US politics

[Fog Dude]

8 hours ago, Carbomb said:

I always figured that Trump's relationship with wrestling was like that of BJ's and Rees-Mogg's relationship with Have I Got News For You - it was to put him (and them) in an atmosphere of fun to soften the harsh reality that he and they are abject cunts.

When those two first appeared on an ostensibly satirical show, it was definitely always intended as a springboard for their political ambitions. For as dangerous as Trump is now, when he first turned up on WWF television I don't think he had any intention ever to run for office.

[Sphinx]

I've been wondering what Biden's legacy will be.

I'm not so knowledgeable on what he's done in his run, but I understand he's pushed through clean energy projects and invested in infrastructure. His stance on Israel is a blemish. Will he be remembered mostly for his cognitive decline and potentially a stopgap if Trump gets elected again, or has he made significant changes that will be his legacy?

 

[d-d-d-dAz]

6 minutes ago, Sphinx said:

I've been wondering what Biden's legacy will be.

I'm not so knowledgeable on what he's done in his run, but I understand he's pushed through clean energy projects and invested in infrastructure. His stance on Israel is a blemish. Will he be remembered mostly for his cognitive decline and potentially a stopgap if Trump gets elected again, or has he made significant changes that will be his legacy?

 

His legacy should be the rebuilding of the economy after COVID, but inflation has fucked that.

His legacy really depends on who wins next month; if Harris wins, his legacy will be he saved America from a populist would-be dictator once and then nobly fell on his sword, after a period of broadly competent domestic administration, to save America again.

If Trump wins, he's an old bloke who was never fit for office and by stubbornly holding on for so long erased his only significant achievement, and allowed Trump back into office.

[SuperBacon]

Not every president or prime minister has a legacy. 

[d-d-d-dAz]

1 hour ago, SuperBacon said:

Not every president or prime minister has a legacy. 

As a man who's read far too many books about the history of every President ever and every Prime Minister ever (because I'm such a cool guy), this really challenges my sense of self.

[Dr. Alan Grant]

15 minutes ago, d-d-d-dAz said:

As a man who's read far too many books about the history of every President ever and every Prime Minister ever (because I'm such a cool guy), this really challenges my sense of self.

Those books sound awfully dry.

[d-d-d-dAz]

14 minutes ago, Dr. Alan Grant said:

Those books sound awfully dry.

You'd be amazed how saucy politicians can be.

[Lion_of_the_Midlands]

Daz is right. Lots of biographies of prominent politicians tend to be full of sauce. Turns out that most of them were at it like knives when they weren't politicking. 

[Carbomb]

25 minutes ago, d-d-d-dAz said:

As a man who's read far too many books about the history of every President ever and every Prime Minister ever (because I'm such a cool guy), this really challenges my sense of self.

Back when I was learning trivia (I thought I might give it a bash at the London Quiz league, but I soon found out just how much of a gulf there was to cross), I thought that the best way for me to benefit from learning the list of British prime ministers was to read each and every one of their Wikis, including the really vague ones, like the Duke of Devonshire or the Duke of Portland. There are some easy ones to remember from something significant - Walpole (first PM), Spencer Perceval (only one assassinated), Lord North (lost the American War of Independence), the Duke of Wellington (obvs), Earl Grey (obvs), Robert Peel (the police), George Canning (shortest premiership until Truss), Pitt the Younger (longest in office), Pitt the Elder (Younger's dad), Lord Liverpool (Napoleonic Wars), Robert Cecil ("Bob's your uncle"), Gladstone, Disraeli, Asquith (Helena Bonham-Carter's grandad), Lloyd George (WWI and last Liberal PM), then it's easy to remember the order of the rest of the 20th century ones.

Aside from the odd bit, it's really fucking dull. Couldn't get much further past the Earl of Shelburne. The more interesting bits were finding out about the issues of the day and what the population was worried about, but as individuals and their policies, it was just boring as hell.

[d-d-d-dAz]

1 minute ago, Lion_of_the_Midlands said:

Daz is right. Lots of biographies of prominent politicians tend to be full of sauce. Turns out that most of them were at it like knives when they weren't politicking. 

Without wanting to turn this into a Mills & Boon novel, I do think sex and politics go hand in hand. Or hand on... nevermind.

But the broader point is that I think politics is something that a lot of people - particularly the talented or Borisy ones who end up near the top - enter because what they crave is power. And I think sex, even moreso than money, is something that intertwines with power in the same way. They're either turned on by someone else's power, or they exercise their own over others to get sex.

So whilst we tend to allow our brains to see politicians as the rosette wearing Tim nice but Dims, there is a certain type of Westminster or Washington lifer who is as addicted to a bit of hows-your-father as they are phillibustering or whatever.

[SpiritOfTheForest]

3 hours ago, Carbomb said:

 Robert Cecil ("Bob's your uncle")

Cheers for that, Carbomb! One for the "Today  I Learned" thread. Love wee things like that. 

[Carbomb]

Just now, SpiritOfTheForest said:

Cheers for that, Carbomb! One for the "Today  I Learned" thread. Love wee things like that. 

To contextualise: it's one possible source of it, according to academics - but it's very useful for remembering Robert Cecil and that he was known to be corrupt and nepotistic.