# Elections Forum and the shutdown **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [October 4, 2013, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elections-forum-and-the-shutdown/670364 "2013-10-04T15:36:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Zakalwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zakalwe/32/270_2.png) [@Zakalwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zakalwe)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2013, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elections-forum-and-the-shutdown/670364/1 "2013-10-04T15:36:02Z")
Why is Elections now the dumping ground for everyone grousing about some facet of the shutdown? Is it now the All Things Politics forum? Also, how about we just lock all those threads and start two “US Government Shutdown Ominbus” threads? One in Elections and one in the Pit. I’ll be glad to start one of them and include links to the locked threads for context. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2013, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elections-forum-and-the-shutdown/670364/2 "2013-10-04T15:39:14Z")
I was late in moving some of those threads, but Elections is the forum “For discussion of elections and _electoral politics, including strategy and tactics_, political parties, individual races, _political news_, and politicians and public figures.” That’s why I felt the shutdown threads should go there. I haven’t merged the threads because there are plenty of different ways to talk about the issue and because it would make some of the threads impossible to follow. ---
**Author:** ![Zakalwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zakalwe/32/270_2.png) [@Zakalwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zakalwe)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2013, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elections-forum-and-the-shutdown/670364/3 "2013-10-04T15:58:43Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > I was late in moving some of those threads, but Elections is the forum “For discussion of elections and _electoral politics, including strategy and tactics_, political parties, individual races, _political news_, and politicians and public figures.” That’s why I felt the shutdown threads should go there. I haven’t merged the threads because there are plenty of different ways to talk about the issue and because it would make some of the threads impossible to follow. Okay. I didn’t realize its mandate had gotten quite that broad. I guess I should read the forum descriptions on the main page more often. 🙂 As for the other, I wasn’t suggesting merging them, but just starting fresh with one new master thread. Either way it was just a suggestion. Thanks for the quick response, but I feel somewhat robbed for not even getting a glimpse of the jackboots. Dang it. You could’ve at least been snarky about the reply (or were the italics supposed to be snarky? If so, weak effort). 😉 ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2013, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elections-forum-and-the-shutdown/670364/4 "2013-10-04T16:56:22Z")
It seems like every time someone has some random thought about the shutdown, or hears some nonsense somewhere, they feel the need to start a thread about it. Might we just merge them into one omnibus thread? There is a thread called (something like) “Please Explain the Shutdown to Me”. Seems like the perfect dumping ground. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2013, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elections-forum-and-the-shutdown/670364/5 "2013-10-04T17:08:55Z")
I understand the impulse, but I think it would grow unwieldy with multiple conversations going on. We might not need so many, but just one wouldn’t serve the need. Now renaming ‘Elections’ to ‘Politics and Policy’…that I could get behind. ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2013, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elections-forum-and-the-shutdown/670364/6 "2013-10-04T17:12:36Z")
> [@Jonathan\_Chance](#): > > I understand the impulse, but I think it would grow unwieldy with multiple conversations going on. We might not need so many, but just one wouldn’t serve the need. > > Now renaming ‘Elections’ to ‘Politics and Policy’…that I could get behind. Seconded. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2013, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elections-forum-and-the-shutdown/670364/7 "2013-10-04T17:26:12Z")
> [@Onomatopoeia](#): > > Seconded. I agree. That forum has grown naturally and logically, and it needs a more accurate name to reflect that. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2013, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elections-forum-and-the-shutdown/670364/8 "2013-10-04T17:55:20Z")
Aye, I’ve been saying that for what feels like years now. It should just be Politics. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2013, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elections-forum-and-the-shutdown/670364/9 "2013-10-04T17:58:30Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > Aye, I’ve been saying that for what feels like years now. It should just be Politics. I’m sorry-did you say something? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![What\_the](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f4b2a3/32.png) [@What\_the](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_the)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2013, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elections-forum-and-the-shutdown/670364/10 "2013-10-04T19:33:19Z")
I everything Obamacare also being moved to elections? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2013, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elections-forum-and-the-shutdown/670364/11 "2013-10-04T19:35:15Z")
> [@What\_the](#): > > I everything Obamacare also being moved to elections? Not at this time, no. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2013, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elections-forum-and-the-shutdown/670364/12 "2013-10-04T19:48:44Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > It seems like every time someone has some random thought about the shutdown, or hears some nonsense somewhere, they feel the need to start a thread about it. Might we just merge them into one omnibus thread? There is a thread called (something like) “Please Explain the Shutdown to Me”. Seems like the perfect dumping ground. What purpose would this serve–are you having trouble finding the thread about the NY Mayoral election or something? This is kind of big political news, and it’s been years in the coming, and it’s likely to shape the US political balance for years to come. Of course it’s getting talked about a lot. ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2013, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elections-forum-and-the-shutdown/670364/13 "2013-10-04T21:53:03Z")
> [@Jonathan\_Chance](#): > > Now renaming ‘Elections’ to ‘Politics and Policy’…that I could get behind. I understand “Politics”, but “Policy” would suck a lot of air out of GD. ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2013, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elections-forum-and-the-shutdown/670364/14 "2013-10-04T22:20:34Z")
> [@Measure\_for\_Measure](#): > > I understand “Politics”, but “Policy” would suck a lot of air out of GD. On second thought, I think changing the name to “Politics and Elections” (or “Elections and Politics”) would be a better descriptor for what the forum has evolved into. ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2013, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elections-forum-and-the-shutdown/670364/15 "2013-10-05T13:13:28Z")
A new name that reflected the total world of politics would better serve our community. I remember that forum starting and being limited to a specific election, with some staffers arguing against making it permanent. We’ve come a long way baby but change here is slow. And that’s a good thing. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2013, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elections-forum-and-the-shutdown/670364/16 "2013-10-05T15:19:26Z")
This is one of those rare illustrations of the slippery slope in action. Some argued against the new forum because it would ultimately lead to a politics sub-forum, draining GD of a major component. It hasn’t completely happened yet, but the tight moderation of _election_-related only posts has given way to a much broader spectrum of topics. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2013, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elections-forum-and-the-shutdown/670364/17 "2013-10-05T16:48:30Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > What purpose would this serve It would preserve the order of the universe. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2013, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elections-forum-and-the-shutdown/670364/18 "2013-10-06T03:05:17Z")
> [@Rhythmdvl](#): > > This is one of those rare illustrations of the slippery slope in action. Some argued against the new forum because it would ultimately lead to a politics sub-forum, draining GD of a major component. It hasn’t completely happened yet, but the tight moderation of _election_-related only posts has given way to a much broader spectrum of topics. I agree. In a discussion I had with Marley a year or so ago, he clarified that the forum was now for all manner of political discussions, not just limited to election-related subjects. I thought it was a bad idea to allow so many topics for discission under the rubrik of “Elections”, but since the forum continues to encompass “discussion of elections and electoral politics, including strategy and tactics, political parties, individual races, political news, and politicians and public figures” I’d really like to see the forum’s title be more relevant to the majority of topics that would typically be found there: Politics. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2013, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elections-forum-and-the-shutdown/670364/19 "2013-10-12T17:00:06Z")
[Day 11](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=704615) [Day 12](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=704705) Same poster. Are we there yet?