US Politics Mega-thread - Page 4128

On June 25 2016 10:03 Plansix wrote:
Why are people claiming the super delegates helped her win? The democratic party primary system for determining if someone has enough delegates is not complicated in any way.

An influential coalition of civil rights groups pushing for criminal justice reform is pressuring both the Republican National Committee and Democratic National Committee to include the issue in their respective party platforms this summer.

In a new letter, the organizations — including the American Civil Liberties Union, the NAACP, the Urban League and the Brennan Center for Justice — argue that after decades of pushing tougher crime laws, both Democrats and the GOP need a “bold break” toward policies aiming at easing incarceration rates.

“As you convene to set your respective policy agenda, we urge you to include reducing mass incarceration, while increasing public safety, as part of your party platforms,” the groups wrote in the letter, addressed to the respective party chairs and platform committee leaders and provided to POLITICO in advance of its release.

Among the policies called for by the pro-criminal justice reform groups: Revising sentencing laws so the “punishment is proportional to the crime and no longer than necessary to achieve rehabilitation and deterrence,” helping to reduce recidivism rates by promoting job training and educational programs for former inmates, and using federal funds to reward states for policies that reduce both the prison population and crime rates.

“While more is needed to fully achieve reform, including these measures in the platforms will signal a significant shift in national policy,” the organizations wrote.

Criminal justice reform has been a lingering issue in Washington, with both President Barack Obama and key Republican leaders in Congress saying they want to pass legislation overhauling sentencing laws and other prison reforms this year.

But the issue has also been a divisive one, particularly within the Senate Republican Conference, and its prospects are growing dimmer – particularly in a contentious election year. Majority Whip John Cornyn of Texas recently indicated that the House would have to move first on criminal justice legislation. Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) has indicated he wants to move on the issue, but has not laid out timing.

On June 25 2016 09:58 Mohdoo wrote:


Could it not be argued that the surge in populism, largely responsible for Trump's victory, could also be a reason Bernie managed to do particularly well?

On June 25 2016 10:05 LegalLord wrote:

I think that if it were Obama vs Bernie, then Bernie's campaign would not have ever taken off. Trump succeeded because the Republican choices were shitty. Sanders went as far as he did despite not being a particularly viable president (his ideas are noble but if you take his plan as a whole it doesn't really work) because Hillary Clinton is shitty. Populism does not come out of nowhere.

On June 25 2016 07:27 cLutZ wrote:


The major issue in Fisher II that Alito alluded to, but Kennedy just flat ignored is that UT-Austin has been deceptive and manipulative throughout the whole process. At best they are incompetent, most likely they are liars. They intentionally crafted the "holistic" process to thwart auditing or studying of its impacts and results (and this is similar around the nation in university admissions), and continually shift the playing field to prevent being locked down on any one theory on what their "compelling interest" actually is. And its all been a disguise for racial balancing.

They first had a "critical mass" theory, but then could never explain why that a smaller black population than Hispanic could be a sufficient "critical mas." Then they did classroom-by-classroom studies and justifications, but again their own studies showed that the problem was greater for Asians than for Hispanics. And it goes on, UT was proven to have an even shadier admissions process than anyone could have initially suspected, but the majority bit hook, line, and sinker. Thus, even the most pernicious admissions policies will be approved by circuit courts until the next AA in higher ed case comes to the Court, because of the abject failure of this court to make a choice.

On June 25 2016 07:47 zlefin wrote:
I wish we had a better system in place to avoid 4-4 rulings. It really creates chaos for the lower courts.
I also wish we could find a way to get the court to have fewer very close rulings, though I can't raelly think how that would be possible.

On June 25 2016 09:10 cLutZ wrote:
Hilary won because she was better at basically all aspects of campaigning aside from rallies.

Plus Bernie was an old, white, Ted Cruz of the left.

On June 25 2016 09:32 Mohdoo wrote:
And superdelegates could have been gone for good, if bernie was willing to cash in his political capital for an endorsement after Cali was called. But now it is too late and he has essentially no bargaining power. And that's the kind of leader he would have been. He wanted the world, was too stubborn and ignorant to know he couldn't get it, and so now he's got nothing. As has always been the case.

I feel like the money I donated ended up being a complete waste. The fact that he didn't pivot to remain relevant and a leader is just so sad.

President Obama is designating a new national monument around the Stonewall Inn, the birthplace of the modern gay rights movement.

The Stonewall National Monument in New York City will be the first addition to the National Park System specifically highlighting the history of the LGBT community.

The monument covers nearly 8 acres in New York's Greenwich Village including a landmark gay bar, the Stonewall Inn. In June of 1969, patrons at the bar fought back against police persecution — an event that's widely seen as a watershed in the campaign for LGBT rights.

"Raids like these were nothing new, but this time the patrons had had enough," Obama said in a White House video announcing the new monument. "So they stood up and spoke out. The riots became protests. The protests became a movement. The movement ultimately became an integral part of America."

Obama had previously highlighted the significance of Stonewall in his second inaugural address, weaving the battle for gay rights into a larger tapestry of civil rights for women and African-Americans.

An explosive wildfire has claimed two lives, scorched approximately 100 structures and forced thousands to flee in central California.

Residents described chaotic scenes on Friday as they scrambled to escape flames and smoke in the foothills of Kern County, about 42 miles north-east of Bakersfield.

With additional firefighting crews rushing to the area, Governor Jerry Brown issued a state of emergency to facilitate the official response.

“Anne and I extend our heartfelt sympathies to everyone impacted by this destructive blaze,” he said in a statement. “We join all Californians in expressing our gratitude to the courageous firefighters, emergency personnel and volunteers working tirelessly throughout Kern County to help residents and extinguish this fire.”

Kern County’s fire department announced in a Facebook post that the fire had claimed lives. “Two confirmed fatalities at this time. Firefighters are still engaged in firefighting operations and are beginning the damage assessment process.” In a later post it warned of possible worse effects to come. “Strong winds are increasing fire behavior in the Kelso Valley area.”

Details about the fatalities were not immediately available.

The so-called Erskine fire flared on Thursday and swiftly grew to to more than 19,000 acres, searing through mountain communities in the southern Sierra Nevada, a region popular with hikers, campers and tourists.

On June 25 2016 11:04 zlefin wrote:
danglars ->I wouldn't call the current age post-constitutional. No moreso than the era of the warren court, or any other era.

I maintain we should have a 10th member on the supreme court, who only votes in case of ties (due to other members' death or recusal); then we could at least avoid 4-4 rulings, and the chaos they cause.

I do agree that it seems unlikely we could get the different sides of the court to agree more, or find compromise rulings that would let them avoid these 5-4 rulings so much. We need to elect more unpredictable moderates, so things shift around more!

Vice President Joe Biden condemned what he called the “un-American” response of “reactionary politicians and demagogues” who blame immigrants for economic and societal unrest, using a speech on the Irish American immigrant experience to deliver his second major rebuke of Donald Trump in a week.

Speaking at the Dublin Castle on the fourth day of a visit to Ireland, Biden said immigrants like his own Irish ancestors brought a spirit of optimism and possibility to U.S. shores.

He noted how his mother had instilled in him a pride in his Irish heritage, as well as “an absolute certitude that she or any of us were equal to any man or woman on Earth.”

“We’re defined by a common creed that says our children, if they work hard, if they’re loyal, they can live a better life than the generation before them,” Biden said. “It’s defined by a simple, simple, simple belief that we share, that anything, anything, anything is possible, a belief shared by the vast majority of immigrant families that have come to the United States.”

One of Virginia’s delegates to the Republican National Convention has filed a federal lawsuit in an effort to avoid voting for presumptive nominee Donald Trump at the party convention next month.

The delegate, Carroll Correll Jr of Winchester, Virginia, argued in the suit that being forced to vote against his conscience was a violation of his constitutional rights.

Correll said he would not vote for Trump because he believed the billionaire businessman was unfit to serve as president.

Correll’s suit maintained that state law imposed criminal penalties on delegates who did not vote on the first ballot for the winner of the state’s Republican and Democratic primaries.

Trump won Virginia’s Republican primary, while Hillary Clinton won the Democratic contest.

Correll filed the suit on Friday in federal court in Richmond. He seeks a judgment on behalf of all delegates to the Republican and Democratic conventions.

On June 25 2016 00:30 {CC}StealthBlue wrote:
This is economy relies very little on how the UK votes. Besides it doesn't help when Trump makes it about him and his golf course rather than the US.

How Brexit impacts the U.S. economy

2. Volatile markets slow down the engine of U.S. growth

American consumers make up the majority of U.S. economic activity. If they don't spend, the economy doesn't grow. And how much they spend often depends on how they feel good about where the country is heading. Americans don't buy homes and cars if things look bleak and a stock market downturn can really whittle down confidence.

Brexit is already causing severe volatility in global stock markets. If that volatility continues for weeks and months, it could cause American business owners and consumers to reconsider their spending plans.
"The keys to whether the U.S. economy is affected significantly will be whether equities tumble enough to have a major impact on business and consumer confidence," says Jim O'Sullivan, chief U.S. economist at High Frequency Economics, a research firm.

A cutback by consumers would be particularly bad news at the moment.
U.S. job gains have slowed this spring and economic growth was sluggish in the winter. But a recent pickup in consumer spending has been one of the few bright spots. The added momentum in spending had raised hopes that growth would rise in spring and summer.

3. Brexit triggers a strong dollar, which hurts U.S. trade
A strong dollar sounds good -- and it is for American travelers -- but it's bad for U.S. businesses that sell products overseas.

On Friday morning, the U.S. dollar quickly rallied against the British pound, up 6.3% Friday, its biggest one-day gain since 1967, according to FactSet, a financial data firm.
A strong dollar makes company's products more expensive -- and less attractive -- to buyers outside the U.S. That hurts sales for tech giants like Apple (AAPL, Tech30), equipment makers like Deere (DE) and Caterpillar (CAT) and global brands like Coca-Cola (KO) and Nike (NKE).

It's one of the key reasons why Corporate America has been in an "earnings recession," with profits declining for three straight quarter on an annual basis.
"The biggest impact economically is the dollar impact," says Matt Lloyd, chief investment strategist at Advisors Asset Management. "If the dollar surges on [Brexit] for any period of time, then you're going to see fears of the profits recession lasting longer."

In short, a stronger dollar typically lowers U.S. exports -- a theme we saw last year. The U.S. manufacturing sector, which relies heavily on trade, fell into a 5-month recession triggered by the strong dollar. Manufacturing lost a net 39,000 jobs in the past 12 months.

So if the dollar continues its post-Brexit gains, it would spell bad news for U.S. trade and manufacturing, which is just digging out of its hole from last year.

On June 25 2016 07:47 zlefin wrote:
I wish we had a better system in place to avoid 4-4 rulings. It really creates chaos for the lower courts.
I also wish we could find a way to get the court to have fewer very close rulings, though I can't raelly think how that would be possible.

Not a single welfare recipient or applicant has tested positive for banned drugs in a Michigan pilot program, part of the growing practice of screening beneficiaries of government assistance for drug abuse.

The program, which ends on 30 September, may face renewed scrutiny in the wake of Wisconsin congresswoman Gwen Moore’s proposed legislation to force taxpayers with more than $150,000 of itemized deductions to submit to the IRS a clear drug test. Under the legislation, applicants who refuse the test would be required to take the significantly lower standard deduction when filing their taxes.

Moore’s office said drug-testing welfare recipients and applicants is “blatantly unacceptable” and pushes a stereotype that impoverished individuals are more susceptible to substance abuse than other, wealthier individuals who are beneficiaries of government programs.

“Congresswoman Moore finds it shameful that states like Michigan, Wisconsin and Florida continue to push these discriminatory policies under the guise of fiscal responsibility,” Moore’s communications director, Eric Harris, told the Guardian.

“Drug-testing struggling families and individuals as a condition of eligibility for vital, life-saving social services is blatantly unacceptable and the insinuation that those battling poverty are somehow more susceptible to substance abuse is as absurd as it is offensive.”

The Michigan program began last October and covers Allegan, Clinton and Marquette counties. As of May, a total of 303 applicants and recipients for the state’s Family Independence Program, which provides temporary cash assistance, have participated in the pilot program. Zero have tested positive, the state said. When the program concludes, the state department of health and human services has 60 days to produce a report on its results.

Michigan’s governor, Rick Snyder, who signed legislation in December 2014 to launch the pilot program, declined to comment on the results so far.

On June 25 2016 13:26 iPlaY.NettleS wrote:

CNN disagrees
http://money.cnn.com/2016/06/24/investing/brexit-impact-on-american-global-economy/index.html?iid=hp-toplead-dom

On June 25 2016 16:57 CorsairHero wrote:

Periods of volatility (ebola, grexit and chinese debt crisis) in the last 2 years did not impact US growth. The US markets reverted back to the point before the remain winning was priced in. This volatility is emotionally driven as the fundamentals haven't changed and won't in the short term.

If Trump wins and refinances the debt, the USD will fall which should increase trade.

On June 25 2016 03:40 GreenHorizons wrote:



You said you wanted to hear more on campaign finance reform and you didn't like your brother going to war, I told you that you picked the wrong candidate if you wanted to change those things. You can refute that premise, or not. Looks like you've chosen not to. No need to whine about it.

The White House has restated its position that Britain would be at the back of the queue when it comes to making trade deals with the US, in the wake of the Brexit vote.

In remarks on Friday, Barack Obama had offered reassurance that the UK would remain an “indispensable” ally and that “the special relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom is enduring”.

Within hours, however, the cold reality of Britain’s new status, and its impact on relations with Washington, because clear. When the president came to Britain in April to help make the case for the remain camp, he warned that, if the UK left the EU, it would have to go to the back of the queue for a deal like the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) being negotiated between Washington and Brussels.

The White House made clear on Friday that the threat he made then still stuck. “Obviously, the president stands by what he said and I don’t have an update of our position,” spokesman Eric Schulz told reporters.