The market for polls and poll analysis seems over-saturated at this point, but maybe there are other statistical analyses that could be done–like looking at how the media covers candidates or how candidates spend their time, something like that. Still easily-digestible Twitter bait, but a little more unique.
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That’s definitely who I was thinking of.
Will Republicans Turn on Trump?
I read an article (somewhere) or maybe heard this on radio or television, but it’s something to the effect that Vice President Pence has invited lobbyists close to the Koch brothers to have dinner with him and his wife in the Vice President’s residence. Pence, in a move that is regarded as a bit unusual for a “loyal” Vice President, has also established his own fundraising PAC. (He’s also hired a lawyer solely to represent his interests.) These are the kinds of moves - especially setting up the PAC - usually undertaken by a politician with ambitions for higher office.
The speculation seems to center around the Koch brothers and other “economic conservatives” fearing that a precious once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, (i.e. Republicans having control of all three wings of the legislative branch of Government), is being squandered. The opportunity to achieve tax reform and other items high up on the Republican agenda is slipping away due to Trump’s never ending obsession with Russia and Robert Mueller. According to this theory, the Kochs - and other (so called) “establishment” type Republicans - either have reached (or are in the process of reaching) the conclusion that nothing good is going to get accomplished as long as Trump is in the White House. So the Koch brothers are starting to think in terms of: “How do we ease Trump out -and move Pence in - before it’s too late and the Democrats regain power?”
For Trump to go before his term of office expires - or before the 2018 mid-term elections - is going to require two things. First, special counsel Robert Mueller delivering a “smoking gun” report to Congress that simply can’t be ignored or pushed aside. (Current estimates are that Mueller’s investigation will take [at least] a year.) Second, Trump is not only impeached (in the House) but also convicted in the Senate. To be convicted and removed from office will require the votes of 67 senators - a substantial number of which will have to be Republican senators. (I figure it will take somewhere in the neighborhood of 17-20 Republican senators voting to convict.) Even if Trump gets impeached, I’m not sure there are enough Republican senators who would vote to convict, especially senators from deep red states that voted heavily for Trump - like my state of Alabama. This is a bit hyperbolic, but in states where Trump is popular I sense that his “supporters” would continue to support him - and demand that their senators support him - even if Mueller produces compelling evidence that Trump is a crook. (Trump himself thinks he is untouchable as evidenced by his comment about shooting somebody in the middle of Fifth Avenue and getting away with it.)
The quickest way I see for Trump getting booted out of office is a GOP disaster in the mid-term elections. If Republicans lose both the House and the Senate to Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi, that will be the final straw for Donald Trump. Since Republicans and Democrats are roughly balanced, I suppose it will be decided by which way independent voters go. (I’m no political clairvoyant, but I sense that a majority of independents may be leaning more toward the Democrats than the GOP - mostly due to all the chaos and paralysis being caused by Trump.)
Even took shats at Brits
Certain Things That Are “Wrong” With Britain and the British People
A few observations from across the pond …
I suppose some of you might surmise that I’m going to point out the absurdity of your politics and politicians, but that is not the case. Actually, I find the way politics works in the UK - vis-à-vis the United States - very entertaining. I would love to see weekly “President’s Question Time” here in the U.S. where Donald Trump has his pants scorched by Democrats. (Now that would be fun!) No, it’s not your politics that is screwed up - it’s a bunch of other things. Although there are many things that are wrong with the UK, I’ll point out the three most obvious.
1.) Cars. The British auto industry is discombobulated. The driver’s seat is on the wrong side of the car! (No wonder Winston Churchill was nearly killed in a freak car accident when he visited New York in the early 1930’s. Because you put the steering wheel on the wrong side of the car, Sir Winston was looking the wrong way when he stepped out into the street and was run over.) If British cars were designed correctly with the steering wheel on the left side rather than on the right side - as it is here in the United States - Britain would have greater peace and harmony, less strife and discord, lower taxes, and a higher per capita GDP. So the first thing Britain needs to do is fix your cars!
(2.) Bridge (the card game). Just ask Warren Buffett and Bill Gates: In the game of bridge, the “correct” bidding system is the one 90 percent of American bridge players use: Standard American (i.e. “Goren”) with five card majors. Why in the world Brits use a crazy bidding system called “Acol” - named after a street or some landmark over in the UK - is beyond me. (This is another indication that British folks have lost their way …)
(3.) Shakespeare. The saving grace of Britain is this “gift” you have given the rest of the world: the Bard - William Shakespeare. When it comes to the greatest writers of the English language, all others pale in comparison to the Swan-of-Avon. But even here, you Brits have managed to get it all wrong. The “true” Shakespeare is not the William Shakespeare of Stratford-on-Avon - a twerp who could barely write his own signature! The “real” Shakespeare was Edward de Vere, the 17th Earl of Oxford! This is so patently obvious that it doesn’t need to be debated!
If you Brits work on correcting these major problems, all of your other minor problems - like forming a stable Government - will magically auto correct. Heck, just like here in the U.S., you may even produce a leader who promises to “Make Britain Great Again!”
I hope these suggestions have been helpful …
I think that’s a great idea. Good point that merely doing statistical analysis is no longer a draw. There’s too many people doing that.
But there are all sorts of innovative ways to group and present the data that no one else is doing or doing well. And lots of fun questions to ask that are interesting but not worthy of academia or 538.
I have ho idea how this would work or how much of a cut former DJ would get. I guess he’s free to start a regular blog here if he wants.
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Right now my biggest issue that needs solving is this one:
It’s an open source plugin so anybody can make the requested change and submit a PR. I don’t think it’s a difficult change and I could probably do it myself if I got really motivated. The Discourse team doesn’t seem to consider advertising issues very urgent.
Do people who engage in political discussion have a very common interest?
If so, making that an alternate highlight could help.
Poker?
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I can maybe speak to the retention issue, or at least give my opinion. I pretty much stopped posting/reading here because of Cuse’s modding standards, which made this place less “lets just talk about what we want” and more of a delusional political organization that I had no desire to support. In addition the mega threads imo, make it a waste of time to read this forum if you’re only checking in once a week or so.
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Post comments on left-wing outlets while burning right-wing toolbags on Twitter. Pin URL here, boom problem solved.
Might pay to have somebody tweet some original content of some kind. Well pay in increasing membership, not financially.
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This is why I wish we could get nunn to come back. Whatever you thought of his ideas, the dude produced content that could be used in just this way.
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Do we just share some of the bestof hot takes?
Link? Which one?
I’d be willing to try a podcast with someone. I’m not as well traveled as chop, but have lived in 5 different countries for longer than a year. I have a couple travel threads on 2p2 that were popular and my best work probably came in the online dating thread sharing my Tinder adventures in different countries.
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Plus you’re funnier than chop!
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We just passed 1500 followers on our Twitter account.
Hope we start to see more traffic from the platform.
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Oh gotcha. Okay I will pass. Glad you found a thread you like.
Amazing work on the Twitter stuff.
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Was anyone here active in POG at the old site? I wonder if we could attract some people over here now that 2p2 is in a death spiral.
JFC, the last thing we need are POGger assholes spreading their AIDS.
yo?
A few POGgers on here. Master, Nich, Eyebooger. Not sure what active POGgers left that we could attract. I tried to get VoraciousReader to post here but haven’t succeeded yet.
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