Author Topic: Humorless Politics Thread  (Read 925559 times)

nec13

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Re: Humorless Politics Thread
« Reply #1680 on: January 05, 2012, 12:00:53 AM »
I think Romney's going to win, pretty easily when it's all over.  My own hope is that some combination of people stay in the race long enough that the story ends up being "Romney is the nominee, but 60% of Republicans don't like him."

Many people in the more evangelical-dominated regions of the country will have a brutal time walking in and voting for someone who they believe is going to hell.  They also believe Obama is going to hell, but they think he's going because he's secretly not what they call a Christian.  Romney is openly, proudly what they call not a Christian.  Some of them will be able to live with that hypocrisy, some won't.

The election will be close because Obama is genuinely unpopular with a lot of people and the people who won it for him are not enthusiastic.  I think he's been a disappointing president.  But I also think he can successfully make the argument that he's likely to be the only thing standing between our governing system and the complete and utter violence that the people who control the GOP want to unleash upon it.  And I say that as a very disaffected centrist Democrat.

You're spot on with that final paragraph. I've been profoundly disappointed by Obama for any number of reasons. But I'm going to have to likely hold my nose and vote for the guy again in November, simply because the alternative is so much worse.

I think your point about the schism between Romney and the religious right is valid. However, at the end of the day, I think conservatives, by and large, will fall in line behind whomever the GOP candidate is, even if it's Romney. While they may loathe Mitt's religious beliefs, and many of his liberal policy inclinations, they hate Obama even more. Moreover, if Romney gets a "true conservative" as his running mate-say someone like Marco Rubio or Paul Ryan-the anti-Romney people may have a much easier time voting for him.
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Smelodies

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Re: Humorless Politics Thread
« Reply #1681 on: January 05, 2012, 12:03:23 AM »
I visited the Mormon headquarters in September. It was pretty creepy.

buffcoat

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Re: Humorless Politics Thread
« Reply #1682 on: January 05, 2012, 10:13:54 AM »
I think some of the conservatives will stay home rather than vote for a Mormon.  You're right about the VP pick.  Paul Ryan has almost no charisma and will come across as a pencil neck (though a Ryan-Biden debate will be ugly one way or another).

The candidate who brings the most fear is Marco Rubio, who is very charismatic to the type of person who wants to pretend they don't hate Mexicans by voting for a Cuban.
I really don't appreciate your sarcastic, anti-comedy tone, Bro!

Kormod

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Re: Humorless Politics Thread
« Reply #1683 on: January 05, 2012, 11:21:09 AM »
Marco Rubio on Social Security and Medicare:

Quote
These programs actually weakened us as a people. You see, almost forever, it was institutions in society that assumed the role of taking care of one another. If someone was sick in your family, you took care of them. If a neighbor met misfortune, you took care of them. You saved for your retirement and your future because you had to. We took these things upon ourselves in our communities, our families, and our homes, and our churches and our synagogues. But all that changed when the government began to assume those responsibilities. All of a sudden, for an increasing number of people in our nation, it was no longer necessary to worry about saving for security because that was the government’s job.

Sounds good, Romney. Pick him as your running mate.

buffcoat

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Re: Humorless Politics Thread
« Reply #1684 on: January 05, 2012, 02:35:42 PM »
Marco Rubio on Social Security and Medicare:

Quote
These programs actually weakened us as a people. You see, almost forever, it was institutions in society that assumed the role of taking care of one another. If someone was sick in your family, you took care of them. If a neighbor met misfortune, you took care of them. You saved for your retirement and your future because you had to. We took these things upon ourselves in our communities, our families, and our homes, and our churches and our synagogues. But all that changed when the government began to assume those responsibilities. All of a sudden, for an increasing number of people in our nation, it was no longer necessary to worry about saving for security because that was the government’s job.

Sounds good, Romney. Pick him as your running mate.


We've seen repeatedly that I'm the most "fiscally conservative" poster in this thread, but my answer to Rubio would be: "Yes.  And people also used to starve to death in the United States.  Are you comfortable with that, too?"

Remember that the people who advocate for the destruction - not reform but obliteration - of the social safety net are looking back fondly on the early days of the Great Depression and saying, "good times, good times."
I really don't appreciate your sarcastic, anti-comedy tone, Bro!

fonpr

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Re: Humorless Politics Thread
« Reply #1685 on: January 05, 2012, 05:25:27 PM »

We've seen repeatedly that I'm the most "fiscally conservative" poster in this thread,

Really?


Oh, you said thread.
"Like it or not, Florida seems dedicated to a 'live fast, die' way of doing things."

buffcoat

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Re: Humorless Politics Thread
« Reply #1686 on: January 05, 2012, 06:02:06 PM »
Who else on the board, Frdrrrrrrxxxxxx?

There was that Utah guy who was actually a conservative, albeit a friendly one.  Everybody else has seemed very to very very left of the average Iowa voter.  Not that there's anything wrong with that.
I really don't appreciate your sarcastic, anti-comedy tone, Bro!

fonpr

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Re: Humorless Politics Thread
« Reply #1687 on: January 05, 2012, 06:23:39 PM »
Who else on the board, Frdrrrrrrxxxxxx?

Me.

I'm with Ron Paul regarding foreign wars and the drug war.

Negotiating drug prices could save the government huge amounts of money.

Are you politically aligned with the average Iowa voter?
"Like it or not, Florida seems dedicated to a 'live fast, die' way of doing things."

nec13

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Re: Humorless Politics Thread
« Reply #1688 on: January 05, 2012, 06:37:49 PM »
There was that Utah guy who was actually a conservative, albeit a friendly one.

Orrin Hatch is an FOT?

(And with that I've just crossed the 2000 post threshold. Figures that said post would be an unfunny joke)
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buffcoat

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Re: Humorless Politics Thread
« Reply #1689 on: January 05, 2012, 07:49:54 PM »
Who else on the board, Frdrrrrrrxxxxxx?

Me.

I'm with Ron Paul regarding foreign wars and the drug war.

Negotiating drug prices could save the government huge amounts of money.

Are you politically aligned with the average Iowa voter?


Freddy, those first two are more libertarian positions than fiscal conservative ones.  The third one is a fiscal liberal position and more socialist than capitalist (I'm not being judgmental about either of those words).

Fiscal conservatives, as people seem to talk about, are in favor of lower tax rates, lower or no capital gains tax rates, getting rid of the inheritance tax, seriously reducing the government's budget, reducing the size of the welfare state, so on and so forth.  It has also been expanded to include drilling for oil everywhere and by every means possible, deregulating and trusting companies to do what's right, allowing interlocking boards of directors, so on and so forth.  The concept of corporations as people is a new-style fiscally conservative idea.

I'm to the left of the average North Carolina voter, but probably to the right of the average New York voter.  God knows what the average Florida voter is.

I haven't moved my political positions much in the past few years; however, the people who think of themselves as the True Warriors of Fiscal Conservatism have moved that bar so far to the right that I can't legitimately identify myself that way anymore. 

I'm for a realistic recalibration of entitlement programs designed to make them last (things like raising the retirement age, means testing, cutting some benefits).  That doesn't cut it anymore: to be what the GOP calls fiscal conservative, you have to support privatization of Social Security, for example.  I can't get on board with that at all.

I really don't appreciate your sarcastic, anti-comedy tone, Bro!

fonpr

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Re: Humorless Politics Thread
« Reply #1690 on: January 05, 2012, 08:25:38 PM »
Who else on the board, Frdrrrrrrxxxxxx?

Me.

I'm with Ron Paul regarding foreign wars and the drug war.

Negotiating drug prices could save the government huge amounts of money.

Are you politically aligned with the average Iowa voter?


Freddy, those first two are more libertarian positions than fiscal conservative ones.  The third one is a fiscal liberal position and more socialist than capitalist (I'm not being judgmental about either of those words).

Fiscal conservatives, as people seem to talk about, are in favor of lower tax rates, lower or no capital gains tax rates, getting rid of the inheritance tax, seriously reducing the government's budget, reducing the size of the welfare state, so on and so forth.  It has also been expanded to include drilling for oil everywhere and by every means possible, deregulating and trusting companies to do what's right, allowing interlocking boards of directors, so on and so forth.  The concept of corporations as people is a new-style fiscally conservative idea.

I'm to the left of the average North Carolina voter, but probably to the right of the average New York voter.  God knows what the average Florida voter is.

I haven't moved my political positions much in the past few years; however, the people who think of themselves as the True Warriors of Fiscal Conservatism have moved that bar so far to the right that I can't legitimately identify myself that way anymore. 

I'm for a realistic recalibration of entitlement programs designed to make them last (things like raising the retirement age, means testing, cutting some benefits).  That doesn't cut it anymore: to be what the GOP calls fiscal conservative, you have to support privatization of Social Security, for example.  I can't get on board with that at all.

Semantics, Buff.

The GOP is a sham.  A sham with a great deal of money available for advertising.

True Conservatives believe in conservation.

Conserve energy, water, money, individual liberty and community.

I'm with you on means testing for entitlements (I don't like that word).
"Like it or not, Florida seems dedicated to a 'live fast, die' way of doing things."

cavorting with nudists

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Re: Humorless Politics Thread
« Reply #1691 on: January 06, 2012, 10:22:46 AM »
Sorry to barge in on an actually substantive exchange, but: 25 People Who Just Googled "Santorum" for the First Time. 

http://www.buzzfeed.com/mattcherette/25-people-who-just-googled-santorum-for-the-first-time
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fonpr

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Re: Humorless Politics Thread
« Reply #1692 on: January 06, 2012, 11:09:31 AM »
Sorry to barge in on an actually substantive exchange, but: 25 People Who Just Googled "Santorum" for the First Time. 

http://www.buzzfeed.com/mattcherette/25-people-who-just-googled-santorum-for-the-first-time


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"Like it or not, Florida seems dedicated to a 'live fast, die' way of doing things."

NJL

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Re: Humorless Politics Thread
« Reply #1693 on: January 06, 2012, 12:08:27 PM »
Sorry to barge in on an actually substantive exchange, but: 25 People Who Just Googled "Santorum" for the First Time. 

http://www.buzzfeed.com/mattcherette/25-people-who-just-googled-santorum-for-the-first-time


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http://www.buzzfeed.com/mattcherette/25-people-who-just-googled-santorum-for-the-firs


buffcoat

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Re: Humorless Politics Thread
« Reply #1694 on: January 06, 2012, 12:39:40 PM »
I remember when all that happened.  Couldn't be for a nicer guy.

Do you think even the Republicans want to elect someone who wants to outlaw birth control?  How can they be for "states' rights" or "smaller government" and still want to elect a Bush-type, super-hawk, "compassionate conservative" who is almost entirely focused on social issues?

This is the weirdest campaign ever, seriously, even counting the ones in the mid-1800s when nobody wanted to be president.
I really don't appreciate your sarcastic, anti-comedy tone, Bro!