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NEVERENDING ♾️ The NEVERENDING Political Discussion Thread

Suburb Repairman said:
As do I. Huntsman is/was one of my favorite politicians. It really is a shame he never got traction. A ding against him for SCOTUS is that he is not a lawyer. While that is not a requirement to be a justice, it does make him easier to attack. I think he would bring healthy pragmatism to the debate. I like the idea of getting someone in there that has actually held an elected office rather than a career justice (I think it is important to get outside of the judicial branch vacuum in order to fully understand the Constitution). I'm not sure there's ever been a former diplomat on the court either... at least since the founding era.
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While I like Huntsman, I think it is important for a Justice to have a legal background and a really good understanding of constitutional law. Their roll is to be part of the check and balance system and I believe that it would be difficult for one to spend years in the legislative branch to go into the judicial branch.
 
Hmmm

otterpop said:
http://www.dailynewsbin.com/news/hi...l-that-george-w-bush-committed-treason/22854/

Hmmm. I think we need Congressional hearings right now. Let's pull Cheney, Rumsfeld and Dubya in front of a Congressional committee, turn the grill on high and grill these mofos on TV. This could make Benghazi look like a Boy Scout weenie roast.

But of course it won't happen because the Republicans are in control and their poop don't stink.
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Ah...wait a minute....here is a quote from that article:
"It's been long established that there never were any such weapons in Iraq..."

Wrong! It was proven and on video that Saddam used chemical weapons on the Kurds in 1983. So there was previous evidence of those weapons being in Iraq. This is the BIGGEST single piece of supporting evidence the chicken hawks have to defend their immoral justification for the Iraq war. It is lame, but don't rewrite history and claim there were never any such weapons in Iraq (DailyNewsBin)!!!!

Having said that....I would love to see them all dragged in front of congress under oath and made to squirm for the loss of life they caused:-@
 
The One said:
Having said that....I would love to see them all dragged in front of congress under oath and made to squirm for the loss of life they caused:-@
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Cheney still believes it was one of the biggest accomplishments of his [STRIKEOUT]presidency [/STRIKEOUT]vice-presidency.
 
JNA said:
:-o
What the Pope said and DT response.
:-o
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The Pope was directly asked a question about Trump. He didn't put himself in the middle of the election, like some R's seem to be saying.

He also said that building walls instead of bridges is not something a Christian should do. He says it in reference to Trump, but doesn't say Trump isn't a Christian, just that doing that is not Christian.

The Pope doesn't care about American politics. The R's are trying to make this some big deal. I don't get why. The Religious Right should be put in their place. Their hypocrisy when it comes to the poor, abortion, etc. is thick. The Pope is a refreshing figure in that he doesn't pander to the rich religious faction. He relates and speaks strongly in support of the poor. Even if that means accepting gays, speaking against capitalism, etc.
 
JNA said:
:-o
What the Pope said and DT response.
:-o
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You mean the Pope preached and acted on the actual teachings of Christ. How dare he remind us that Christianity is about the salvation of ALL mankind and isn't a national issue. Next thing you know he'll start telling us we have to forgive our neighbors!
 
The Donald is unstoppable. Looks like we'll get our wall after all and maybe hold a 'kristallnacht' for Muslims.:r:
 
Trump wins SC and Rubio is second.

Hillary stopped the bleeding.


What does it all mean?!? ;)

I think that it means that it is Marco vs. Trump. Once Cruz gets past his huge ego (like Carson should have done weeks ago), he will drop out. Kasich will stick around until Ohio on March 15, which will hurt Rubio.

Now will Bernie find any traction in the south? My guess is no. The Clinton machine will start chugging and we will have less of a "revolution" and more of a "pragmatic vision" for America.

Hillary vs. Rubio would be a pretty good match up.

Who you guys have for VP?
 
Hink said:
Trump wins SC and Rubio is second.

Hillary stopped the bleeding.


What does it all mean?!? ;)

I think that it means that it is Marco vs. Trump. Once Cruz gets past his huge ego (like Carson should have done weeks ago), he will drop out. Kasich will stick around until Ohio on March 15, which will hurt Rubio.

Now will Bernie find any traction in the south? My guess is no. The Clinton machine will start chugging and we will have less of a "revolution" and more of a "pragmatic vision" for America.

Hillary vs. Rubio would be a pretty good match up.

Who you guys have for VP?
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I pray that Donald does not get the nomination. I don't think that Bernie will be able to stop the Clinton Machine.

As for VP's, I think it is all up in the air right now. But I think that Hillary will pick Julian Castro and Rubio will pick Susana Martinez. In Clinton's case it will be to get the hispanic urban vote, and in Rubio's case it will be to get the woman's and further solidify the hispanic vote.


If Trump wins, he might as well pick Kanye West... It would be consistent with the direction of his campaign.
 
Hink said:
Hillary stopped the bleeding.

Now will Bernie find any traction in the south? My guess is no. The Clinton machine will start chugging and we will have less of a "revolution" and more of a "pragmatic vision" for America.
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Hardly. She didn't win by nearly the margin needed to be called a major victory. Also keep in mind that Obama didn't win Nevada in 2008, by 5 percentage points (exactly like Bernie).

I think the South Carolina may be closer than some folks think, however the numbers are hardly in his favor. Even with an SC loss, I could see Bernie pushing forward (although his chance at nomination would be almost 0% by then). Every lose nets him millions in donations, so he still has the money to push forward. If anything, Sanders has forced Hilary to redraw her platform and push further to the left than she would have otherwise. She'll have to at least halfheartedly stick to it if she becomes President because she'll be toast in 2020.

Still, a HRC v. Trump showdown terrifies me.
 
AG74683 said:
Still, a HRC v. Trump showdown terrifies me.
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The only thing that could be worse would have been Bush v. Clinton.

Trump certainly has a shot, but I think the establishment is going to go crazy soon. You saw it somewhat in SC with Nikki Haley and Tim Scott endorsing Rubio. The establishment hates Cruz and Trump. The establishment in Washington gets what it wants. In this case they are right, but generally that is annoying.

I think HRC picks Julian Castro as well.
I think Bernie picks Elizabeth Warren, but she says no and he goes with Tim Kaine.

I think Trump picks Rubio or Carson.
I think Rubio picks Nikki Haley, but John Kasich may just end up getting it.
I think Cruz picks himself. Then he filibusters it.
 
Hink said:
The only thing that could be worse would have been Bush v. Clinton.
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Come on sing with me.

"Oh' Canada, Our Home and Native Land...."


It looks like the state if NC will have new district lines. At least the map follows a rational thought now. (counties and municipalities)
 
Candidates aren't courting a Snyder endorsement

Interesting piece in today's Freep, with some pithy comments. Just imagine what a competitor could come up with in a campaign ad. :mi:

And on a related note...I can't imagine how the K'zoo victims' family members would feel, but I personally would not feel comforted by a visit from the Poisoner-in-Chief.
 
I'm still not too worried about Trump winning the nomination. The supporters of each candidate who drop out are seeming to go to anybody but trump, they are just spreading themselves around instead of all falling in for one particular candidate. It's going to come down to whoever is the last man standing against him. However, it does make it an interesting race and it could be the first time that I can remember that the primary in California, which is winner take all and comes dead last in the cycle, is crucial. Most years, the nominee has the delagates locked up long before then, that might not be the case this time around.

His disapproval numbers are so high and, depending on the poll you look at, the number of Republican voters who will not vote for him if he becomes the nominee ranges from about 15% all the way up to nearly 40%
 
Trump wins Nevada. Rubio 2nd. Cruz 3rd.

Kasich and Carson probably should quit.
 
Hink said:
Trump wins Nevada. Rubio 2nd. Cruz 3rd.

Kasich and Carson probably should quit.
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Anyone not named Trump should quit. He's steamrolling everyone now. It doesn't seem to matter what he says or does, people are eating it up. I wonder if the right side anti-Trump's will jump ship if HRC wins the nomination. I'm thinking Bernie is just too liberal for those folks to make the jump.

Interestingly, I've read that the outlook now is - Trump v. HRC = President Trump, Trump v. Sanders = President Bernie. Not sure I totally agree with that though.
 
Hink said:
Trump wins Nevada. Rubio 2nd. Cruz 3rd.

Kasich and Carson probably should quit.
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Carson for sure. Rubio should negotiate to name Kasich as VP. Not saying I would vote for it, but that would be a strong ticket politically involving the two most important swing states, a governor that seems reasonably well-liked in his home state, and a Latino.

I think Cruz is doomed and doesn't know it yet. The whole "lying/openly will say anything to get elected" thing is starting to finally catch up with him and he is about to face a two-front war from Trump and Rubio. That's fine, as I consider him far more dangerous than Trump.

My hope with Cruz at this point is that he takes so much damage in this election process that it opens up a possibility in Texas to push him out of the Senate.

I also don't think Jeb's political career is truly over. I think he might do well in an administration, potentially as Secretary of the Interior. He was a pretty big champion of the Everglades/public lands during his time as governor (based on my limited research) and was willing to restrict drilling in Gulf of Mexico. He supports national level drought planning efforts, which I think is needed. I think he believes humans contribute to climate change--he just isn't saying so. I also wouldn't mind seeing him somehow involved in Latin American relations and immigration reform--he is pretty reasoned on that stuff and I think has a good understanding of the issues regarding it.
 
michaelskis said:
Why do you think that Trump is do well?
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His "honesty". Otherwise known as misogyny, racism, and a lot of other isms. He says what lots of people think. He talks a big game with little or no support for his words. 20% of his supports believe the emancipation proclamation shouldn't have been passed.

He has hit the nail on the head when it comes to saying the right things to get the 20-30% of Americans who still hold some pretty backwards views. Those people also blindly believe that because he was successful that he could make America successful, just by telling China what to do.

The numbers don't work in his favor though. He has little to gain with his current rhetoric. The idea that people leaving Kasich would go to Trump is pretty laughable. Same those leaving Rubio. I can see some Cruz and Carson supporters liking Trumps message, but Independents and D's aren't going to just start liking him. When it comes to the general election his numbers are going to dwindle and he will probably lose people to Clinton or Sanders.

I saw a poll last night - who is the most likely Republican to win the Presidency against Clinton or Sanders? Kasich. Why? Because lots of people like republican ideas, they just don't like the process or the way republicans try to do things. Trump doesn't stand for anything other than a lot of words. He has no plan other than saying that people will fear him.

Tonight should be interesting.
 
michaelskis said:
Why do you think that Trump is do well?
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There was no irony in his recent statement that he loves the poorly educated (voters). Appealing to these folks while scapegoating and fanning fears over people of certain religions and ethnic persuasions is a proven political strategy.
 
michaelskis said:
Why do you think that Trump is do well?
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Same reason Sanders has done well, people are tired of the same old thing. None of the other candidates offer anything new. Trump is resonating with the voter group Hink talked about, who probably aren't normal active voters because no one follows their views. Sanders is really polling strong with the youth in America, another historically inactive voter group.

Hink said:
I saw a poll last night - who is the most likely Republican to win the Presidency against Clinton or Sanders? Kasich. Why? Because lots of people like republican ideas, they just don't like the process or the way republicans try to do things. Trump doesn't stand for anything other than a lot of words. He has no plan other than saying that people will fear him.

Tonight should be interesting.
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I've thought Kasich is the only GOP hope for a while. He's the most moderate of the group, and the best possibility of pulling those on the fence. The biggest issue this election is the fact that people are ignoring the actual power the President has. Trump/Sanders get nothing passed long term without support from Congress. Given the dismal approval rating and general malaise against the current Congress, I suspect it might about face and lean back towards the Dems. This works in Sanders favor immensely. Trump stands zero chance of passing anything through Congress because no one likes him. His entire presidency will be based on executive orders and any mark he makes will be erased in 4 years. Trump would irreparably harm us from an international standpoint though. What little respect we still retain overseas would be gone.

What time does the debate start tonight? I struggled with watching the Town Hall in SC on CNN's feed. They didn't stream it live, so I had to watch a stream of a guy filming the meeting on his computer.
 
What is up with this -

Susan DeLemus (R) -

New Hampshire lawmaker says Pope is 'antichrist' after Francis's exchange with Donald Trump
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/pro-trump-lawmaker-pope-antichrist-article-1.2540678
https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/po...anti-christ/5lz1RBubrdTo9rB1r3ghsI/story.html
http://www.unionleader.com/article/20160222/AGGREGATION/160229772



a20-800x430.jpg
 
Just realized I'll be over in Louisiana on primary day (shows how much attention I'm paying to the campaigns) - guess I need to go check out the early voting thing tomorrow.
 
Oh yeah

I can't wait for the deba.....ah.....debacle tonight! Let the clown car fight for shotgun begin! I WILL have my popcorn, 3D glasses and bourbon drink ready.

All Bernie has to do is keep it close and see what he can get from the NE and West Coast.
 
Oh my God. I haven't watched any of the Republican debates, this is the first one for me. How in the world is Donald Trump even up on that stage?! He knows absolutely nothing and these people are cheering for him? This is absolutely terrifying.

Rubio is picking a fight with him. This will not end well for Marco.

Sent from my VS985 4G using Tapatalk
 
The debate was pretty good actually. I think Rubio was the clear winner. Trump took it on the chin, but kept fighting. He says nothing, but gets cheers. It is quite remarkable.

I would guess that Donald Trump might be the highest finishing (if he doesn't win it) candidate to never actually give a real plan for anything just say that it will be great.

Cruz looks bad. Carson just cries about his time. Kasich looks good, but isn't a viable candidate for the current republican party.

Rankings:
Rubio
Trump
Kasich
Cruz
Carson

Let's hope Trump wins Texas. At least then Cruz will be out. He is worse in my mind than Trump. Rubio / Kasich ticket. That is my ideal scenario at this point.
 
Does anyone else hear 'Mark O'Rubio' when people say his name fast?

Sounds like the small, but long lasting ancestral Spanish Scots clan.
 
I only caught a little bit of the debate.

Can someone explain Carson's fruit basket comment? I was also waiting for them to bring out 3 sumo suits and let Trump, Cruz, and Rubio go at it.
 
michaelskis said:
I only caught a little bit of the debate.

Can someone explain Carson's fruit basket comment? I was also waiting for them to bring out 3 sumo suits and let Trump, Cruz, and Rubio go at it.
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Fruit salad. He was trying to describe how he looks for a Supreme Court nominee. He is just really bad at the politician thing. At least Bush could explain away his "isms" with the fact that he was from Texas. Carson has no real excuse....
 
Hink said:
The debate was pretty good actually. I think Rubio was the clear winner. Trump took it on the chin, but kept fighting. He says nothing, but gets cheers. It is quite remarkable.

I would guess that Donald Trump might be the highest finishing (if he doesn't win it) candidate to never actually give a real plan for anything just say that it will be great.

Cruz looks bad. Carson just cries about his time. Kasich looks good, but isn't a viable candidate for the current republican party.

Rankings:
Rubio
Trump
Kasich
Cruz
Carson

Let's hope Trump wins Texas. At least then Cruz will be out. He is worse in my mind than Trump. Rubio / Kasich ticket. That is my ideal scenario at this point.
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Agree on everything. I was pretty impressed with Rubio's rhetoric with Trump, he did well and held his ground. I thought for certain he'd get himself in over his head.

Kasich will get the VP nod from Trump. This would be an epic one two punch. Kasich pulls in the moderate voters while Trump gets the deeper Republicans. Trump is starting his pivot now though. I suspect by the general election he'll be much more moderate and might actually stand a chance against HRC. I don't particularly like Cruz, but I do respect his unwillingness to waver on any of his more controversial views. I'll hold to my position that Rubio will one day be President. Even with his gaffe at the last debate v. Christie, I find him to be a charismatic speaker. I do wish he (and similarly Cruz) would stop ignoring their Hispanic heritage though. It came up only because of the question last night, but they generally seem to play that down. It's a strong strength if they play their cards right.
 
Lindsay Graham (R-SC) said if Cruz was killed in the Senate floor and the trail was held by the Senate, no one would be convicted of a crime - that's hilarious!
 
Planit said:
Lindsay Graham (R-SC) said if Cruz was killed in the Senate floor and the trail was held by the Senate, no one would be convicted of a crime - that's hilarious!
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I'd rather they kill Mitch McConnell. Mertle the Turtle needs to go away.
 
Only one party supports this crap.....

Later this year, Pfizer—the country’s largest pharmaceutical company, with nearly $1 billion in annual government contracts—plans to renounce its U.S. citizenship by merging with Allergan, an Irish-based company. This would allow Pfizer to dodge the $35 billion tax bill it owes on its stash of untaxed offshore profits. (Economic Policy Institute)
 
So Hillary won SC, but there are some reports of very low voter turnout and that millennials will not vote for Clinton, but will vote for Sanders followed by Trump.

Which brings about the question. If it is Clinton v Trump, who do you think will win and why? No, not who you will vote for because I won't vote for either of them... but who do you think will win?

Regardless who wins, the US loses.

Also because of the backlash against the political establishment, do you think that there will be a viable 3rd party candidate in 2020?
 
michaelskis said:
Also because of the backlash against the political establishment, do you think that there will be a viable 3rd party candidate in 2020?
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If Clinton wins in 2016 and the Republicans continue with these nonsensical candidates in 2020, I think there might be a credible 3rd party candidate.

If Clinton wins in 2016 and the Republicans put up a serious candidate in 2020 continue, I don't think we will see a serious 3rd party candidate enter the race.

If any Republican but Trump wins in 2016, I don't think there would be a serious 3rd party candidate regardless of who the Democrats nominate in 2020.

If Trump wins in 2016, I could imagine about a hundred scenarios where a serious 3rd party candidate enters the 2020 race regardless of who the Democrats nominate.

All that said, without some sort of change to the Electoral College system awarding all of a state's votes to the winner of that state (except for that wacky Nebraska!) I do not see any scenario where there is a viable 3rd party candidate unless both the Republican and Democratic parties totally implode.
 
michaelskis said:
So Hillary won SC, but there are some reports of very low voter turnout and that millennials will not vote for Clinton, but will vote for Sanders followed by Trump.

Which brings about the question. If it is Clinton v Trump, who do you think will win and why? No, not who you will vote for because I won't vote for either of them... but who do you think will win?

Regardless who wins, the US loses.

Also because of the backlash against the political establishment, do you think that there will be a viable 3rd party candidate in 2020?
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Trump. No question. I guarantee there will be an even split of Sanders supporters who either A. jump to Trump, or B. abstain from voting at all.

I want to see Trump in the general election debates. Once he's secured the GOP nomination, I suspect we'll see him turn back towards his moderate roots but with the crazy right wing lunacy spin to it he's been piling on.
 
AG74683 said:
Trump. No question. I guarantee there will be an even split of Sanders supporters who either A. jump to Trump, or B. abstain from voting at all.

I want to see Trump in the general election debates. Once he's secured the GOP nomination, I suspect we'll see him turn back towards his moderate roots but with the crazy right wing lunacy spin to it he's been piling on.
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If Trump gets the nom he wins. He has already started his swing with support for planned parenthood, medicare, and other more liberal concepts.

My guess is that he will be a centrist. In terms of policy he may really fit a majority of the country, but the main problem is that he has no polices at this time. He just speaks crazy. He needs policies before anyone will actually take him seriously in the general. He will get policies which is what is scary.
 
dvdneal said:
So is Christie going for a VP bid with his Trump endorsement?
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I don't think so. You're talking about a ticket geography that is completely within the NYC metro.

I think worse though... I think it is a play for a SCOTUS nomination. People forget that before he was Governor, he was a highly respected U.S. Attorney. A much better case can be made for him to land on a Federal bench than can be made for him as an elected executive, not that that is any kind of achievement since making a case for him as an elected executive is pretty difficult these days.
 
dvdneal said:
So is Christie going for a VP bid with his Trump endorsement?
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He's biding for a cabinet level seat. SoS or AG I think. Does anyone see a Sanders independent run as a possibility? He's beginning to make serious waves in the DNC (see Tulsi Gabbard - who FYI is smoking hot). I mean really, he'd be poised in a perfect spot.

Remember, until his presidency bid, Sanders was an independent (1979-2015).
 
AG74683 said:
Does anyone see a Sanders independent run as a possibility? He's beginning to make serious waves in the DNC (see Tulsi Gabbard - who FYI is smoking hot). I mean really, he'd be poised in a perfect spot.

Remember, until his presidency bid, Sanders was an independent (1979-2015).
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I don't see this happening. I think the echoes of the 2000 election would prevent him from doing this (ala Nader siphoning votes from Gore).
 
AG74683 said:
He's biding for a cabinet level seat. SoS or AG I think. Does anyone see a Sanders independent run as a possibility? He's beginning to make serious waves in the DNC (see Tulsi Gabbard - who FYI is smoking hot). I mean really, he'd be poised in a perfect spot.

Remember, until his presidency bid, Sanders was an independent (1979-2015).
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I don't think Sanders would run as an independent. He'd be 75 by the time election day rolls around and my theory is that he only initially got into the race to put his ideas out there and force Clinton a bit to the left. His message struck a chord, particularly with younger folks and urban populations and he only stuck around this long because he liked(s) the attention. Once he gets clobbered in a bunch of Southern states tomorrow and then fails to make any traction in the rest of the primaries through March 15th, he'll bow out so that the Democrats can focus on putting resources into competitive house and senate races and he'll show up stumping for some of those candidates in areas where he had significant support.

Besides, logistically I think it would be nearly impossible at this point. Tomorrow is the deadline to file one's intention to run in order to get on the ballot in enough states and that would require him to either give up entirely on the Democratic primary so his team can focus on collecting signatures in the states or stay in the Democratic primary race while collecting the signatures which would show establishment Democrats that he has no faith in his own chances and he'd quickly lose those supporters who would jump ship for Clinton. Not gonna happen.
 
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