Democratic National Convention MEGATHREAD

[Valmy]

OK, "decisive" was an overstep.   My point, as Raz was clearly talking about the US Presidential election in reference to "keeping the kooks out", is that Hitler never actually won a (free and fair) national election.  Yes, the Nazi party was the most powerful in Germany in 1932.  That was on the basis of local parliamentary elections, though.  Considering our system does jack shit to keep our kooks out of such offices, he still doesn't have a point.

Our system is build on empowering the kooks. That is what local government is all about.

My main concern with proportional representation in the US is that I feel like it would create powerful identity politics parties.

[Valmy]

The closest to that we have and will ever have in our lifetimes is the independent/non-party affiliated bloc of voters.  As far as a formal party goes, forget about it.  Even Independents prefer to vote for someone with a D or R next to their name.

Probably. But hey maybe once Trump wins and purges all the cuckservatives they can find allies in all the corporatist/fascist Democrats purged by the mighty Berniebros.

Eh probably not.

[Sheilbh]

Watching Rachel Maddow goof on the naïveté of the Bernie delegates was a hoot, though.  You don realize you are at the Democratic National Convention, right?

I know they're outraged that the Democratic Party did everything they could to help stop a man who only joined their party so he could run for President from winning the nomination. Christ, if only the Republicans had that much common sense.

Also for all the trouble the word gets I can't think of a better example of 'privilege' than these fucking Bernie or bust lads

[Baron von Schtinkenbutt]

Hitler came in first in the 32 federal (national) election.  By a very big margin.

Only in the sense that he was leader of the party that did.  They weren't votes for Hitler, they were votes for the NSDAP.

[Admiral Yi]

Are superdelegates included in the state total during the roll call, anyone know?

[Sheilbh]

I love that someone shouted this with enthusiasm: "the state of Prince's Purple Rain and the birthplace of Tim Kaine."

[grumbler]

OK, "decisive" was an overstep.   My point, as Raz was clearly talking about the US Presidential election in reference to "keeping the kooks out", is that Hitler never actually won a (free and fair) national election.  Yes, the Nazi party was the most powerful in Germany in 1932.  That was on the basis of local parliamentary elections, though.  Considering our system does jack shit to keep our kooks out of such offices, he still doesn't have a point.

Hitler didn't get a majority in any free and fair election, that is true.  He was, however, by far the most popular politician in Germany in 1932.  Hindenburg won the presidential election by leading an anti-Hitler coalition, not by being personally popular.

[Admiral Yi]

The Vermont delegation political theater was pretty underwhelming.

[CountDeMoney]

Hindenburg was full of gas. He later crashed and burned.

[The Minsky Moment]

Hitler came in first in the 32 federal (national) election.  By a very big margin.

Only in the sense that he was leader of the party that did.  They weren't votes for Hitler, they were votes for the NSDAP.

Please.  The fuhrerprizip was already long established and known to the voters.  They weren't voting for Hess and Borman.

[Razgovory]

Well, in a parliamentary democracy actual Hitler won.

No he didn't.   Hindenburg won the election, decisively I might add.  Hitler was appointed Chancellor by Hindenburg afterward.

Hindenburg was the President.  He wasn't part of the "parliament."  Hindenburg appointed Hitler because the Nazi party was the largest party after the Nov 1932 elections and von Papen (who had headed a non-democratic coalition that kept the Nazis out of power despite them being the largest party after the July elections) couldn't keep going.

Hitler did run against Hindenburg in the Presidential elections earlier in 1932.  Hindenburg squeaked out a win in that election (failed to gain a majority in the first round, got 53% in the second) but was fatally weakened by his continued lack of popular support (he only got in the first time by a plurality).  Hindenburg wanted to keep Hitler out of power, but he was only accomplishing that via rule by decree, and the Reichstag wouldn't let him keep doing that.

There was never anything "decisive" about Hindenburg as a politician.

OK, "decisive" was an overstep.   My point, as Raz was clearly talking about the US Presidential election in reference to "keeping the kooks out", is that Hitler never actually won a (free and fair) national election.  Yes, the Nazi party was the most powerful in Germany in 1932.  That was on the basis of local parliamentary elections, though.  Considering our system does jack shit to keep our kooks out of such offices, he still doesn't have a point.

It does quite well at keeping kooks out of office. We aren't required to form coalition governments with Communists or Nazis or other loons.  We have managed to keep out Libertarians, Know-nothings, Greens, Fascists, Anti-masons, and other weirdos.  Our system has kept Strom Thurmond, George Wallace and Ross Perot from the Whitehouse. 

The multiple elections in 1932 were all about Hitler.  The sole purpose of the NSDAP was to propel Hitler into the top level of power; this was understood by everyone in Germany.  There were multiple election in 1932 because Hitler would only be satisfied with the chancellorship, something that conservative parties were not willing to concede.

It is the nature of parliamentary parties that fringe groups can take power particularly when there are a lot of political parties.

[Monoriu]

It does quite well at keeping kooks out of office. We aren't required to form coalition governments with Communists or Nazis or other loons.  We have managed to keep out Libertarians, Know-nothings, Greens, Fascists, Anti-masons, and other weirdos.  Our system has kept Strom Thurmond, George Wallace and Ross Perot from the Whitehouse. 

Trump now has a good shot at getting into the White House though. 

[CountDeMoney]

Getting Bubba back into the White House is a priority of the highest national urgency.

[Admiral Yi]

Heard a snip on NPR about some Bernie delegates walking out of the hall in protest because they were "being shut out of the party."

[CountDeMoney]

You know, i had thought that Cleveland would've been the big delegate mess, what with so many knuckledragging first-timers coming out to support Trump and not knowing their mouthbreathing heads from their 5.56mm yuge asses--turns out it the DNC still needs the Chicago PD to start nightsticking some sense into these goddamned hippies.

Where the fuck is Frank Rizzo and a daisycutter when you need one.


Whoa, did Alicia Keyes pack on a few pounds?  Looks like Alan Keyes. Damn, woman.