All-purpose news and politics thread: Two Steps Beyond!

[Kusanagi]

Toys R Us has announced it will be liquidating

saddish

Never would have thought it possible, when I was a kid just going to Toys R Us felt like going to an amusement park. How could that go out of business...what's that, just buying things online is supremely easier? oh...

Like Blockbuster there was a chance they could have adapted, but didn't deviate until it was way too late.

[BeastieRunner]

Never would have thought it possible, when I was a kid just going to Toys R Us felt like going to an amusement park. How could that go out of business...what's that, just buying things online is supremely easier? oh...

Like Blockbuster there was a chance they could have adapted, but didn't deviate until it was way too late.

My kids love toys like Lego, Playmobil, action figures, dolls, roleplay, sports, etc.

My kid's friends complain when I kick them off the Xbox after 30 minutes to go outside. Or to play with toys. Kids right now just don't play with toys like they used to. OH GOD! I said something my parent's used to say!

[Handsome men don't lose fights]

My kids love toys like Lego, Playmobil, action figures, dolls, roleplay, sports, etc.

My kid's friends complain when I kick them off the Xbox after 30 minutes to go outside. Or to play with toys. Kids right now just don't play with toys like they used to. OH GOD! I said something my parent's used to say!

That's a shame. When I was a kid, there was room in my heart for both Mario and Optimus Prime.

[Robotech Master]

Online sales certainly played a role in Toys R' Us falling behind, but I'd argue that for the last decade or two the primary factor has been Wal-Mart and Target and their ilk having decent toy aisles. Why would parents go to Toys R Us to shop for their kids toys when they can cross that off the list at the same time they are getting supplies or groceries?

They tried to be a place that would sell Video Games as well, but honestly I only ever considered them during shortages, such as how I got my Nintendo Switch, because they were always good about posting notices several days in advance that they would have shipments coming in.

Is no less weird to see something that was kind of iconic to my 5 year-old self no longer exist though.

[InformationGeek]

Never would have thought it possible, when I was a kid just going to Toys R Us felt like going to an amusement park. How could that go out of business...what's that, just buying things online is supremely easier? oh...

Like Blockbuster there was a chance they could have adapted, but didn't deviate until it was way too late.

It also didn't help that Mitt Romeny's company wrecked it financially. That makes two toy selling companies dead at his hands.



Meanwhile, Republican Governor Henry McMaster says he thinks the National School Walkout is a "shameful" attempt by a left-wing group to use students to further their political agenda. You know WBE, you've yet to profile this guy. This can't be the first stupid thing he's said.

[Iron Maiden]

Never would have thought it possible, when I was a kid just going to Toys R Us felt like going to an amusement park. How could that go out of business...what's that, just buying things online is supremely easier? oh...

Like Blockbuster there was a chance they could have adapted, but didn't deviate until it was way too late.

You could buy stuff online from Toys R Us. I've done it. The problem was the company that bought them burdened the company with debt and they could never get out from under it. They were paying 400 million a year just to pay off debt

It's been more than 12 years since a group of private equity firms loaded up Toys "R" Us Inc. with debt to take it private. The retailer's balance sheet would never recover, and while that may not have been obvious then, the writing was always on the wall.

[BeastieRunner]

Clearly, the government should bail out Toy R Us. Toys are TOO BIG TO FAIL!

[Iron Maiden]

Online sales certainly played a role in Toys R' Us falling behind, but I'd argue that for the last decade or two the primary factor has been Wal-Mart and Target and their ilk having decent toy aisles. Why would parents go to Toys R Us to shop for their kids toys when they can cross that off the list at the same time they are getting supplies or groceries?

They tried to be a place that would sell Video Games as well, but honestly I only ever considered them during shortages, such as how I got my Nintendo Switch, because they were always good about posting notices several days in advance that they would have shipments coming in.

Is no less weird to see something that was kind of iconic to my 5 year-old self no longer exist though.

I won't set foot in Wal Mart. Besides, the toy dept there and at Target is pretty small. I do order some stuff online but I do like to be able to see the merchandise first.

[Gray Lensman]

They're trying to brush it off as Lamb being a "conservative."

https://twitter.com/jonfavs/status/973919365119737858

Slate has a good article on this. Lamb ran as a centrist, and avoided attacking Trump but savaged Ryan instead. He called out the hypocrisy of trying to eliminate 'entitlements' such as Social Security that regular people have already paid for in order to give free money to the wealthy and corporations, and how you can't claim to be protecting life if you stop the moment it leaves the womb.

[numberthirty]

It also didn't help that Mitt Romeny's company wrecked it financially. That makes two toy selling companies dead at his hands.

Yep.

They would have had a tough enough time surviving in a "Straight Up" scenario. In the one they had, it was going to be almost impossible to do so.

[numberthirty]

Slate has a good article on this. Lamb ran as a centrist, and avoided attacking Trump but savaged Ryan instead. He called out the hypocrisy of trying to eliminate 'entitlements' such as Social Security that regular people have already paid for in order to give free money to the wealthy and corporations, and how you can't claim to be protecting life if you stop the moment it leaves the womb.

Caught a brief interview with the Libertarian that was in the race. In a less than shocking development, Republicans are blaming him for the loss.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

so looks like Conor Lamb officially won

in a district that has been RED for the last 20 years

This makes what, three times Dolt45 campaigned for someone and they lost? How long before Republicans grow a few brain cells and arrive at the conclusion that having Trump stump for their candidates is a sure fire kiss of death?

[numberthirty]

This makes what, three times Dolt45 campaigned for someone and they lost? How long before Republicans grow a few brain cells and arrive at the conclusion that having Trump stump for their candidates is a sure fire kiss of death?

In this instance, the candidate was enough of a clunker that I don't know if we can conclusively pin that loss on Trump.

Could be. That said, we don't have results without a Trump guest slot to compare it to.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

In this instance, the candidate was enough of a clunker that I don't know if we can conclusively pin that loss on Trump.

Could be. That said, we don't have results without a Trump guest slot to compare it to.

Clunker or not, to lose a region Trump won by 20 points is nothing short of staggering.

[numberthirty]

Clunker or not, to lose a region Trump won by 20 points is nothing short of staggering.

When you abandon your predecessor's pro-union position to run on "Right To Work" in a district full of unionized steel workers, I would have to disagree. There was absolutely a reasonable scenario where this guy was going to lose. Never mind that the Democrat and the Republican were both pro-steel tariffs.

If anything, I'm kind of shocked that he kept it as close as he did.

Edit: Folks are also choosing to ignore the specific race where these double digit margins happened. It was two of the least popular candidates in the history of national office on the ballot.

Almost none of the local/statewide races we are discussing are going to be that "Black" versus "White" where you can rack up a double digit win.