2016 Election Thread

[Craig Arko]

Well, here's a ringing endorsement.

 

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/may/31/north-korea-praises-trump-and-urges-us-voters-to-reject-dull-hillary

[nicksaviking]

 

Well, here's a ringing endorsement.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/may/31/north-korea-praises-trump-and-urges-us-voters-to-reject-dull-hillary

 

Putin and now Jong-un. That's fantastic, they should get some campaign pins with all three of their smiling faces on them made up.

[Craig Arko]

Reason-based politics. A novel idea.

 

http://www.cnn.com/2016/06/02/politics/atheist-reason-rally

[ashbury]

Reason-based politics. A novel idea.

 

http://www.cnn.com/2016/06/02/politics/atheist-reason-rally

I like how the banner I saw in the picture was designed not to encourage reason but simply to enrage.

[Craig Arko]

I like how the banner I saw in the picture was designed not to encourage reason but simply to enrage.

Reason still has a long way to go.

[TheLeviathan]

 

I like how the banner I saw in the picture was designed not to encourage reason but simply to enrage.

 

I thought the same thing.  This seems like it was designed to be a good thing (the two members of congress for example) but most of the people coming are there to antagonize religious people.

[Craig Arko]

Reasoned-based journalism. Another novel idea.

[Mike Sixel]

We can all strive to be more rational, doesn't mean we have completed the journey.

 

I would have been interested in going, but for living in OR......and the likelihood it won't be all that interesting also is an issue.

[Brock Beauchamp]

I'm surprised no one has posted Hillary's Trump takedown speech. It's a thing of beauty.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_wkSGLVpcE

[ashbury]

I'm surprised no one has posted Hillary's Trump takedown speech. It's a thing of beauty.

"Don't vote for the other guy!" Trump's right that it was billed as a foreign policy speech but was really just a campaign speech.

 

But, a good one.

 

In fairness, it's asymmetric warfare between the two candidates, since she is the de facto incumbent: it's always easier to say "here's what I'd do differently" than "here's what we're doing now and why it's right".

[PseudoSABR]

 

I'm surprised no one has posted Hillary's Trump takedown speech. It's a thing of beauty.

I just watched it, and I'm not surprised the amount of buzz and praise she received.  She's just very measured throughout, even when she's tacitly flinging zingers; I think this is the way go to, project competence and even-handedness, and I think it will override reasonable people's distaste for her personality or past.

[TheLeviathan]

I hope for the next 6 months Obama keeps swinging.  He's absolutely excellent in formats like this and he is right on the money in that clip.

 

I haven't loved all the man's policies, but he's got the right frame of mind.

[Badsmerf]

That should be a reality check, but I'm sure it will go in one ear and out the other. The nra is a terrible organization. They are a big part of the reason the gop has trump as their candidate.

[TheLeviathan]

I agree, the NRA is possibly the worst scourge in our country's politics.  No amount of wisdom or good sense seems to penetrate that political demographic.

[Craig Arko]

I'm surprised no one has posted Hillary's Trump takedown speech. It's a thing of beauty.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_wkSGLVpcE

It"s impressive, and shows a person qualified for the position.

 

The thing that bothers me, and I'm sure some of it was playing to that audience, is the whole Manifest Destiny vibe about the U.S. basically having to run the world to suit our best interests. I find that to also be a very dangerous game. One which all previous empires have ultimately lost.

[PseudoSABR]

The AP's (and other's) decision to declare Clinton the "presumptive nominee" on the eve of the California primary is, well, interesting.  

[TheLeviathan]

The backlash it's getting across the web may be better for Bernie than anything else that could have happened.

[stringer bell]

That Clinton was within a couple hundred delegates meant that there was no way she could lose with over 400 proportionately assigned from California. She was going to get plenty of delegates to clinch the nomination tomorrow anyway. If the Democrats want to win and win big, everybody needs to get behind the nominee quickly. We'll have a race between two of the most disliked presidential candidates ever-the resistible force versus the movable object-Trump vs. Clinton. Game on!

[ashbury]

The AP's (and other's) decision to declare Clinton the "presumptive nominee" on the eve of the California primary is, well, interesting.  

The word that comes to mind is not so much presumptive as presumptuous.

 

I'm not a Bernie Bro, but let this play out. Potentially it's only another day or two, anyway.

 

There is this quiet narrative that superdelegates who have expressed support for a candidate are held to "no backsies". And that is clearly not how the process is defined, and Bernie has had no success is getting this across to people. He may be mistaken in how his strategy will play out, but it's simply a lie that his viable path to victory is now, ahem, "foreclosed".

[TheLeviathan]

No, it's foreclosed.  He once again lost in every state in which there was a ballot-based voting system and the population had a sizable minority.  

 

All he did was hold down largely white areas of the country, areas liberals will hold down anyway.  Time to get out Bernie.  It's past time really.

[ashbury]

Bernie and Barack are supposed to have a confab this week. Hopefully, Barack listens thoughtfully to Bernie's concerns, and if it's right, then tells him, "look, I'm coming out in support of Hillary this weekend. You can be on board, or not. I hope you are. It will be better for the causes you support. The party platform at the convention is another story. Work constructively on that, and I'll support some concessions. Best I can offer."

[ashbury]

No, it's foreclosed. 

24 hours later, the final pieces of the jigsaw puzzle are in place. California sealed off Bernie's last hope of persuading superdelegates with some kind of electability and momentum argument. Now I agree it's time for him to take stock, and redirect his self-described "revolution" constructively.

[TheLeviathan]

I understood waiting for California, but he got demolished.  Every minute he's still in the race it reflects poorly on him.

[ashbury]

I'll give him a few days to make his calm and reasoned assessment before offering him my own assessment.

[Brock Beauchamp]

What are the chances Hillary approaches Bernie for the vice-president position?

 

I can't decide if it's "zero" or "really high".

 

Bernie won't bring Hillary a swing state, which she certainly could use right about now. If she locks up two swing states, she's nearly president by default.

 

But Bernie could go a long way toward unifying the Democratic Party and that might be more important than any single swing state in the nation.

[ashbury]

But Bernie could go a long way toward unifying the Democratic Party

Extortion is such an ugly word. I prefer to call it... well, extortion.

[Brock Beauchamp]

 

Extortion is such an ugly word. I prefer to call it... well, extortion.

I don't think it'd be extortion. Bernie as VP would signify to his supporters that Clinton is willing to listen to those left of her and put someone in place to steer her in that direction when possible. I think that'd mean a lot to the 45% of people who are afraid of Clinton, her hawkishness, and centrism.

[DaveW]

 

No, it's foreclosed.  He once again lost in every state in which there was a ballot-based voting system and the population had a sizable minority.  

 

All he did was hold down largely white areas of the country, areas liberals will hold down anyway.  Time to get out Bernie.  It's past time really.

Not to mention he is over 3 MILLION votes behind Clinton as well. In reality this thing never was close to begin with, and the only thing that we were shown is that the caucus system needs to change.

[DaveW]

 

What are the chances Hillary approaches Bernie for the vice-president position?

 

I can't decide if it's "zero" or "really high".

 

Bernie won't bring Hillary a swing state, which she certainly could use right about now. If she locks up two swing states, she's nearly president by default.

 

But Bernie could go a long way toward unifying the Democratic Party and that might be more important than any single swing state in the nation.

Ugh I really hope it is zero. Having a the POTUS and VP have an average age of 70 (78 in 8 years) is not a good idea. The VP needs to be a young up and comer within the party and someone they can look for in the future.

 

She could promise him a spot in her cabinet or in some advisory role in which he can help push a couple of his agendas. But he really makes no sense as a VP candidate, considering his pretty radical overall agenda.

 

At the end of the day, a decent amount of the people who voted for Bernie will vote for Hilary, the "bernie bros" may not, but they are mostly made up of young 20 something white voters, that demographic never comes out to vote in general elections anyways. I would hate to see the demographic party be held hostage due to a very vocal minority of people (the true Bernie or Bust people)

 

Even if they can't reach that group, it's still not a huge deal IMO. You are going to have a ton of women, minority and moderate republicans who refuse to vote for Trump this election. They may not vote for Hilary, but they won't come to the polls at all. Hilary's "challenge" of reaching the bernie bros is a much less difficult one than Trumps "challenge" or reaching the moderate republicans/middle of the road folks.

 

I thought for sure he would tone down the racist rhetoric once he won the nominee, but with the embarrassing judge comments recently it looks like he is just doubling down. I have a lot of friends and some extended family who have voted republican the majority of the time, to almost a person I haven't heard a single one say they will vote for Trump (now maybe some will, but won't publicize it) but mostly I hear them split between not voting at all, or voting for Hilary.

 

I don't see any way Trump turns a few blue states red (and keeps all the previous red ones red) from the last election. I could even see him struggling to win a state like Texas when it's all said and done.

[PseudoSABR]

 

What are the chances Hillary approaches Bernie for the vice-president position?

 

I can't decide if it's "zero" or "really high".

 

Bernie won't bring Hillary a swing state, which she certainly could use right about now. If she locks up two swing states, she's nearly president by default.

 

But Bernie could go a long way toward unifying the Democratic Party and that might be more important than any single swing state in the nation.

I hope Hillary goes this route (putting a progressive liberal on the ticket) as opposed to gaming swing states or picking a white guy to the right of her.    I know people are cynical of the two-women ticket, but I think Warren makes a lot of sense as a bridge to Bernie's supporters.