2016 USA Presidential election thread I: The warm-up

[Sho]

Weed solve every problem, for much cheaper per month.

[Roranora]

The system is broken. The problem is you still have to work with it.

The trouble is, the pace the broken system is going at is much slower than the pace of problems piling up.
The situation will not long survive with those conditions.

Sounds like we need a peaceful revolution. Of course, the last guy who talked like that got shot in the fuckin' head.

Weed solve every problem, for much cheaper per month.

Here's another problem with the system; a well-known panacea isn't even discussed (objectively) because it's a political death sentence.

[Kanriel]

Pissed off electorates also cause major changes in the atmosphere. Like FDR's 4 terms in a row.

[Serra]

When people start eating their shoes, then we can start talking about major changes like that.

[kuronosan]

Work within the confines?

A broken system can never be mended. If you can't change the system a new one must take its place or people must learn to live within the confines of a system that works. Our system does not.

[Sho]

John Boehner crying yet again. Not even 30 seconds into the Pope's address to joint-Congress.

It was a beautiful address however. I couldn't agree with all of it (mainly message of marriage), but I found myself choking back tears as well. Not even Catholic, but he touched with his words.

What's more interesting is that his speech exposed the hypocrisy of the current GOP election cycle with their abhorrence towards people of Muslim faith and immigrants.

[Dantrag]

I like the pope. He's a pretty awesome guy. If more religious people were like him the world would be a better place.

[Serra]

For those who are interested, I think this is the speech (just found it and haven't watched it all -- it's two hours):


Edit: Speech starts around 1:13:15.

[Sho]

Unfortunately, it won't change the rhetoric that will come out in the weeks and months concerning immigration. Those who are against immigration will continue to spout rhetoric that will bring them the numbers with their constituents. The GOP also got a big boost when it comes to defunding Planned Parenthood.

It's crazy how both sides of the aisle gave this man the utmost respect today, but in the coming days they will disseminate everything in a way that fits their political agendas. He was simply speaking truths with a common morality that should be used in the world. I do hope that it gets discussions started for the betterment of the nation.

[notorious bum]

Weed solve every problem, for much cheaper per month.

I'm going smoke weed everyday when I get older. That's my retirement plan.

[Marootsoobutsu]

The trouble is, the pace the broken system is going at is much slower than the pace of problems piling up.
The situation will not long survive with those conditions.

You're saying this is how the situation is, and will continue to be.
Were saying you're right, that's how the situation is, but you're wrong on how it will continue, because with everything coming just over the horizon, it's simply not possible for that to be the case.

You are aware that people have been saying that since basically 10 minutes after the Constitution was ratified, right? There are legitimately fewer problems "coming just over the horizon" now than at basically any time in American history. You're just becoming more aware of them now, and think it's new. There's NOTHING in America now anywhere CLOSE to the problems of 1950s civil rights. There's no threat or fear right now that's even a hint of the fear of the Soviet Union. Economically, we're better in basically every way than the 70s-- let alone the early 1960s, or the 1930s. There's no real war looming like in the 1930s and 40s, or the 1910s. You can go on and on and on and on, but the truth is, this is all nothing new-- the closest we get is our debt, but that doesn't require changing the system to solve, that just requires agreeing that it needs to be solved.

Changes will happen. Slowly, a chip here, a chip there, but they'll happen. Never as fast as the activists want, never as slow as the alarmists fear.


As for the Pope's speech-- it was a good one, but holy moly I wish people would stop interrupting every darned point with applause. Save it for the end, and let the man speak. I'm not interested in hearing your hands, I want to hear his words.

[archibaldcrane]

You are aware that people have been saying that since basically 10 minutes after the Constitution was ratified, right? There are legitimately fewer problems "coming just over the horizon" now than at basically any time in American history. You're just becoming more aware of them now, and think it's new. There's NOTHING in America now anywhere CLOSE to the problems of 1950s civil rights. There's no threat or fear right now that's even a hint of the fear of the Soviet Union. Economically, we're better in basically every way than the 70s-- let alone the early 1960s, or the 1930s. There's no real war looming like in the 1930s and 40s, or the 1910s. You can go on and on and on and on, but the truth is, this is all nothing new

This, except for world history too.

[notorious bum]

This is going into Trump territory, nobody wants to hear about how much better the world is, so don't start quoting global life expectancy averages and GDPs and shit.

[archibaldcrane]

Damn reality messing with my populist message!

[Marootsoobutsu]

This is going into Trump territory, nobody wants to hear about how much better the world is, so don't start quoting global life expectancy averages and GDPs and shit.

Yeah, no one likes hearing the truth. Self-important tiatribes are just so much more fun.

[Sho]

I would encourage people to watch Fareed Zakaria's GPS or read his Washington Post opinion pieces. He explicitly details how the US as economic power isn't being "killed" by China, Japan, or Mexico like Trump constantly mentions, but quite the contrary -- we are killing them (and by extension the EU as well) when it comes to the economy, especially in a 2008 post crisis market.

[archibaldcrane]

I was going to go with the huge global decline in absolute poverty in my lifetime personally.

[archibaldcrane]

Hell, why not.

[Blubbartron]

That's nice that global poverty is getting better, but most people who are bitching about the status of our economy don't give a single solitary fuck about the rest of the world. If you think AMERICANS are doing better now than they were in the 1960's, you're out of your goddamn mind.

[notorious bum]

Global statistics void all books, don't bother reading em anymore tbh. Folks bugging about redistribution of wealth, slavery, imperialism, consolidation of power, genocide, coups, imminent domain, climate change, and "the global south" in 2015? You can't cram all that into a bar graph that makes any sense, so therefor "things are MUCH better now than 50 years ago for everybody."


Not even Bernie is speaking the lingo, outside of the obvious domestic problems.