2016 USA Presidential election thread I: The warm-up

[Ksandra]

I'll be sad if Trump runs as an independent (he won't) because it'll give Republicans cover for when Hilldog destroys them.

I'd rather she smokes Bush or Walker straight up.

I think it is safe to say Trump has done enough that the republican party will blame him if he stays, goes, gets nominated, or doesn't get nominated.

[Mrbeansman]

How much do you think the right to work shit would hurt Walker in the GE?

[ringthree]

I'll be sad if Trump runs as an independent (he won't) because it'll give Republicans cover for when Hilldog destroys them.

I'd rather she smokes Bush or Walker straight up.

You are assuming that Trump's ego isn't big enough to lead him to believe he could win as an independent.

[Xantavia]

How much do you think the right to work shit would hurt Walker in the GE?

Doubt it would have much of an effect. People relate right to work with unions. It seems that in todays climate, conservatives trend towards anti-union and they feel he is a hero already. Goes the other way too. Liberals seen as more pro-union, so wouldn't vote for him in the first place.

[Kachiko]

Nobody believes Trump will get the nomination; you're all putting way too much thought into these early voting numbers, which is currently about 99% name recognition.

I do find it perplexing that, the entirety of the media doesn't consider him a valid candidate, yet they salivate, on his every word, as if he were a real candidate. Then, you take a gander at their coverage of the not-Hillary candidates, whom they also don't consider as valid candidates, and they don't say a damn thing. They also don't run to Hillary, asking her what she thinks of what the other candidates say, even when O'malley apologizes for saying that 'All lives matter.' Nor do they run to prominent Democratic leaders about controversial progressive issues like the recent Planned Parrenthood videos, asking how these issues reflect on the Democratic party, as a whole.

It's why, by and large, the media are a farce, more interested in cheerleading, for their own side, then actually challenging those who wield power of the citizens, which is the entire point of have a fee media, with freedom of the press.

[Gredival]

I do find it perplexing that, the entirety of the media doesn't consider him a valid candidate, yet they salivate, on his every word, as if he were a real candidate.

Because it's a spectacle and that gets viewers.

[Waraji]

Just read this comment on someones blog.

(1) Fuck Donald Trump. This is theatre, not politics. He's the civic equivalent of "Pixels"

[Tyrath]

I have no love for Trump obviously, but I highly enjoy the fact that he called Rick Perry out on putting glasses on to appear smart and different from the man he was last election term.

I bet Stewart is really regretting retiring before Trump is done with the elections.

[archibaldcrane]

Ok so, let's make this election more interesting.

Trump runs as an independent, Republicans nominate, say, Jeb, and just before Hillary wraps up the nomination she has a stroke or something and the Gore and Biden types don't jump in.

Bernie vs. Jeb vs. Trump.

That would be interesting.

[Galkaeater]

Just read this comment on someones blog.

politics is theatre

[Serra]

Ok so, let's make this election more interesting.

Trump runs as an independent, Republicans nominate, say, Jeb, and just before Hillary wraps up the nomination she has a stroke or something and the Gore and Biden types don't jump in.

Bernie vs. Jeb vs. Trump.

That would be interesting.

Interesting in that we'd have another Bush in the White House?

[Serra]

Also, if you remove Hillary, I'm not sure Sanders gets the nomination -- yes, he's seventeen points higher than the next closest, but I think some of the other candidates have a better chance with more of the middle ground voters.

[archibaldcrane]

Interesting in that we'd have another Bush in the White House?

With Trump stealing a bunch of Republican votes as a 3rd party?

[archibaldcrane]

Also, if you remove Hillary, I'm not sure Sanders gets the nomination -- yes, he's seventeen points higher than the next closest, but I think some of the other candidates have a better chance with more of the middle ground voters.

I'm not saying remove her now, I'm saying deep into the primaries, where the other lame Dem candidates have won 0 states and are about to / have dropped out.

[Serra]

I'm not even sure Sanders could keep all the voters who recognize themselves as Democrats in the open race. Even if Trump ran as a third party, you'd have two extreme candidates (Sanders and Trump) and one middle ground candidate in Bush. Bush would carry the independents.

[archibaldcrane]

So you're saying it would be interesting.

[Quicklet]

Everytime I see Hillary give a speech about something on TV it just feels so forced and unexciting. Yes, she's the overwhelming favorite, and she's almost guaranteed to win the nomination, but the only thing you can say in terms of supporting her is that the Republicans can't field a sane candidate (and they still have a decent shot at winning with Jeb or Walker).

[archibaldcrane]

Well, that, and she's a supporter of most of the political issues that liberals and Democrats care about.

[Quicklet]

That's questionable. Sure, on the really easy stuff she can give lip service while campaigning, but is it really believable that her foreign policy is going to be any better than Bush/Obama, that she'll make any meaningful economic reforms, or that she'll be a better advocate for progressive issues than an Elizabeth Warren or a Bernie Sanders? She is a shrewd politician, but she has always been a center-right Democrat since becoming a senator. Again, she's better than almost any Republican that is in the race this cycle, but it's not exactly a high threshold to cross.

[archibaldcrane]

Um, did you really lump Bush and Obama's foreign policy together?

THEY BOTH USED DRONES GUISE THEY ARE THE SAME

get the fuck out