Politics

[NDWarrior]

In general, when I say Autocracy, of course, I don't mean one suddenly proclaimed by those in power, it's a cut by cut evolution to it and all the while keeping outward appearance of there being an option for other party(ies), similar to what Viktor Orbán, leader of Hungary, has done to systematically dismantle democracy there. As far as how things can unfold to dismantle US democracy and civil liberties at an Article V CC, I'll let Gemini handle that...

"An Article V Constitutional Convention, also known as a Convention of States, is a process outlined in the U.S. Constitution for proposing amendments. It is triggered when two-thirds of the state legislatures (34 states) apply to Congress for a convention. While the Constitution specifies this threshold, it provides minimal guidance on the convention's procedures, rules, or the scope of potential amendments. This lack of explicit rules raises concerns about the potential for the convention to be influenced by special interests and to propose amendments that could undermine fundamental rights.

Here's a breakdown of the process and related issues:
The Process:

1. State Applications: At least 34 state legislatures must apply to Congress, requesting a convention for proposing amendments.
   
   
2. Congress's Role: Congress is then obligated to call the convention.
   
   
3. Convention: The convention would be composed of delegates chosen by the states.
   
   
4. Proposed Amendments: The convention can propose amendments to the Constitution.
   
   
5. Ratification: Any proposed amendments must be ratified by three-fourths of the states (38 states) either through their legislatures or through specially called state ratification conventions.

Unresolved Issues and Concerns:

• No Rules for the Convention:
  The Constitution provides no explicit rules for the convention's operation, including the selection of delegates, the number of delegates per state, rules of order, and the scope of potential amendments.
  
  
• Potential for Undemocratic Influence:
  The lack of rules could allow for wealthy special interests or extremist groups to exert undue influence on the convention's proceedings and proposed amendments.
  
  
• Uncertainty and Instability:
  The potential for unpredictable outcomes and the lack of clarity surrounding the convention process could lead to legal challenges and economic instability.
  
  
• No Limits on Amendments:
  The convention could propose amendments on any topic, potentially including those that could infringe upon fundamental rights.
  
  
• Congress's Role After the Convention:
  It's unclear what role Congress would have in overseeing or validating the convention's proceedings and proposed amendments.

In essence, while the Article V process provides a mechanism for states to propose constitutional amendments, the lack of detailed rules and procedures creates significant risks and uncertainties about the potential outcome of such a convention."


Knowing how Trump and this admin are leveraging the ability withhold the Federal purse for states who don't cooperate and the almost complete lack of rules for how the convention operates and especially re: size and selection process of delegates, that is a CC coup waiting to happen....

And, as of February 6, 2025, Republicans control both chambers of the legislature in 28 states.
This means Republicans hold majorities in both the House and Senate (or the equivalent chambers) in those 28 states.
Additionally, there are 18 states with full Democratic control and 4 states with split control (where each chamber is controlled by a different party).

So, Republicans are almost there today in terms of nearing complete legislative control in 34 states before the A5 CC even begins!
Although not all Republicans will agree with New Right National Christian craziness, they can likely be compelled via all the ways outlined here including as simple as "we all need to fall in line and do what's right for our party."

I can't emphasize enough how out of control an A5CC could get and how our Constitution and Civil Liberties and our Republic could be torn to shreds. The 1787 CC is apparently regarded as a "runaway convention," but hopefully, most of us agree that was a good thing then. Today, too many ill-intentioned ideologues with vast power could turn a modern-day A5CC into a nightmare runaway convention.

 

[RDU Irish]

In general, when I say Autocracy, of course, I don't mean one suddenly proclaimed by those in power, it's a cut by cut evolution to it and all the while keeping outward appearance of there being an option for other party(ies), similar to what Viktor Orbán, leader of Hungary, has done to systematically dismantle democracy there. As far as how things can unfold to dismantle US democracy and civil liberties at an Article V CC, I'll let Gemini handle that...

"An Article V Constitutional Convention, also known as a Convention of States, is a process outlined in the U.S. Constitution for proposing amendments. It is triggered when two-thirds of the state legislatures (34 states) apply to Congress for a convention. While the Constitution specifies this threshold, it provides minimal guidance on the convention's procedures, rules, or the scope of potential amendments. This lack of explicit rules raises concerns about the potential for the convention to be influenced by special interests and to propose amendments that could undermine fundamental rights.

Here's a breakdown of the process and related issues:
The Process:

1. State Applications: At least 34 state legislatures must apply to Congress, requesting a convention for proposing amendments.
   
   
2. Congress's Role: Congress is then obligated to call the convention.
   
   
3. Convention: The convention would be composed of delegates chosen by the states.
   
   
4. Proposed Amendments: The convention can propose amendments to the Constitution.
   
   
5. Ratification: Any proposed amendments must be ratified by three-fourths of the states (38 states) either through their legislatures or through specially called state ratification conventions.

Unresolved Issues and Concerns:

• No Rules for the Convention:
  The Constitution provides no explicit rules for the convention's operation, including the selection of delegates, the number of delegates per state, rules of order, and the scope of potential amendments.
  
  
• Potential for Undemocratic Influence:
  The lack of rules could allow for wealthy special interests or extremist groups to exert undue influence on the convention's proceedings and proposed amendments.
  
  
• Uncertainty and Instability:
  The potential for unpredictable outcomes and the lack of clarity surrounding the convention process could lead to legal challenges and economic instability.
  
  
• No Limits on Amendments:
  The convention could propose amendments on any topic, potentially including those that could infringe upon fundamental rights.
  
  
• Congress's Role After the Convention:
  It's unclear what role Congress would have in overseeing or validating the convention's proceedings and proposed amendments.

In essence, while the Article V process provides a mechanism for states to propose constitutional amendments, the lack of detailed rules and procedures creates significant risks and uncertainties about the potential outcome of such a convention."


Knowing how Trump and this admin are leveraging the ability withhold the Federal purse for states who don't cooperate and the almost complete lack of rules for how the convention operates and especially re: size and selection process of delegates, that is a CC coup waiting to happen....

And, as of February 6, 2025, Republicans control both chambers of the legislature in 28 states.
This means Republicans hold majorities in both the House and Senate (or the equivalent chambers) in those 28 states.
Additionally, there are 18 states with full Democratic control and 4 states with split control (where each chamber is controlled by a different party).

So, Republicans are almost there today in terms of nearing complete legislative control in 34 states before the A5 CC even begins!
Although not all Republicans will agree with New Right National Christian craziness, they can likely be compelled via all the ways outlined here including as simple as "we all need to fall in line and do what's right for our party."

I can't emphasize enough how out of control an A5CC could get and how our Constitution and Civil Liberties and our Republic could be torn to shreds. The 1787 CC is apparently regarded as a "runaway convention," but hopefully, most of us agree that was a good thing then. Today, too many ill-intentioned ideologues with vast power could turn a modern-day A5CC into a nightmare runaway convention.

"New Right National Christian crazies" - LOL you still check under your bed at night for monsters too? What are these nefarious mandates these boogeymen are going to slam in these amendments that sneak by 75% with of states approving? Term limits but only if you aren't white? JFC how damaged are you that you think they are sneaking in slavery or some shit in the fine print of term limits on Congress and Senate.

Are you aware the feds removed road funding for states that did not change the legal drinking age to 21? This was in 1984. Using federal funding as cudgel to force states to do what the feds want is not a new "thing." Maybe less reliance on federal funding would allow more freedom for states and municipalities to do what they want!

As to the bolded - you sound like my teenage daughter when I tell her she can't do something. Holy melodramatic, you can't be serious. I am left furthering my belief that the left is afraid of debate because they only run on emotions. Just say you have no interest in term limits or federal fiscal sanity instead of claiming some white dudes with bibles are going to hurt you.

 

[NDWarrior]

"New Right National Christian crazies" - LOL you still check under your bed at night for monsters too? What are these nefarious mandates these boogeymen are going to slam in these amendments that sneak by 75% with of states approving? Term limits but only if you aren't white? JFC how damaged are you that you think they are sneaking in slavery or some shit in the fine print of term limits on Congress and Senate.

Are you aware the feds removed road funding for states that did not change the legal drinking age to 21? This was in 1984. Using federal funding as cudgel to force states to do what the feds want is not a new "thing." Maybe less reliance on federal funding would allow more freedom for states and municipalities to do what they want!

As to the bolded - you sound like my teenage daughter when I tell her she can't do something. Holy melodramatic, you can't be serious. I am left furthering my belief that the left is afraid of debate because they only run on emotions. Just say you have no interest in term limits or federal fiscal sanity instead of claiming some white dudes with bibles are going to hurt you.

I know your MO is to retort with bullying and statements of ridicule, but I'm unfazed and you haven't produced one statement to reassure me that an A5CC will go off without any manipulation or shenanigans.

If you can't step away from your "all will be orderly without any issues, nothing to worry about here" neat little box, I can't help you.

I stand by the bolded concerns (from AI btw) summed up by the statement there: "In essence, while the Article V process provides a mechanism for states to propose constitutional amendments, the lack of detailed rules and procedures creates significant risks and uncertainties about the potential outcome of such a convention."

How much of a bubble are you in to not understand how a convention, for which the Constitution provides no explicit rules for its operation, including the selection of delegates, the number of delegates per state, rules of order, and the scope of potential amendments, and where the process to ratify any convention proposed amendments is either through the state legislatures or through specially called state ratification conventions (again, see above about lack of detailed rules), can be manipulated by a narcissistic President and highly ideological New Right behind him? They have already removed all checks and balances across government and are trying to suspend habeas corpus and due process, so what's to stop them from scheming to do all kinds of things from setting up favorable state delegations and favorable convention rules and process? Come on man, wake up!

It's not about sneaking things in; it's about Donnie or JD and the team behind them manipulating all the above to get their amendments into the convention mix and get them slammed through in any number of ways, including, I'm sure, removing a number of the Bill of Rights / civil liberties. Oh wait, you think these folks love our country and wouldn't entertain that idea because that "sounds like your teenage daughter." Give me a break.
It's not about debate - If the states' delegates and the convention rules and ratification process (again, for which there are NO rules) are manipulated by the admin and New Right, there effectively will be no debate to be "afraid of." Duh!

And don't be so simplistic with your "claim some white dudes with bibles are going to hurt you" statement.
You really trust human nature and especially these guys who are not just devoted to the Bible but even more so to their White National Christian viewpoint based on said Bible where all others are excluded or at least minimized.

You keep singing "All Is Well" to yourself my friend... I, on the other hand, will maintain my hyper vigilance because Trump and this admin have already proven they'll manipulate anything and everything to get their way (which won't be a good thing for our country).

 

[NDWarrior]

Talarico is the perfect antidote candidate to the New Right (not so much Trump, but he be gone by the 2028 elections anyway).
(I just hope there are no skeletons in his closet - It doesn't sound like there would be any with him.)

From Wiki:
He is an outspoken critic of Christian nationalism and has called it "a cancer on our religion."[36] He has cited his faith and the teachings of Jesus, especially the commandment to love one's God and neighbor, as the reason for launching his political career. He describes politics as "another word for how we treat our neighbors."[2] Talarico describes Christian nationalism as "the worship of power – social power, economic power, political power, in the name of Christ" and has accused Christian Nationalists of turning Jesus "into a gun-toting, gay-bashing, science-denying, money-loving, fear-mongering fascist" and argued that it is "incumbent on all Christians to confront it and denounce it" in a 2023 guest sermon which racked up more than 1 million views after it was posted on YouTube.[37] In July of 2025, Talarico appeared on the Joe Rogan Experience where he discussed the influence of faith in his political career.[38]

Even if simplistic (some may call it naive), how can you argue against a person who's guiding principle is the commandment to love one's God and neighbor? He's genuinely altruistic and a strong orator (his granddaddy was a Baptist preacher in South Texas!).

Admittedly, he's gonna need a lot more than this to combat the army of Constitutional Originalists and politicized National Christians, and uber-wealthy and powerful Tech Bros. behind this current admin., but it's a good start.

 

[ulukinatme]

This is how ya'll spend your weekends?!

I'm kinda glad first PeeWee practice is tomorrow

 

[RDU Irish]

I know your MO is to retort with bullying and statements of ridicule, but I'm unfazed and you haven't produced one statement to reassure me that an A5CC will go off without any manipulation or shenanigans.

If you can't step away from your "all will be orderly without any issues, nothing to worry about here" neat little box, I can't help you.

I stand by the bolded concerns (from AI btw) summed up by the statement there: "In essence, while the Article V process provides a mechanism for states to propose constitutional amendments, the lack of detailed rules and procedures creates significant risks and uncertainties about the potential outcome of such a convention."

How much of a bubble are you in to not understand how a convention, for which the Constitution provides no explicit rules for its operation, including the selection of delegates, the number of delegates per state, rules of order, and the scope of potential amendments, and where the process to ratify any convention proposed amendments is either through the state legislatures or through specially called state ratification conventions (again, see above about lack of detailed rules), can be manipulated by a narcissistic President and highly ideological New Right behind him? They have already removed all checks and balances across government and are trying to suspend habeas corpus and due process, so what's to stop them from scheming to do all kinds of things from setting up favorable state delegations and favorable convention rules and process? Come on man, wake up!

It's not about sneaking things in; it's about Donnie or JD and the team behind them manipulating all the above to get their amendments into the convention mix and get them slammed through in any number of ways, including, I'm sure, removing a number of the Bill of Rights / civil liberties. Oh wait, you think these folks love our country and wouldn't entertain that idea because that "sounds like your teenage daughter." Give me a break.
It's not about debate - If the states' delegates and the convention rules and ratification process (again, for which there are NO rules) are manipulated by the admin and New Right, there effectively will be no debate to be "afraid of." Duh!

And don't be so simplistic with your "claim some white dudes with bibles are going to hurt you" statement.
You really trust human nature and especially these guys who are not just devoted to the Bible but even more so to their White National Christian viewpoint based on said Bible where all others are excluded or at least minimized.

You keep singing "All Is Well" to yourself my friend... I, on the other hand, will maintain my hyper vigilance because Trump and this admin have already proven they'll manipulate anything and everything to get their way (which won't be a good thing for our country).

TLDR after getting caught up on the first point. Are you going to assure me that the current government "goes off without any manipulations or shenanigans?" I a strong majority agrees our government processes are fraught with "manipulation and shenanigans." Doing the same thing and expecting a different result is the definition of insanity. What is your proposal for righting this ship? You are asking for assurances that are impossible to provide. Can you assure me the Democrats won't manipulate the next presidential primary like they have the last three?

You also ignore this part - 75% of states would have to ratify any amendments produced in this convention. The methods of the convention are almost irrelevant to me as I have some modicum of respect for our republic to expect states to reject anything remotely extreme planted by these radical forces you decry.

Can you say if you are for or against the basic concepts of term limits, limiting federal power and reining in federal spending without bringing Trump or whatever goofy boogeymen you are spouting off on?

 

[NDWarrior]

Can you assure me the Democrats won't manipulate the next presidential primary like they have the last three?
Irrelevant and not of the same magnitude
You also ignore this part - 75% of states would have to ratify any amendments produced in this convention. The methods of the convention are almost irrelevant to me as I have some modicum of respect for our republic to expect states to reject anything remotely extreme planted by these radical forces you decry.
Nope, I'm well aware, but one of the two methods for 38 state (75% of US States) for ratifications of any proposed amendments at a states convention is "through specially called state ratification conventions," which without any established ground rules could be manipulated and stacked to get the New Right's proposed radical amendments issues pushed through and ratified. A convention could create political momentum that pressures states into ratifying radical changes.
Can you say if you are for or against the basic concepts of term limits, limiting federal power and reining in federal spending without bringing Trump or whatever goofy boogeymen you are spouting off on?
Sure, all of those are worthy topics to debate at such a convention, but you're naive if you think these well organized and intentional New Right organizations are simply going to leave the debate at just those handful of topics that are presumably the catalyst for a states convention. Some Federal oversight should be curtailed, but this admin has done the opposite in extending their oversight over all kinds of areas of US society, with more planned. These very influential New Right groups at such a convention could likely:

• Weaken or eliminate parts of the Bill of Rights
• Curtail voting rights (e.g., via national voter ID laws or other restrictive measures)
• Extend presidential (increase # of terms allowed) or congressional terms (extend term length)
• Change judicial powers or independence
• Codify specific ideological or religious positions
• Roll back civil rights and LGBTQ+ protections
• Weaken federal oversight of elections and voting rights
• Enshrine Christian religious values in national policy
• Curtail federal regulatory powers (e.g., on environment, labor, health)

Btw, I'm not talking about just Trump (who's maybe even gone by the time such an event takes place) or "whatever goofy boogeymen" you think I'm talking about. WTF are you talking about? Some of the groups I'm talking about have been around since the 90s and are very well organized and action oriented ((Founder-focused and Christian Nationalized and includes organizations such as America First Policy Institute, Heritage Foundation, American First Legal Foundation, and American Legislative Exchange Council)

 

[Giddyup]

 

[TorontoGold]

Remember the meltdown on these forums when Joe Biden mumbled out that MAGA is garbage? I’m sure the usual suspects will be out in full force with their rage of how unpresidential it is to suggest arresting Obama! Decorum! Lol

 

[LifelongFan]

Schizophrenics running the show

 

[NDWarrior]

Yeah, it's dumb because the precipitation modification technology is proven and works. If they're looking to create legislation, then it should be more around monitoring, auditing, and advance notification as guide rails around the technology. I say that because although proven technology, It seems like the industry, headed up by this guy Augustus Doricko, is making major innovations that are better pinpointing when/where to drop the reactant into the clouds; and they have discovered a much better reactant than silver iodide (which has been the standard one used to date) to apply to rain clouds, combined with using advanced drone technology and radar to improve their efforts. I'm not a conspiracy theorist, but as I posted in the environment thread, I think it's something to be watched as there could be advances being made that enable a lot more than the up to now additional 10-15% of precipitation to be created by this technology. Definitely a technology to be monitored.

I still think it was very strange the current admin felt compelled to put out an "everything you need to know about weather modification" overview website within days of the Texas hill country floods. It was like they were going out of their way to be transparent and remove any foul play conspiracy thoughts, almost like they were trying to hide something, but that's just my opinion. I believe with this advanced weather modification technology these guys are creating, potentially combined with say Musk's Starlink satellite technology, it's not implausible that these teams could find a way to accelerate and expand the volume of additional rain created by these technologies to a much larger degree of magnitude. That's the thing about what they're doing - It appears to be being done without much oversight or knowledge of what these teams are actually doing. All that we know is that they log their location and time details someplace before they execute their operations, but there's not much more than that being disclosed.

 

[Irish#1]

Ouch!

Democratic Party hits lowest approval in over 30 years: Poll

The only policy areas where Democrats outperform Republicans in the new poll from the Wall Street Journal are health care and vaccine policy.

www.newsweek.com

 

[IrishLax]

Ouch!

Democratic Party hits lowest approval in over 30 years: Poll

The only policy areas where Democrats outperform Republicans in the new poll from the Wall Street Journal are health care and vaccine policy.

www.newsweek.com

This is why, in a nut shell. Can be applied to like 100 different issues:

 

[LifelongFan]

Democrats are finally sick of their politicians who stand for nothing other than power and their favorite Nazi foreign government. No more "adult in the room" holier than thou bullshit and resistance to changes that people want.

 

[GATTACA!]

This is why, in a nut shell. Can be applied to like 100 different issues:

Hmmm should we focus on:

Income inequality? ❌
Getting money out of politics? ❌
Outrageous healthcare costs? ❌
Education? ❌
Gas stoves? ✅

Why aren't we more popular? 👁️👄👁️

 

[Gladiator]

 

[Gladiator]

 

[Giddyup]

Don’t worry somehow Dems will win with 50.1 pct of the votes in half the races

 

[NDWarrior]

MTG, although far right, a conspiracy theorist, and sometimes downright nasty to other members of Congress, has really surprised me of late:

- She held firm to the Maga core tenent to not get involved in foreign wars (i.e., she lambasted Trump for the bombing Iran last month)
- She has gone hard after getting the Epstein Files released
- She has been worried about weather modification
- She has been worried about CBDC not being proscribed by the GENIUS Act (that component was excluded from the final passed act)
- This week, she was the first Republican lawmaker to call the Gaza Crisis a "Genocide"
- She even prayed for the safety of those in the path of potential tsunami waves this evening (Those are major Blue states she's praying for!)

Maybe she actually has a heart?

 

[Irish#1]

I like it, but let's see how this plays out when it's time to vote on the floor.

 

[IrishLax]

The "vibe shift" over the past two years is actually major realignment among young people away from Democrats. I think it's a product of a number of environmental factors coupled with the breakdown of social contracts that happened from 2020 to 2024.

 

[dublinirish]

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[IrishLax]

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Blackstone owns less than 1% of residential real estate in the United States. Do you think an entity with less than 1% market share "controls prices"?

 

[NDWarrior]

Admittedly, I'm no expert in this area but it sure seems that a number of REITs and foreign investors - not just Blackstone - have bought up a large chunk of residential real estate in the U.S., especially in highly-coveted areas like So Cal which has helped to create this ridiculous run up in prices and drive to the utter unaffordability of purchasing a home for many. So, I guess I'm saying she and Blackstone are representative of this trend, not the sole offender.

 

[IrishLax]

Admittedly, I'm no expert in this area but it sure seems that a number of REITs and foreign investors - not just Blackstone - have bought up a large chunk of residential real estate in the U.S., especially in highly-coveted areas like So Cal which has helped to create this ridiculous run up in prices and drive to the utter unaffordability of purchasing a home for many. So, I guess I'm saying she and Blackstone are representative of this trend, not the sole offender.

I think Blackstone was easy to single out because they are a PE firm and people hate PE. Some reasons are quite legitimate, others are not. I can only speak for myself but I feel like I was fed a ton of bad information during the COVID-era spike in housing costs about Blackstone's tactics and how much of the housing inventory they owned. I only recently learned that their overall holdings are modest and that a large chunk of what they do own they got through acquisition of other companies that already owned large portfolios of residential properties.

My position on everything has primarily evolved to this -- housing unaffordability is, above all else, a product of NIMBY policies in many cities. That's why YIMBY Austin, TX was able to correct their housing prices and why the Southeast is facing a price "crash"... because they let people build more supply.

Meanwhile San Francisco makes it literally impossible to build, same for LA and New York. If the "downtowns" of these places were more developed it would do wonders for everyone. Instead, you get batshit policies about "affordable" housing that isn't actually affordable and is wrapped in layer after layer of red tape.

 

[Irish#1]

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

An innocent person is killed and some dipshit wants to call her out because she was successful?

$9,000 a minute? Not buying it.

CEOs leading large non‑traded REITs with tens of billions in assets commonly earn multimillion‑dollar total compensation (often $2 M–$10 M+ annually)

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

Dublin, I hope you aren't taking pleasure in the murder of an innocent. That would make you a real piece of shit.

 

[Irish#1]

Very good explantion.

 

[Irish#1]

Nancy lol

 

[NDVirginia19]

Dude was a Booz Allen contractor in the J6 lmao not some sort of super mega double ultra top secret advisor to overthrow the president