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[smjjames]

The threat of maybe having nukes might be enough, like how Japan simply having the plutonium to make nukes is enough to rattle China a bit. Though the Israelis were able to defend themselves just fine without nukes previously and have the best troops and equipment in the region.

In other news stuff, some talk going around that the wall funding may lead to a government shutdown. Since the deadline for government funding just happens to neatly line up with the deadline to raise the debt ceiling, I hope that they don't take down the economy with it.

I get and know that most congressmembers really absolutely do not want to go default and the WH doesn't appear to want one either (the ball is entirely in Congress's court to get it dealt with), though not too sure about Trump, I really don't have much confidence that Congress won't play chicken with it and run into default via omission of duty.

Not entirely sure what would happen if we went default, economic chaos for sure and perhaps forced austerity.

[Frumple]

Well, we'd definitely be getting that recession that's about due, which is reason enough to not do it. Especially considering there's a lot of folks that have barely recovered, at best, from the last one.

More likely things would be considerably fucking worse than that. For everyone, stateside or otherwise. Pretty sure there's still articles and such loitering around the internet from the last time that chucklefuckery was on the table, and from what I recall the general shape of things makes forced austerity look like a gentle spring rain.

E: Though... yeah. Complete seriousness, if there's any specific individuals that try to roadblock for that, too hard? Right now I'm not entirely sure they'd survive it. Even a gentle recession is an existential threat for a hefty chunk of people in the US right now, and that's with a government able to keep things from getting too terrible for the worst off. You proposition a hard one (or outright depression) and a government set of fire during it and assassination is going to start looking more tempting a possibility than it really has been in a long, long time.
 

[smjjames]

It's a whole lot less than 'congresspeople being willing to go default' and a heck of a lot more 'playing chicken with it right up to the very last nanosecond'. Given the fact that they'd have all the gridlock with wrangling with the budget stuff at the same time, I have even less confidence that they won't play chicken with it and lose. Them playing chicken with it is what the problem was previous times.

While it would definetly be political suicide to be responsible for going into default, somehow there's a few politicians who think it'd be a good idea. One of them is most likely Ted Cruz, he never said absolutely for sure whether he'd let the country go default at the first opportunity if he was President.

[MrRoboto75]

The US economy was the Zodiac Killer's next victim all along.

[Neonivek]

While it would definetly be political suicide to be responsible for going into default, somehow there's a few politicians who think it'd be a good idea. One of them is most likely Ted Cruz, he never said absolutely for sure whether he'd let the country go default at the first opportunity if he was President.

Sort of... The key is if they can sway the opinion on who is responsible for the default.

The last time someone threatened everyone with gridlock they didn't take responsibility for it, they instead said it was some other party and that all they had to do is capitulate.

Or rather "Stop hitting yourself" is a valid political excuse.

[MetalSlimeHunt]

The US economy was the Zodiac Killer's next victim all along.

That's the secret. He realized that killing people personally, no matter how many hookers he fed into the wood mulcher, was uselessly inefficient. Leveraging politics will allow the dream of the zodiac to be fulfilled in fire and blood.

[smjjames]

While it would definetly be political suicide to be responsible for going into default, somehow there's a few politicians who think it'd be a good idea. One of them is most likely Ted Cruz, he never said absolutely for sure whether he'd let the country go default at the first opportunity if he was President.

Sort of... The key is if they can sway the opinion on who is responsible for the default.

The last time someone threatened everyone with gridlock they didn't take responsibility for it, they instead said it was some other party and that all they had to do is capitulate.

Or rather "Stop hitting yourself" is a valid political excuse.

Didn't exactly work out for the Republicans when they did the last shutdown, they got plenty of flack for doing that.

The political fallout after a default would definetly de-evolve into who can convince that the other person/party did it.

Though really, "stop hitting yourself" should apply to the whole of Congress

[Sheb]

While it would definetly be political suicide to be responsible for going into default, somehow there's a few politicians who think it'd be a good idea. One of them is most likely Ted Cruz, he never said absolutely for sure whether he'd let the country go default at the first opportunity if he was President.

Sort of... The key is if they can sway the opinion on who is responsible for the default.

The last time someone threatened everyone with gridlock they didn't take responsibility for it, they instead said it was some other party and that all they had to do is capitulate.

Or rather "Stop hitting yourself" is a valid political excuse.

Didn't exactly work out for the Republicans when they did the last shutdown, they got plenty of flack for doing that.

The political fallout after a default would definetly de-evolve into who can convince that the other person/party did it.

Though really, "stop hitting yourself" should apply to the whole of Congress

Yeah, it hurt them so badly they won the next election.

[Draignean]

Admittedly, they were running against the soulless revenant that represents most of the major problems with the political system today.

[Sheb]

Admittedly, they were running against the soulless revenant that represents most of the major problems with the political system today.

The shutdown was in 2013, so I was refering to the 2014 house election. Granted, mid-term election favour the GOP, but still.

[smjjames]

While it would definetly be political suicide to be responsible for going into default, somehow there's a few politicians who think it'd be a good idea. One of them is most likely Ted Cruz, he never said absolutely for sure whether he'd let the country go default at the first opportunity if he was President.

Sort of... The key is if they can sway the opinion on who is responsible for the default.

The last time someone threatened everyone with gridlock they didn't take responsibility for it, they instead said it was some other party and that all they had to do is capitulate.

Or rather "Stop hitting yourself" is a valid political excuse.

Didn't exactly work out for the Republicans when they did the last shutdown, they got plenty of flack for doing that.

The political fallout after a default would definetly de-evolve into who can convince that the other person/party did it.

Though really, "stop hitting yourself" should apply to the whole of Congress

Yeah, it hurt them so badly they won the next election.

I didn't say it cost them the election, just that they got a lot of flack over it.

Admittedly, they were running against the soulless revenant that represents most of the major problems with the political system today.

The shutdown was in 2013, so I was refering to the 2014 house election. Granted, mid-term election favour the GOP, but still.

Historically, midterm elections favor the party opposing the president, true.

[RedKing]

Judge Roy Moore has thrown his hat into the ring for the Alabama US Senate race. And gotten Chuck Norris's endorsement. 

[Starver]

Judge Roy Moore has thrown his hat into the ring for the Alabama US Senate race. And gotten Chuck Norris's endorsement. 

We need to know who is endorsed by Gandalf the Grey, Gandalf the White, "Monty Python and the Holy Grail"'s Black Knight, Benito Mussolini, The Blue Meanie, Cowboy Curtis, Jambi the Genie, Robocop, the Terminator, Captain Kirk, Darth Vader, Lo Pan, Superman, every single Power Ranger, Bill S. Preston and Theodore Logan, Spock, The Rock, Doc Ock and Hulk Hogan.

But, ultimately, for whom is Mr Rogers destined to give his support?

[smjjames]

Judge Roy Moore has thrown his hat into the ring for the Alabama US Senate race. And gotten Chuck Norris's endorsement. 

Looked at wiki and him going for the Alabama special election was back in April. It's basically an open seat, so, lots of people are scrambling to try and get that. If he wins, and he's polling really well against Luther Strange, he looks like he might go up against a Democrat who seems to be a complete and utter unknown.

Kind of looks like Democrats are taking some kind of leap of faith in a complete unknown, or as a protest vote of sorts to the party.

[Frumple]

Or just not inclined towards trying too hard. We're talking alabama, here, where Roy Moore actually has a chance of election. I'm not sure there's many democrats in that state that are particularly well known outside of it. Or inside of it. Or at all.* There looks like there's a few counties and maybe one district that approach competitive, but most of the state isn't exactly amiable to democrat overtures.

That said, damn, the balls on hansen. Good luck t'the guy, even if it looks like Kennedy's in line to take the dem slot.

* Checking the wiki page to see who's running is kinda' hilarious. Check out the title of the 74th source, one of the ones besides Robert Kennedy Jr.