US Politics Thread 2016-2020

[Skybird]

Originally Posted by Rockin Robbins

What a fractured thought process! Europe has no resemblance to the Roman Empire at all. There is no new Rome to end.

Rome was an economic system built on a bedrock of slavery, slaves acquired through wars of conquest on surrounding areas. When Rome had nowhere to expand, and thus, no affordable (the barbarians left were mighty tough cookies) source of slaves, the economy could do nothing but collapse and take its empire with it. Good Caesar or bad Caesar, their options were nil. Looking steadfastly back toward past glories, they were condemned to accept that their primary strength, the bulwark of their greatness, slaves, was also their fatal weakness. Rome was nothing but a gigantic Ponzi scheme which ran out of victims.

Where are the European Union slaves? Where were those great conquests which produced them? Show me the mighty EU Legions. Your argument is pure poppycock. Ridiculous poppycock. You wouldn't know Rome if it bit you in the patootie.

Actually the only one in recent times who tried to recreate Rome was Adolf Hitler. But he foolishly killed his own slaves because he didn't understand how Rome worked. And in Rome, since they realized that slaves were the center of their economic well-being, treating your slaves well was the mark of a good Roman citizen. Hitler misunderstood that Roman value as well. Stupid man.

Rome eroded from within since it allowed to lose the skill of tradership and craftsmanship, and depended more and more on the services of others (other factions, slaves, whatever) to fulfill the needs of its extremely centralised design. At the same time when this vulnerability became a real big problem, corruption and incompetence, coupled with a growing mass of needed reforms that were hindered by an exploding and increasingly incompetent (or unwilling) bureaucracy, grew and formed up with the before mentioned loss of own skill and competence. In the end, Rome was a big body being so weak that it could no longer resist and defend against the pressure of foreign people moving into its former realms. It became unwilling to fight, and it could not live by its own means anymore, so was dependent. This ma vulnerable for blackmailing and hoping to buy itself out of the need to confront the "barbars" moving in. But in the end, while having bought some time in between, it nevertheless got eaten.

This compares very well to the EU'S own megalomania. Like Rome, the EU collapses under itws own weight, while having lost vital skills of sovereign survival, and suffering from unwillingness to "shorten its frontlines" (and claims) and to break its inherent reform deadlock.

[Skybird]

Originally Posted by Platapus

There is a long standing tradition of former presidents not criticizing their successor.

Few people are as critical about Bush than I am, but I have to acknowledge that Bush refrained from breaking this tradition.

Obama on the other hand.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/01/30/politi...ent/index.html

I fear this may not be the last.

Yes technically he is just an ordinary citizen with the right of expression, but there is a reason why this tradition is in place.

I don't think what he is doing is right, even if I agree with him on this issue.

You think Trump would honour this tradition?

Obama may act by the thought that desperate times need desperate measures. Whether his assessment of "desperate" is valid or not, is open for discussion.

Also, considering how much racist slurs and mud was thrown at him when he still was in office, Obama showed exemplary contenance and self-restraint.

[August]

Originally Posted by Rockin Robbins

However, the derogatory terms of the left: homophobe, islamophobe, xenophobe, neo-con, racist, etc,

Don't forget "alt-right". I'd never even heard of the term before the left told me that it was a vast right wing conspiracy and accused me of being a card carrying member of it.

[Oberon]

So, Gregg Phillips, Mr '3 million fake votes'...is one of those people who Trump says that "When you look at the people that are registered, dead, illegal and two states, and some cases maybe three states, we have a lot to look into."

https://apnews.com/80497cfb5f054c9b8c9e0f8f5ca30a62

Meanwhile in Muslim ban land, hundreds of US diplomats have drafted a 'dissent cable' to protest the order, the response from the administration was to 'Get with the program or go', so I imagine there'll be another load of empty spaces in the Trump government soon. Most likely another empty space will be the acting attorney-generals position since she's not going to defend the order so no doubt Trump will kick her out.

It's all quite amusing really, at least you guys are keeping us entertained with your zany politics.



Just try not to bomb us or something, ok?

[Oberon]

Originally Posted by August

Don't forget "alt-right". I'd never even heard of the term before the left told me that it was a vast right wing conspiracy and accused me of being a card carrying member of it.

Bah, you're not Alt-right, you're Old-right. Alt-right people are the likes of Richard Spencer, and to some extent Bannon, in so much that they take the traditional conservative movement, but also put the whole superiority complex in it.
The Alt-right are a bit like the 'snowflake' group that you point out, and often people who try to be a bit more in the middle get grouped in with them just because they're a bit left or a bit right. It just seems to be the way things are right now, there's no-one who even wants to meet in the middle. Neither side is going to be happy until the other side is crushed.
So here we are...war.

[Torvald Von Mansee]

Originally Posted by yubba

Oh, you mean like how the left calls people racist if they don't agree with the lefts point of view

[Torvald Von Mansee]

Originally Posted by Oberon

It's all quite amusing really, at least you guys are keeping us entertained with your zany politics.



Just try not to bomb us or something, ok?

You know this idiocy is going to have a ripple affect, don't you?

[Oberon]

Originally Posted by Torvald Von Mansee

You know this idiocy is going to have a ripple affect, don't you?

Eyup, nothing we can do about it though, sadly. Just have to ride this out and hope that things get better. Or at the very least that our deaths are quick and painless.

[Jeff-Groves]

Time for Monday Night Rehabilitation.

I'll leave to you Guys to figure out who is who.

[Buddahaid]

Great movie and sadly getting truer by the year.

[Skybird]

At this pace by which Trump raises civil and institutional, now even economic resistance and enemies to his policies and himself, he cannot hold out 4 years. I cannot see how this could be.

He tries to win the match by 1. Pe4, 2. Qh5, 3. Qxf7+. He does not even care to play 3. Bc4 first. That's not it. Really, this way means no way.

Think of the goals of his policies what you want - the way he tries to enforce them is stupid, simply stupid. Maximum damage and winning as many enemies as possible in as shortest time as possible seem to be his priorities.

This is one of the finest textbook illustrations of pathological narcissism I have ever seen or heard of. It borders or oversteps the line to psychopathy/sociopathy - the absence of any own ability to realise that there are others different from oneself and with an inner life of their own.

What I say is: I think he is psychologically totally defunct, and ill.

One mjst seriously put into question if Britain is well-advised to put its post-Brexit-bets on such an untrustworthy "ally". I tell you, he gives #### for "special relations". This is not Ronnie and Maggie riding together into the sunset. Trump first - even if that would mean the sinking of Britain below waterlevel.

[Dowly]

Originally Posted by Skybird

He tries to win the match by 1. Pe4, 2. Qh5, 3. Qxf7+. He does not even care to play 3. Bc4 first. That's not it. Really, this way means no way.

[Catfish]

Trump has just fired his Attorney General for defying him, and calls her a "traitor".

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/30/u...memo.html?_r=0

Have the heads of the various departments to obey him despite better knowledge, or if instructed to violate the constitution.. i mean can he really rule with decrees, without consulting anyone?

The newspapers here are full of all kinds of alleged violations against the US constitution, however those are european papers.. Nigel Farage of course supports the US president firing all staff.. i wonder.. ah whatever (*grabs popcorn*)

[Skybird]

Originally Posted by Dowly

Thats the Finnish way. All others use Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scholar%27s_mate

Originally Posted by Skybird

He tries to win the match by 1. Pe4, 2. Qh5, 3. Qxf7+. He does not even care to play 3. Bc4 first.

Trump aside for a moment.
I think you did it. You found the most blatant, stinking and desperate way of trying to sound oh-so-smart and sophisticated. Ugh.


Trump will get the full 8 years, because he is able to easily blind his followers with the most ridiculous bs. Just read this topic.

"No way this will happen!" kinda lost its value in my book. Everyone said no way he will become the Republicans choice. Then everybody said he will no way become POTUS. Now everyone's saying no way he'll make it past the first 4 years.

I say he will. Because those who support him are too easily fooled with even the most blatantly patriotic catchphrases and afterwards too proud to ever admit being wrong - so let's vote him again because freedom, or something like that.