway) (also I didn't know until researching this that at least in theory the UK's abortion laws are more restrictive than America's).
-
The three EU countries where abortion is illegal are Poland (illegal), Ireland (very illegal) and Malta (extremely illegal). It's legal on certain conditions in Finland and the UK (but the latter is leaving anyway) (also I didn't know until researching this that at least in theory the UK's abortion laws are more restrictive than America's).
Cyprus also apparently belongs to the Finland/UK category.
Now that we're all curious here's the world map on the subject.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abortion_law#/media/File:Abortion_Laws.svg -
Check out blue Bahrain in the middle of the Middle East.
-
Check out blue Bahrain in the middle of the Middle East.
Tunisia is also blue. And uh…apparently Iceland of all places is that British/Finland/Cyprus category.
-
U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry dismisses human activity as the cause of global warming. Even after learning other climate science skeptics say there's plenty of evidence to prove his stance is wrong.
-
@Monkey:
And uh…apparently Iceland of all places is that British/Finland/Cyprus category.
Don't forget Zambia.
-
Australia has different laws based on which territory you're in!? …Oh yeah. Kind of like us.
And wtf Japan! Guess you don't need an Abrahamic religion to fuck things up for women.All in all a much more depressing map than I expected.
-
@Monkey:
Tunisia is also blue. And uh…apparently Iceland of all places is that British/Finland/Cyprus category.
whuut? Let me look this up.
Ok so there are technically conditions but no one is every denied if they apply for it (while it's still early enough of course)
-
So in Australia if you wanna be aborted, you need to drive a few hours from Sydney to Canberra for it to be legal. right.
As for Poland, it's probably because of the new government.
-
Was kinda curious about Japan since none of the media I ever read/watched mentioned the subject.
-
-
Was kinda curious about Japan since none of the media I ever read/watched mentioned the subject.
One manga series I've done, Big Order, has a scene in a quasi-post-apocalyptic world where the MC finds out he's magically impregnated a girl he met like two days ago (not through actual sex- just by touching her hair ribbon). It takes all of three panels for him to think about it and conclude, "Well, I guess I'd better do the right thing and support her and this child." And they're like 16 years old. Then the pregnancy magically disappears as quickly as it came about, with no tangible effect on the plot.
But that happens all the time in crappy Western fiction too, minus the magical part. Glossing over abortion as an option in order not to ruffle conservative feathers is a time-honored tradition.
-
@CCC:
And wtf Japan! Guess you don't need an Abrahamic religion to fuck things up for women.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abortion_in_Japan
Apparently there are enough exceptions to the law (including rape, economic/physical endangerment) to make it widely practiced. It's also widely accepted by women but Japan being legislatively inert as a country means legalization is unlikely. Still de facto less awful than a lot of states in the south, and much better than Chile… -
Ted Cruz was that one guy in high school anime club who jumped on the "glomping" fad so hard.
@Mr.:
Japan being legislatively inert as a country means legalization is unlikely.
Makes sense, I guess.
It's hard to imagine you'd encounter any strong opinions on the matter there, considering the lack of mainstream puritanical religious dogma. Except maybe from wacky jingoists using population arguments. -
So in Australia if you wanna be aborted, you need to drive a few hours from Sydney to Canberra for it to be legal. right.
As for Poland, it's probably because of the new government.
Poland is very conservative Catholic as a general rule.
-
My state's senators responses to the Senate health care bill:
Idaho’s Crapo likes GOP plan. Risch is reviewing it. Health advocates call it cruel.
http://www.idahostatesman.com/news/politics-government/state-politics/article157730379.html
Also:
Idaho kids, rural and poor adults could lose coverage, pay more under GOP health planhttp://www.idahostatesman.com/news/politics-government/state-politics/article156960754.html