Random Politics Stuff Thread...

[Cujo]

Fake news. What a surprise.

You mean Rawstory.com misreported? That's shocking.

 

[bbgun]

 

[Chocolate Lab]

Wow, he even said to google the words of Hillary and Obama about what should happen to illegals who commit crimes here.

That's exactly what we need more of. Maybe at least some on the left will pull back from the brink of insanity where they've been living.

 

[Sheik]

I haven’t been as optimistic about the future of the United States in my life. I also haven’t been this optimistic about the future of the democrat party moving away from the woke mess it’s become over the last 15 or so years.

I think there’s a real opportunity to heal the divide in this country, and if you would have asked me a month ago I wouldn’t have felt that way.

Populism is going to heal this country in my opinion. I’m seeing way too many formerly hard left Trump hating liberals changing their views, at least willing to see how things work out. The country has tired itself out with identity politics and it’s beginning to relax into a softer more centrist nation that is willing to listen to ideas again.

Cancel culture is facing extinction. Wokeism is being rejected. I think we’re seeing the death of the far left in real time.

This is eventually going to be a good move for the left and they will be rewarded in future elections, but I also feel like we will ultimately see a run of moderates on both sides.

I’m as ardent a Trump supporter as there is on this board, but I never would have considered him the President that would unite the country. No way. He’s too bombastic, too childish, too everything.

Wrong. America first populism, brought to you by a loud New Yorker with potty mouth is bringing people from both sides together. It’s awesome to see.

 

[Sheik]

If any of you have time, look up the conversation Michael Knowles just had with Chris Langan.

Langan is “the smartest man alive today”. Super interesting character and the conversation was mind blowing to a dummy like myself. A lot of it went over my head when he got into the weeds, but a lot of it was eye opening and really shook me. The guy has something like a 205 IQ and lives the simplest of lives.

At one point he describes what he calls “the danger zone” of high IQ people, usually found in academics, like the 125 IQ range. He explains that people with that level of intellect are just brilliant enough to think they have all the answers, but they are limited because they are always the smartest person in the room.

This one blew me away, because I wouldn’t have ever considered it, but he plainly stated that he’s sure Trump has an IQ on the level with any Harvard professor. I had to rewind and listen again.

 

[Chocolate Lab]

I haven’t been as optimistic about the future of the United States in my life. I also haven’t been this optimistic about the future of the democrat party moving away from the woke mess it’s become over the last 15 or so years.

Same here, man. I never expected Trump to win so big. I still can't believe it was enough for them to call it for him on election night.

As things turned out, this is even better than him winning in 2020. The country saw what the modern Dem party really is. Trump had time to build a bigger base of people who will support him in the new administration. They saw the unfair and un-American lawfare against him. And I think people finally got Trump-hate fatigue after hearing the media call him Orange Hitler for almost a decade.

Young people are more conservative than they've been in probably 40 years. I think good things are going to happen.

And FWIW, not just in this country, but around the world when you see what's happening in places like Argentina.

 

[Sheik]

Same here, man. I never expected Trump to win so big. I still can't believe it was enough for them to call it for him on election night.

As things turned out, this is even better than him winning in 2020. The country saw what the modern Dem party really is. Trump had time to build a bigger base of people who will support him in the new administration. They saw the unfair and un-American lawfare against him. And I think people finally got Trump-hate fatigue after hearing the media call him Orange Hitler for almost a decade.

Young people are more conservative than they've been in probably 40 years. I think good things are going to happen.

And FWIW, not just in this country, but around the world when you see what's happening in places like Argentina.

100%. Well stated.

 

[Genghis Khan]

The one thing I'd push back on is the future of the Democrat party. I think the rot is so entrenched I'm not sure if they can reel it in.

And, if the corruption that seems so endemic gets widespread public exposure, it's hard to see them recover for a while, if ever.

Between that and the way that Trump has transformed the Republican party centered not on conservatism but rather on common sense (which incorporates traditional conservatism with some liberalism sprinkled in), it wouldn't shock me if the Democrats morphed into something else that isn't focused on the left / right paradigm.

 

[Genghis Khan]

Pretty much this.

 

[Genghis Khan]

And this.

 

[Chocolate Lab]

If any of you have time, look up the conversation Michael Knowles just had with Chris Langan.

Langan is “the smartest man alive today”. Super interesting character and the conversation was mind blowing to a dummy like myself. A lot of it went over my head when he got into the weeds, but a lot of it was eye opening and really shook me. The guy has something like a 205 IQ and lives the simplest of lives.

At one point he describes what he calls “the danger zone” of high IQ people, usually found in academics, like the 125 IQ range. He explains that people with that level of intellect are just brilliant enough to think they have all the answers, but they are limited because they are always the smartest person in the room.

This one blew me away, because I wouldn’t have ever considered it, but he plainly stated that he’s sure Trump has an IQ on the level with any Harvard professor. I had to rewind and listen again.

Watching this now. Will have to finish it tomorrow, but good stuff.

I do wish Knowles would STFU because we want to hear this fascinating dude talk, not him who we can hear anytime.

 

[Chocolate Lab]

Finished it. Great interview. Glad you posted it, @Sheik.

Pretty amazing that the guy with the highest IQ also happens to be very interesting, likable, and relatable.

For those wondering:

 

[Genghis Khan]

I don't know how to post a whole Twitter thread but the whole thing is worth reading.

The basics: There are somewhere around 300,000 federal laws on the books. The exact number is unknown. Many were passed by unelected regulators and beaurocrats NOT Congress.

That's worth repeating.

Many federal laws were made by UNELECTED beaurocrats. We didn't vote for these people and we can't vote them out.

 

[Cotton]

I don't know how to post a whole Twitter thread but the whole thing is worth reading.

The basics: There are somewhere around 300,000 federal laws on the books. The exact number is unknown. Many were passed by unelected regulators and beaurocrats NOT Congress.

That's worth repeating.

Many federal laws were made by UNELECTED beaurocrats. We didn't vote for these people and we can't vote them out.

1. A few years ago I wanted to find out how many federal criminal laws were on the books



2. I asked the Congressional Research Service—whose job it is to answer such questions—to find out



3. The answer shocked me: “the number is unknown and unknowable, but at least 300,000”



4. A large percentage of those were put in place not by Congress, but by unelected bureaucrats



5. The Constitution—through Article I, Sections 1 and 7—makes clear that you cannot make a federal law without both chambers of Congress passing the same bill text and then presenting it to the president for signature, veto, or acquiescence



6. And yet for many decades, Congress has delegated that exclusive and sacred responsibility to unelected bureaucrats who cannot be held accountable to … basically anyone



7. Congress does this to avoid work and to avoid accountability yo voters, who are often (and understandably) angry when a new law takes effect and causes problems



8. So rather than do the job assigned to them by the Constitution, members of Congress—from both chambers and both political parties, over the course of many decades—have delegated that power to federal agencies

9. When people are harmed by those laws, members of Congress who voted to delegate that power direct the blame not to themselves, but to the agencies to which they delegated a non-deletable duty

10. Lawmakers are elected to make law—not other lawmakers

11. Find out where your senators and representatives stand on the REINS Act, which would force Congress to approve most federal regulations—adopted by federal agencies—before they can take effect. Ask them not only to support it, but to work actively to insist on its passage

12. We can fix this problem, but it’ll take Congress working just as hard to pass reforms like the REINS Act as Congress has worked in the past to pass the buck

13. Tell Congress: “make law, not lawmakers”

14. Tell Congress: no more delegated lawmaking!

15. Please share and follow if you’d like to read more posts like this one

 

[Genghis Khan]

1. A few years ago I wanted to find out how many federal criminal laws were on the books



2. I asked the Congressional Research Service—whose job it is to answer such questions—to find out



3. The answer shocked me: “the number is unknown and unknowable, but at least 300,000”



4. A large percentage of those were put in place not by Congress, but by unelected bureaucrats



5. The Constitution—through Article I, Sections 1 and 7—makes clear that you cannot make a federal law without both chambers of Congress passing the same bill text and then presenting it to the president for signature, veto, or acquiescence



6. And yet for many decades, Congress has delegated that exclusive and sacred responsibility to unelected bureaucrats who cannot be held accountable to … basically anyone



7. Congress does this to avoid work and to avoid accountability yo voters, who are often (and understandably) angry when a new law takes effect and causes problems



8. So rather than do the job assigned to them by the Constitution, members of Congress—from both chambers and both political parties, over the course of many decades—have delegated that power to federal agencies

9. When people are harmed by those laws, members of Congress who voted to delegate that power direct the blame not to themselves, but to the agencies to which they delegated a non-deletable duty

10. Lawmakers are elected to make law—not other lawmakers

11. Find out where your senators and representatives stand on the REINS Act, which would force Congress to approve most federal regulations—adopted by federal agencies—before they can take effect. Ask them not only to support it, but to work actively to insist on its passage

12. We can fix this problem, but it’ll take Congress working just as hard to pass reforms like the REINS Act as Congress has worked in the past to pass the buck

13. Tell Congress: “make law, not lawmakers”

14. Tell Congress: no more delegated lawmaking!

15. Please share and follow if you’d like to read more posts like this one

Props!

 

[Cotton]

Finished it. Great interview. Glad you posted it, @Sheik.

Pretty amazing that the guy with the highest IQ also happens to be very interesting, likable, and relatable.

For those wondering:

Holy shit, this mofo is smart. Over my head at times. And I'm only 30 minutes in.

 

[Irving Cowboy]

Holy shit, this mofo is smart. Over my head at times.

I’d say the same thing, but in my case that’s a pretty low bar.

 

[Cotton]

Matter of fact, I am a little dizzy trying to keep up with this guy.

 

[Cotton]

 

[Genghis Khan]

Justice Alito with a big fat windmill slam dunk.