Can we have a section/forum other than GQ for US Politics?
I don’t mind a little Politics, but when it drowns out GENERAL questions I feel that this board is Bush and Kerry land, not Cecilopolis.
Granted this is an Election year, and it is a very close race, however, if TV and Film Threads regaurdless of content automatically gets carted to Cafe Society, Cant we have an Elephant and Donkey Corner?
You think GQ is drowning in political threads? Have you looked at the rest of the board? 
I would adore having a forum just for politics, but I know it will never happen. It’s getting tiring to see it everywhere.
Yes, I know I don’t have to read it.
It would be great if we had a forum devoted solely to politics (and religion) but the administrators have said in the past that they want to keep the fora on the board as general as possible and that splitting off subsections would just be too much of a hassle for too little gain.
We can dream though.
Again, our philosophy has always been to separate questions based on their classification rather than their content.
“What is the electoral college and how does it work?” belongs in GQ
“What should we do about health care costs?” belongs in GD
“Who’s daughters are sexier, Bush’s or Kerry’s?” belongs in IMHO
“I met Ralph Nader at the bowling alley” belongs in MPSIMS
“All politicians suck” belongs in the Pit.
See?
Where do “A politician said X, here’s a link” threads go?
Every time I’ve tried it, in any forum, I’ve gotten it locked down. Like this one
Maybe we’re just not supposed to do that kinda stuff?
Well, just announcing the news isn’t enough. What do you mean by it?
“A politician just made announced something that will make my life so much easier! Hooray!” sounds pretty MPSIMSsy.
“A politician just said this! He’s a total idiot and I hate him!” would probably fit the Pit.
“A politician just announced a new policy! Is he making a good move?” sounds kinda GD, but
“A politician just referenced something… is that true?” might go to GQ.
"A politician just said something… does he sound sexy? " is IMHO.
Right? (Remember, IANAMod.) Seems it sorta depends on where the discussion will go; and if it goes somewhere unexpected, it can get moved.
Oh, and SnakeSpirit, that thread very much looked like a Pitting to me. I don’t think there’s any question why it got closed…
Looks like when it started to get into an angry argument, Czarcasm figured it was more suited to the Pit than to IMHO. And since it began with a very Pittish OP, which contained an apparent complaint about a politician’s policy as found in the news, and the phrases "Kerry Flip Flops again… " and “I think I’m being taken for a ride.”… he probably figured it was never in the right forum anyway.
It may well be that such threads, in any forum, tend to turn into angry arguments, but it may also be that they tend to be started in a very Pit-sounding way, and as such get locked down for being in the wrong forum.
Quite right, wolfstu, you are not a mod … despite that, however, your examples are right on target.
IMHO, this one reads like it should’ve gone in the Pit
I’ve seen several of your threads get locked down. All of the regarding gun control. All of them not in GD or the Pit. All of them with semi-inflammatory OPs. All of them with mod comments that you posted in the wrong forum. All locked down.
Personally, I’d have noticed the pattern by now.
That’s exactly my point. In my opinion (and you know the saying about opinions) it isn’t enough. But threads like that are not uncommon in The Pit. An OP with a link and nothing else. No flame, no rant, no debate, no nuttin.
Right, except those aren’t the threads I’m talking about. I had threads like these in mind (not trying to single out RTFirefly here):
Cheney and eBay (stupid but funny)
Thankfully, these kinds of threads seem to be tapering off. But do they have a place here to begin with? For a while there, The Pit was becoming “FARK for Politics”.
Sorry Munch I’m a little bit (maybe a lot?) dense. I have a few good points, but selecting the proper forum is for me like threading a needle without my specs, which is why I ask for help.
I also have memory deficits (not an excuse, just a fact) for recently acquired info. I.e., it’s hard for me to learn new stuff. I have to ‘Avis’ it; I have to ‘try harder,’ and I will.
I’m glad that you would have noticed the pattern by now, but bragging by comparing yourself to me just says you’re at least below average.
I’ll keep this thread in my subscriptions, since I got good advice from wolfstu, and if I can remember to refer to it I will likely do better.
And, BTW, I have noticed that Czarcasm has ‘jumped in my shit’ for doing things that other people were doing at the same time in the same thread when he/she (I want a gender neutral 2nd person personal pronoun!) ignored the identical violations of others. Any time Czarcasm takes an action against me I suspect personal prejudice – so I’m paranoid as well…
Now, about my good qualities… 
Gratefulness: Thanks wolfstu !
SnakeS
I went back and checked.
All several of two (2)!
All regarding John Kerry and Guns.
I think it’s reasonable to say that your first paragraph exaggerated and misrepresented things a bit.
And, give me a break. I’m old. It might take me three (3) times to get it…
Remember, you’ll be old someday, too. (If you’re lucky enough.)
Any time :). I had trouble finding my way around at the start, too. Remember, though, that comments by the staff trump anything a member says with regard to the rules. (In this case, Dex has agreed with me).
Berkut, I think that thread belonged in MPSIMS, until the point that it became a complaint about how stupid the politician in question is (this point may, in fact, have been in the first post, depeniding on the intent of the poster). From then on, I’d expect it moved to the Pit. Political threads seem to have a habit of moving from MPSIMS to GD or the Pit as Dopers exercise their habit of discussing even the minutiae of life presented to them.
Mea culpa. Sorry to jump on your shit.
And I will never grow old, hahaha!!!
looks at date, ignores Saturday’s birthday
Crap.