US Politics

I often hear hat there was a major shit to the right, by the GOP under Newt Gingrich. What the feck did he do? He seems like a nobody now.
 
Adisa said:
I often hear hat there was a major shit to the right, by the GOP under Newt Gingrich. What the feck did he do? He seems like a nobody now.
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He was the Speaker of the House for a few years.

I think that the shift to the right started under Reagan, continued under Gingrich and the Tea Party and then Trump was just a natural extension to it. However, Reagan nowadays would look one of the most moderate Republicans, heck, he was more moderate than the so called moderates like McCain, Romney and co.
 
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Anyone who references Venezuela as a rebuttal to democratic socialism already proves they don’t know what they’re talking about.
 
Adisa said:
I often hear hat there was a major shit to the right, by the GOP under Newt Gingrich. What the feck did he do? He seems like a nobody now.
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It wasn't so much Newt in 1994 but the way the Republican strategy changed behind the scenes due to Frank Luntz. Since 1992 the Democrats have been obsessed with polling, more polling and only polling. Where Luntz innovated political messaging was by evolving the focus group into both a research tool into which cognitive frames appeal to the general public the most and then using linguistics techniques to craft the most effective message.

This is from a 1994 article by Frank Luntz
Frank Luntz c.21994 said:
In today’s post-partisan politics, there are too many shades of gray, too many "yes, but what I really think is ..." attitudes, too many voter priorities that cannot be prioritized. With the rise of talk radio and 24-hour television news channels, not to mention C-Span and public access cable, there is a rapidly increasing number of semi-informed voters out there with only half-formed political views. The elements that make up public opinion have changed; so must its measurement.

The key to understanding why qualitative research in general, and focus groups in particular, are so important in the realm of today’s politics, can be summarized in a single sentence: Unlike traditional quantitative research, focus groups are centrally concerned with understanding attitudes rather than measuring them.

In an academic sense, the goal of a focus group is to gain access to private, non-communicable, unconscious feelings and emotions. In a real sense, focus group research is a direct, sensitive, and interactive method of assessing public opinion, accomplishing what telephone studies cannot. It approaches attitudes and priorities tangentially by allowing respondents to talk freely and to choose descriptive categories significant to them (rather than to the pollster, or even to the client).

  • But scientifically derived quantitative data can also misinform and mislead. In the mid-1980s, a significant number of working class white Democrats were abandoning their party in favor of the Republican Party of Ronald Reagan. However, telephone polls at that time suggested a growing tolerance by these white voters toward the increasing political power of blacks. In fact, the exact opposite was the case. It took a series of focus groups, by Democratic pollster Stan Greenberg in suburban Detroit, to bring those telephone study errors to light.
Focus groups are best used to explain "why" the public feels the way it does. A properly constructed and administered focus group will draw out the "motivational factors" behind the "top of mind" opinions -- which is critical to understanding what is driving public opinion.
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Through the 1990s when Republicans made huge gains in Congress and in the early 2000s when Bush won and they maintained their hold, Luntz would produce messaging training manuals that went far beyond any comprehensive messaging the Democrat establishment (ie Clinton's people) were doing.

Here are just two examples from his 1996 manual on message:

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oneniltothearsenal said:
It wasn't so much Newt in 1994 but the way the Republican strategy changed behind the scenes due to Frank Luntz. Since 1992 the Democrats have been obsessed with polling, more polling and only polling. Where Luntz innovated political messaging was by evolving the focus group into both a research tool into which cognitive frames appeal to the general public the most and then using linguistics techniques to craft the most effective message.

This is from a 1994 article by Frank Luntz


Through the 1990s when Republicans made huge gains in Congress and in the early 2000s when Bush won and they maintained their hold, Luntz would produce messaging training manuals that went far beyond any comprehensive messaging the Democrat establishment (ie Clinton's people) were doing.

Here are just two examples from his 1996 manual on message:

z7oDaGE.jpg


dxcPEtp.jpg
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That's very interesting. Thanks.
 
Story is a bit old, but:
Exxon Mobil CEO: No fracking near my backyard
Chris Woodyard, USA TODAYPublished 1:05 p.m. ET Feb. 22, 2014 | Updated 3:46 p.m. ET Feb. 22, 2014
He joins suit to stop construction of a water tower near his home to be used for fracking.
While fracking -- hydraulic fracturing of rock to release pockets of oil -- has raised complaints from environmentalists around the country, Chairman and CEO Rex Tillerson's opposition to a project in his own neighborhood is interesting, given how deeply Exxon Mobil is involved in the process.

Tillerson appeared at a Town Council meeting in Bartonville, Tex., the wealthy enclave near his Dallas home last November to join in the protest over the water tower, The Wall Street Journal reports.
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Steve King: Bring Pride back to Austria



The violent death rate in Honduras is 94.7 per 100.000. Compare that to the violent death rate of Japan at 0.27 per 100,000. And, nine of the ten most violent countries in the world are south of the US border. 16 of the 20 most violent countries are also south of the US border. The remaining four are all small countries in Africa. So, what is happening is, we are getting illegal, and to an extent legal, immigrants coming into America. These are young men, pretty much the same demographics as those who came to Austria in 2015 and as those who still are coming to Austria. If you look at the boats full of them, if you look at the jail cells the border patrol gathers together: these guys are all military age. You can put them all into the military. They are invading our country, they are just not wearing uniforms.
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I believe in freedom. And I believe we all carry within us God given liberty. Liberty is suppressed by tyrants and Leftists. In 1977, they wanted to create a counter-balance to the United States and so they created a foundation for the “United States of Europe“ in the form of the EU.
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When thinking about this migration issue, I must tell you something. Years ago a book, “The Camp of the Saints“ came into my hands. Why does the left denigrate this book? Why do they say it's a radical, racist book? I read the book, so it was all completely logical to me that this could come to pass. And that this narrative should be imprinted into everybody‘s brain: when you are importing people, even importing one single person, you are importing their culture. If you don't import one, ten, or a hundred, but a million: then they will subsume the native culture.
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So how is it, that the liberals, the leftists, on the one side, could build an alliance with the misogynistic hard core rightist Islamic people that have no tolerance for anything? These are the alliances that are squeezing Western civilization. from either side, the right and the left. How can the women's movement embrace a misogynist religion? That's indeed stunning. It means to me, they hate Western civilization more than anything.
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I say instead: a shining city built on the pillars of the exceptionalism of Western civilization. And Western Civilization in the analytical view is a superior civilization. There is no civilization that has even come close to creating the medicine, the science, this standard of living, this Rule of Law. This is how I describe the shining city. It is built upon the perimeter pillars; freedom of speech, which you need a lot more of in Europe, freedom of the press, freedom of religion. Above all is Judeo-Christian values, that we have a God-given morality that comes down from above within each of us. If we don't defend Western Civilization, then we will become subjugated by the people who are the enemies of faith, the enemies of justice.
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unzensuriert: Thank you very much for the interview, Mr. King. Your vision is really a metapolitical one: a project to restore Western Civilization for the world.
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https://www.unzensuriert.at/content/0027654-Steve-King-Bring-Pride-back-Austria

edit - he is assured of re-election.
 
Sigma said:
I've always liked Chris Cuomo, does really well here:

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Did you see this one?
Bernie literally couldn't believe his ears (this happens at the starting minute, the rest is routine)
 
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Sigma said:
I've always liked Chris Cuomo, does really well here:

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Had the stuttering idiots malfunctioning when they had to venture slightly off script.

That was a pleasure to watch, particularly when he destroyed their argument with the statistic about people overstaying with visas, and immediately shut her down when she moved on to the wall being about fighting the drug problem.
 
Drifter said:
Medicare For All?! Politicon 2018 Panel
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Good discussion. Ana and the guy seated on the far right made the best points. There's another very good panel with Kulinski, Bakari Sellers, Ana, and a few others about how much socialism to integrate into the US system.
 


Trailer for next season looks really good.
 
So I just want to share a few insights from the informal groups of working class I listened to over the last two weeks. This wasn't a formal focus group but most I'd guess were in the moderate, independent, centrist-libertarian camps. I didn't participate, I just listened at lunch. The two selections were 80-85% male and skewed towards minorities but include white, black, Latino, Arab, Persian, Korean and Chinese Americans. The main insight confirmed my belief that identity politics is a big loser for the Democrats.

Big talking point over both groups. No one likes it in these groups. Not the females and not the minorities. Several claimed to have gay/lesbian relatives that didn't even like identity politics. One example that got brought up multiple times was local - Cal State Long Beach removing their old mascot Prospector Pete. In general everyone believed this was unnecessary and yet another example of the 'left going too far'. I wasn't even aware that "prospectors" or "49ers" were now considered racist symbols.

Immigration was a mixed bag of both Dem and Rep policies. Most people supported stronger checks on illegal immigration, believed in stronger policies at the border but also opposed Trump's separation policy and generally supported a path to citizenship for those brought to the US as minors. Other examples were that the US is already easier to immigrate to than places like Japan or the UK or Australia. Whether that is true, I am not sure but the perception is definitely that its easier for a UK/Japanese person to immigrate to the US than a US person to immigrate to the UK/Japan.

Trump's protectionism wasn't talked about much but I was disappointed the talk wasn't more negative. Trump is generally perceived as good for most businesses with some exceptions. In short, Trump is seen as an asshole but who cares if he is good for business.

Civility wasn't a thing. No one cared that Trump calls people names or is mean. No one cares that Democrat activists are accosting Mitch McConnel in restaurants. Let them voice their opinions. No one mention anything like that online Hannity meme "mobs not jobs" or whatever.

All US governments are too easy on Saudi Arabia. Because oil and money. Both Dem and Rep are weak to standing up to Saudi Arabia.

Health care wasn't discussed. More a private topic I think.
 
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