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PoliGAF 2013 |OT2| Worth 77% of OT1

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O

Oblivion

Fetishing muscular manly men in skintight hosery
From that douchebag that did the food stamp challenge:

Ferguson confirmed to ThinkProgress that he is only eating the food he bought and is “feeling great” and has even gained two pounds. “As for criticism, liberals issued a challenge and I took them up on it,” he said. “It’s not my fault it backfired on them. Reality has a way of mocking liberalism.”
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A

Aaron Strife

Banned
Dax01 said:
Huh. This is something to think about. For the all the talk of America becoming a majority-minority nation, it could still be majority White because the fastest-growing group is multi-racial. ThinkProgress link and here's Jemelle Bouie about it.
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I think most people would consider any significant minority heritage (i.e. not "my great-great-grand grandfather was Native American") to be "minority." I don't really care, and my hope is by the time America is majority-minority, no one else will. The ones who do will look like Cartman at the waterpark

Cartman: I've been counting. Do you know there are two hundred and five Mexicans here? and there are a hundred and ninety black people!
Kyle: So what?
Cartman: So?! Guess how many white people are at the water park today? One hundred and forty three! There are actually more minorities here than us!
Kyle: Well then they're not minorities, are they?
Cartman: ...What do you mean?
Kyle: Dumbass, if there's sixty percent of them to forty percent of us, then who's the minority?!
Cartman: The black and brown people.
Kyle: No, you're the minority!
Cartman: Do I look like a minority to you, stupid?!
Click to expand...
 
W

Wilsongt

Member
Not all Republicans are idiots. Granted, this statement isn't coming from an old, white Republican.

A Republican Senator Made The Best Pro-Gay Marriage Statement We've Seen From A Major Public Official

AP

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska)
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) announced her support for gay marriage this morning and her full statement on why is well worth a read.

The statement is forceful, arguing that marriage equality is needed to protect personal freedom and stop the government from overreaching.

This is the key paragraph (emphasis added):

First, this is a personal liberty issue and has to do with the most important personal decision that any human makes. I believe that, as Americans, our freedoms come from God and not government, and include the rights enumerated in the Declaration of Independence: life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. What could be more important to the pursuit of happiness than the right to choose your spouse without asking a Washington politician for permission? If there is one belief that unifies most Alaskans – our true north – it is less government and more freedom. We don’t want the government in our pockets or our bedrooms; we certainly don’t need it in our families.

Murkowski goes on to say that allowing gays into marriage will make it a stronger institution that does more to promote family stability. That's a common refrain from Republicans who support gay marriage, and a relatively safe way to argue for gay marriage without declaring war on social conservatism.

But in making the "liberty" argument, and saying we don't need the government in families, Murkowski is making a much bolder argument, and going for a big break with social conservatives. Murkowski is siding with those who argue that marriage should be an institution that exists for the benefit of individuals, to be used to form the kinds of families they see fit.

Social conservatives tend to argue that marriage is a civic institution that should be used to promote the formation of a specific kind of family. That is, they think we do need the government in our families.

I think Murkowski's individualist approach is right. But it's going to be a major point of contention between her and social conservatives in the Republican party.
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While the anti-government sentiment is there, she is right about getting the government out of our bedrooms (and vaginas).
 
O

Oblivion

Fetishing muscular manly men in skintight hosery
B-Dubs said:
Why do I think he is full of shit? Or that he's cheating somehow?
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I wouldn't doubt either of things, but my bigger issue is that, even if we suppose there was no deception involved in this stunt, I'm still not sure what exactly this fuckhead is proud of.

When I was living on my own for the first time, I had money saved up but no job, so I strived to make my groceries as cheap as possible. Many times, it would be as low as $20/week. So, sure it's possible to live on such an amount, but a life of eating ramen noodles every night (sometimes for lunch as well) is pretty goddamned miserable. And try living on that for months at a time instead of just one week where you most likely never have to re-live again (assuming he did so the first time).

The fact that he's bragging about this shit, and using it as an excuse to cut the program even further makes him a special kind of scumbag.
 
O

Oblivion

Fetishing muscular manly men in skintight hosery
Oh by the way, wouldn't the appropriate corollary for that food stamp thing mean that if poor people can live off of peanuts, then certainly there's no excuse for why the wealthy can't be taxed even further?
 
A

Aaron Strife

Banned
Wilsongt said:
Not all Republicans are idiots. Granted, this statement isn't coming from an old, white Republican.

A Republican Senator Made The Best Pro-Gay Marriage Statement We've Seen From A Major Public Official

While the anti-government sentiment is there, she is right about getting the government out of our bedrooms (and vaginas).
Click to expand...
The only reason her support is getting attention is because it's not coming from a "whiny crying libtard."

Hate that shit. Look, however you come to the conclusion that legalizing gay marriage is right is fine, but it's bullshit that only once a handful of GOP senators started owning that position that the media's stopped portraying marriage equality as some sort of socialist fantasy.

"Best argument?" Pretty sure every Democrat in favor has made an argument resembling that.

Pew poll

In a second term marked by a series of controversies and little legislative success, President Obama’s job approval rating has nonetheless remained fairly steady. Currently, 49% approve of the way Obama is handling his job as president while 43% disapprove.

...

Obama’s ratings on the economy, while mixed, also have improved. Currently, 44% approve of his handling of the economywhile 50% disapprove. That is among Obama’s highest net approval ratings on the economy since his first year in office. Yet it is well below the 60% approval rating Obama received for handling the economy in April 2009.

...

Obama’s current job rating of 49% is higher than George W. Bush’s rating in June 2005 (42%), but lower than Bill Clinton’s job measure in June 1997 (54%).
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lame duck president mirite
 
C

cooljeanius

Member
Avon Barksdale said:
BNI_U4uCMAMJWnq.jpg
Click to expand...
What's the context here?
 
W

Wilsongt

Member
Aaron Strife said:
The only reason her support is getting attention is because it's not coming from a "whiny crying libtard."

Hate that shit. Look, however you come to the conclusion that legalizing gay marriage is right is fine, but it's bullshit that only once a handful of GOP senators started owning that position that the media's stopped portraying marriage equality as some sort of socialist fantasy.

"Best argument?" Pretty sure every Democrat in favor has made an argument resembling that.

Pew poll




lame duck president mirite
Click to expand...

He should be packing his bags immediately and handing the White House over to President Romney.
 
P

Particle Physicist

between a quark and a baryon
Oblivion said:
I wouldn't doubt either of things, but my bigger issue is that, even if we suppose there was no deception involved in this stunt, I'm still not sure what exactly this fuckhead is proud of.

When I was living on my own for the first time, I had money saved up but no job, so I strived to make my groceries as cheap as possible. Many times, it would be as low as $20/week. So, sure it's possible to live on such an amount, but a life of eating ramen noodles every night (sometimes for lunch as well) is pretty goddamned miserable. And try living on that for months at a time instead of just one week where you most likely never have to re-live again (assuming he did so the first time).

The fact that he's bragging about this shit, and using it as an excuse to cut the program even further makes him a special kind of scumbag.
Click to expand...


I was going to say, the fact that he gained two pounds likely disproves his point. He is likely eating like shit since he can't afford to eat healthy. Eating healthy, unfortunately, is more costly. It is also different when an individual is doing it, and when an entire family has to survive on food stamps.
 
T

The Librarian

Banned
Per the NYT, Obama's going to mount a climate change effort soon.

Political implications...
That will also turn up the heat in the expected battle over whether Dems will revisit rules reform. McCarthy is one of the three key nominees (along with Obama’s picks for Labor Secretary and head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau) that Dems have demanded Republicans stop obstructing, lest they exercise the nuclear option and do away with the filibuster on nominations by simple majority. This figures into the battle over rules reform in another way, too. The push to curb emissions on existing power plants — a key pillar of Obama’s climate change agenda — will likely be fought over bitterly in court. The arena will be the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, where Obama is pushing three judicial nominations that Republicans are also threatening to blockade.
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B

Black Mamba

Member
“I’d hire a gay guy if I thought he was a good worker. But if he comes into work in a tutu … he’s not producing what I want in my office,” said Cornel Rasor, the current chairman of the resolutions committee of the Idaho GOP
Click to expand...

The Onion?

Or

Real Life?
 
T

thepotatoman

Unconfirmed Member
Dax01 said:
Per the NYT, Obama's going to mount a climate change effort soon.

Political implications...
Click to expand...

Oh great. If there's anything more fun than watching people with no understanding of economics debate about economic policy, its watching people with no understanding of science debate about science.

It's probably a good thing he's keeping issues like minimum wage and climate change active in peoples minds, but in the short term all we're going to see is a flair up of ignorance and nothing getting done.
 
F

Fuchsdh

Member
el retorno said:
This is probably due to the fact there is a giant infrastructure of support. There are millions who speak spanish and english that can help someone speak english. Communities are also much less segregated that they were in the past.
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I'd love to know more about how this breaks out by region. My girlfriend's family that lives in L.A. didn't bother learning English for 20 years, and that was possible because they never left their neighborhood. I wonder if more mixed neighborhoods push people to learn other languages while if you're in a predominantly-Spanish speaking one, you'd be less likely.
 
B

bonercop

Member
man, the lack of attention that Trans-Pacific Pact thing is getting is sorta weird. Everything that's been leaked about it, along with the startling level of secrecy surrounding the negotiations and the ridiculous presence of private interests in them, make it sound like the global middle-class and democratic governments are going to get an ass-reaming on a level unseen since the Reagan/Thatcher years.
 
P

Piecake

Member
bonercop said:
man, the lack of attention that Trans-Pacific Pact thing is getting is sorta weird. Everything that's been leaked about it, along with the startling level of secrecy surrounding the negotiations and the ridiculous presence of private interests in them, make it sound like the global middle-class and democratic governments are going to get an ass-reaming on a level unseen since the Reagan/Thatcher years.
Click to expand...

How so? It mostly seems like a free trade pact that also coordinates and cleans up regulations and red tape between two, basically equal, economic regions. I'm not sure how that hurts the middle class. If they actually coordinate on regulations and the like it could mean more jobs because companies arent wasting time and money on bureaucratic duplication. Course, they'd actually have to reinvest that saved money back into their company, which, well, is not a sure thing by any measure
 
A

antonz

Member
So it seems my Uncle will be going before a congressional committee soon. He is being nominated to be the National Disaster Response Commander for FEMA.
 
O

Oblivion

Fetishing muscular manly men in skintight hosery
Your daily dose of false equivalency, courtesy of the Politico:

It's not that Democrats don’t have people in their ranks who say stupid stuff.... Former Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean calling the Benghazi uproar a "laughable joke," or coulda-been Senate candidate Ashley Judd comparing mountaintop removal mining to rape, just doesn't send the same ripples when Barack Obama's the unquestioned spokesman for the party.
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http://www.politico.com/story/2013/06/gop-clueless-caucus-93029.html

This was brought up to balance out the congressional rape caucus. Clearly both are just as bad.
 
P

PhoenixDark

Banned
Oblivion said:
Your daily dose of false equivalency, courtesy of the Politico:



http://www.politico.com/story/2013/06/gop-clueless-caucus-93029.html

This was brought up to balance out the congressional rape caucus. Clearly both are just as bad.
Click to expand...

You can find more than enough idiotic stuff Maxine Waters, Cynthia McKinney, and other democrats have said over the years. The issue isn't whether both parties say stupid shit, or have "stupid caucuses" - they do. The point should be that democrats don't have people like Waters or McKinney dominating the caucus, pushing legislation through, etc. The crazy doesn't control the party, basically.
 
B

bonercop

Member
Piecake said:
How so? It mostly seems like a free trade pact that also coordinates and cleans up regulations and red tape between two, basically equal, economic regions.
Click to expand...

I consider the concept of "investor-state disputes" to be a direct assault on sovereignty. Handing private companies the power to pull GOVERNMENTS before international court seems very dangerous to me.

Like lobbying, it seems like an excellent tool for subverting democracy and getting rid of regulations that you don't like.

I'm not sure how that hurts the middle class. If they actually coordinate on regulations and the like it could mean more jobs because companies arent wasting time and money on bureaucratic duplication. Course, they'd actually have to reinvest that saved money back into their company, which, well, is not a sure thing by any measure
Click to expand...

I dunno, based on how these things usually go, I've come to interpret US/EU "free trade agreements" as wage-crushers and loss of job-opportunity. I mean, look at what NAFTA did!

(I'll admit that I'm not an expert on the subject, though. )
 
P

Piecake

Member
bonercop said:
I consider the concept of "investor-state disputes" to be a direct assault on sovereignty. Handing private companies the power to pull GOVERNMENTS before international court seems very dangerous to me.

Like lobbying, it seems like an excellent tool for subverting democracy and getting rid of regulations that you don't like.



I dunno, based on how these things usually go, I've come to interpret US/EU "free trade agreements" as wage-crushers and loss of job-opportunity. I mean, look at what NAFTA did!

(I'll admit that I'm not an expert on the subject, though. )
Click to expand...

Well, the difference between NAFTA and this is that America and Europe are basically economic equals. NAFTA? not so much

And I think the disputes makes sense. Companies can bring suit against the united states government in US court. This will simply allow companies to bring suit against governments if they are not following the rules of the treaty. Companies arent going to be able to bring suits against a government in this manner if its not germane to the treaty
 
B

bonercop

Member
Piecake said:
Well, the difference between NAFTA and this is that America and Europe are basically economic equals. NAFTA? not so much
Click to expand...

Keep in mind, though, that the TPP isn't just between America and Europe.


And I think the disputes makes sense. Companies can bring suit against the united states government in US court. This will simply allow companies to bring suit against governments if they are not following the rules of the treaty. Companies arent going to be able to bring suits against a government in this manner if its not germane to the treaty
Click to expand...

Read this. It sounds a lot broader than that, man.
 
J

J2d

Member
Casually browsing poligaf has ruined every encounter I've had with a american. As soon as I meet someone from the US I have to ask em how their state votes and if they agree with the general opinion, just tonight I meet someone from a republican state who told me obama was the worst president in the last thirty years, I was like really? "what do you know of american politics?" I was too drunk to voice my opinion, I tried to bring up some of the ludicrous views I knew of but those people where of course a minority... eh back to drunk gaf I go

edit: fuck... first page, apologies from a dimwit eurogaffer
 
R

rocketknight

Member
Add "press conference" to the list of phrases Congressman and longtime lightbulb-hater Steve King does not understand. For days he's been hyping an anti-immigration-reform "six hour press conference" that he'd be putting on today, and by "press conference" he seems to have meant "combination outdoor filibuster and mini-rally for tea party hangers-on."

You don't actually need to read the article, I just wanted a link to post before highlighting the fact that someone was carrying a sign that said "Rubio Lies, America Dies" to protest immigration reform. My schadenfreude was too much to contain.
 
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