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Fried Chicken
Jan 9, 2011

Don't fry me, I'm no chicken!
Welcome to the US Politics thread, your one stop shop for seeing people who don't have the power to support something fight with people who don't have the power to oppose it.

It's August, so Congress in recess. What this means is you'll see some wacky red meat base riling, empty "think pieces" and "Is X considering running?" columns to fill print space, and even less done then normally.


Notable things:

ACA: Halbig decision has been filed for the SCOTUS. So far 6 states have declared their use of the federal exchange is the state exchange so as not to lose the subsidies. The legal argument is poor, but the political argument is worse; since they don't want to be seen crowing as taking away subsidies the GOP is trying to push a narrative that the Dems never meant to give the subsidies anyways, and it is their fault your prices are going to skyrocket. It's crap.

Wars: There are like 6 decent sized wars going on right now and we are firmly not involved in any of them. Will wonders never cease. Afghanistan drawdown continues on schedule. We are of course covertly loving around in a number of conflict zones because thats who we are, but at least we aren't going the Major Kong route.

VA: We needed 50 billion to fix it. The House gave us 17 billion. So the job won't get done and they still get to yell at the President and pretend they care.

Immigration reform: The House passed a bill written by Michelle Bachmann (Star Admiral, ret.) and Steve King (who wants to remind you never skip leg day) just so they'd have something to wave at the base. It's a bad comedy for a real problem

Border Crisis: 200+ judgeship vacant, underfunded for years, and seeing a huge influx in refugee kids due to a well intentioned but not well promoted 2008 law. President asked for 3.7 billion to fund it and to staff the open positions. Senate gave him 1.5 billion, which was cut to less than 600 million by the House, which also didn't fill the judges and shot a bunch of holes at what little of an immigration policy we have left functioning. Then they went on vacation without going to conference, so really nothing went to solve the problem

Ebola: Has absolutely nothing to do with us, but the CDC (which already had infected people here for treatment) brought in 2 more, under the mentality that its a lethal threat and ignorance makes a poor shield. People are freaking out. Reminder that ebola has killed less than 5000 people total in all of human history, and one pass of the flu killed 5% of the global population ~100 years ago. Yay priorities

Infrastructure: Falling apart. Cost of total repairs now estimated at over 3 trillion by ASCE

Drought: major drought is slamming California and other states. Pushing up food prices, the hacked up farm bill has reduced the ability of the Department of Agriculture to respond. Lotta people suffering

War on Drugs: more and more voices calling for legalization of marijuana. Which is nice but I'll believe it when it happens

Gay marriage: bans keeps getting struck down. Headed for the SCOTUS fast. Open question is how much support will remain for the rest of the equality push (eg ENDA) after it is legalized nation wide and how long the political coalition will hold together.

Suing the President: To raise funds for the midterms and try to head off the yutzes, Boehner has filed suit against the President for illegal use of executive orders. Obama has used fewer Executive orders than other presidents in recent memory, and the day they voted to sue him they also passed a resolution demanding he use executive orders to address the border crisis. They don't have standing, but the past few years have shown the courts are now so polarized they can just shop it around to find a republican judge

Benghazi: House committee concluded it was nothing. Other house committees continue investigations.

Food: Prices are up, and growing at a faster rate than the average of the rest of the economy. This isn't inflation, because its a subset of goods with specific causes driving up costs, but still, its squeezing people on something they can't really budge.

Here's your moment of zen:



Yeah, not as good as the last one, sorry




And on a "heads up" note someone should probably take over next month at least until November (Joementum?). I've been getting later and later with these and while I like it, I'm just getting swamped. Elections are picking up and I'm attached to 2 campaigns and a precinct captain so my after work free time is becoming more limited, and my at work time that I've had to phone post was due to the fact I'd mainly automated my job. But they were so happy about that they had me automate a few others and have now bumped me to another project. On a related note if you want to volunteer for any Indiana campaigns I might be able to put you in touch.

Fried Chicken fucked around with this message at 05:19 on Aug 6, 2014

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Nintendo Kid
Aug 4, 2011

by Smythe
Are there any minor elections still going for late primaries?

Fried Chicken
Jan 9, 2011

Don't fry me, I'm no chicken!

Nintendo Kid posted:

Are there any minor elections still going for late primaries?

Well the Kansas and Michigan ones were tonight.

Nintendo Kid
Aug 4, 2011

by Smythe

Fried Chicken posted:

Well the Kansas and Michigan ones were tonight.

Why do they wait so long for them anyway? It seems an odd habit to keep.

Spiffster
Oct 7, 2009

I'm good... I Haven't slept for a solid 83 hours, but yeah... I'm good...


Lipstick Apathy
Shoot me a PM Fried Chicken on the Indiana front. The information can't hurt.

Aurubin
Mar 17, 2011

Penny Bacchiochi, the Republican candidate for lieutenant governor of Connecticut, has staked her fortunes on the bigass sign strategy. Driving through the state I see one every several hundred feet.

Samurai Sanders
Nov 4, 2003

Pillbug

Aurubin posted:

Penny Bacchiochi, the Republican candidate for lieutenant governor of Connecticut, has staked her fortunes on the bigass sign strategy. Driving through the state I see one every several hundred feet.
Well, my propaganda professor told me that the "devil you know" effect is very real, and even if people don't like you they'll still vote for you if they are familiar with your face, versus someone who they don't know their face.

Aurubin
Mar 17, 2011

Samurai Sanders posted:

Well, my propaganda professor told me that the "devil you know" effect is very real, and even if people don't like you they'll still vote for you if they are familiar with your face, versus someone who they don't know their face.

That's the rub. It's just a roughly 8 by 6 foot sign with "PENNY BACCHIOCHI FOR LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR" sprouting like weeds next to major thoroughfares. No face.

Samurai Sanders
Nov 4, 2003

Pillbug

Aurubin posted:

That's the rub. It's just a roughly 8 by 6 foot sign with "PENNY BACCHIOCHI FOR LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR" sprouting like weeds next to major thoroughfares. No face.
Oh, then she hosed up big time.

edit: I mean, your name is good and all, but unlike names our brains are designed to remember faces and have that feed familiarity with a person at a very low level.

Samurai Sanders fucked around with this message at 05:43 on Aug 6, 2014

Raskolnikov38
Mar 3, 2007

We were somewhere around Manila when the drugs began to take hold

Fried Chicken posted:

Dammit, should have checked here for titles first.

No worries, we'll add it to your articles of impeachment :v:.

Ofaloaf
Feb 15, 2013

Nintendo Kid posted:

Why do they wait so long for them anyway? It seems an odd habit to keep.

The polls were open here in Michigan from 8 to 8 iirc, and counting ballots still can take time.

Nintendo Kid
Aug 4, 2011

by Smythe

Ofaloaf posted:

The polls were open here in Michigan from 8 to 8 iirc, and counting ballots still can take time.

No, I mean, why are the primaries not held til August.

say no to scurvy
Nov 29, 2008

It is always Scurvy Prevention Week.

Raskolnikov38 posted:

No worries, we'll add it to your articles of impeachment :v:.

Surely a matter for the courts. We'll just report fried chicken instead for delaying the thread. A 5-4 mod decision no doubt.

Bizarro Watt
May 30, 2010

My responsibility is to follow the Scriptures which call upon us to occupy the land until Jesus returns.

Fried Chicken posted:

Drought: major drought is slamming California and other states. Pushing up food prices, the hacked up farm bill has reduced the ability of the Department of Agriculture to respond. Lotta people suffering

Is there more information on this?

Grapplejack
Nov 27, 2007

Nintendo Kid posted:

No, I mean, why are the primaries not held til August.

Tradition, like everything else in US politics.

Mayor Dave
Feb 20, 2009

Bernie the Snow Clown

Bizarro Watt posted:

Is there more information on this?

I'm assuming this is a reference to the 8 billion in cuts to food assistance programs. Food gets more expensive, so food stamps will cover even less food and there's nothing the USDA can do about it under the bill this year.

Joementum
May 23, 2004

jesus christ

Nintendo Kid posted:

Why do they wait so long for them anyway? It seems an odd habit to keep.

They hold the primaries for state-level offices simultaneously so that they only have to pay for one primary election a year. August is after the session for most state legislatures has ended and is a recess month for Congress.

MickeyFinn
May 8, 2007
Biggie Smalls and Junior Mafia some mark ass bitches

Bizarro Watt posted:

Is there more information on this?

The signs in the Central Valley warning about black helicopters and blaming everything on congress have been getting bigger and bigger.

sleepingbuddha
Nov 4, 2010

It's supposed to look like a smashed cinnamon roll
I think Paul was able to get up and leave the lunch so quickly because he has the muscle memory to do so from doing it every time a minority approaches him.

Sephiroth_IRA
Mar 31, 2010
Next time they should use an illegal Canadian immigrant.

fakeedit: insert video clip from Silicon Valley here.

HUGE PUBES A PLUS
Apr 30, 2005

The Library of Congress has released the love letters of Warren G Harding that he wrote to his mistress. They're pretty steamy and graphic enough that the family gave them to the LOC on the condition they wait 50 years before releasing them to the public.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/13/m...pe=article&_r=0

quote:

Jan. 5, 1913
Didn’t go to church today — it cost too much last Sunday — so I got up, had a luxurious bath and donned my bathrobe in which to breakfast. Three weeks ago [the robe] touched and covered your beautiful form, and that made it hallowed to me, and I wanted contact with it, to make me seem nearer to you. And I wanted to sit before the fire afterward, in freedom of dress, and dream of you and of loving you, intimately, until [illegible]. I like to dream in loose, flowing garb, because I can dream more intently. And I did — to alarming release. I called your name aloud thrice, begging you to come, and a voice from upstairs responded, wanting to know what I wanted. I was alarmed and sobered.

quote:

Jan. 28, 1912
I love your poise
Of perfect thighs
When they hold me
in paradise . . .

I love the rose
Your garden grows
Love seashell pink
That over it glows

I love to suck
Your breath away
I love to cling —
There long to stay . . .

I love you garb’d
But naked more
Love your beauty
To thus adore . . .

I love you when
You open eyes
And mouth and arms
And cradling thighs . . .

If I had you today, I’d kiss and
fondle you into my arms and
hold you there until you said,
‘Warren, oh, Warren,’ in a
benediction of blissful joy. . . . I
rather like that encore
discovered in Montreal.
Did you?

ReindeerF
Apr 20, 2002

Rubber Dinghy Rapids Bro

sleepingbuddha posted:

I think Paul was able to get up and leave the lunch so quickly because he has the muscle memory to do so from doing it every time a minority approaches him.
To this day, if you say the word Brazoswood to him the hairs on the back of his neck stand up and he begins scanning for fleet footed folks.

Fried Chicken
Jan 9, 2011

Don't fry me, I'm no chicken!

Bizarro Watt posted:

Is there more information on this?
I'm mainly going from speeches and press releases by Vilsack and the Farm Bureau. They are warning of big problems. But the Crop Insurance Program, Livestock Indemnity Program, Livestock Forage Program, Disaster Energy Efficiency Program, and the like all got expanded. I think they are raising warning signs because the money is running out faster than anyone anticipated, even with it being expanded. From 2011-2014 those programs were cut or non functioning, so when this passed they made them retroactive to cover things like the herds of cattle wiped out in the polar vortex. Also, this bill tied the payments to market prices rather than a rate determined by the USDA. So while more money was available, a lot of it went to past disasters, and due to the climb in food prices they are paying out more for what they are covering. They were definitely limited the past 3 years, I think they are trying to get attention early now, and try and get ahead of the problem this time around

Mayor Dave posted:

I'm assuming this is a reference to the 8 billion in cuts to food assistance programs. Food gets more expensive, so food stamps will cover even less food and there's nothing the USDA can do about it under the bill this year.
This is another aspect of it. Food stamps don't go very far (here is a very depressing story about food shopping these days) and prices are rising. Disasters spike them event more.

Production subsidies are poo poo, and have a whole host of ripple effects that crowd out small producers, raise prices on unsubsidized food stuffs (less produced because it isn't subsidized), health effects, and the like. Being the insurer of last resort is different, that's been part of the government's job for a long time now.

Anyways, have a chart showing price climbs

Coriolis
Oct 23, 2005

HUGE PUBES A PLUS posted:

The Library of Congress has released the love letters of Warren G Harding that he wrote to his mistress. They're pretty steamy and graphic enough that the family gave them to the LOC on the condition they wait 50 years before releasing them to the public.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/13/m...pe=article&_r=0

And if you've ever wondered what Warren G Harding named his penis, we now know the answer: Jerry

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrawNvcF64g

Joementum
May 23, 2004

jesus christ

Joementum posted:

August... is a recess month for Congress.

By the way, this has only been true since August 6, 1971 making today the 43rd anniversary of the August Recess and it's all thanks to a lazybones from Wyoming over the objections of a grumblebum from Vermont.

(Prior to 1956 there was a de facto August recess because every prior Congress concluded business for the entire year by the end of July, other than when necessitated by war.)

AreWeDrunkYet
Jul 8, 2006

Fried Chicken posted:

Anyways, have a chart showing price climbs



This is part of why you see a bunch of old white people complaining about runaway inflation and that damned Obozo hiding the actual numbers. The prices of the stuff that most people spend most of their money on have actually been incredibly stable. Your picture includes cars, but the biggest cost for most people is housing which has effectively barely budged since 2007. Sure rents are up in some urban markets, but for someone looking to buy a house or even rent in most markets, their dollar goes about as far as it did almost a decade ago. Same goes for a lot of services, consumer items, etc.

Now if you already own your house, a car, and aren't really interested in the latest consumer electronics and such, you're probably spending a much larger proportion of your income on food and fuel. Those same price increases that barely budge inflation as a whole too much when considering a typical basket of goods are suddenly a much bigger deal for this subset of people, and they will bitch to no end about it.

AreWeDrunkYet fucked around with this message at 14:18 on Aug 6, 2014

Fried Chicken
Jan 9, 2011

Don't fry me, I'm no chicken!

AreWeDrunkYet posted:

This is part of why you see a bunch of old white people complaining about runaway inflation and that damned Obozo hiding the actual numbers.

That, and the lack of inflation has kept rates low, which hurts the people who see a large share of their income in the form of interest (basically the 0.01% or higher) so there has been a big push by them on the narrative of "secret inflation! Raise rates now!" And there is a whole wing of economists who have been predicting imminent and nonexistent inflation since January 20th 2009 so they are pushing "secret inflation! Cut taxes and raise rates now!". The echo chambers been pushing it, think tanks have put out "projections" pushing it, bullshit sites like ShadowStats have popped up to "expose" it, and if you marinate in the daytime tv news or the right wing echo chamber the "inflation!" Bell keeps getting rung.


I'll at least credit the Austrian school with changing how they defined inflation so their assertion of "inflation (by our definition) is happening" is true, when CNBC talks inflation it is nothing but poo poo

Elephant Ambush
Nov 13, 2012

...We sholde spenden more time together. What sayest thou?
Nap Ghost

Warren G. Harding posted:

Jan. 5, 1913
Didn’t go to church today — it cost too much last Sunday — so I got up, had a luxurious bath and donned my bathrobe in which to breakfast. Three weeks ago [the robe] touched and covered your beautiful form, and that made it hallowed to me, and I wanted contact with it, to make me seem nearer to you. And I wanted to sit before the fire afterward, in freedom of dress, and dream of you and of loving you, intimately, until [illegible]. I like to dream in loose, flowing garb, because I can dream more intently. And I did — to alarming release. I called your name aloud thrice, begging you to come, and a voice from upstairs responded, wanting to know what I wanted. I was alarmed and sobered.

This is hilarious.

Phone
Jul 30, 2005

親子丼をほしい。

Fried Chicken posted:

when CNBC talks inflation it is nothing but poo poo

You should have kept it short.

Another strike against the unconstitutional posting of Fried Chicken. D&D goons will bring up impeaching Fried Chicken, but it's a false flag operation to send Lowtax :10bux: for a new custom title. :tinfoil:

AVeryLargeRadish
Aug 19, 2011

I LITERALLY DON'T KNOW HOW TO NOT BE A WEIRD SEXUAL CREEP ABOUT PREPUBESCENT ANIME GIRLS, READ ALL ABOUT IT HERE!!!

Elephant Ambush posted:

This is hilarious.

"Mom! Oh my god, at least knock!"

Elephant Ambush
Nov 13, 2012

...We sholde spenden more time together. What sayest thou?
Nap Ghost

AVeryLargeRadish posted:

"Mom! Oh my god, at least knock!"

If this dude loves this woman so much then how did he not know she was home? Dude had all morning taking a bath and skipping church and stuff to remember. Also the phrase "alarming release" cracked me up.

Joementum
May 23, 2004

jesus christ

Elephant Ambush posted:

If this dude loves this woman so much then how did he not know she was home?

The woman upstairs who responded was not the woman he was thinking about :ssh:

Stultus Maximus
Dec 21, 2009

USPOL May
Just make sure you're picturing this when you read the letters:

ReindeerF
Apr 20, 2002

Rubber Dinghy Rapids Bro
More like Warren G's Hardon.

Fried Chicken
Jan 9, 2011

Don't fry me, I'm no chicken!

ReindeerF posted:

More like Warren G's Hardon.

:golfclap:



So it has become a thing for rich American couples to film their weddings with drones. Drones and weddings, huh? Insert your own hosed up gallows humor joke here.

SubponticatePoster
Aug 9, 2004

Every day takes figurin' out all over again how to fuckin' live.
Slippery Tilde

Stultus Maximus posted:

Just make sure you're picturing this when you read the letters:

You bastard.

HootTheOwl
May 13, 2012

Hootin and shootin

Fried Chicken posted:

:golfclap:



So it has become a thing for rich American couples to film their weddings with drones. Drones and weddings, huh? Insert your own hosed up gallows humor joke here.

Technology pioneered on the battlefield?
The only way the war comes home?

Badera
Jan 30, 2012

Student Brian Boyko has lost faith in America.

Stultus Maximus posted:

Just make sure you're picturing this when you read the letters:


:gonk:

SavageBastard
Nov 16, 2007
Professional Lurker

ReindeerF posted:

More like Warren G's Hardon.

Slate Political Gabfest contributor spotted.

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Taeke
Feb 2, 2010


Fried Chicken posted:

:golfclap:



So it has become a thing for rich American couples to film their weddings with drones. Drones and weddings, huh? Insert your own hosed up gallows humor joke here.

Hope it works out better for them than it did for those people in the Middle East.

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