American Politics XIV: The Dawning of the Age of the Pumpkin

[Emotional Support Crocodile]

After 18 years here, no they aren't.

Engaging in dim witted actions like spamming profanity alongside red text is. It accomplishes absolutely nothing and gets cleaned up instantly, but they try try again like it’s going to accomplish anything. It’s entertaining because it’s laughably stupid.

It's boring because I've seen it so many times.

[Eahland]

It doesn't, it just says that states can't be deprived of equal representation in the Senate without their consent.

So either the Constitution has to be amended to remove that stipulation, or an amendment to change the composition of the Senate has to be a unanimous vote.

So we pass an amendment that removes that stipulation. We instead say a state is entitled to no less than two senators.

Again, this takes two amendments (or unanimous consent of the states, which is even more not happening). One to amend the part that says we can't do it, and then another to do it. In other words, it's way more unconstitutional than any of the things you try to shut down discussion on by claiming they're unconstitutional. As I said before, the disproportionate representation of the states in the Senate is the one thing that the Founders explicitly forbid fixing.

[Thermodolia]

Handmaid's Tale was meant to be a warning not a manifesto but apparently they forgot that.

Gilead is an even less realistic dystopia than Oceania tbh.

The thing isn’t even a warning but a silly idea.

It’s almost like fiction isn’t some warning about our life and just that fiction

[Thermodolia]

No, but you stepped into an already mind-numbingly frustrating conversation.

And an utterly pointless one. Districts should be drawn by computer algorithms to ensure fair representation to everyone in a state and prevent gerrymandering, which both parties do.

Districts shouldn’t exist in the first place. But Lumen also hates that too

[Ifreann]

Gilead is an even less realistic dystopia than Oceania tbh.

The thing isn’t even a warning but a silly idea.

It’s almost like fiction isn’t some warning about our life and just that fiction

I don't think you can really say that Gilead is totally unrelated to the real world, even if some of the particulars aren't realistic. Atwood did live in America Canada in the 80s when she was writing the book, pretty clearly the ideology of the American Christian right influenced the Republic of Gilead.

[Thermodolia]

It doesn't, it just says that states can't be deprived of equal representation in the Senate without their consent.

So either the Constitution has to be amended to remove that stipulation, or an amendment to change the composition of the Senate has to be a unanimous vote.

So we pass an amendment that removes that stipulation. We instead say a state is entitled to no less than two senators.

No state will approve of it. Instead we should mandate that each state gets more senators and that said senators should be elected via STV or PR

[Mountains and Volcanoes]

Ignored by whom?

"hey, we finally are no longer legally permitted from restricting voting rights, that thing we've been working towards!"
"Sweet. Let's not."
"Wha-Why?"
"Who knows!"

To quote Juice Media: “We use independent judicial review” or “We don’t give a fuck” - Supreme Court

[Thermodolia]

The thing isn’t even a warning but a silly idea.

It’s almost like fiction isn’t some warning about our life and just that fiction

I don't think you can really say that Gilead is totally unrelated to the real world, even if some of the particulars aren't realistic. Atwood did live in America in the 80s when she was writing the book, pretty clearly the ideology of the American Christian right influenced the Republic of Gilead.

I’m not saying that, I’m just saying that not every political or dystopian novel is a warning about our society at large.

[Mountains and Volcanoes]

As I get older, I tend to be more sympathetic to Madison than I was to Jefferson

So towards Federalism?

[The Two Jerseys]

So we pass an amendment that removes that stipulation. We instead say a state is entitled to no less than two senators.

No state will approve of it. Instead we should mandate that each state gets more senators and that said senators should be elected via STV or PR

How dare you give those cows and trees the opportunity to have a senator represent them!

[Ifreann]

I don't think you can really say that Gilead is totally unrelated to the real world, even if some of the particulars aren't realistic. Atwood did live in America in the 80s when she was writing the book, pretty clearly the ideology of the American Christian right influenced the Republic of Gilead.

I’m not saying that, I’m just saying that not every political or dystopian novel is a warning about our society at large.

I don't know if that's true, but regardless The Handmaid's Tale really seems like it is. I'm not super familiar with the work, but from what I understand about Gilead, I think that everything about it is something that the Christian right even today does want.

[Thermodolia]

Since 2012 Democrats have won the popular vote for the Michigan House but not gotten a majority of seats. This could very change after this years election due to the independent commission the state now has.

I assume you mean state-wide popular vote, since to win these seats the candidate has to win the most votes in their jurisdiction. If so, using statewide popular vote to argue that Dems should have a majority of seats is hilarious. Statewide popular vote is irrelevant because each seat has its own smaller-than-the-state jurisdiction - that's where the popular vote matters.

Clearly Republicans are winning in more of these districts. Maybe this independent commission will draw a nice map, especially if the state is gerrymandered (I don't know Michigan politics), but what you clearly want is Democrats guaranteed to win, which you'd only get from gerrymandering - the very thing you claim to hate.

Or just abolish districts entirely and go to PR.

Which is something else he hates

[Thermodolia]

No state will approve of it. Instead we should mandate that each state gets more senators and that said senators should be elected via STV or PR

How dare you give those cows and trees the opportunity to have a senator represent them!

Every cow a senator

[American Legionaries]

I’m not saying that, I’m just saying that not every political or dystopian novel is a warning about our society at large.

I don't know if that's true, but regardless The Handmaid's Tale really seems like it is. I'm not super familiar with the work, but from what I understand about Gilead, I think that everything about it is something that leftist propagandists told me the Christian right even today does want.

Ftfy

[Ifreann]

I don't know if that's true, but regardless The Handmaid's Tale really seems like it is. I'm not super familiar with the work, but from what I understand about Gilead, I think that everything about it is something that leftist propagandists told me the Christian right even today does want.

Ftfy

Nah tho.

[GlennsVille]

Bruh

[Platoon of Peace]

And an utterly pointless one. Districts should be drawn by computer algorithms to ensure fair representation to everyone in a state and prevent gerrymandering, which both parties do.

Districts shouldn’t exist in the first place. But Lumen also hates that too

It feels like Lumen's political Ideology is hating like everything.

[The Two Jerseys]

I assume you mean state-wide popular vote, since to win these seats the candidate has to win the most votes in their jurisdiction. If so, using statewide popular vote to argue that Dems should have a majority of seats is hilarious. Statewide popular vote is irrelevant because each seat has its own smaller-than-the-state jurisdiction - that's where the popular vote matters.

Clearly Republicans are winning in more of these districts. Maybe this independent commission will draw a nice map, especially if the state is gerrymandered (I don't know Michigan politics), but what you clearly want is Democrats guaranteed to win, which you'd only get from gerrymandering - the very thing you claim to hate.

Or just abolish districts entirely and go to PR.

Which is something else he hates

But it's important that the people have a local representative to advocate for local issues.

Unless those people live in rural areas, then they all get lumped into one district that's the size of some states while the big city has a new district every two blocks...

[Thermodolia]

Or just abolish districts entirely and go to PR.

Which is something else he hates

But it's important that the people have a local representative to advocate for local issues.

Unless those people live in rural areas, then they all get lumped into one district that's the size of some states while the big city has a new district every two blocks...

That’s why we should have a bicameral system where the lower house is elected by the people with zero districts by PR and the upper house would be based on geographical areas that would be elected by a different method.

Like in my own state you’d have the House be elected by Party List PR in a single statewide district and the senate would be based on each county getting 5 senators all elected by STV, SNTV or PR.

Also the House should be double the senate. So in this case you’d have 75 senators and 150 representatives

[El Lazaro]

Or just abolish districts entirely and go to PR.

Which is something else he hates

But it's important that the people have a local representative to advocate for local issues.

Unless those people live in rural areas, then they all get lumped into one district that's the size of some states while the big city has a new district every two blocks...

That’s how a government of the people, by the people, and for the people is supposed to work. The US is a country, not some anemic international organization, and it’s important that the people direct and consent to their state.

But it's important that the people have a local representative to advocate for local issues.

Unless those people live in rural areas, then they all get lumped into one district that's the size of some states while the big city has a new district every two blocks...

That’s why we should have a bicameral system where the lower house is elected by the people with zero districts by PR and the upper house would be based on geographical areas that would be elected by a different method.

Like in my own state you’d have the House be elected by Party List PR in a single statewide district and the senate would be based on each county getting 5 senators all elected by STV, SNTV or PR.

Also the House should be double the senate. So in this case you’d have 75 senators and 150 representatives

This tbh, except for the seat numbers. Party-list should also be exchanged with a faction based PR system because we lack serious 3rd parties.

[Zurkerx]

More than 6,500 individuals with prior convictions for simple marijuana possession have been pardoned by Biden. He has also instructed Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra and Attorney General Merrick Garland to begin reviewing how marijuana is classified under federal drug laws.

A good first step in the right direction.

[Ifreann]

More than 6,500 individuals with prior convictions for simple marijuana possession have been pardoned by Biden. He has also instructed Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra and Attorney General Merrick Garland to begin reviewing how marijuana is classified under federal drug laws.

A good first step in the right direction.

Rare Biden W, as the youths say.

[American Legionaries]

More than 6,500 individuals with prior convictions for simple marijuana possession have been pardoned by Biden. He has also instructed Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra and Attorney General Merrick Garland to begin reviewing how marijuana is classified under federal drug laws.

A good first step in the right direction.

I suspect that "begin reviewing how marijuana is classified under federal drug laws" is code for "look busy because the voters are watching"

The pardons are a good thing though.

[Thermodolia]

But it's important that the people have a local representative to advocate for local issues.

Unless those people live in rural areas, then they all get lumped into one district that's the size of some states while the big city has a new district every two blocks...

That’s how a government of the people, by the people, and for the people is supposed to work. The US is a country, not some anemic international organization, and it’s important that the people direct and consent to their state.

That’s why we should have a bicameral system where the lower house is elected by the people with zero districts by PR and the upper house would be based on geographical areas that would be elected by a different method.

Like in my own state you’d have the House be elected by Party List PR in a single statewide district and the senate would be based on each county getting 5 senators all elected by STV, SNTV or PR.

Also the House should be double the senate. So in this case you’d have 75 senators and 150 representatives

This tbh, except for the seat numbers. Party-list should also be exchanged with a faction based PR system because we lack serious 3rd parties.

The seat numbers where just an example, and it was for my state of AZ anyway. And I don’t like the idea of faction based PR because that’s just not good. Sure right now we might not have viable options but there are parties that people vote for and parties that would get elected.

[Nora Xent]

[Joke I saw on twitter]
'Kinda fucked up that he would just erase Kamala's life work like that.'