Little Wing suggested it here and I’m sure others have elsewhere. It seems a perfectly reasonable suggestion that would keep the 144,000 Palin/Obama/McCain/Biden/I know she did’n’t!/Oh yes she did!/other countries politics threads (many of which I’ve participated in so I ain’t complainin’) from dominating G.D. and other forums.
Sarah Palin suggested this first.
Friends, very soon this long national nightmare will be over and we’ll find something else to argue over.
Until that time we ask for your patience.
The fundamental debates of the Great Debates forum are strong.
We already have one. Oddly, it seems like the fact that we already have such a forum is precisely what causes people to ask for one.
Lord, another Fundie…
Yes, because politics threads are only ever popular right before the US presidential election.
I can’t tell if you’re talking about GD or the Pit as they are both overrun with politics threads and neither forum description mentions politics at all.
Right before? Define “right before.”
A year? Two years? All the time?
Oh, about two years before and two years after, I’d estimate. 
I don’t know if that’s a serious question given that I was being totally sarcastic.
No, I do not believe that political topics are only popular around the US election. Politics are an all the time topic here and, while I would agree that these threads are more numerous during the US presidential campaign/election/post-election season, I don’t think this will “be over soon” or that a politics forum would be unreasonable.
Oh, sorry! I get it.
I disagree and beg to differ. I’ve been here 8 years (lurking and posting–and I’m re-delurking because I think this is an issue that’s worth a discussion). While the following cycle is getting worse, it’s been here since I started.
After the election, the losing side (whichever it is) will whine for 3-6 months. It was stolen. It wasn’t a mandate. Yes it was. What does “mandate” mean? And the winning side will gloat (“See? The American people reject your stupid values/candidate/issues.”)
Then they’ll spend about 6 more months complaining about whatever the winning side is doing (the “See? They’re EVIL, just like I said!” threads) or bitching that the minority side is dragging their heels.
Then we start gearing up for the mid-terms. That lasts a year. It’s a slower ramp up but there’s at least 6 months before and after when the board is overrun by them.
Repeat step 2.
Then the 2012 pres elections start to get their wheels moving. I’d guess (so no cites…it’s a guess) that we get about 8 months of nearly politics free discussion every 2 years. At most.
This never stops. It slows down a bit, but it never, ever stops (IMO).
I’ve always wondered what the big deal is about creating a new forum? If it works, great. Wonderful…you’ve taken the political threads and corralled them and those who want nothing more than all politics, all the time can congregate there. And the rest of us can discuss stuff without them. And if it doesn’t work and GD becomes a graveyard of empty threads, so what? What harm was done? How could it possibly make things worse?
The defunct forum can either be locked and the posts archived or the posts just merged into GD or The Pit as appropriate. What could it possibly hurt to try? <-Honest question. Is it a big deal to create a new forum? Hell, if it IS a software problem to create new forums then how about two child forums-> GD/Politics and The Pit/Politics.
My recommendation is a “Politics” forum. You want to bitch about the other guy/gal being a child-molesting Muslim disguised as a barbie-doll creationist? “Politics”. You want to have a thoughtful discussion about the electoral college? “Politics”. You wanna discuss which Babylon 5 cast member most reminds you of Barack Obama’s African half(step?) brother? “Politics”–hell, create Politics-mindless ranting, Politics-Debate and Politics-Other child-forums. The software seems to allow it.
Fenris, going back to lurking
Who the hell in their right mind would want to moderate it?
I’d do it.
You have my vote (and you’re the first and probably last Republican to ever hear me say that:cool:).
Agreed. I’ve already got ideas for threads for both contingencies.
Fenris! You’re back!
(Happy Dance)
I normally don’t get involved in these type of discussions, but in this case I agree with you 100% and I think this really needs to be done. I say this as someone who enjoys the political threads
Serious question, is it really a big deal to start another forum? 'Cause really, those political threads never go away, imho.
I don’t mind the politics, but I do mind when they hog the pit and GD and fucking everything else at this rate. MPSIMS and IMHO aren’t completely safe either. Everyone can live without a new forum, but the boards would be much better if there was one to contain all this political insanity (not that politics are insane, but they are lately.)
I made a pit thread about it, of which I can stroke my ego and imagine it prompted this OP 
Maybe we could use a separate forum for requesting separate forums.