2016 USA Presidential election thread I: The warm-up

[Headspace]

Gimme my loan forgiveness.

Screw personal responsibility

[Serra]

It'd be great if college was free, but there's no way something like that will happen in the next few years -- the only way there will be progress is with incremental changes.

[Quicklet]

The biggest problem with college tuition right now (besides the absurdly skyrocketing rates) is that many states reduced funding for public universities during the Great Recession and haven't started putting those cuts back in place as the economy has (supposedly) improved. Something needs to be done to address it before the system completely breaks the economy (there's only so long you can have 20-somethings struggling to pay back over a trillion dollars of non-dischargeable debt before it starts taking a toll on things like housing, automobiles, and other big ticket purchases).

Federal funding to states (under the condition that states maintain a certain level of support for their public universities) is good, but what really needs to happen in the short-term is for student debt to be dischargeable through bankruptcy again. If lenders actually have to take on an appropriate amount of risk, it might help reduce the number of students who take on way more debt than they can ever hope to repay. The alternative is becoming the modern indentured servitude.

[Cantih]

Crowd shot from Sanders' L.A. event

[notorious bum]

Bernie's campaign says that there was an estimated 27,000 people with the overflow outside...so, 7-10k standing out there? Jeezus.



Also saw that Sarah Silverman helped open for him, more reinforcement of BLM issues. I know Ferguson is playing Groundhog Day right now, but so very little conversation on Bernie, despite him showing that he's the only one who truly gives a fuck.

[Sho]

Crazy how almost 3 months later no one is taking Donald Trump or Bernie Sanders seriously -- they are both the guys that people that top establishment types are sleeping on, despite the very simple fact that both gentlemen are tapping into the very same unrest in the country. Easy to write it off as populism, but there is something magical when you see Sanders do 10~30 thousand people at a rally, or see Trump seemingly wade through all naysayers (and now him saying every negative thing he wants under the sun with impunity) and still top the poll numbers, despite having not stated any facts, figures, or ideas on how to change the nation.

Sanders and Trump are literally polar opposites of the same coin as well -- that of a Ross Perot era coin. Shit is truly amazing to watch in motion.

[Sho]

In other news, Lil' B The Based God drops Clinton for Sanders:

http://www.cnn.com/2015/08/10/politi...ers/index.html

We know who's going to win now.

Spoiler: show

http://www.troll.me/images2/presiden...e-me-alone.jpg

Thank you, Based God !

[Moss]

Other candidates better tread lightly lest they be afflicted with the Based God's curse.

[Serra]

Former First Lady Nancy Reagan is inviting 16 Republican presidential candidates to participate in the CNN/Reagan Library presidential debate on September 16.

http://www.cnn.com/2015/08/11/politi...ons/index.html

There are going to be two back to back debates to allow all the candidates to participate, and the only requirement is that you've received at least 1% support in three national polls (so Gilmore is currently out).

In response to Sanders.. Let's calm down for a moment. While yes, Sanders is drawing big crowds, he's too far to the left to be a viable national candidate. He's not even a Democrat -- he's an independent running as a Democrat. There is no way the DNC will allow a non-viable candidate like Sanders to win the nomination. I'd go so far to say he has a better chance running as an independent, but in which case, hope you're ready for four years of a Republican President! (Unless Trump runs as an independent as well, in which case, who knows what is going on..)

[tyven]

Some might say Bernie is the only real democrat in the race. SUP NOW

[pohibaba]

I think the Democratic Primary could shape up to be like the '68 campaign. Sanders will play the McCarthy role, Clinton will play the President Johnson role, Warren will play the Kennedy role (hopefully without getting shot), and John Kerry will play the Humphrey role. Unfortunately all of that turmoil led to the Nixon Presidency; let's all hope for a better outcome.

[notorious bum]

Why can't we just acknowledge the progress Bernie has made in such a short amount of time? If you don't think he's going to have an impact on this election, you're being stubborn.

Also, Bernie is so far left that he's drawing major support from folks who identify as either RW or apolitical. That's fascinating.

[zoobernut]

I have seen quite a few of my more conservative friends on facebook declare that if Bernie wins the nomination that it will be their first time voting Democrat ever. I think it is going to get to a point where he is going to start pulling in the less crazy disenfranchised republicans too. The crazy disenfranchised republicans are going to Trump for similar but crazier reasons.

It will be a very strange election indeed and I think it is too early to predict how it will play out. Bernie and Trump are gaining traction and the normal rules are not applying right now. They are wildcards indeed that will shake this thing up even if neither one is electable they already changed the conversations.

[Tyrath]

Fuck it. Bernie vs Trump. I'm all in. Better than the boring and obvious Bush vs Clinton.

[kuronosan]

If anyone here seriously thinks Bernie won't at pick up heavy steam in this political climate, they're fooling themselves.

Doesn't necessarily mean he'll get elected, but still.

[tyven]

He hasn't even achieved his final form. SANDERS/WEINER 2016 BABY

[kuronosan]

Sanders/Tyven 2016.

[tyven]

LETS DO THIS

[Roranora]

Now I like where this thread is going.

[Aksannyi]

I'm honestly terrified at how much support Trump already has. The thought of him actually running this country terrifies me more than anything else politically in my lifetime. I seriously do not get why people are supporting him, like I literally cannot put myself in the mindset of someone who actually wants him to be elected. Usually I can sort of see where people are coming from but the only arguments I've heard from people are "Well he gives no fucks and he's not trying to be politically correct," or "Well he has so much money no one can control him by giving him funds." Neither of which make me comfortable at all.

I have no idea what kind of policy he plans to make, where he stands politically except he seems to be pretty fucking racist with his stances on immigration and that he's made a slew of sexist remarks. What is he going to do with foreign policy? What are his stances on the military and veterans? Who would trust this man as commander in chief of the military? It's not that I think he's going to push the red button and nuke Iran or something, but I certainly don't think he has any idea what he's fucking doing except riling people up.

I'll admit I don't have all the facts about him. But just the things I've seen and heard are already enough to make my stomach churn at the thought of him taking the presidency.