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[MetalSlimeHunt]

I hope people are coming around to the reality of the EC as a part of slavery, I've been making that argument for years now.

[Magistrum]

I don't really understand why you kept that for so long.
Also, what's with the territories? Make it a state or leave for good.

[Egan_BW]

It's part of the constitution and changing it is Hard and the US is terrible at doing hard things~

[hector13]

Republicans benefit greatly from the EC. Until that changes, nothing will happen.

When it does, expect the Democrats to dig in their heels on changing it.

[smjjames]

Also, what's with the territories? Make it a state or leave for good.

How statehood works. In short, it's up to the voters to decide whether they want statehood and then Congress does (or doesn't) their thing. Puerto Rico has been trying in recent years, but they can't seem to decisively make up their mind.

There's also political considerations, the Republicans (in the current Congress anyway) aren't going to want to allow a state that will obviously be Democratic unless there is another potential state that would obviously be Republican. That's what happened with Alaska and Hawaii, which then flipped from what people thought they would go.

For the EC, there is the national popular vote compact thing, but that is certainly going to be legally challenged on constitutional grounds.

[PTTG??]

The republicans are perfectly capable of arguing that they should be allowed to bring in a republican state but that a democratic state with greater reason to be a member should be denied.

[Naturegirl1999]

The republicans are perfectly capable of arguing that they should be allowed to bring in a republican state but that a democratic state with greater reason to be a member should be denied.

This argument sounds like a stupid one to me. Speaking of territories, I learned thst the Virgin Islands has an Independence Party trying to become their own country rather than a territory

[smjjames]

The republicans are perfectly capable of arguing that they should be allowed to bring in a republican state but that a democratic state with greater reason to be a member should be denied.

True, and vice versa, but doing it like Alaska-Hawaii at least allows both sides to claim victory while simultaneously denying the other side a victory. However, only D.C. and Puerto Rico are the only ones with an active (or vocal at least) statehood movements. D.C. would obviously be in the Democrat side, but Puerto Rico would probably be competitive on some levels, they did have a Republican governor.

Puerto Rico does have the advantage of a lot of Puerto Ricans being on the mainland.

The republicans are perfectly capable of arguing that they should be allowed to bring in a republican state but that a democratic state with greater reason to be a member should be denied.

This argument sounds like a stupid one to me.

Such is partisanship.

[Naturegirl1999]

The republicans are perfectly capable of arguing that they should be allowed to bring in a republican state but that a democratic state with greater reason to be a member should be denied.

True, and vice versa, but doing it like Alaska-Hawaii at least allows both sides to claim victory while simultaneously denying the other side a victory. However, only D.C. and Puerto Rico are the only ones with an active (or vocal at least) statehood movements. D.C. would obviously be in the Democrat side, but Puerto Rico would probably be competitive on some levels, they did have a Republican governor.

Puerto Rico does have the advantage of a lot of Puerto Ricans being on the mainland.

The republicans are perfectly capable of arguing that they should be allowed to bring in a republican state but that a democratic state with greater reason to be a member should be denied.

This argument sounds like a stupid one to me.

Such is partisanship.

Partisanship is stupid too. It would be great if policies can be made using things like research rather than Republicans and Democrats trying to make the policies thst benefit their party regardless of whether the policies actually help with anything

[MrRoboto75]

Politics helps those who help themselves.

Or who can buy nice things for those who help themselves.

[Loud Whispers]

Partisanship is stupid too. It would be great if policies can be made using things like research rather than Republicans and Democrats trying to make the policies thst benefit their party regardless of whether the policies actually help with anything

I don't mind people forming political groups to defend their interests, I can't stand zero-sum partisanship where everyone is engaging in total political warfare against anyone who isn't red vs blue team.

There's this phenomenon of a media vampire, where a media campaign brand becomes more valuable than the actual company/product its supposed to represent. I suppose the issue here is when the political party outgrows the interests it is actually supposed to represent, and becomes more concerned with its own survival, rather than actually representing anything - becoming a self-referential partisan vampire.

In the UK this led to funny things like the conservative party trying to kick out the conservatives & the labour party trying to kick out the labour unions. The Republicans & Democrats in the US kinda speak for themselves, especially with the Trump & Clinton style of power for power's sake, without very little need to justify defending anyone's interests besides the party - how the Republicans fail to deliver pretty much all of their promises to their loyal voters or how the DNC sideline progressives who have popular backing is pretty telling

Well, that they sell the blood plasma of young people to old people.
So yes.
They have pamphlets and everything.

We are living in a cyberpunk dystopia

Without neon lights

[Iduno]

Partisanship is stupid too. It would be great if policies can be made using things like research rather than Republicans and Democrats trying to make the policies thst benefit their party regardless of whether the policies actually help with anything

I don't mind people forming political groups to defend their interests, I can't stand zero-sum partisanship where everyone is engaging in total political warfare against anyone who isn't red vs blue team.

In wrestling, this is called kayfabe. Performative fighting. In politics, it keeps people fighting for their set of oligarchs, instead of fighting the oligarchs. It's very effective.

[smjjames]

Hey LW, been a while.

[Loud Whispers]

In wrestling, this is called kayfabe. Performative fighting. In politics, it keeps people fighting for their set of oligarchs, instead of fighting the oligarchs. It's very effective.

The problem is I don't even know how you get out of the kayfabe mindset once you're in it. Trying to stop it so easily runs into the "I am an enlightened centrist, you stop believing things" stereotype which just opens a third front in the red vs blue vs yellow. Maybe some kind of political system where winner doesn't take all, and power is shared? Maybe we should elect an AI?

Hey LW, been a while.

Good to be back

[Iduno]

In wrestling, this is called kayfabe. Performative fighting. In politics, it keeps people fighting for their set of oligarchs, instead of fighting the oligarchs. It's very effective.

The problem is I don't even know how you get out of the kayfabe mindset once you're in it. Trying to stop it so easily runs into the "I am an enlightened centrist, you stop believing things" stereotype which just opens a third front in the red vs blue vs yellow. Maybe some kind of political system where winner doesn't take all, and power is shared? Maybe we should elect an AI?

Don't support any candidate that violates your beliefs, or plans to make things worse.