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[smjjames]

You know what that reminds me of? the whole Secret Service scandal with the hotels and stuff.

[Culise]

... y'know, I wasn't sure whether to put this in the WTF, police abuse, or this thread, but I guess this'un is somewhere in between the other two, so...

Texas Attorney General sues himself on behalf of the texas department of public safety, in order to hide (likely pretty damning) information about the (probably grossly overstated) activities of said department. He is currently slated to be both the defendant and the prosecutor.

I... don't think I can really add anything else to make that either less or more farcical. It's kinda' at the perfect equilibrium point of absurdity.

"My God, Mr. Bragg, you have quarreled with every officer in the army, and now you are quarreling with yourself!"

I suppose if it's surreal enough to (reputedly) happen once, it's surreal enough to happen twice, but...

[Urist Imiknorris]

I suppose if it's surreal enough to (reputedly) happen once, it's surreal enough to happen twice, but...

Oh, it's happened twice. He did it in February too.

[Bauglir]

Half of my sig has never been more relevant.

^{_{guess which half}}

[smjjames]

It's funny (not in a 'ha ha' funny) how legal immigration is far more of a threat to the Republicans than illegal immigration is.

http://www.politico.com/story/2015/09/obama-citizenship-immigrants-naturalization-democrats-213810

[smjjames]

I hear ya on the inactiveness of Congress, but they don't seem to want to compromise. Hell, we're facing yet another government shutdown all because they refuse to compromise and also actually DO something about the budget.

Sometimes it makes you want to smack their heads into each other and yell 'BLEEPING COMPROMISE!' at them.

[nenjin]

I hear ya on the inactiveness of Congress, but they don't seem to want to compromise. Hell, we're facing yet another government shutdown all because they refuse to compromise and also actually DO something about the budget.

Sometimes it makes you want to smack their heads into each other and yell 'BLEEPING COMPROMISE!' at them.

Actually this round of the budget crisis is about Republicans wanting to de-fund Planned Parenthood while approving the rest of the budget. They're trying to figure out a way to do that and they're running it up to the last minute.

[smjjames]

I hear ya on the inactiveness of Congress, but they don't seem to want to compromise. Hell, we're facing yet another government shutdown all because they refuse to compromise and also actually DO something about the budget.

Sometimes it makes you want to smack their heads into each other and yell 'BLEEPING COMPROMISE!' at them.

Actually this round of the budget crisis is about Republicans wanting to de-fund Planned Parenthood while approving the rest of the budget. They're trying to figure out a way to do that and they're running it up to the last minute.

I know, but it's still business as usual. We shouldn't even BE having the threat of a government shutdown.

[alway]

The Republican voting demographic currently has Trump as their lead candidate. What did you expect them to do? Not be completely crazypants?

[PTTG??]

I'm really hoping the Republican party dies this year. The... for want of a better term... hateful faction supports trump but will gleefully agree with anyone who is willing to base policy on hate. This faction is currently dictating policy that the rest of the party- such as the fiscally conservative, the religious, and the my-family-always-votes-republican-so-I'm-going-to-too voters- doesn't like.

The Fiscal conservatives know that planned parenthood is a net gain considering that unwanted pregnancies ultimately waste far more. The determined voters don't care one way or the other. The religious might dislike abortions but they are rational and willing to address it as a social issue; controlled, legal abortions are better than back-alley ones (I've never met a religious conservative who would let a woman and fetus die instead of allowing an abortion to save her life, but I have met a few rabid people who wouldn't.)

When the rest of the Republicans get tired of being run by the lowest common denominator, they'll split off. Frankly, if they did, I'd consider voting for them.

[nenjin]

I'm really hoping the Republican party dies this year. The... for want of a better term... hateful faction supports trump but will gleefully agree with anyone who is willing to base policy on hate. This faction is currently dictating policy that the rest of the party- such as the fiscally conservative, the religious, and the my-family-always-votes-republican-so-I'm-going-to-too voters- doesn't like.

The Fiscal conservatives know that planned parenthood is a net gain considering that unwanted pregnancies ultimately waste far more. The determined voters don't care one way or the other. The religious might dislike abortions but they are rational and willing to address it as a social issue; controlled, legal abortions are better than back-alley ones (I've never met a religious conservative who would let a woman and fetus die instead of allowing an abortion to save her life, but I have met a few rabid people who wouldn't.)

When the rest of the Republicans get tired of being run by the lowest common denominator, they'll split off. Frankly, if they did, I'd consider voting for them.

I think you're going to have to keep hoping. We thought that the formation of the Tea Party would package all the hate and the crazy of the right wing into a sub-party, freeing moderate, moderate religious, social and fiscal conservatives from being lumped in with them. It didn't really turn out like that. For a while it was true but once the Tea Party was demonstrably shown to be run by know-nothings and political hacks, everyone basically went back to the core Republican party fold.

[penguinofhonor]

Are there circles where people talk hopefully about how Bernie Sanders might split the Democats into two small parties?

[Sheb]

I dunno, the only persons I know who might think like that are convinced that both Sanders and Clinton are communists anyway.

[nenjin]

It won't happen. Not in the near future anyways. Parties provide funding and political machinery to get someone elected. When you run independent or run in a splinter party, you lose all that support. The single biggest thing keeping the parties relevant at this point is they have resources to spend getting people elected as long as they run under the party name. So until we arrive at a point in American politics where that machinery isn't necessary to win an election, candidates will continue to run under party labels and legitimize their place in American politics. It's the whole reason Trump didn't run independent despite his blowhard declarations of how independent he is: he needs the machinery the Republican party provides the winner of the nomination to successfully carry a presidential bid. Unless he wants to both pay for that machinery and over see its construction. Neither of which I'm sure he's either qualified or willing to do.

[smjjames]

Are there circles where people talk hopefully about how Bernie Sanders might split the Democats into two small parties?

Not that I know of, outside of those who thing socialist= dirty red commie.

When the Republican candidates were talking about Sanders last debate, it seemed like some of them were resisting blurting out and calling Sanders a commie or communist. My generation (the post-cold war generation) is like, what's so horrible about socialism? Outside of it's connections to the Soviets.