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PoliGAF 2015 |OT| Keep Calm and Diablos On

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thepotatoman

Unconfirmed Member
OK, Ben Carson is an absolute nut:



Hey, if you simply don't tell people they're poor, everything will fix itself! Yeah, the private sector will fix all the poverty problems! It has worked so well so far.

If we lived in a country that wasn't overrun with corporate greed, this plan would be reasonable. However, I refuse to believe this man is as ignorant as he appears here. The thing that really bothers me is that, again, he is saying absolutely nothing. He is basically arguing for economic growth and peop,e to help each other. OK, great--what is your plan to accomplish that? Because your flat tax would destroy the poor, hurt the middle-class, and cause huge debt.

He thinks every problem can be fixed by ignoring until it goes away.
 

ivysaur12

Banned
http://www.politico.com/magazine/st...-mccaskill-2012-121262_full.html#.Vc4ecRNViko

How I Helped Todd Akin Win — So I Could Beat Him Later
By SEN. CLAIRE MCCASKILL

It was August 7, 2012, and I was standing in my hotel room in Kansas City about to shotgun a beer for the first time in my life. I had just made the biggest gamble of my political career—a $1.7 million gamble—and it had paid off. Running for reelection to the U.S. Senate as a Democrat from Missouri, I had successfully manipulated the Republican primary so that in the general election I would face the candidate I was most likely to beat. And this is how I had promised my daughters we would celebrate.

But first let me go back to the beginning.

This is amazing. Give her credit -- she's a fighter.
 
Hope Trump isn't planning to print his slogan on any shirts or hats lest he fall foul to a trademark infringement suit from Bobby Estell.

A shrewdly timed registration by Bobby too.

Donald_Trump_Make_America_Great_Again_Hat_-_01.jpg
.
 

NeoXChaos

Member
People don't think HIllary can give a good thrashing to The Donald in a debate besides Biden?

Biden is only getting this praise because of him and Ryan. He debated in the 08 primary and did not do any outstanding debate performances that made headlines aside from his Giuliani comment.
 
Eventually, one of the Republican candidates is going to slip up and use "Make America Great Again" in a speech.

And Trump will sue that candidate for copyright infringement.

And it will be glorious.

People don't think HIllary can give a good thrashing to The Donald in a debate besides Biden?

Biden is only getting this praise because of him and Ryan. He debated in the 08 primary and did not do any outstanding debate performances that made headlines aside from his Giuliani comment.

Yeah, Biden vs. Ryan was a great show, but whooping Paul Ryan on the debate floor is no great feat.
 

NeoXChaos

Member
I hope bernie is registering people to vote with these large crowds he's getting. Easier to track them down in the general for Hillary should he lose. Especially the unlikely voters interested in his campaign. We need every vote we can get for the Fall. These young people 18-24 are the future of our party.
 

HylianTom

Banned
why do I keep reading that bernie thread?
I ask myself that every day.

Any one of the Democratic candidates will appoint folks who'll kill Citizens. These folks claim to care about eliminating such sources of corruption, and then..

{I'm biting my tongue as much as I do on Gaming Side..}
 

NeoXChaos

Member
why do I keep reading that bernie thread?

I read it for fun. Might as well have some fun since I am going to be plunged into 8 more years of darkness if Hillary is nominated.

I have stated that i would not support anyone, if Bernie doesn't win the primary. She'll have plenty of supporters who don't want a Conservative nomination.

This election in particular is not about ideology at its core, and right versus left.

(Even though i would refute you on Hillary having the same ideology at its core as Bernie considering her past history, basically voting for and supporting a majority of the same faulty concepts Bernie has always staunchly opposed, just now coming back to run for office having to say things she probably doesn't believe to begin with in order to secure the nomination)

This election is about the question: can someone who truly wants corrupting influences out of the political process and sticks to that belief win the Presidency?

If that answer is NO, then at the core, regardless of the severity of their stance, whether you have a republican like Jeb Bush, or a democrat like Hillary in the White house matters very little. Because they are still beholden to the puppet holding the strings. Where the money comes from and those beneficiaries.

You can have someone who supports corps without reform obviously like the scott walkers, the jeb bush's and the Rand Paul's. Or you can have someone who supports corps without reform while lying and saying they really don't like Hillary.

Both of those groups support NAFTA, CAFTA, the trans atlantic trade partnership and the health of large companies and institutions at large instead of the issues that really matter to the productivity of the country, so why should I see a difference between them? They obviously agree on that far more than they disagree on everything else.
 

dramatis

Member
Cuz we haven't gotten new Donald news.

Alternatively you could start thinking about who's going to drop out of the Republican primaries first.
 

teiresias

Member
why do I keep reading that bernie thread?

So you know who to put on your ignore list through election season? Seriously, the delusion and basic understanding of consequences when you pass up good because your "perfect" didn't make it through a primary is astounding.

The people posting in there are the kind of people you really need one of those alternate reality "windows" from Fringe so they can see (once the election is over) what the alternate would have been and see their jaw drop.
 
I see those "Who Do You Side With" results and they're like 92% Bernie, 90% Clinton and then there's some leap and Bernie is a perfect socialist redeemer and Clinton is a neocon. I just don't get it.
 

teiresias

Member
You ignore people because they want to vote for someone who they feel represents their ideals the best?

I ignore people because if Bernie isn't the nominee they'd prefer to not vote or say they'd prefer to vote for Trump. That indicates a fundamental disconnect from the realities of how politics and the world work and doing basic, elementary level cost-benefit analysis.

Also, given that outlook, they'll have no meaningful discourse past the primary season anyway since they've told me they have no interest in voting seriously, so why should I give a damn?
 
There is, however, co-opting them, as Obama showed us in 2008.

Problem seems to be not that you can't bring them to hillary, but that hillary failed to attract them to herself.

"oh but they should come to terms with pragmatism". Sure. But they haven't yet. So you can either find a way to make yourself attractive to them or... opt to run into a wall with eyes wide open.

I mean, if we going the pragmatic route... pulling a bait and switch on them is kind of a very solid example of the philosophy.
 

RDreamer

Member
I'm a huge Bernie fan. Huge. Going to vote for him in the primary, but I totally get where you guys are coming from. The bullheadedness of some of his fans is frustrating. Not voting just because Bernie loses to Hillary is just the dumbest thing ever. I had a big argument on Facebook the other day about it. The guy just wouldn't fucking do it. Said Hillary and any of the clowns on the republican side would be exactly the same. I couldn't persuade him with Supreme Court nominations.

I kind of feel like "money in politics" is kind of the white people problems of politics now. Don't get me wrong, it's still a problem, and it's one of my most important ones, but when you're so tunnel visioned that it's the only thing that matters and the candidates are "exactly the same" without that one issue I just don't know what to say except that you're probably so privileged you can't see what's really going on. There are so many other problems that other types of people are having. People are struggling to make ends meet, black people are being killed in the streets, women's healthcare and rights are being eroded by people trying to defund planned parenthood and put other restrictions, there's still sexism in the workplace, trans people struggle for rights and recognition, there are crazy bills being drafted against gay people and even though same sex marriage is now recognized across the country we still have a ways to go, we have a failing drug war, and there are a lot of issues with other countries and our relationship to them that could affect millions in our military and their families, etc. The list really just goes on and on. I realize getting money out of politics helps nearly every one of these in some way, but if you can't get that absolute goal this one election why in the world are we giving up on touching these issues altogether?
 

FiggyCal

Banned
It's not that I really like Bernie even. I was never planning on voting for Hillary before he ran. I was probably going to vote for Jill Stein.
 

RDreamer

Member
It's not that I really like Bernie even. I was never planning on voting for Hillary before he ran. I was probably going to vote for Jill Stein.

That doesn't make things any better.

3rd parties are not viable with a first past the post voting system. Until such a time that we adopt a completely different voting system, you're not doing yourself any favors by voting 3rd party.
 
If third parties want to seriously participate in the political process they need to start putting up well-funded candidates in local races. Just find like twenty marginal/moderate state house districts where a Green or an Independence Party candidate could win and drop a few grand on them.

Instead they go for trickle down politics where if they put a well known name up for president that'll maybe translate into more votes in the future? Except it never does, it just creates a cult of personality around that person. No one cared about the Reform Party or the Green Party, they cared about Ross Perot and Ralph Nader.
 

ivysaur12

Banned
Money is politics is a problem, but it's the type of problem stated by the white liberals who makes ironic Straight Outta Compton memes.
 

User 406

Banned
If third parties want to seriously participate in the political process they need to start putting up well-funded candidates in local races. Just find like twenty marginal/moderate state house districts where a Green or an Independence Party candidate could win and drop a few grand on them.

Instead they go for trickle down politics where if they put a well known name up for president that'll maybe translate into more votes in the future? Except it never does, it just creates a cult of personality around that person. No one cared about the Reform Party or the Green Party, they cared about Ross Perot and Ralph Nader.

Why do all that when you can just talk about how excited you are about a single candidate, shit on everyone else, and fantasize about being in the cheering crowd at the end of the movie when the good guy hero saves the day?


... yeah, I'm pretty bitter about this shit.
 

Fuchsdh

Member
If third parties want to seriously participate in the political process they need to start putting up well-funded candidates in local races. Just find like twenty marginal/moderate state house districts where a Green or an Independence Party candidate could win and drop a few grand on them.

Instead they go for trickle down politics where if they put a well known name up for president that'll maybe translate into more votes in the future? Except it never does, it just creates a cult of personality around that person. No one cared about the Reform Party or the Green Party, they cared about Ross Perot and Ralph Nader.

I'm not sure what third party actually has relevance even in local politics, though. I mean in Arlington County, VA you can't even get a Green Party candidate elected (although we got a Republican on the County Board after 20-something years, so that's progress.)
 
The perverse thing about "money in politics" is that it's going to take money in politics to beat money in politics.

It's not going to be beaten by an obstinate idealist like Bernie Sanders.
 

ivysaur12

Banned
"Flood the supreme court with phone calls!" is a proposal by those who don't understand how the system works. If you want to initiate change, for better or for worse, there are rules to play by.
 

NeoXChaos

Member
The perverse thing about "money in politics" is that it's going to take money in politics to beat money in politics.

It's not going to be beaten by an obstinate idealist like Bernie Sanders.

I am surprised you have not offered your incite in that thread. We are having a civil discussion in helping each other understand the process a little better.
 

kingkitty

Member
That doesn't make things any better.

3rd parties are not viable with a first past the post voting system. Until such a time that we adopt a completely different voting system, you're not doing yourself any favors by voting 3rd party.

It's not a big deal as long as he's in a state that doesn't matter.
 
I'm not sure what third party actually has relevance even in local politics, though. I mean in Arlington County, VA you can't even get a Green Party candidate elected (although we got a Republican on the County Board after 20-something years, so that's progress.)
Speaking for the Green Party winning literally any state house/senate/assembly seat with party identification would be a massive improvement over their current situation where they have none out of thousands across the country. Start propping up legislative candidates in say, Minnesota. Build a significant caucus, even if it's not a majority you can form coalitions with like-minded members of the other parties and get stuff done and build a platform. If that works, spread out to Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, the Dakotas, Michigan and do the same thing there until there's at least a regional presence and they can start running serious candidates in federal races. Not joke candidates or celebrities who won't build the party as much as they'll build themselves.

Or instead throw away all your money on one presidential candidate who will be fighting over 1% of the vote with the other eight million third parties. Sure that'll work.

The perverse thing about "money in politics" is that it's going to take money in politics to beat money in politics.

It's not going to be beaten by an obstinate idealist like Bernie Sanders.
Feingold has gotten the message at least, which I'm happy about. Ron Johnson is whining about him breaking campaign promises from 24 years ago lol
 

Oblivion

Fetishing muscular manly men in skintight hosery
I know Republicans have stopped giving a shit about offering realistic economic forecasts based on their trickle-down policies, but shit's gotten much more blatant recently. Jeb said that he can get 4% growth per year, and today Huckabee came out with his own projection that said he can get shit up to 6%.

Reminder: Even Republican god, Ronaldus Magnus couldn't get 4% with the greatest economic boom in the history of civilization, let alone 6%.

But no, let's keep arguing about how Trump is the buffoon this competition.
 

HylianTom

Banned
I know Republicans have stopped giving a shit about offering realistic economic forecasts based on their trickle-down policies, but shit's gotten much more blatant recently. Jeb said that he can get 4% growth per year, and today Huckabee came out with his own projection that said he can get shit up to 6%.

Reminder: Even Republican god, Ronaldus Magnus couldn't get 4% with the greatest economic boom in the history of civilization, let alone 6%.

But no, let's keep arguing about how Trump is the buffoon this competition.

I want a "Name-that-Tune"-style debate question where the moderator says, "raise your hand if you can get us a 4% growth rate. Keep it raised for 5%. 6%? 7%.."
 

dramatis

Member
This isn't BritPoliGAF, but Vox (I should probably read Vox less lol) has an article up about a dude in British "Dem" party that's also sending the Labour Party into a panic.
To put it very simply: Corbyn's policy views are way out to the left of the Labour mainstream. Not all of his ideas are extreme, but enough of them are that the party chiefs fear they'd be unelectable if he led the party.

The BBC has an excellent rundown of Corbyn's actual policy platform. It includes, among other things, renationalizing Britain's railroad system and energy companies, abolishing tuition for British universities, and imposing rent controls to deal with Britain's affordable housing problem. He's even open to reopening the coal mines that used to be a big part of Britain's economy. It's essentially a throwback to the unreconstructed socialism — the real thing, way beyond Bernie Sanders — of the old-school British Labour Party, which used to be way more into the idea of the government controlling huge sectors of the economy.
What happens if he actually wins?

No one's actually sure. But the Labour establishment is freaking out: They think a Corbyn victory would render the party unelectable, potentially forever. To understand why, you need to understand the internal ideological fights that have plagued the Labour Party for the past several decades.

Corbyn's fans, by contrast, see his candidacy as proof that today's Labour Party can finally renounce its centrist pretension and embrace its left-wing roots. "The Corbyn Surge, whatever it is, is a resounding comment on what has become of the worst of New Labour; an unflinching belief that Britain is a 'conservative country' and a 'centre' that must [be] chased not shaped," Neal Lawson writes in the New Statesman.
I see a parallel of sorts here. The Labour Party is having an election for leadership, there's a real left-wing guy challenging the 'centrism' in the party, etc. It'll be interesting to see how it turns out.
 
OK, Ben Carson is an absolute nut:



Hey, if you simply don't tell people they're poor, everything will fix itself! Yeah, the private sector will fix all the poverty problems! It has worked so well so far.

If we lived in a country that wasn't overrun with corporate greed, this plan would be reasonable. However, I refuse to believe this man is as ignorant as he appears here. The thing that really bothers me is that, again, he is saying absolutely nothing. He is basically arguing for economic growth and peop,e to help each other. OK, great--what is your plan to accomplish that? Because your flat tax would destroy the poor, hurt the middle-class, and cause huge debt.

It's the basic opportunity zone argument, which has been around since Jack Kemp. I don't think the argument is completely horrible, of course - I like the idea of companies investing in neighborhoods. The problem is that it suggests there is no government role, and the bigger problem is this basically calls for corporations to be able to mine low wage labor in big cities while pocketing big tax breaks.

There are a lot of people who are on welfare who probably shouldn't be on it, and a lot of poor people who don't put any effort into anything. However to suggest those types make up a majority strikes me as ignorant and out of touch. When you base your entire economic message on that fact you turn folks off. If you want to help the poor or "lower working class" you've got to expand opportunities and even the playing field. That means investing in vocational schools as well as community colleges. That means addressing child care in a decent fashion; if you're a single mom with three young kids and are trying to find a job, you should be able to search for a job without worrying about where your kids or, or having no place to drop them off. It also means ensuring that people don't have to worry as much about healthcare.

Republicans oppose most of that shit though, which tells you everything you need to know about them.
 
One of the fair-goers asked the Republican presidential candidate during his appearance on the Des Moines Register Soapbox whether he was being advised by Paul Wolfowitz, George W. Bush's deputy secretary of defense and the architect of his Iraq War policy.

Jeb Bush tried to spin the question away from his legacy as the son and brother of the last two Republican presidents, but he did so awkwardly.

"Paul Wolfowitz is providing some advice," Bush said. "I get most of my advice from a team that we have in Miami, Florida. Young people that are going to be ... they're not assigned, have experience either in Congress or the previous administration."
pwvtuly.gif
 

Oblivion

Fetishing muscular manly men in skintight hosery
OK, Ben Carson is an absolute nut:



Hey, if you simply don't tell people they're poor, everything will fix itself! Yeah, the private sector will fix all the poverty problems! It has worked so well so far.

If we lived in a country that wasn't overrun with corporate greed, this plan would be reasonable. However, I refuse to believe this man is as ignorant as he appears here. The thing that really bothers me is that, again, he is saying absolutely nothing. He is basically arguing for economic growth and peop,e to help each other. OK, great--what is your plan to accomplish that? Because your flat tax would destroy the poor, hurt the middle-class, and cause huge debt.

Carson'a an absolute tool. The dude literally grew up on welfare and praised it in one of his books as "saving his life" or something to that effect.
 
Anyone know when we'll get updates on this Clinton FBI thing? Like if charges were to be filed, what's the realistic timeline here?
No but its not looking good
Hillary Clinton agreed to turn over her private email server to the FBI Wednesday after it was alleged that emails sent over her personal account could be compromised outside the possession of the government. Here are some of the contents of Clinton’s emails that have been inspected thus far:
  • 2016 fundraising email sent out at 11 p.m. on Nov. 4, 2008
  • Rarely included hyphen when typing “cover-up”
  • 200 unread emails from John Kerry
  • Reminder sent to White House staff on Dec. 14, 2011 that unmarked turkey sandwich in fridge is hers
  • 16-year-long friendly email exchange with Linda Tripp
  • Heated back-and-forth with graphic designer about which direction arrow in campaign logo should point
  • 8 different terse emails to Obama found in drafts folder
  • Not one email sent during 72 hours following Benghazi attack
  • Email sent to herself on Aug. 11, 2015 warning whoever reads it that nothing is going to stop her from becoming president this time

onion
 
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