***Official Political Discussion Thread***

[sundoobie]

Complaining about the debt huh? Your man Obama is set to double it by the time he leaves thanks to the new budget he just signed. Want to lower debt? Stop borrowing money. I remember candidate Obama's favorite line was "Washington should live like Americans, if you don't have enough money, cut back on your spending."

Hypocrite.

Wait.. wait.. wait...

Which party has the significant majority in the Senate and House whom passed the budget for the President to sign?

 

[dathbgboy]

Man, I don't even know if Rico was jokin or not the last couple weeks been no mans land on NT

 

[blco02]

 

[crcballer55]

I was reading up on Bernie's proposals and was curious what NT fam thinks about that supposed 90% tax rate on the wealthy.

How would that work? What happens if these companies / rich folks dodge this tax rate by just leaving and finding a more friendly environment where they can park capital?

Let's hypothetically say some of these companies are major producers in the US economy. When they leave in an exodus, what happens to the rest of us common folks?

Regardless, I think it's a very interesting time to live in.

There's a difference between now and when the 90% tax rates were in effect post WWII. During that time, we were essentially the only major economy still standing so businesses had little other choice than to park their money here. The rest of the western world was in shambles.

If we want to start making a deficit, let's start cutting redundancies in government. We should also increase the Social Security threshold above $113,700 as well. Finally, treating investment income that consists of the majority of a person's income before the age of 59 1/2 as ordinary income instead of capital gains since that's what it is.

 

[blco02]

Tax revenue to the government is at an all time high. The problem isn't lack of tax dollars. It's way too much spending.

 

[rico x hood]

Wait.. wait.. wait...

Which party has the significant majority in the Senate and House whom passed the budget for the President to sign?

If Obama was serious about what he was campaigning on this deal would have been vetoed. Both Republicans and Dems are to blame. But moreso the President.

 

[RustyShackleford]

Tax revenue to the government is at an all time high. The problem isn't lack of tax dollars. It's way too much spending.

Brah, those are in terms of nominal dollars

http://mediamatters.org/research/2013/03/05/fox-misleadingly-claims-federal-revenue-is-hist/192913

http://www.factcheck.org/2013/02/revenue-reach/

 

[rico x hood]

Oh lord here they come with the deficit vs debt argument. It's a stalemate.

 

[RustyShackleford]

-I'm all for cutting and uncapping payroll taxes

You get tons of efficiency gains, and removes the regressive nature of the taxes.

-They should do the same with sales tax, cut them and expand it to services.

 

[dathbgboy]

Unfortunately, we will never get right in certain ways as a country w/ the tyranny of a two-party system. Cats will fight against something just off the strength that somebody from the other party mentioned it. Instead of sitting at the table, critiquing it, and offering alternatives, u kno good ol fashioned bipartisanship.

I bet if the salaries were cut and bonuses were offered by how much they got done, things would change. Even on a local level, Pennsylvania still hasn't passed a budget and the government just took out a loan in response to it. Pre-K programs closing doors and everything because they exhausted their reserves.

 

[rico x hood]

-I'm all for cutting and uncapping payroll taxes

You get tons of efficiency gains, and removes the regressive nature of the taxes.

-They should do the same with sales tax, cut them and expand it to services.

Cutting...taxes?!?! I'm shocked.

 

[RustyShackleford]

-I'm all for cutting and uncapping payroll taxes

You get tons of efficiency gains, and removes the regressive nature of the taxes.

-They should do the same with sales tax, cut them and expand it to services.

Cutting...taxes?!?! I'm shocked.

I'll give you a rep for that one famb

-I'm a big fan of cutting taxes (on the poor and lower classes) and decreasing welfare (for the rich, wealthy and corporations)

 

[crcballer55]

Ouch!

Under President Obama, Democrats have lost 900+ state legislature seats, 12 governors, 69 House seats, 13 Senate seats. That's some legacy.
— Rory Cooper (@rorycooper) November 4, 2015

 

[RustyShackleford]

Ouch!




[QUOTE url="[MEDIA=twitter]661906137562923009[/MEDIA]"]
Under President Obama, Democrats have lost 900+ state legislature seats, 12 governors, 69 House seats, 13 Senate seats. That's some legacy.
— Rory Cooper (@rorycooper)

November 4, 2015

[/quote]

How much do you think is due to the white nationalism exploding by way of the Tea Party?

 

[rico x hood]

Because all Democrats are non whites...

Obama ushered in anti establishment era. Fringe candidates are now getting elected en masse. Elizabeth Warren beat Scott Brown, Eric Cantor a House veteran got booted, the whole tea party far right wave and Obama's poor leadership brought incredible gridlock in DC. People are actually supporting Bernie Sanders, he's doing well. Jeb Bush is languishing in the polls while Carson and Trump are killing it. The whole political landscape is in disarray because of Obama's failed policies. Dems have moved farther left, Republicans have moved farther right. Stop trying to make it a race thing when it clearly isn't. Because this country elected him twice! People across the political spectrum are just pissed. And they're showing it at the polls.

And another thing it's well known that major Dem voting blocs don't vote in high numbers compared to Republicans in off cycle and local elections, which probably contributed to the loss of some of those offices.

 

[blco02]

Ouch!

Surely not the record Democrats thought Obama would give them when they anointed him in '08.

 

[crcballer55]

[h2]Ohio voters just took a big step to fight gerrymandering[/h2]
Updated by Andrew Prokop on November 4, 2015, 11:40 a.m. ET @awprokop

Tweet (193) Share (1,334) +


In a landslide vote Tuesday, Ohio voters approved a measure to combat gerrymandering of the state's legislative districts, 71 percent to 29 percent.

The measure ensures that each major party will have at least two seats on the state's redistricting commission. It also says that new maps will be thrown out after four years rather than 10 if they don't get bipartisan support, and adds a line to the state constitution saying that no legislative districts "shall be drawn primarily to favor or disfavor a party."

Now, the changes do not apply to the state's seriously gerrymandered congressional districts. These are still drawn by the legislature and are subject to approval from the governor. However, reformers' victory here will surely inspire them to push for similar changes on the congressional level — and likely on the 2016 ballot.
[h3]The state's congressional districts are really gerrymandered — and this measure doesn't change that[/h3]
Since this decade's redistricting, Ohio — which President Obama won twice — has had one of the most Republican-gerrymandered congressional delegations in the country. In 2012, Republican candidates won just 52 percent of the statewide House vote — and 75 percent of the House seats (12 out of 16 seats). Here's what the map looked like:

All four Democrats won with 68 percent or more of the votes in their districts — and every Republican with a declared opponent won by relatively smaller margins, between 53 and 63 percent.

This is a classic sign of gerrymandering — the Democratic vote was packed together in a few districts, and the Republican vote was spread out over many, while still having a clear advantage in most of them. Another classic indicator? In 2014, despite massive Republican victories in the state and nationwide, not a single House seat changed partisan hands. The year of Obama's reelection and the year of the GOP landslide had the same outcome for the Ohio congressional delegation.

The measure approved on Tuesday does nothing about this, at least directly. Ohio's congressional districts are drawn by the legislature, and subject to the governor's approval — not by an outside commission.

But already, reformers hoped to put a similar measure applying to congressional districts on the 2016 ballot, as Jim Siegel of the Columbus Dispatch reported in October. And they had supporters from both parties. "It's truly not about what's good for one party. It's about what's good for the system," Republican state Sen. Frank LaRose testified then. Tuesday's victory will surely give this effort even more steam.
[h3]What the ballot measure changes for Ohio's legislative redistricting[/h3]
Previously, Ohio's legislative districts were redrawn by a commission with five members — the governor, state auditor, secretary of state, and one member of the legislature from each party.

That meant that if one party won statewide before redistricting, it would control four of those five seats — and be able to steamroller the one minority party member. And that's what happened after the Republican wave in the 2010 elections.

The newly approved reform measure makes partisan redistricting more difficult in a few ways:

• It expands the redistricting commission to seven members, and now features at least two guaranteed members of each of the two major parties in the legislature. So already, both parties have more of a voice.
• If the commission's members approve a district plan that doesn't have the support of at least two members from each party, the plan will only last four years. Conversely, if a plan does get bipartisan support (at least two supporters from each party), it will last the full 10 years. This incentivizes a bipartisan plan.
• The Ohio constitution will now state that no legislative districts "shall be drawn primarily to favor or disfavor a party." This could have significant implications to court challenges of any plans viewed as too partisan, as seen in Florida. Districts are also required to be contiguous and compact.

So if reforms like these are adopted for the Ohio's congressional districts in 2016, it could have a major impact on one of the most gerrymanderedHouse delegations of them all.

 

[Chopper]

Because all Democrats are non whites...

Obama ushered in anti establishment era. Fringe candidates are now getting elected en masse. Elizabeth Warren beat Scott Brown, Eric Cantor a House veteran got booted, the whole tea party far right wave and Obama's poor leadership brought incredible gridlock in DC. People are actually supporting Bernie Sanders, he's doing well. Jeb Bush is languishing in the polls while Carson and Trump are killing it. The whole political landscape is in disarray because of Obama's failed policies. Dems have moved farther left, Republicans have moved farther right. Stop trying to make it a race thing when it clearly isn't. Because this country elected him twice! People across the political spectrum are just pissed. And they're showing it at the polls.

And another thing it's well known that major Dem voting blocs don't vote in high numbers compared to Republicans in off cycle and local elections, which probably contributed to the loss of some of those offices.

I would ask, but I already know who repped this.

Your comments suggest you think our politics were in a much better space pre-Obama. I beg to differ. Bernie Sanders should have been getting national spin a long time ago. 

 

[RustyShackleford]

Because all Democrats are non whites...

Obama ushered in anti establishment era. Fringe candidates are now getting elected en masse. Elizabeth Warren beat Scott Brown, Eric Cantor a House veteran got booted, the whole tea party far right wave and Obama's poor leadership brought incredible gridlock in DC. People are actually supporting Bernie Sanders, he's doing well. Jeb Bush is languishing in the polls while Carson and Trump are killing it. The whole political landscape is in disarray because of Obama's failed policies. Dems have moved farther left, Republicans have moved farther right. Stop trying to make it a race thing when it clearly isn't. Because this country elected him twice! People across the political spectrum are just pissed. And they're showing it at the polls.

And another thing it's well known that major Dem voting blocs don't vote in high numbers compared to Republicans in off cycle and local elections, which probably contributed to the loss of some of those offices.

-Where did I even imply that all democrats are not white

-Your blaming Obama's "failed policies" without a) naming them and b) acting like Washington politics wasn't a mess before Obama arrived

Relax yaself B

 

[RustyShackleford]

[QUOTE url="[URL]http://www.vox.com/authors/andrew-prokop[/URL]"]
[h2]Ohio voters just took a big step to fight gerrymandering[/h2]

Updated by Andrew Prokop on November 4, 2015, 11:40 a.m. ET @awprokop

Good.

Gerrymandering is a cancer to political system

 

[rico x hood]

-Where did I even imply that all democrats are not white

-Your blaming Obama's "failed policies" without a) naming them and b) acting like Washington politics wasn't a mess before Obama arrived

Relax yaself B

-Where did I even imply that all democrats are not white

-Your blaming Obama's "failed policies" without a) naming them and b) acting like Washington politics wasn't a mess before Obama arrived

Relax yaself B

You mention white nationalism in a post about ousted Democrats. Stop playing coy.

And it was much better pre Obama. **** actually got done. It hasn't been this bad since Gingrich **** down the government in the 90s and Clinton was forced to pivot in order to keep things moving.

I've outlined countless times on here what his failed policies are. No need to reiterate.

 

[frink85]

Trump's radio ads might as well promise everyone a cool million dollars each and free handjobs for everyone

 

[dreamer23]

Ben Carson admits fabricating West Point scholarship

Ben Carson’s campaign on Friday admitted, in a response to an inquiry from POLITICO, that a central point in his inspirational personal story was fabricated: his application and acceptance into the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

The academy has occupied a central place in Carson’s tale for years. According to a story told in Carson’s book, “Gifted Hands,” the then-17 year old was introduced in 1969 to Gen. William Westmoreland, who had just ended his command of U.S. forces in Vietnam, and the two dined together. That meeting, according to Carson’s telling, was followed by a “full scholarship” to the military academy.

West Point, however, has no record of Carson applying, much less being extended admission.

http://www.politico.com/story/2015/11/ben-carson-west-point-215598

CNN saying he's is lying about his violent past as well...\

http://www.cnn.com/2015/11/06/politics/ben-carson-responds-violent-past-new-day/

 

[rolaholic]

 

[slighted]

 

Because all Democrats are non whites...

Obama ushered in anti establishment era. Fringe candidates are now getting elected en masse. Elizabeth Warren beat Scott Brown, Eric Cantor a House veteran got booted, the whole tea party far right wave and Obama's poor leadership brought incredible gridlock in DC. People are actually supporting Bernie Sanders, he's doing well. Jeb Bush is languishing in the polls while Carson and Trump are killing it. The whole political landscape is in disarray because of Obama's failed policies. Dems have moved farther left, Republicans have moved farther right. Stop trying to make it a race thing when it clearly isn't. Because this country elected him twice! People across the political spectrum are just pissed. And they're showing it at the polls.

And another thing it's well known that major Dem voting blocs don't vote in high numbers compared to Republicans in off cycle and local elections, which probably contributed to the loss of some of those offices.

 
Your comments suggest you think our politics were in a much better space pre-Obama. I beg to differ. Bernie Sanders should have been getting national spin a long time ago. 

Please elaborate. How can Bernie improve America?