7 votes

Weekly US politics news and updates thread - week of August 30

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Tags: usa, politics, recurring.weekly

This thread is posted weekly - please try to post all relevant US political content in here, such as news, updates, opinion articles, etc. Extremely significant events may warrant a separate topic, but almost all should be posted in here.

This is an inherently political thread; please try to avoid antagonistic arguments and bickering matches. Comment threads that devolve into unproductive arguments may be removed so that the overall topic is able to continue.

11 comments

  1. [2]
    kfwyre
    Link
    One in five Republicans say they think Donald Trump will be reinstated as president this year

    One in five Republicans say they think Donald Trump will be reinstated as president this year

    In the latest Economist/YouGov poll, a sizable percentage of the public – and nearly three in four Republicans (77%) – say they do not accept his election and believe he was not legitimately elected president. The size of GOP doubt about President Biden’s election has not changed appreciably since his inauguration. Overall, more than a third of the public (38%) today are election doubters.

    For some who reject the election outcome, there is even an expectation that the results will be altered. One in six overall (15%) and one in four Republicans (23%) now believe it is likely that former President Donald Trump will be reinstated in the White House by the end of the year. One in five Trump supporters (19%) believe the same.

    11 votes
    1. teaearlgraycold
      Link Parent
      I wish I could find these people and get them to bet on it. Really these polls aren’t useful when talk is cheap.

      I wish I could find these people and get them to bet on it. Really these polls aren’t useful when talk is cheap.

      3 votes
  2. [2]
    kfwyre
    Link
    United States Education Department probing 5 states over mask mandate bans

    United States Education Department probing 5 states over mask mandate bans

    In letters to education chiefs in Iowa, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Utah, the department's Office for Civil Rights said the bans could discriminate against students with disabilities or underlying medical conditions.

    • The letter marks an escalation in the Biden administration's standoff with Republican states that say wearing masks should be a personal decision and that parents should choose for their children.
    9 votes
    1. nukeman
      Link Parent
      Whoop, embarrassing for my home state.

      Whoop, embarrassing for my home state.

      2 votes
  3. [4]
    AugustusFerdinand
    Link
    The Atlantic: Biden deserves credit, not blame, for Afghanistan

    The Atlantic: Biden deserves credit, not blame, for Afghanistan

    5 votes
    1. [2]
      skybrian
      Link Parent
      I found the linked Washington Post article interesting: The numbers behind the Kabul airlift. While it’s an enormous effort, the fact that civilian evacuations didn’t really start until mid-August...

      I found the linked Washington Post article interesting: The numbers behind the Kabul airlift.

      While it’s an enormous effort, the fact that civilian evacuations didn’t really start until mid-August kind of undercuts the argument that they did a good job.

      4 votes
      1. [2]
        Comment deleted by author
        Link Parent
        1. skybrian
          (edited )
          Link Parent
          I know little about Afghanistan, but I have read more than once that historically, soldiers in Afghanistan very commonly switch sides rather than fighting. There is apparently a saying, “you can...

          I know little about Afghanistan, but I have read more than once that historically, soldiers in Afghanistan very commonly switch sides rather than fighting. There is apparently a saying, “you can never buy an Afghan, only rent him.”

          So, shifting allegiances seem common. I believe many people involved were in some way aware of this and know a lot more about it than us, enough that an immediate collapse was foreseeable as a possibility by many.

          But I’m wondering if, institutionally, the US government would allow itself to admit this and take appropriate precautions. It’s sort of like how many people knew and planned for a possible pandemic, so in some sense we knew it was coming, but not really?

          So it wouldn’t surprise me if there were people in the US government who knew this would happen but weren’t able to do anything about it.

          This is speculative though. I don’t know how it really happened. But maybe we will read stories about it soon.

          2 votes
    2. HotPants
      Link Parent
      I kind of like the fact that when a democratic president is in power, we can all sort of agree when his administration has been incompetent.

      I kind of like the fact that when a democratic president is in power, we can all sort of agree when his administration has been incompetent.

  5. [2]
    Kuromantis
    Link
    House panel backs requiring women to register for the draft (if the US govt decides to use the draft again, as of right now it's apparently a contingency plan and has been so since 1973.)...

    House panel backs requiring women to register for the draft (if the US govt decides to use the draft again, as of right now it's apparently a contingency plan and has been so since 1973.)

    During late night deliberations on the committee's annual defense policy bill, lawmakers voted 35-24 to adopt an amendment from Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-Pa.) to expand registration for the Selective Service System beyond men.

    The move caps off a contentious debate and could stir up conservative opposition to the National Defense Authorization Act, which authorizes defense spending and lays out military policy.

    Several Republicans broke ranks to help Democrats to adopt the amendment.

    If the provision remains in the defense bill and passes on the House floor, the change has a high chance of becoming law. The Senate Armed Services Committee adopted a similar provision in its defense bill, which awaits a floor vote.

    "We don't need to draft women in order for women to have equality in this nation," said Rep. Vicky Hartzler (R-Mo.). "Women are of worth and of value right now and we are equal with men without having to pass a new law that would require 50 percent of this country — our daughters and our sisters and our wives — to have to be drafted."

    (Republicans claiming to support women is a new one, lol.)

    My personal opinion in this is basically that a gender-neutral draft is better than a male only draft, but worse than keeping the volunteer only force the US army is, and I do think that this can be a "more female drone pilots" situation.

    1 vote
    1. teaearlgraycold
      Link Parent
      I’d prefer a new bill permanently banning drafts. It’s the best way to keep things gender neutral.

      I’d prefer a new bill permanently banning drafts. It’s the best way to keep things gender neutral.

      2 votes