POTUS Election thread

[a completely inoffensive name]

The first thing you do after removing the IRS, is to create the IRS.

[HopAlongBunny]

A nice summation of the debate. A little short, but at least it isn't 90% mocking:

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_a...ry_debate.html

[a completely inoffensive name]

They should cancel the next NBC debate, it was a joke how they handled it. What's funny is that CNBC is all financial free market believers, so it wasn't even liberal bias but the sheer stupidity of financial news journalists that caused the cluster.

[Montmorency]

That doesn't get at the heart of it. Honestly, I've never seen a politician who is willing to debate at all, let alone debate well.

I have never watched a debate or speech from the past generation, but I have read some transcripts.

The best argument against democracy is a 5-minute talk with the average politician.

[a completely inoffensive name]

That doesn't get at the heart of it. Honestly, I've never seen a politician who is willing to debate at all, let alone debate well.

I have never watched a debate or speech from the past generation, but I have read some transcripts.

The best argument against democracy is a 5-minute talk with the average politician.

Debates were never about 'real, clear, policy discussion'. Debates have always been style over substance. The goal of a moderator is to ride the line between fluff and attack, throw the candidates off their balance and allow for moments of candor to come through.

If you want the 1960s equivalent of a debate gone out of control watch this:



EDIT: I will note that perhaps in the past, all parties at least attempted to present the image of competing ideas, but really, the time period that the above debate is from was probably just as politically polarizing or even more so than today.

[Montmorency]

I wasn't talking about policy, but character.

I know it's important to empathize with how others regard candidates and evaluate their public performances in order to follow the overall process, but to me they always come off as peevish dopes who would rather be anywhere else if it weren't that they would lose face by not attending. From a purely rhetorical perspective, a 6th-grade momma joke contest would be more interesting to experience.

The content is drivel and I can't analyze the presentation much from the shoes of others, so I generally don't pay attention.

[Strike For The South]

Gore Vidal is BAE.

Also I'm casting for Trump, Hilliary shill or not. Literally nothing will change my mind. Unless Carson stabs him, then I vote Carson.

[Hooahguy]

Unless Carson stabs him, then I vote Carson.

He would have to wake up first.

[a completely inoffensive name]

Why are you lurking on the org when it is Halloween?

[Hooahguy]

Oh thats a funny story, so I was at a party earlier tonight but then my friend thought he was having an allergic reaction to something so he and I took a cab to the hospital since we were all drinking. So I was hanging out on the Org while waiting for him to be released (hes fine, phantom sickness or something, a bit of a hypochondriac) and when we got back the party was over so yeah, great night!

[a completely inoffensive name]

If only you were in California, I would love to drink with another org person.

[Montmorency]

Didn't you say the only person you wanted to meet was Vuk?

[a completely inoffensive name]

Didn't you say the only person you wanted to meet was Vuk?

I changed my mind. Hooahguy has met 5 other people, so I know he won't murder me. I still want to meet Vuk, though, he seems nice, although his opinions infuriate me.

[Montmorency]

What's a little murder between friends?

[Shaka_Khan]

I'm concerned about all the candidates that are doing well in the ratings list.
After watching Sanders try to nullify Clinton's e-mail scandal and then get attacked by Clinton herself later on, I felt that he could be a naive optimist. I bet Clinton convinced Sanders that she was her new friend before the debate went on. I worry that he could get betrayed internationally, too.
I hope Clinton learned from her e-mail scandal. Although I disagree with a lot of Trump's delusional points, I agree that Clinton's e-mail scandal is a serious issue.
I find Trump to be too isolated in the boss role of his company. It disturbs me how Trump refuses to listen to anyone who questions him in a contradictory way. Would he listen to his advisors? If you have enough meetings with a boss whose acquaintances are limited to yes-men/women, then you'd know what I'm talking about. He'd be in for a rude awakening if he becomes president. Trump reminds me of a couple of former presidents of another country. One former president had too many political enemies who prevented him from getting anything done. Another former president achieved a lot internationally, but was also blocked from getting much done domestically. Come to think of it, remember when Bill Clinton (and Hillary?) tried to get health care passed? And I find Trump to be naive about the world outside his business in a different way from Sanders. And I have a hunch that he'd end up offending a huge proportion of the world. Many people who never left the US don't realize that Trump's statements are full of generalizations. The Trump supporters would be very disappointed with his leadership.
After reading Carson's statements... well, those of you who paid attention to what he said would be deeply concerned, too. I'm pretty sure that Neil deGrasse Tyson and Bill Nye shudder at the thought of Carson.

[Hooahguy]

I felt that he could be a naive optimist.

That pretty much sums up most of the Sanders supporters Ive met. I used to be one of them but I was quickly shaken out of it when I realized that his solutions pretty much come down to :"tax the rich!" Which is not really the solution to all of our problems. A lot of the Sanders supporters Ive met are borderline delusional, saying that he can unite both parties and get stuff done to which they gotta be kidding themselves: to think that a self-proclaimed democratic socialist can get more done than Obama could is a straight up fantasy. Yeah, I like the guy, I think hes honest in a field in which most are not very honest at all. But I dont think he could really be president, much less win the general election.

[Greyblades]

At this point I've come to believe that america's best choice would be to settle for someone who will fully fund the essential public services, even if s/he has to raise taxes to do it.

[Montmorency]

America will probably manage for now regardless of who gets elected; same goes for any potential disasters further along.

America is the ruler of everything, you see:

Without looking down
Gliding around
Like a bumbling dragon it flies
Scraping its face on the sky

[Hooahguy]

So this past weekend, Ted Cruz said that "any president who doesn't begin every day on his knees isn't fit to be commander-in-chief of this nation." That's a weird thing for him to say because he said he doesn't want to see a gay president...

[rvg]

So this past weekend, Ted Cruz said that "any president who doesn't begin every day on his knees isn't fit to be commander-in-chief of this nation." That's a weird thing for him to say because he said he doesn't want to see a gay president...

Uhhh, that's a low blow

[Sarmatian]

That pretty much sums up most of the Sanders supporters Ive met. I used to be one of them but I was quickly shaken out of it when I realized that his solutions pretty much come down to :"tax the rich!" Which is not really the solution to all of our problems.

I've seen him on the tubes a few times and that isn't what he's saying at all.

He's the only one who has the balls to talk about what's truly wrong with America. Whether he can accomplish anything against the system is a whole other issue, though, but, if I were American, I'd want to give those in control of the system a serious wake up call at least.

[Greyblades]

So this past weekend, Ted Cruz said that "any president who doesn't begin every day on his knees isn't fit to be commander-in-chief of this nation." That's a weird thing for him to say because he said he doesn't want to see a gay president...

No no no. You misunderstand. Dont you see? He's decided to endorse hillary.

[Hooahguy]

I didnt say that he was wrong in his assessments. I actually think that he is spot on most of the time. I just dont think his solutions are in any way viable.

[Husar]

I didnt say that he was wrong in his assessments. I actually think that he is spot on most of the time. I just dont think his solutions are in any way viable.

They would be in the OWG unless tax evasion became possible by moving to Mars.

[Sarmatian]

I didnt say that he was wrong in his assessments. I actually think that he is spot on most of the time. I just dont think his solutions are in any way viable.

Just to be clear, do you believe them to be wrong solutions, or do you think they are good in theory but he would be unable to implement them in practice?

[a completely inoffensive name]

Can't wait for today's debate. I want more crazy from Carson and more loud from Trump.

[Hooahguy]

Just to be clear, do you believe them to be wrong solutions, or do you think they are good in theory but he would be unable to implement them in practice?

Some of both. Mostly of the second. After all the promises of Obama in 2008, Im really wary of all politicians and their promises, no matter how honest they might be. And as I said before, if you think that Sanders can get more done than Obama could, you are fantasizing.

[a completely inoffensive name]

Even Jesus would be called a failure of a President if two years into his term, the atheist party gained large control of Congress.

[Hooahguy]

The undercard debate is pretty interesting.

Question: "Who in congress on the Democratic side do you admire most?"

Answer: "The Democrats are all terrible people."

Nice answer, Christie. Also, Hillary is coming for your wallet.

Santorum thinks he can win over the blue states. In his fantasies.

[Brenus]

"tax the rich!" Well, in UK they tax the poor, and it make the rich richer, but the debt increases. They don't wage war on poverty, they wage war on the poor.
So perhaps it is time to tax the rich, to tax companies making money in using tax payed infrastructures.

I am always amazed when Media are saying that economy is good when millions are paid under living wages, millions are under zero hours contract and millions are on temporary jobs or short term contracts (this morning, BBC, speaking of Portugal).
What a piece of luck to be homeless in rich countries, better chance to find food in the bins.
Well, that is if the owner of the bins doesn't decide to go to Court for theft, of course...