2016 Election Thread

[Badsmerf]

That is very funny.

[stringer bell]

In regard to almost everything Republican candidates are proposing: "It's all about that base".

[Hrbowski]

I can't wait until Trump supporter Clay Buchholz hits Rubio supporter Mark Teixeira in spring training.   Who will Torii Hunter endorse?

[twinsnorth49]

Don't remember if twinsnorth has posted this before...

 

http://www.americabutbetter.com/

 

Did get a laugh out of this link:

 

http://www.thebeaverton.com/us/item/2366-nra-recommends-gun-owners-buy-second-gun-to-protect-selves-from-first-gun

Lol, I love that book, check out the YouTube video, it's worth it.

[Craig Arko]

For being an ex-Catholic, I will admit to a great deal of respect for Pope Francis.

 

http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/18/politics/pope-francis-trump-christian-wall/index.html

 

[Mike Sixel]

Falwell Jr just said this:

 

"Jesus never intended to give instructions to political leaders on how to run a country"

 

Do these right wingers have no sense of humor, or amazing senses of humor?

[drjim]

 

Falwell Jr just said this:

 

"Jesus never intended to give instructions to political leaders on how to run a country"

 

Do these right wingers have no sense of humor, or amazing senses of humor?

 

I would be leery of lumping everyone on the right wing together. Falwell is a special kind of amazing.

 

As someone who personally cares about the church, I am thankful that Trump, for everything else he has done this past year, has at least lured out the true religious charlatans.

[Mike Sixel]

 

I would be leery of lumping everyone on the right wing together. Falwell is a special kind of amazing.

 

As someone who personally cares about the church, I am thankful that Trump, for everything else he has done this past year, has at least lured out the true religious charlatans.

 

Every single one of them is talking about God telling them to run, or starting a proselytizing part of the government, or some such. Call it pandering if you want, the right is currently beholden to a certain kind of Christianity. 

[Craig Arko]

 

Every single one of them is talking about God telling them to run, or starting a proselytizing part of the government, or some such. Call it pandering if you want, the right is currently beholden to a certain kind of Christianity. 

Manifest Destiny.

[Squirrel]

 

I would be leery of lumping everyone on the right wing together. Falwell is a special kind of amazing.

 

As someone who personally cares about the church, I am thankful that Trump, for everything else he has done this past year, has at least lured out the true religious charlatans.

Frankly, and personally, if anyone talks about their religion and their church (or whatever) in the context of a political discussion in terms of issues or candidacy, it's cause for me to be leery, regardless of lumped category.

[Mike Sixel]

Just don't try to prostlytize. Or force your religion on us thru law and regulation. You know, the FIRST ammendment to the Constitution.....

 

let's be honest, many people who say they love the constitution and the bible only love the parts they want to love when it serves them, and largely ignores any inconvenient parts, like freedom of religion or love thy neighbor as I have loved you.....

 

edit: I'm talking about politicians here, and those who scream the loudest in the political realm, even if they aren't technically in the government.

[drjim]

 

Frankly, and personally, if anyone talks about their religion and their church (or whatever) in the context of a political discussion in terms of issues or candidacy, it's cause for me to be leery, regardless of lumped category.

 

I completely agree. But I do differentiate between a candidate who is almost certainly pandering, and a religious leader who endorses a certain candidate and the reasons that they cite.

 

That said, the best religious leaders are people we haven't heard of because they don't bother with this nonsense.

[drjim]

 

Just don't try to prostlytize. Or force your religion on us thru law and regulation. You know, the FIRST ammendment to the Constitution.....

 

let's be honest, many people who say they love the constitution and the bible only love the parts they want to love when it serves them, and largely ignores any inconvenient parts, like freedom of religion or love thy neighbor as I have loved you.....

 

I would be careful with saying "most" here, unless you are specifically talking about people in the political realm.

[Mike Sixel]

I am not sure religious leaders shouldn't say "Jesus said to feed the poor, maybe we should look at our priorities".

 

I'm not even sure I care that Falwell trains politicians. I care about the lying and hypocrisy and the ignoring the parts of the bible that don't let them get rich and impose their will on others......

 

But, if your God says you should help others, then maybe the church encouraging such behavior is not a bad thing. I don't even have an issue with some of Christianity working against abortion. I have an issue with some of them also not caring about poor people and politics. 

[Mike Sixel]

 

I would be careful with saying "most" here, unless you are specifically talking about people in the political realm.

 

Sorry, I thought that was obvious. My bad.

[drjim]

 

Sorry, I thought that was obvious. My bad.

 

I think it is obvious, but you are also conflated two things in your previous comments.

 

For example, your last post

 

I am not sure religious leaders shouldn't say "Jesus said to feed the poor, maybe we should look at our priorities".

 

I'm not even sure I care that Falwell trains politicians. I care about the lying and hypocrisy and the ignoring the parts of the bible that don't let them get rich and impose their will on others......

 

But, if your God says you should help others, then maybe the church encouraging such behavior is not a bad thing. I don't even have an issue with some of Christianity working against abortion. I have an issue with some of them also not caring about poor people and politics. 

 

Most religious leaders do say this (or some variation) constantly and repeatedly. They are also not part of the political realm, and media is not going out of its way to give it a platform. I'm not even upset about that because it really doesn't matter.

 

I'm not even that upset with political "Christians" either. People are going to do what they feel they need to do to win elections and gather up power. That's human nature.

 

There really truly is a battle within the church in all of this that is happening just below the surface. I'm a huge proponent of separation of church and state, because trying to mold together the two corrupts both, and the church most especially. I think you'd be quite surprised at the number/percent of Christians that feel the same way. They may be passionate about politics and desire a certain candidate, but they want no part of it in their church.

[Mike Sixel]

I'm not surprised at all, a couple of good friends are ministers in liberal Christian churches.....

 

 

[Squirrel]

 

I completely agree. But I do differentiate between a candidate who is almost certainly pandering, and a religious leader who endorses a certain candidate and the reasons that they cite.

 

That said, the best religious leaders are people we haven't heard of because they don't bother with this nonsense.

I'd really like it to go one step further ... separation of Church and State. Why are religious leaders endorsing anyone at all? I pretty much pay no attention to that, and in most cases, it involves those candidates pretty far to the right.

[DaveW]

For being an ex-Catholic, I will admit to a great deal of respect for Pope Francis.

 

http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/18/politics/pope-francis-trump-christian-wall/index.html

As someone who wavers weekly on whether I am still a Catholic or not, I agree with you 100% the church has a lot of issues IMO but Francis is not one of them and is not only a great ambassador for the church, but mankind as a whole.

[DaveW]

I don't have a lot of great things to say about trump, but I love the fact that he is calling out W for his bull**** and the Iraq war.

[Badsmerf]

Pope Francis is the best thing to happen to the church in my lifetime. Everything he has done, said, stood for has been for love, peace and the goodwill of humanity. I'm literally shocked that he was chosen as the Pope. 

 

Let me echo Jim in saying that lumping people together (even Christians) just isn't fair. They come in all shapes and sizes. Unfortunately, the loudest and most egregious of them all happen to be in politics. The things that are being said to pander to "the base" have to make you wonder why it is someone is pandering to them? Why don't we have a party that panders to... the majority? Would it be that hard to get them to vote? 

 

We already know the GOP is cracking. It has been tumultuous in the Senate over the last year, the Tea Party has been instrumental in creating bickering within the party, and now if Trump or Cruz get elected it wont matter who the Democrats put up there.   

[Mike Sixel]

As someone that was married into the Church, and spent a few years raising his kids in it, I too remain shocked he's the Pope. 

[Willihammer]

The "base" as described in this thread are mostly protestant, so the pope doesn't really apply. Even among Catholics, they're minds are made up. The pope could flat out endorse the Democratic candidate and it wouldn't make a lick of difference for most Catholics I know.

[Willihammer]

I got a reminder of how big the base is when I went on a blind date with a girl recently. Lakeville girl, middle class, nice, hot, etc. Stark raving religious nutter. They are a depressingly huge chunk of the population outside of urban areas.

[drjim]

 

I got a reminder of how big the base is when I went on a blind date with a girl recently. Lakeville girl, middle class, nice, hot, etc. Stark raving religious nutter. They are a depressingly huge chunk of the population outside of urban areas.

 

But if you can work through that, lots of repressed animal sexuality in there.

[Willihammer]

 

But if you can work through that, lots of repressed animal sexuality in there.

Believe me, we didn't break up on my account.

[Squirrel]

 

But if you can work through that, lots of repressed animal sexuality in there.

 

Believe me, we didn't break up on my account.

 

Okay, let's not go there in a political thread. If you start a thread about the sexually repressed of the super religious, I might have a story or two to tell as well. But let's keep this thread separate from that. Thanks.

[DaveW]

Hey guys,

 

Just wanted to say thanks for making this a very tolerable, informative and overall great thread! Pretty rare these days to discuss politics and see such respect for one another and nobody seems to be getting offended too often.

[DaveW]

Okay, let's not go there in a political thread. If you start a thread about the sexually repressed of the super religious, I might have a story or two to tell as well. But let's keep this thread separate from that. Thanks.

Oh wow, that would be a heck of a thread!

[Brock Beauchamp]

Easily my favorite thing this week.

 

Yes, it's a real screenshot from my own computer.