Prelude to the Apocalypse

[quash]

Only what was in the news every single day for about 15 years of my life.

So you're acknowledging that you don't really know anything about it. Good.

Why when Chinese and Russian ships ram into Japanese ones the US does... wait for it... literally nothing (except say we're not getting involved)?

There's a good reason for this, actually. Think critically and it should come to you.

Positive relations and aggression are two different things. It's the world's 2nd and 3rd largest economies. Even the old boys clubs are not stupid enough to fuck that up.

You are still thinking of this in terms of a total war scenario. In all likelihood, we are going to be fighting the Chinese pretty soon, though it will be through so-called "proxy wars" (I really hate that term but I'm just going to stick with it for now). It'll be a number of small scale fights contained to certain regions that will probably last for no longer than a year or two, and won't significantly impact trade. In fact, the whole point of these conflicts will be to maintain trade routes and territorial claims.

Cool. Are you going to punch me in the back of the head now?

Don't tempt me with a good time.

[Rob]

.

[Mischief Maker]

Well if Iowa doesn't encourage Bernie supporters, nothing will.

Hooray, Trump lost... to Cruz... ugh. To think there would ever be a time I'd yearn for Bob Dole Republicans.

[GaijinPunch]

Well if Iowa doesn't encourage Bernie supporters, nothing will.

Hooray, Trump lost... to Cruz... ugh. To think there would ever be a time I'd yearn for Bob Dole Republicans.

[BIL]

[GaijinPunch]

Only what was in the news every single day for about 15 years of my life.

So you're acknowledging that you don't really know anything about it. Good.

Why when Chinese and Russian ships ram into Japanese ones the US does... wait for it... literally nothing (except say we're not getting involved)?

There's a good reason for this, actually. Think critically and it should come to you.

Positive relations and aggression are two different things. It's the world's 2nd and 3rd largest economies. Even the old boys clubs are not stupid enough to fuck that up.

You are still thinking of this in terms of a total war scenario. In all likelihood, we are going to be fighting the Chinese pretty soon, though it will be through so-called "proxy wars" (I really hate that term but I'm just going to stick with it for now). It'll be a number of small scale fights contained to certain regions that will probably last for no longer than a year or two, and won't significantly impact trade. In fact, the whole point of these conflicts will be to maintain trade routes and territorial claims.

Cool. Are you going to punch me in the back of the head now?

Don't tempt me with a good time.

[Rob]

Somehow that Ted Cruz thing is even worse without sound. He could not be more of a slimy politician stereotype.

[Mischief Maker]

I'm reminded of an interview where Bill Burr talks about the time he met Bill Clinton.

Hillary doesn't quite have the knack:

Spoiler

[Ed Oscuro]

Somehow that Ted Cruz thing is even worse without sound. He could not be more of a slimy politician stereotype.

this is the same guy who literally went to the Supreme Court to make sure somebody stayed in jail too long

Guys, the Trump is still alive! Maybe we'll get that new $100M ballroom yet...and save on the tents.

[BryanM]

When Ted Cruz becomes president, no kids in this country will be learning math I tell you that.

[antron]

And I'll never be able to not work for a large employer for less than than 30 hours a week. No self employment. No freelance contracting. No American dream.

I am the primary caregiver of someone with a nasty pre-existing condition.

[BulletMagnet]

I am the primary caregiver of someone with a nasty pre-existing condition.

Well obviously neither of you prayed hard enough.

[Ed Oscuro]

Neither did this guy! http://upworthy.tumblr.com/post/1354203 ... me-like-im

[BIL]

Poor bugger.

Respect @ jobs well done come what may. KFC around here are shocking. Oh hai mr. rat, sup, no you can't have my fries unfortunately, I'm hungrier than a motherfucker atm

[quash]

Will the cries of voter fraud finally get lefties on board with requiring to present an ID to vote?

[Mischief Maker]

Will the cries of voter fraud finally get lefties on board with requiring to present an ID to vote?

Concerns were raised about voter fraud after C-Span released a video showing that a caucus chairperson from Polk County, the state's most populous county, and a Hillary Clinton precinct captain failed to conduct a count of the caucusgoers.

This is alleged fraud at the vote-count level, voter ID laws would have no effect on such a situation.

[BulletMagnet]

Will the cries of voter fraud finally get lefties on board with requiring to present an ID to vote?

In-person voter fraud is ludicrously rare, and the ongoing right-wing freak-out over it is a laughable waste of time and resources if you assume that "integrity" is the end goal; if you want some "straight talk" on the matter spend a few minutes with this guy.

[Cagar]

-

[trap15]

https://twitter.com/NateGoldman/status/ ... 3254901760

Oh my god the schadenfreude is way way too good.


Also apparently Trump is throwing a hissy fit that Cruz polled higher.

[BryanM]

Jeb just seems to be completely bitch made. Look at the guy in any frame, he looks sad and defeated all the time.

"I'm going to caucus."
"For me?"
"Yes."
*hugs man*

"I've never voted before."
"I want to be your first!"

Let us move on from Sad Jeb to Happy Feisty Elf Jeb.

The Cruz.gif is missing the best part;
the slimy, fake look to the cameras after that

pliz no

Children could be reading this

[EmperorIng]

Also apparently Trump is throwing a hissy fit that Cruz polled higher.

The hissy fit is more because Cruz's campaign staff instructed their operators in the caucuses to inform voters that Carson was dropping out and that they should vote Cruz instead. Carson's wife even said this happened to her. It's doubtful that Cruz himself had anything to do with it, but Trump and Carson are naturally mad as hell that things could have swung differently for them otherwise.

Well obviously neither of you prayed hard enough.

For someone who talks about how the political right sets up false boogeymen and stereotypes about the left, and how damaging and wrong it is, I detect a noticeable lack of restraint when the shoe is on the other foot.

Too bad Rand Paul is out. The number of candidates arguing for spending less federal money is shrinking. There's no 'pure' candidate in the race, but fans of moderation might like Kasich over "WWIII Christie" and "Please Clap" Jeb. Any candidate who can reverse the nasty trend of Obama's* economic meddling, of which the net effect seems to be that the only white-collar jobs offered anywhere are part-time, no-benefits jobs that require college degrees + 3yrs experience.

/tangent/
It reminds me of how my older brother and his cohort have already been advised to start saving their own money for retirement, as their employers have told them that realistically, there won't be any Social Security to collect by the time they're 65. Then again, I live in the most symptomatic example of "Blue State Syndrome" there is, where Dem legislators willfully promise money and contracts to corrupt union bosses, increase spending and borrowing ($800million in debt for our schools in one city alone), raise taxes, and retire wealthy (unless you're the governor, and you end up in jail - up to 3 now, I believe!) - but not without accusing the governor of hating poor people when he tries to restructure finances and negotiate freezes in spending and entitlements.
/tangent/

*let's be honest and say Obama + Bush + Clinton here.

[Mischief Maker]

Well obviously neither of you prayed hard enough.

For someone who talks about how the political right sets up false boogeymen and stereotypes about the left, and how damaging and wrong it is, I detect a noticeable lack of restraint when the shoe is on the other foot.

Ted Cruz doesn't pander hard to the religious right?

[Bananamatic]

can't ruse the cruz

[trap15]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DdCYMvaUcrA

Holy shit someone recorded video of the Jeb thing. I'm dead.

[Ed Oscuro]

can't ruse the cruz

cruz refuse

Somebody asked /r/eddit a simple question: What's the smallest fraction of the popular vote with which a presidential candidate can win via the electoral college?

[quash]

This is alleged fraud at the vote-count level, voter ID laws would have no effect on such a situation.

Sure it could. Record everyone in attendance and verify that they have ID. You know going in how many votes there are going to be so there's no possibility of stuffing a ballot.

It's not necessarily that voters should be kept honest, but that there needs to be some kind of verifiable record of how many people actually voted. If I'm not mistaken, most states do have databases through the DMV, so that could be a good starting point. Ideally, I would like to see a federal ID that resembles the one government employees get which would serve as the starting point for any kind of interaction with the government (and for that matter, any transaction of firearms). But I'm just a dreamer.

[Ed Oscuro]

In US history it was always seen as more important that people got to vote, and that enfranchised people went to the polls. The (right wing) fixation with carding everybody is strangely anti-small-government and it's been proven to disenfranchise legitimate voters - this is nothing but a shady hypocrisy from the right which is playing off irrational fears for the sake of tactics.

[quash]

But if everyone had what was virtually a tamper proof ID, where's the issue? Think of all the other issues this could solve: two-factor authentication for credit card transactions, for starters.

I'm not really concerned about the size of the government as much as I am the efficiency of it.

[BryanM]

Obama's* economic meddling, of which the net effect seems to be that the only white-collar jobs offered anywhere are part-time, no-benefits jobs that require college degrees + 3yrs experience.

Come on man. That was Clinton anti-isolationist economic meddling and the natural effect of technological development rendering human labour less and less valuable. Stay on target.

realistically, there won't be any Social Security to collect by the time they're 65.

This is false unless congress fucks with it.

They'll get 85% of the current benefits people get if absolutely nothing is done. (Disregarding The Singularity really happening, and widening inequality to the point he'll be turned into compost by the bourgeois.)

Or the fund can go into debt and current rates could continue indefinitely.

Money is imaginary you know.

[Strikers1945guy]

I love watching this stuff from outside the box, being in a different country. Then I remember who we just elected as prime minister and I'm pretty embarrassed.

Does trump really expect to (re)build the boarder wall and make Mexico pay for it?