All-purpose news and politics thread

[Iangould]

And there's the catch of democracy. People will vote for parties if they make people wealthy, and equally they'll vote for parties who'll tell them they will make things better, but I'm finding some of the venom being thrown at ordinary Greeks to be amazingly distasteful and downright nasty. This idea that people should vote for what economists want is downright scary as well.

What venom have I thrown at ordinary Greeks?

Other than those who voted for the Nazis or the Stalinists obviously.

I have in point of fact gone out of my way to point out that the popular narrative in much of northern Europe about Greek laziness and fecklessness is simply wrong.

Speaking as an economist, people absolutely should rely on the advice of the overwhelming majority of economists regarding economic issues.

Just as they should be guided by the overwhelming majority of climate scientists regarding climate change.

Economics is regularly abused by right wingers to justify their policies. That isn't what's happening here.

What's happening is that people like me who have al ong-standing affinity with the political left and who have studied these issues at great length are screaming franticly that what the Left Coalition is proposing will make matters far, far worse not just for the Greeks but for people all over the world.

[dupont2005]

The last gallop showed it 50-50

Most recent I can find is less than a year old
http://www.gallup.com/poll/147662/Fi...-Marriage.aspx

[dupont2005]

It's the religion that matters, not the race.

Agreed.
Another anecdotal tidbit, but a lot of my friends got involved in church later in life. Their parents may have been traditional Catholic, but the kids wouldn't attend church or anything. So in their 20's and 30's they find church through 12 steps or community outreach or something. I know these churches are not traditional in any way, one of them has my friend being a pastor even though he pretty much didn't even start reading the bible until a couple years ago, and he's not a great reader so I doubt he's read much of it. Anyway, we were Facebook friends but I noticed he and all his friends were big time Republicans. Latino churchgoing non Catholic Republicans. He ended up getting mad at me when I told him I didn't believe in god and we don't talk anymore. Anyway, I think to assume just because someone is black or Latino that they are by default a Democrat is wrong. The demographics may show that most are, but I think it's just as likely that most who would vote GOP over gay marriage are already voting GOP.

[Iangould]

It could have been he was forced to respond after Biden came out in support of gay marriage. At that point Obama would have had to say he's for it or against it.

Or it could have been that Biden's comments were a trial balloon.

[dupont2005]

Or it could have been that Biden's comments were a trial balloon.

That could be as well

[Jabare]

Looks like there is a new Supervillain in Seatle. Pheonix Jones better watch out

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ivkzosgyx-U

[Jabare]

Scared man calls cops on lady wanting way too much sex

http://now.msn.com/living/0413-woman-demands-sex.aspx

[Jabare]

Auto Bailout Romneys Idea?

http://politicalwire.com/archives/20...neys_idea.html


Just for the record it wasn't

[7thangel]

I could swear we've been over this before, but I'll say it again because it's important.

The black and latino communities are not anti-gay anything. The conservative religious (particularly christian) communities are. Conservative religious communities are more prominent in the black and Latino communities, so the effect is more pronounced, but when you dig into a by-religion analysis (as some did in California after the Prop 8 vote in 2008), it's religiosity that matters, not race. Pro-gay/anti-gay vote proportions from conservative religious blacks and conservative religious Latinos are comparable to that of conservative religious whites. Pro-gay/anti-gay vote proportions from liberal religious blacks and liberal religious Latinos are comparable to that of liberal religious whites. Pro-gay/anti-gay vote proportions from atheist or agnostic blacks and atheist or agnostic Latinos are comparable to that of atheist or agnostic whites.

It's the religion that matters, not the race.

one of those studies http://www.thetaskforce.org/press/releases/pr_1_06_09

[Vibranium]

Looks like there is a new Supervillain in Seatle. Pheonix Jones better watch out

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ivkzosgyx-U

thats more like it

[Jabare]

Florida teacher has sex with 16 year old at school

http://www.inquisitr.com/232461/teac...LaL0DsELOaF.99

[7thangel]

Auto Bailout Romneys Idea?

http://politicalwire.com/archives/20...neys_idea.html


Just for the record it wasn't

this should be in the 2012 vote thread in the special extremely long section of Romney Lies Of The Day. watching Romney say he deserves the credit is so ridiculous and surreal.

[Spike-X]

I wonder how long it will be before Romney tries to take credit for Obama's stance on marriage equality?

[Iangould]

It's two days after the Syrian parliamentary electons.

Normally by now, that gvernment would have announced victory with 90% of the vote but there's been no results reported.

It's almost as if they're actually counting the votes.

[USArmyParatrooper]

I'll just say I called it from the beginning that Obama's initial campaign release after Biden's statements was not a "walk back." I was seriously bewildered how anyone could interpret it that way, and even NPR was echoing that interpretation.