2016 USA Presidential election thread I: The warm-up

[Zealot]

Also Day - I am accepting contributions. Expect nothing in return.

[kuronosan]

And I followed you on Twitter for nothing.

[Zealot]

I mean don't expect money to influence my agenda. Give if you like what I have to say, not because you want to buy my favor. Also I'm not sure how much of this I'm actually allowed to say. Election laws regarding talking about campaign finance are surprisingly strict.

[Day]

Also Day - I am accepting contributions. Expect nothing in return.

This is not how it works man you know this.

[Zealot]

Let me dream.

[Carth]

I've never made a secret of the fact that I am a progressive, and that as such my interests (which I would posit align with the common good) are almost always better served by a Democrat rather than a Republican.

I mean, are you really going to dispute that Republican economic policies aren't designed to benefit the wealthy (including businesses/corporations)?

What I take issue with is idealism ("I won't vote for a flawed candidate over a deeply flawed candidate because they are both corporate shills!"). I play the game and in that respect, winning is paramount. So I'd gladly take a bunch of flawed donkeys if it meant the extinction of elephants.

I mean I'm pretty sure I've said "Shut up, sit down, vote the party line" at least three times.

The majority of the country at the very least has progressive values over social issues. The issue is the majority of people doesn't believe they can get the things they actually want (like free health care) without tanking the economy. They also don't know that the government funds are heavily spent on prisons and the Iraq War, let alone bailing out Wall Street. The issue has always been information and the lack thereof. I'm pretty sure most people are still convinced that "trickle down economics" actually works when it has been proven it doesn't, and that's been the foundation of the GOP.

As for voting for the party line, the liberal media I watch (I can't watch the conservative media because frankly it's just too ridiculous for me to stomach) put down unscientific polls to see how many of their viewers would vote for HRC, and an overwhelming majority of them say "Never Hillary" and they'll vote for Jill Stein instead. Personally I think it's because voting the party line doesn't compute with them because they don't identify themselves as democrats in the first place.

[archibaldcrane]

Chris Murphy ended his 15-hour filibuster, Republicans in the Senate agreed to hold votes on two gun control measures (expanded background checks, no guns for people on terrorist watch lists). It'll die in the House if it gets out of the Senate, but hey, a filibuster was 1) actually used, not just threatened, and 2) worked.

How many hours did Bernie filibuster for?

[kuronosan]

How many hours did Bernie filibuster for?

Zero, and he's catching flak for it.

[dasva]

I mean don't expect money to influence my agenda. Give if you like what I have to say, not because you want to buy my favor. Also I'm not sure how much of this I'm actually allowed to say. Election laws regarding talking about campaign finance are surprisingly strict.

Will I at least get a souvenir and vague lip service?

[Ragnus]

Trump might have more problems on his hands than he thinks. All around my work, I'm hearing more conservative minded people talking about Gary Johnson and the Libertarian ticket.

[Krandor]

While no one should be under the illusion that he'll win, Johnson can likely expect to pull in a healthy chunk of the vote. Depending on how things shape out in the next few months I would not at all be surprised to see him take 15% or more of the popular.

The extreme dislike for both main candidates definitely works in his favor, and unlike Jill Stein he's not a complete nutcase.

[archibaldcrane]

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/latest_polls/

Delicious new polls, Hillary up 5 and up 9/10 nationally. Also up 3 in Virginia and 9 in Wisconsin, and adding Stein and Johnson hurts Trump more than Hillary (which wasn't the case a couple weeks ago)

[Carth]

While no one should be under the illusion that he'll win, Johnson can likely expect to pull in a healthy chunk of the vote. Depending on how things shape out in the next few months I would not at all be surprised to see him take 15% or more of the popular.

The extreme dislike for both main candidates definitely works in his favor, and unlike Jill Stein he's not a complete nutcase.

Have you ever seen a Libertarian debate? Johnson is one of the more sane Libertarians but a lot of the stuff they talk about on there is laughable.

[Krandor]

Yeah but we're also comparing him to a presidential field with Trump and Stein in the mix.

[archibaldcrane]

Have you ever seen a Libertarian debate? Johnson is one of the more sane Libertarians but a lot of the stuff they talk about on there is laughable.

He got booed at the convention for saying he would have signed the Civil Rights Act, which is awesome.

[Ragnus]

Even after voting her once in 2012, I'm left wondering why Stein even bothers. The Green Party has 75 people elected at the local level only, and they're trying to get in on the presidential race every time it comes around. My wife has the attitude that they need to win a major election before they start seeing more support on the local level / Congressional, but I kinda feel like that's backwards logic and that the party is continuously putting the cart before the horse.

[Tyche]

Johnson is a sane Libertarian because he's just a center-right Republican. The Libertarian ticket is the best ticket the Republican's have had in quite some time.

[notorious bum]

Comparing to the party that believes taxes are theft and tyranny, I would say the Green party appeals to a pretty drastically different demographic. Didn't Johnson recently advocate the use of the A-Bomb on the anniversary? I mean, beyond the usual sweep-under-the-rug coward's line of "it was a tough decision to make."

[Minions]

I don't know if you guys heard, but Obama is directly responsible for the mass shooting in Florida.

[archibaldcrane]

I don't know if you guys heard, but Obama is directly responsible for the mass shooting in Florida.

McCain is really trying to get bounced this year eh? I hope Kirkpatrick is up to it. Hopefully the Arizona latinos can sweep him out along with Trump.