US Politics Thread |OT| THE DARKEST TIMELINE

[Samson Manhug]

Part of me wants to replace my Bernie bumper sticker with a Trump one. And the rest of me is worried that I can't decide if that's irony, strategy, or sincerity.

[Kara]

Put both on!

[chronovore]

Does a forensic medical exam / criminal investigation accompany every death of a born human?  No?  Oh, okay then.

That was a nice point you tried to have.  Unfortunately, it was never going to make it.  Don't blame yourself, I'm sure you did your best, but these things happen.

(Image removed from quote.)

Mucus abortion. All those clumps of live cells aggressively murdered.  Why don't people think of the boogers?

[Brehvolution]

Statistically speaking over 50 years, a half dozen Jaydubs aborted. #suckstobelegal #abort_them_all

[helios]

https://twitter.com/aurosan/status/631200732788690944

Render unto Caesar what is Caesar's

[Brehvolution]

Does a forensic medical exam / criminal investigation accompany every death of a born human?  No?  Oh, okay then.

That was a nice point you tried to have.  Unfortunately, it was never going to make it.  Don't blame yourself, I'm sure you did your best, but these things happen.

(Image removed from quote.)

Mucus abortion. All those clumps of live cells aggressively murdered.  Why don't people think of the boogers?

(Image removed from quote.)

I'm sorry, did I say you were this way because you were stupid?  I didn't mean to disparage the merely stupid, as you're fucking distinguished mentally-challenged.

Coming from you, the honorable king of the distinguished mentally-challenged fellows.

[Shadow Mod]

JayDub is the best spokesman for a pro-choice America I've seen yet...

[Phoenix Dark]

I bought a Taylor Swift album to show my #solidarity with women.

[Himu]

I bought a Taylor Swift album to show my #solidarity with women.

Currently disgusted.

[Madrun Badrun]

[Van Cruncheon]

is there such a thing as concern stanning? because cap'n dilbert's got that on LOCKDOWN

http://blog.dilbert.com/post/126589300371/clown-genius#

[Joe Molotov]

I also saw some Internet chatter about the idea of picking Mark Cuban as Vice Presidential running mate. If that happens, Republicans win. And I think they like to win. There is no way Trump picks some desiccated Governor from an important state as his running mate. I think Cuban is a realistic possibility.

[Phoenix Dark]

Too bad Ron Paul isn't running. A Paul/Trump/Sanders trio of internet coverage would increase delusion emissions to The Day After Tomorrow tier disaster levels.

[Shadow Mod]

Ross Perot eat your heart out.

[Shadow Mod]

This person has been murdered in the digital realm.

[Broseidon]

[Kara]

So some of you can't or won't offer any kind of salient on-point discussion and you're not satisfied with simply not talking about something which is political and in the news in the political news thread.  That's not good enough for you.  You want to silence others. 

So you're threatening to kill and / or actually killing other human beings. And you must think I'll blame myself and feel bad and thus I'll stop talking about something which interests me.

That's where your cunning plan fails.  See, I get that as a bunch of collectivists, the very idea of an internal locus of control or individual free will is anathema to you, but I know I don't control you or make you do things.  I'm not your keeper.  When you do something despicably evil, that's all you.

I'm fairly certain that they do this simply to troll you, not because they think it will cause you to reflect in any capacity. I did read this in Sevatar's voice if it makes you feel better.

[benjipwns]

i wish i could catch feelings 

emotional butterfingers

[benjipwns]

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2016/president/ia/iowa_republican_presidential_caucus-3194.html

  at Walker's line

[brob]

i wish i could catch feelings 

emotional butterfingers

it helps if u press left right in the rhythm of the wobble

[benjipwns]

EAST LANSING, Michigan --- Donald Trump is leading his Republican challengers among those who would
vote in the Michigan GOP Presidential Primary next year according to a Mitchell Poll of Michigan conducted
last night. Trump with 20% leads Carly Fiorina at 15% with Jeb Bush and Ben Carson tied for third place at
12%. Marco Rubio is fourth at 10% with Ted Cruz and John Kasich both at 8% tied for fifth. Chris Christie,
Mike Huckabee and Scott Walker are all at 4% with Rand Paul in last place at 2%.

[Phoenix Dark]

Really surprised Walker is so low in Michigan tbh. It's still early though.

[Oblivion]

Which is probably around 6 months, which matches up with the laws most states have on the books. And nearly all abortions happen well before the 6 month mark.

This reminds me of some stuff I read a month or so back in some policy book, most of Europe is more restrictive than the "average" U.S. state because of federal rulings.

One article I grabbed from a quick google search: http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2013/08/in-liberal-europe-abortion-laws-come-with-their-own-restrictions/278350/

In Germany, women seeking first-trimester abortions are subject to a mandatory three-day waiting period and a counseling session. Abortions after the first 12 weeks of pregnancy are forbidden except in cases of grave threat to the mother's physical or mental health. The Netherlands mandates a five-day waiting period between initial consultation and abortion; clinics must provide women with information about abortion alternatives. Abortion is then legal until viability (legally defined as 24 weeks, usually interpreted as 22 weeks). In Belgium, where abortion was illegal until 1990, there's a six-day waiting period and the woman must claim to be in "a state of distress" before receiving a first-trimester abortion.

Many Western European countries have what might seem like odd requirements and exceptions to their abortion laws.

In Finland (home of the now-famous Finnish baby boxes and other enviable government benefits), abortion is available up to 12 weeks of pregnancy, unless the woman is under 17 years old, in which case she may have an abortion until she's 20 weeks pregnant. But even for early abortions, women must provide a "social reason" for seeking to terminate her pregnancy, such as poverty, extreme distress, or already having at least four children. While in practice most abortion requests are granted, it still forces women to prove to an authority the validity of their desire not to have a baby. In Denmark, abortion is available on demand up to 12 weeks of pregnancy. Afterward, exceptions are made for cases of rape, threats to the woman's physical or mental health, risk of fetal defects, and -- revealingly -- in cases where the woman can demonstrate lack of financial resources to care for a child.

Israel (though not part of Europe, obviously) has similarly idiosyncratic requirements and restrictions. Though 93 percent of American Jews support abortion rights in all or most cases, and the Torah has little to say about abortion, the Jewish state of Israel has fairly heavy-handed abortion laws. Abortion is illegal for married women between ages 17 and 40, except in cases of rape, incest, fetal malformation, or risk to the mother's physical or mental health. Women eligible for abortions (the unmarried ones, that is) must submit to ultrasounds, wade through rivers of paperwork, and plead their case to an expert.

Eastern Europe, a stronghold of liberal abortion laws under Communism, has become increasingly strict of late. Russia recently passed a law restricting abortion to the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, and Russian clinics are also now forced to give (medically dubious) warnings about the health risks of abortion, which supposedly include cancer and infertility. After the fall of the USSR, Poland enacted some of Europe's strictest abortion laws , banning the procedure except in cases of rape, fetal malformation, or serious threats to the woman's health. The Ukraine is currently threatening to follow suit.

Sweden
Since 1974, abortion has been legal in Sweden in all circumstances within the first 18 weeks of pregnancy. After this point, abortions are only permissible to save the life or physical health of the mother, or if approval is granted by the National Board of Health and Welfare.

Ireland
The Offenses Against the Person Act of 1861 (originally enacted by the United Kingdom but parts of which are still active in Ireland) banned abortion in all circumstances. Later court decisions established an exception to save the mother’s life. In 1983, a constitutional amendment strengthened the country’s abortion restrictions by establishing a fetus’s right to life, equating it with a woman’s right to life. The lack of access to abortion garnered attention in 1992 when a 14-year-old rape victim sought to travel to Great Britain to terminate her pregnancy. She was permitted to travel to Great Britain for this purpose only after the Irish Supreme Court ruled that requiring the girl to have the child might lead her to commit suicide. According to experts, each year more than 7,000 Irish women travel to Great Britain to receive abortions.

Have a free interactive WEB FOUR POINT OH map: http://worldabortionlaws.com/

Wow, so much for them librul European countries. 

[benjipwns]

Notice Clinton doesn’t address the specifics of the deal at all, as opposed to Chuck Schumer who did so at considerable length in his rejection of the pact.  It’s virtually impossible to support rationally this absurd agreement in which the U.S. gave in on practically everything and then donated $150 billion to the ayatollahs for the privilege of doing so.

Nevertheless, Hillary has no choice but to support it for two reasons. One: Bernie Sanders is backing it and he is getting all the popular attention on the Democratic side.  But that’s minor and perhaps transitory.  The major reason is clear and deserves a separate paragraph.

Hillary Clinton is in such deep legal trouble over her emails that she needs the backing of Obama to survive.  He controls the attorney general’s office and therefore he controls Hillary (and her freedom) as long as he is president. Everything she says and does in the presidential campaign must be viewed against this reality.  This is further enhanced by her need to hold together Obama’s electoral coalition.  But that’s the least of it compared to having erased 32,000 emails, most of which were undoubtedly government property, and done who-knows-what to the server, something that not even Nixon would ever have dreamed of.

Meanwhile,  Hillary’s — and other Democrats’ — support for the Iran deal has now basically been reduced to this: It may not be a terrific, but we’re stuck with it and it would be a huge embarrassment to vote it down now.  Moreover, the sanctions could never be reinstated, so what’s the point?  Oh, and by the way, if you don’t agree, you’re a warmonger.

[benjipwns]

To: Interested Parties
From: Robby Mook, Campaign Manager, Hillary for America
RE: State of the Race, Summer 2015

[Mandark]

JD, all you've been doing is insulting people and saying your viewpoint is so obviously and objectively true that it doesn't need explanation, much less argument (so anyone disagreeing is a moral monster or an imbecile).  It's been your M.O. for a few years now at least.

You can post however you want but it's not realistic to expect sincere, considered responses to that approach.  Surely you can understand this.

[Mandark]

i wish i could catch feelings 

emotional butterfingers

I actually think it's kind of obvious when you catch feelings, benj.

[ToxicAdam]

is there such a thing as concern stanning? because cap'n dilbert's got that on LOCKDOWN

http://blog.dilbert.com/post/126589300371/clown-genius#

"Don't hate the playa, hate the game ..."


It reminds me of a post I made one time admiring L. Ron Hubbard.

[benjipwns]

I actually think it's kind of obvious when you catch feelings, benj.

Because it's so constantly?

[benjipwns]

Were they about Civil War?

[Trent Dole]

[Oblivion]

[Great Rumbler]

The Running Man OST

[benjipwns]

The hits keep coming for Jeb!

http://www.ora.tv/offthegrid/2015/8/13/jesse-ventura-jeb-bush-sent-me-a-box-of-cuban-cigars

Former Minnesota governor Jesse Ventura said Thursday he was "astounded" that Jeb Bush's campaign would deny a decades-old gift of Cuban cigars.

The controversy centers on a box of Romeo y Julieta cigars Bush gave Ventura after a meeting of governors at the White House, where Ventura complained to then-president Bill Clinton about the “ridiculous” Cuban embargo and how it should be lifted.

Ventura, who recounted the story Wednesday on his Ora.TV “Off the Grid” show, said the gift was ironic, since Bush supported the embargo.

Bush’s presidential campaign denied the claim, saying the cigars weren’t from Cuba.

“The cigars were Dominican,” Bush spokeswoman Kristy Campell told POLITICO, echoing comments the campaign made to McClatchy, which first reported the story.

Ventura told POLITICO that Bush’s campaign isn’t being honest.

“What happened to the truth?” Ventura said in a phone interview. “They’re trying to say that he sent me a box of Dominicans? I’m astounded by that. Why would they send me a box of Dominican cigars when I could go buy them in any cigar shop?”

Ventura, echoing comments on his show, said the gift — and now the denial — speak to problems with Bush’s campaign.

“Come on. You’re even going to cover this up? You’re going to deny a box of cigars, like what: that’s going to determine the election? It’s a simple and true story,” Ventura said. “I guess the point that I’m making is elites live by a different set of rules than all the rest of us because they can get Cuban cigars, clearly, when the rest of us can’t.”

...

“I hate to feel like a criminal every time I go to smoke a Cuban cigar,” Ventura said he told the president. “Jeb approached me and told me to keep it down.”

“Don’t bring that up, I don’t want that up. I’ll send you all the Cuban cigars you need,” Bush said privately to his Minnesota counterpart, according to Ventura. Ventura said he later walked over to Bush and put an empty aluminum Romeo y Julieta cigar tube in the Florida governor’s top pocket and said “there’s my brand.”

Ventura said that, 10 days later, “I got a box of Romeo Julieta Cubans delivered to the Capitol in Minnesota.”

Is there a chance that the cigars he got were actually from the Dominican Republic?

“No,” Ventura told POLITICO. “The cigar box was sealed and the cigars each came in a silver tube that said ‘Cuba’ on the side.’”

“How would Jeb be able to get his hands on a box of Cuban illegal cigars?” Ventura asked. “It shows the embargo isn’t working.”

[recursivelyenumerable]

Trumpmerica

[Great Rumbler]

Since we're talking about Jeb:

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) said on Thursday during a campaign stop in Iowa that "taking out Saddam Hussein turned out to be a pretty good deal," according to multiple reports.

[benjipwns]

http://feelthebern.org/

[Great Rumbler]

Regardless of whether you agree with Bernie, his site is really, really good. Easy to navigate and very in-depth on each issue highlighted [also includes lots of outside links], instead of just a few blurbs like pretty much every other candidate's site.

Edit: Oh, that's not his official site? Huh, figured it was with how well it was put together. His actual site is still pretty good, though, one of the better ones.

Edit 2: Rick Perry's is probably the worst. This is the entirety of his "Issues" page:

Expanding Opportunity For All
If we want to live up to that timeless American commitment – to expand opportunity for all who come after us – we need to do big things.

ECONOMIC GROWTH
We need to grow the economy, so that every American can find work, and that those who already have work can earn more.

LOWER TAXES
We need to make life more affordable, by helping Americans keep more of what they earn, and by lowering the cost of everyday expenses.

RETIRE THE DEBT
We need to retire the federal debt, in order to protect the safety net for the most vulnerable, and to ensure that our children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren can enjoy the prosperity, security, and freedom that we have promised them.

NATIONAL SECURITY
We need to make America safer and stronger by rebuilding our military, and working with our allies to promote peace, prosperity, and tolerance around the world. The federal government also needs to do its constitutional duty and secure the border once and for all.

STOP SPECIAL INTERESTS & BIG GOVERNMENT
We need to end the culture of cronyism and bailouts, a culture that caters to politically- connected people and politically-connected businesses at the expense of small enterprises and average Americans.

[Kara]

The only "Bern" I want to feel is in Switzerland. #freekarakand

[studyguy]

Regardless of whether you agree with Bernie, his site is really, really good. Easy to navigate and very in-depth on each issue highlighted [also includes lots of outside links], instead of just a few blurbs like pretty much every other candidate's site.

Edit: Rick Perry's is probably the worst. This is the entirety of his "Issues" page:

Expanding Opportunity For All
If we want to live up to that timeless American commitment – to expand opportunity for all who come after us – we need to do big things.

ECONOMIC GROWTH
We need to grow the economy, so that every American can find work, and that those who already have work can earn more.

LOWER TAXES
We need to make life more affordable, by helping Americans keep more of what they earn, and by lowering the cost of everyday expenses.

RETIRE THE DEBT
We need to retire the federal debt, in order to protect the safety net for the most vulnerable, and to ensure that our children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren can enjoy the prosperity, security, and freedom that we have promised them.

NATIONAL SECURITY
We need to make America safer and stronger by rebuilding our military, and working with our allies to promote peace, prosperity, and tolerance around the world. The federal government also needs to do its constitutional duty and secure the border once and for all.

STOP SPECIAL INTERESTS & BIG GOVERNMENT
We need to end the culture of cronyism and bailouts, a culture that caters to politically- connected people and politically-connected businesses at the expense of small enterprises and average Americans.

Don't focus on the negatives, focus on the his new image.
Namely the glasses.

[I'm a Puppy!]

I love it

"We need to expand opportunity! We need to retire the debt! We need to do big things! Now go and cut funding and lower taxes!"
Also,
"We need to stop special interest! Now go and expand national security!"

It's like saying "I need to protect my chastity! Now off I go to the gangbang!"

[Shadow Mod]

I love it

"We need to expand opportunity! We need to retire the debt! We need to do big things! Now go and cut funding and lower taxes!"
Also,
"We need to stop special interest! Now go and expand national security!"

It's like saying "I need to protect my chastity! Now off I go to the gangbang!"

Cuckservatives brehs.

[benjipwns]

It's like saying "I need to protect my chastity! Now off I go to the gangbang!"

Go on...

[benjipwns]

  BREAKING: Ron Paul endorses Rand Paul for President

Rand is the ONLY one in the race who is standing up for your Liberty, across the board....he is our best hope to restore liberty, limited government and the Bill of Rights and finally end the big spending status quo in Washington, D.C....

Remember, truth is treason in the empire of lies. And nowhere is that more true than when it comes to Washington, D.C. and their media mouthpieces.

Even where Rand and I do have minor differences of opinion, I would take Rand's position over any of his opponents' in both parties every time....

There is not one candidate who has run for president in my lifetime who can say they fully share my commitment to liberty, Austrian economics, small government, and following the Constitution, [more] than my son, Rand Paul.

That's why I have wholeheartedly endorsed him.

I know the media likes to play this little game where they pit us, or certain views, against each other.

Don't fall for it. They're trying to manufacture storylines at liberty's expense. You've spent years seeing how the media treated me. They aren't my friends and they aren't yours.

[Kara]

But I don't own a Jeep Liberty, and even if I did, I wouldn't need Rand Paul to stick up for it.

[benjipwns]

You'll be sorry when you break down in Somalia.

[Human Snorenado]

You'll be sorry when you break down in Somalia.

Is that what they're calling Kentucky these days?

[benjipwns]

How to remedy America’s social ills? Exercise the mind’s power to choose, says Ben Carson

Although most of my professional career has been dedicated to studying the physiological dimensions of the human brain, I have always been fascinated with the role that the human psyche plays in our perceptions of ourselves and the world around us. So much so, in fact, that as an undergraduate I majored in psychology and at one point strongly considered becoming a psychiatrist, before ultimately making a decision to pursue a specialization in neurosurgery. I mention this because it frames the discussion that I want to begin about the dimensions of the problem of race in this country, and what I see as the best approach to transcending race as an issue that divides us and prevents us from moving forward as one nation under God.

As a child growing up in a poor family headed by a single mother in the inner city of Detroit, I became intimately familiar with some of the social pathologies that plague these communities: Poverty, poor education, criminal recidivism and involvement with the prison system, and the pernicious cycle of teenage motherhood. Like many of today’s inner-city youths, I too faced a situation in which I did not have an abundance of positive male role models. And during those times, there was certainly no well-trodden path from the mean streets of Detroit to college and a successful career as a neurosurgeon.

But there were certain intervening events that were pivotal in helping to change the course of my life.

The first was that my mother, who could barely read herself, forbid my brother and me from watching television and insisted instead that we read books. Reading opened up whole new worlds for me, and both fertilized my imagination and fueled my aspiration to go beyond the confines of my physical environment. The second major intervening event was my acceptance of the wisdom of God. An incident in which I attempted to stab a classmate out of anger forced me to confront a dysfunctional attitude that, if unchecked, would impede my ability to succeed in school or realize my dream of one day becoming a doctor. I prayed to God to guide me in becoming more tolerant and forbearing.

There were certainly other societal and institutional dynamics that contributed to the course my life would take. My mother did, from time to time, accept welfare assistance when ends did not meet — but she also worked two or three jobs and was ingeniously resourceful. And societal changes concurrent with the civil rights movement helped to break down barriers and open doors for me that might not have otherwise been available.

But the major factor in how my life has turned out was — and is — my attitude and ability to choose the object of my concentration.

My views on race in this country start from that perspective. While I advocate for a colorblind society, I am by no means blind to the reality of racism. But again it comes down to a matter of focus. I believe that if we focus on what divides us rather than what unites us, we impede our ability to transcend differences and work together constructively toward a better future for all Americans.

I realize that the government can play a role in providing a social safety net, and it is one of the things that I really love about our country. But I am much more focused on how high we can rise than how far we can fall. The government has spent more than $19 trillion by some estimates on the “war on poverty” since 1965. And yet the social pathologies plaguing our society are far worse today than they were when I was a child growing up in Detroit. This points to the fact that the progressive model has largely failed — and it is past time that we try something new.

My view is that, rather than attempting to fight against poverty, we should be encouraging growth. The mental shift may be subtle, but it has profound implications for how we approach public policy. The assumption that people are “poor” grounds them in a mentality that reduces agency and creates more dependency. And more tragically, it obscures the reality that there is an abundance of opportunity that is ready for people who want to avail themselves of it.

And so my focus of my efforts — through the Carson Scholars foundation and in countless speeches before young inner-city audiences over the years — is to open the doors to possibility. The desire to do something provides the seed for its ultimate fruition. As a society we should, by nurturing that desire through programs and policies that invest in people, encourage them to achieve their God-given potential.

This calls for a new model in public policy that departs from the traditional progressive model. What I am advocating is that civil society — including the corporate sector, education community, the religious establishment and philanthropic institutions —invest in people, to empower them with tools in the form of education and character development, role models, and concrete pathways into productive and rewarding work.

The dilemmas of race and entrenched, intergenerational poverty have proven intractable despite the mountains of money that have been poured into solving them over the past 50 years. Moving beyond them will require a paradigm shift from focusing on attacking the problems to creating conditions that foster opportunity and growth.

I've heard this before somewhere.

I hope someone attacks him for saying America can't do both!

[benjipwns]

[toku]

[Kara]

You'll be sorry when you break down in Somalia.

I knew I shouldn't have bought American.

[Great Rumbler]

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/donald-trump-iowa-state-fair-helicopter-rides

[Barraco Barner]

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/16/opinion/sunday/introducing-donald-trump-diplomat.html

On Scott Walker

He gave me a plaque and everything is nice. And I like him. And then about a week ago one of his guys came up and said that Donald Trump is full of it. I said ‘Thank you so much. Now I can hit him.’ I hit Scott so hard. I said his state was a disaster. So there’s a lot of power there. He went from Number 1 to Number 4 in Iowa. I went to Number 1.

On Rand Paul

Tiny little guy. Did you see the press release I put out about Rand Paul? Pretty brutal, right? A nasty, nasty guy. I gave him a lot of money for his eye center. I played golf with him. I’m a good golfer. I’ve won 18 club championships. And he’s a golfer and I killed him. I could play him a thousand times and never lose to him.

On Twitter

The nice thing about Twitter, in the old days when I got attacked it would take me years to get even with somebody, now when I’m attacked I can do it instantaneously, and it has a lot of power. You see some genius statements on Twitter. You see some statements coming out which are Ernest Hemingway times two.

[Joe Molotov]

You'll be sorry when you break down in Somalia.

I knew I shouldn't have bought American.

[chronovore]

Does a forensic medical exam / criminal investigation accompany every death of a born human?  No?  Oh, okay then.

That was a nice point you tried to have.  Unfortunately, it was never going to make it.  Don't blame yourself, I'm sure you did your best, but these things happen.

(Image removed from quote.)

Mucus abortion. All those clumps of live cells aggressively murdered.  Why don't people think of the boogers?

(Image removed from quote.)

I'm sorry, did I say you were this way because you were stupid?  I didn't mean to disparage the merely stupid, as you're fucking distinguished mentally-challenged.

[brawndolicious]

Asks for sympathy for fetuses then makes fun of distinguished mentally-challenged people.

[Kara]

I could play him a thousand times and never lose to him.

Calm and resolved from a thousand hypothetical results.

[Joe Molotov]

http://www.cnn.com/2015/08/15/politics/donald-trump-hillary-clinton-iowa-state-fair/index.html

Trump isn't even doing Iowa right. Won't someone think of the barefoot corn shuckers?

[Barraco Barner]

Not everyone at the fair was impressed by the candidates. One man, who watched Trump's jet fly over their campground Saturday morning, shrugged at the presence of the former secretary of state and real estate magnate here -- and made no effort to meet them.

"What difference does it make?" he said, adding that he has no plans to caucus but didn't want to give his name when discussing politics. "It's all about the money anyway."

His recommendation to future fairgoers was to steer clear of the candidates, and head to this year's novelty: the 27 degree beer tent.

"You put it in a Styrofoam cup and it stays cold," he marveled. "It's really weird for the state fair to have cold beer. It's usually lukewarm."

[Joe Molotov]

What a time to be alive.