https://www.reddit.com/r/PoliticalDiscussion/comments/11u9kf0/casual_questions_thread/
created by The_Egalitarian on 18/03/2023 at 00:43 UTC
59 upvotes, 151 top-level comments (showing 25)
This is a place for the PoliticalDiscussion community to ask questions that may not deserve their own post.
Please observe the following rules:
1. **Must be a question asked in good faith.** Do not ask loaded[1] or rhetorical questions[2].
1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loaded_question
2: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhetorical_question
2. **Must be directly related to politics.**
Non-politics content includes: Legal interpretation, sociology, philosophy, celebrities, news, surveys, etc.
3. **Avoid highly speculative questions.** All scenarios should within the realm of reasonable possibility.
Sort by new and please keep it clean in here!
Comment by AutoModerator at 18/03/2023 at 00:43 UTC
1 upvotes, 0 direct replies
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Comment by DepressedGay2020 at 30/03/2023 at 12:15 UTC
9 upvotes, 5 direct replies
Why do people only bring up voting independent or wanting a third party for presidential elections?
What do they think they’d be able to implement without the support of a majority party?
How would they even get elected in the first place without the funds, money or ability to promote themselves?
Comment by Apart_Shock at 09/05/2023 at 06:44 UTC
7 upvotes, 3 direct replies
Why the hell has the reputation of George W. Bush improved over the past few years? Is it because of Trump? Or are there more factors playing a role?
Comment by 7654910 at 07/06/2023 at 16:11 UTC
8 upvotes, 4 direct replies
Us election- Trump
I am living in Europe. Asking myself, how is it even possible that people in America consider voting for trump, who is guilty for sexual abuse. I mean, of course many politicians have dark secrets, but this? Its just unhuman. And besides the fact, that he just attacked your democracy, which is really dangerous. How is it possible american people even consider to vote for him?
Comment by EddyZacianLand at 29/03/2023 at 19:32 UTC
5 upvotes, 5 direct replies
Could Biden have won in 2016 if he had decided to run?
Comment by bl1y at 08/04/2023 at 01:01 UTC
6 upvotes, 3 direct replies
Why has the US gone more than a century without a President with facial hair?
Taft (1909-1913) was the last President to regularly wear facial hair.
9 of the first 27 Presidents had a mustache or beard.
0 of the next 19 have. (Truman did, but only briefly.)
I don't think this can be merely chalked up to "they're not in fashion," given that it's been 110 years and facial hair has been in style plenty during that time.
Of the 22 men who ran in the 2020 Democratic Primaries, only Mike Gravel had facial hair. Of the 15 men in the 2016 Republican Primaries, only Ben Carson. (Cruz has since grown a beard, and I think it's a big improvement.)
Comment by iltpp at 14/05/2023 at 16:41 UTC
6 upvotes, 2 direct replies
It seems most experts agree that allowing the US to default by not raising the debt limit will gravely harm the majority of business interests in the US and world-wide, which would include lots of major Republican donors.
When the 2018 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act was up for consideration by Congress, major donors pulled out all the stops to convince Republican congressmen to pass it. "My donors are basically saying, 'Get it done or don’t ever call me again,'" said Rep. Chris Collins, a New York Republican. Sen. Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican, was even more blunt. If Republicans don’t pass the bill, he said, “financial contributions will stop.”
Why haven't these major donors made more of an effort to rein in Republican congressmen on the debt limit brinkmanship?
Comment by mgr86 at 25/04/2023 at 03:02 UTC
5 upvotes, 1 direct replies
What Happens to the Jan 6th footage now that Tucker is no longer on fox?
Comment by [deleted] at 26/07/2023 at 18:08 UTC
5 upvotes, 2 direct replies
Given Hunter Biden and Donald Trump’s respective federal prosecutions, why are Republicans crying “witch hunt” over Trump’s prosecution whereas Democrats aren’t doing so over Hunter’s? Is it because Republicans are more anti-institutionalist than Democrats are on average?
Comment by SuperWIKI1 at 23/08/2023 at 03:32 UTC*
6 upvotes, 2 direct replies
Senator Tuberville's hold on military nominees has shifted to the angle of "we have too many generals and admirals" and "not caring if they get promoted".
Tuberville's X/Twitter account recently began embedding posts from the American Accountability Foundation, a group opposing President Biden. Said posts are documenting times when military nominees speak positively about DEI or anything involving inclusivity, which are used to denigrate them and explain why they shouldn't be promoted (example, the first set[1]).
1: https://twitter.com/ExposingBiden/status/1693733071462318108?t=_IeswD_D3x-cXVuQnHuPoQ&s=19
Such inflammatory rhetoric can start spreading elsewhere in conservative circles. Is there a potential that military officers, who (largely) try to stay out of partisan politicking even while supporting the sitting administration under their constitutional oath, may become the next "Antifa" or "Marxists" - i.e. the next targeted class?
How likely is it that senior military brass, particularly individuals labelled as "woke", and their families, will begin to be targeted for harassment or violent action due to these labels?
As someone with centrist-conservative views (at least the way I see myself), the possibilities are deeply worrying.
Comment by throwaway09234023322 at 28/03/2023 at 03:21 UTC
4 upvotes, 2 direct replies
What do you think about this bill? Do you think it will help Californians?
"the bill, SBX1-2, gives the California Energy Commission the power to set a cap and impose penalties through a regulatory process if it decides that oil companies are making excessive profits and that a penalty will not result in higher prices for consumers"
Comment by Smorvana at 24/04/2023 at 21:25 UTC
4 upvotes, 4 direct replies
Is the firing of Tucker Carlson and Don Lemon on the same day a sign that news media will ditch the propaganda angle and focus on being more informative, or just a coincidence and no one is changing their ways?
Comment by milkymanchester at 26/04/2023 at 20:43 UTC
4 upvotes, 3 direct replies
Republicans want work requirements for Medicaid and food stamps. The unemployment rate is at or near historic lows, but the idea is that it will be a boon to the workforce - is this possible? Does the unemployment rate not include those already on government assistance but able to work? Has such a policy ever worked in the past?
Comment by [deleted] at 30/04/2023 at 19:39 UTC
4 upvotes, 4 direct replies
Given that Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis are the top two candidates in 2024 GOP primary polls, what factors have led the GOP base to reject Reagan-era limited-government conservatism and embrace far-right, big-government nationalist populism similar to Viktor Orbán’s current regime in Hungary?
Comment by [deleted] at 15/05/2023 at 17:30 UTC
4 upvotes, 1 direct replies
Question for people who identify as republicans/conservative:
What are your thoughts on George Santos, his indictment, and house republican's decision to stand by him rather than oust him? I'm especially interested in how the Santos situation squares with the conservative mantra of "draining the swamp."
Comment by [deleted] at 29/05/2023 at 01:20 UTC
4 upvotes, 6 direct replies
I understand that Ron DeSantis has said that he is, at least, open to the idea of abolishing the IRS. I read somewhere that the taxes would then be collected by the states. I understand conservatives want a smaller, less powerful central government, but how would states collecting taxes instead of the IRS function? How much would still go to the federal government? How would it affect the things federal taxes pay for, such as the military, entitlement programs, etc? What gripes do conservatives have outside of it being a function of a centralized government? I thought Congress was constitutionally allowed to tax? I’m just trying to understand the whole concept of abolishing the IRS
Comment by [deleted] at 07/06/2023 at 08:22 UTC
4 upvotes, 1 direct replies
[deleted]
Comment by [deleted] at 18/07/2023 at 20:33 UTC
5 upvotes, 5 direct replies
Why does Donald Trump continue to maintain a large lead in GOP primary polls despite being under state and federal indictment?
Comment by Nightmare_Tonic at 31/07/2023 at 20:12 UTC
4 upvotes, 1 direct replies
Does Trump's campaign's lack of money / current legal debt affect in any real way his ability to hit the campaign trail this election cycle? Can it actually harm his efforts to grab votes, or will the GOP / donors just bankroll him?
Comment by Kpachecodark at 02/08/2023 at 09:21 UTC
4 upvotes, 2 direct replies
I’ve been listening to talk radio with Sean Hannity, Jesse Kelly etc. I find it hilarious how they bend and twist what they are talking about to twist the narrative or prove their point with whatever is going on in the news or political landscape.
One time Jesse Kelly was telling his listeners if they live in a blue state to move because laws were changing and the police would take your sons away if you refused to let them cut off their penises and become trans. That’s insane. I only heard this station because a coworker left it on in a shared vehicle.
I was curious does the other side have similar radio personalities or stations? I’d like to listen to see if they are just as unhinged and what they push as facts to their base.
Comment by LOGIC-PREVAILS at 25/08/2023 at 17:57 UTC
5 upvotes, 3 direct replies
Why are Americans so against Ukrainian Aid?
​
Ukraine is offering free soldiers to fight the russians. All we have to do is supply them with ammunition... An American soldiers life is worth AT LEAST $1 million alone. You can arm ukrainians with 5 javelin missiles for the cost of 1 American soldier's life. An American soldier costs on average $140k a year in salary/benefits alone to the taxpayer. We are getting the bargain of a lifetime for free Ukrainian soldiers, why is the public so against it?
Comment by prodigy1367 at 31/03/2023 at 23:00 UTC
10 upvotes, 4 direct replies
Why do so many conservatives simply deny or ignore the fact that the parties switched platforms? They cling to that pretending that the democrats of old are actually the republicans of today.
Comment by 000066 at 18/03/2023 at 16:50 UTC
6 upvotes, 3 direct replies
Yes, this question boils down to the depravity of modern conservative politics but it seems, to me at least, worth considering.
What is most advantageous for Ron DeSantis?
If Ron DeSantis allows Trump to be arrested he obviously removes a key opponent in the 2024 election. However, given the nature of conservative politics, even from jail, Trump could blame Ron from being a co-conspirator and allowing him to be arrested. And there's no guarantee the large amount of Trump supporters would follow Desantis. However Desantis remains clear of the messy trump world and maybe maintains appeal to the national vote.
In the second case, Desantis takes independence of Florida, in his making, to the extreme. He stages a barricade around Mar a Lago and uses the Florida State Guard to temporarily keep Trump from an arrest. This is obviously theater and he has no intention of doing anything to seriously challenge the government. But, it's a moment. A big one. And Biden looks weak compared to Ron. Trump supporters are galvanized behind him.
Supposing he actually is weighing these options, which is actually more advantageous politically?
Comment by Lovebeingadad54321 at 21/03/2023 at 17:08 UTC
3 upvotes, 1 direct replies
What kind of person would be Trump’s running mate? I mean Pence nearly got lynched by a mob…. You would have to be a big “true believer” to risk that..
Comment by Nightmare_Tonic at 25/03/2023 at 04:10 UTC
3 upvotes, 2 direct replies
Honest question from a person who knows very little about French politics: why would Macron ram through this pension reform despite enormous resistance to it?