US Politics Mega-thread - Page 1590

On January 22 2015 17:23 coverpunch wrote:

Funny thing is, they WON the last election, so the Democrats are even worse...

I foresee a massive "anti-terror and pro israel campaign". it's like the only thing reps really could run on that sticks.

Instead, Boehner has invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address Congress next month. He didn't consult with the White House before extending the invitation, and administration officials are not happy. Press secretary Josh Earnest said Wednesday afternoon that Boehner's invitation is a breach of normal diplomatic protocol. Typically, a nation's leader would contact the White House before planning a visit to the United States, he said. The White House heard about the invite from Boehner's office, not from the Israelis.

On January 22 2015 17:23 coverpunch wrote:

Funny thing is, they WON the last election, so the Democrats are even worse...

Justice Department lawyers will recommend that no civil rights charges be brought against the police officer who fatally shot an unarmed teenager in Ferguson, Mo., after an F.B.I. investigation found no evidence to support charges, law enforcement officials said Wednesday.

Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. and his civil rights chief, Vanita Gupta, will have the final say on whether the Justice Department will close the case against the officer, Darren Wilson. But it would be unusual for them to overrule the prosecutors on the case, who are still working on a legal memo explaining their recommendation.

A decision by the Justice Department would bring an end to the politically charged investigation of Mr. Wilson in the death of 18-year-old Michael Brown. The Missouri authorities concluded their investigation into Mr. Brown’s death in November and also recommended against charges.

Federal investigators interviewed more than 200 people and analyzed cellphone audio and video, the law enforcement officials said. Officer Wilson’s gun, clothing and other evidence were analyzed at the F.B.I.’s laboratory in Quantico, Va. Though the local authorities and Mr. Brown’s family conducted autopsies, Mr. Holder ordered a separate autopsy, which was conducted by pathologists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner’s office at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, the officials said.

The federal investigation did not uncover any facts that differed significantly from the evidence made public by the authorities in Missouri late last year, the law enforcement officials said. To bring federal civil rights charges, the Justice Department would have needed to prove that Officer Wilson had intended to violate Mr. Brown’s rights when he opened fire, and that he had done so willfully — meaning he knew that it was wrong to fire but did so anyway.

The Justice Department plans to release a report explaining its decision, though it is not clear when. Dena Iverson, a department spokeswoman, declined to comment on the case Wednesday.

On January 22 2015 17:45 IgnE wrote:


30% of the electorate voting. Big win.

On January 22 2015 23:34 farvacola wrote:
It also takes a lot of willpower to maintain a willful ignorance as to how midterm elections typically shakeout. There was practically nothing "special" about the recent election cycle, no matter how many times one says, "Obama."

On January 23 2015 05:00 Sermokala wrote:
Real. Its not a mandate until you hold all three electoral posts. Still though it was republican leanning even with the expected turnout and whatnot. It wasn't just a regular midterm.

On January 23 2015 03:23 Danglars wrote:

I grant you its natural for the party to lose seats in the 6th year of office. What's unusual is how disillusioned the electorate, particularly Democrats, were to have midterm voting drop in all but 12 states (just comparing midterms). For national seats-held, the Republicans haven't had this large a majority since Herbert Hoover (if it was Ho hum nothing to see in this election move along, it wouldn't be setting records this long unbroken). We're seeing a rejection of Democratic policies and a desire to see new ones put into place.

On January 23 2015 05:54 zlefin wrote:
What we really need is rules to deal with congress as a whole; so when everyone hates congress, we can simply vote to kick them ALL out of congress, and bring in other people, instead of having to vote individually on each candidate.

Sometimes the problem is not with any particular person, but is somewhere in the institutional dynamics; and we don't have a good way to address that.

On January 23 2015 06:50 xDaunt wrote:
Changing the system isn't going to fix anything. The root problem is the culture of corruption. As long as it's there, the system won't operate properly.

On January 23 2015 06:33 Gorsameth wrote:

Instead of devising a way to remove all of congress why not fight the disease and not the symptom? The US needs a complete redesign of the entire political system if you want to fix the current situation.

On January 22 2015 17:33 Doublemint wrote:

I foresee a massive "anti-terror and pro israel campaign". it's like the only thing reps really could run on that sticks.

On January 23 2015 07:15 zlefin wrote:


what I'm talking about already is a major redesign; and it is fighting a part of the disease. Structural change is important. It's also a clear objective, do you have a clear roadmap for a complete redesign that would actually accomplish something and work?

On January 23 2015 07:30 centirius wrote:


Something I never understood (as a non-american) is why Israel is so popular. Especially with the Christian right-wingers, anyone care to enlighten me?