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NEVERENDING ♾️ The NEVERENDING Political Discussion Thread

Trump thinks he can do "haircuts" with government debt, like he does with construction debt...... sigh. To me this just clearly shows how little knowledge Trump has of government. It isn't that we can't forgive our debt, or even negotiate it to a lower level, it is that we don't do that. We pay back the full amount. That is how you keep a good bond rating. That is how you keep your dollar strong.

Trump just thinks he can outsmart everyone. I am sure we have quite a few economists who might disagree with Trump's thought process.... http://www.politico.com/story/2016/05/trump-debt-bankruptcy-wall-street-222976
 
Planit said:
The R legislature is hoping this will also bring out the conservative vote in the state during the federal election that might have stayed home. This is some backassward thinking, which I get is how they think it works. BTW-they can't gerrymander the federal voting into carefully drawn district lines.

I know a R state house member and I won't say he is scared, but he doesn't like the direction and feels it will ultimately cost many votes. Another R I know in the senate doesn't give a sh!t and is in full steam ahead mode...and you can even hold a conversation with him anymore.
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My parents are die hard R's. My dad goes the whole 9 yards listening to Rush/Hannity and all that. They both think Obama is the end of the world and the worst president we've ever had. Even THEY think McCrory is a dirt-bag and I don't believe either of them will be voting for him. It's pretty interesting really.
 
My only hope is that checks and balances, the congress and other branches of government will hold Trump in check if elected.

And the Bernie supports (and I am one of them) need to realize that while it is a long shot that Bernie is elected, he cannot unilaterally implement all his plans either... in fact, the system may hold him back just as much.

For both sides of the spectrum, shouldn't we be focusing on congressional races more if immediate change is desired?
 
zman said:
My only hope is that checks and balances, the congress and other branches of government will hold Trump in check if elected.

And the Bernie supports (and I am one of them) need to realize that while it is a long shot that Bernie is elected, he cannot unilaterally implement all his plans either... in fact, the system may hold him back just as much.

For both sides of the spectrum, shouldn't we be focusing on congressional races more if immediate change is desired?
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I think most Sanders supporters know this, or at least I hope so. I don't really think this election is about platforms and campaign promises anymore, because when the dust settles, whoever gets elected won't be able to accomplish much. This is especially true for Trump who has managed to push both parties away. Clinton will only be able to get her items passed through if Congress moves back towards a democratic majority, which is a tossup right now. I feel that Sanders has the best ability to bridge party lines and unite people as a whole. He is generally well respected in both the Senate and HoR. I'm a Sanders supporter because of who he is and what he represents. He's the only admirable "electable" person in the race.

If the options for the election come down to Trump/Clinton, I'll be keeping a close eye on the polls leading up to the election. I'll vote the complete opposite on the congressional races depending on who looks to be ahead specifically to try and block them from causing damage.
 
I really hate our primary system. I really wish we either had one gigantic national primary day or combine all our primaries into "regional" primaries. 4 max primaries: west, midwest, south, east. How hard is that? I feel like my vote in the primary doesnt matter, yet i reside in the most populous state. That's just wrong.
 
Raf said:
I really hate our primary system. I really wish we either had one gigantic national primary day or combine all our primaries into "regional" primaries. 4 max primaries: west, midwest, south, east. How hard is that? I feel like my vote in the primary doesnt matter, yet i reside in the most populous state. That's just wrong.
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Unless you support Clinton or Trump, you vote does not count. It should, but it doesn't.

I think that the national primary day is a good idea. We don't do the election on various days, why should we do primaries that way?

On a side note, I applaud all the Bernie supporters who are still voting for him. I really hope that he wins every one of the remaining states just to prove how messed up the system is, because we all know there is no way the DNC and the Clinton Machine will allow him to be the nominee.
 
michaelskis said:
Unless you support Clinton or Trump, you vote does not count. It should, but it doesn't.

I think that the national primary day is a good idea. We don't do the election on various days, why should we do primaries that way?

On a side note, I applaud all the Bernie supporters who are still voting for him. I really hope that he wins every one of the remaining states just to prove how messed up the system is, because we all know there is no way the DNC and the Clinton Machine will allow him to be the nominee.
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NPR is clearly tired of Bernie... they again had a Bernie supporter on and just asked why he keeps going when it is hurting Hillary.....

I think we need two more holidays per year - National Primary Day and National Voting Day. Both are federal holidays, and both allow more people access to the voting booth. One day in the Spring and one day in the Fall.
 
michaelskis said:
I think that the national primary day is a good idea. We don't do the election on various days, why should we do primaries that way?
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Local (well, state-level) control - if you don't feel that your vote counts because your primary is late in the season, take it up with the state apparatus for the political party you prefer.

Now, if you want to talk about getting rid of the electoral college because it essentially makes your vote pointless, I'm all ears...
 
Bubba said:
Local (well, state-level) control - if you don't feel that your vote counts because your primary is late in the season, take it up with the state apparatus for the political party you prefer.

Now, if you want to talk about getting rid of the electoral college because it essentially makes your vote pointless, I'm all ears...
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What about people who don't prefer one party over the other?

As for the electoral college, what we have now sucks and is full of issues. I don't think a popular vote, open primary is such a bad idea. But I imagine there would be issues with that as well.
 
michaelskis said:
What about people who don't prefer one party over the other?
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Still a state-level issue. I think it would be a good idea for one party (or both) to work on condensing the primary calendar somewhat, but I'm not overly in favor of the Feds dictating a national primary day...
 
Also, get rid of straight party voting. You want to pick all Dems,or Reps? Fine, you manually have to flip the lever (or fill in the spot, connect the line, etc) for all the Dems or Reps separately. Too much chance for hoochie coochie otherwise.
 
I don't think I like the idea of a national primary day. In an ideal world, the way it's designed now allows the candidates and their message to evolve and change as they discover what resonates with voters. Of course, when they evolve further down the rabbit hole of idiocracy things don't look good. I don't mind the idea of regional primaries though, although I would break them up into more than 4 regions (maybe something like Northeast, Southeast, Great Lakes, Upper Midwest, Pacific, Rockies, Great Plains, Desert, Texas/Oklahoma/Arkansas (I ran out of good geographic names)...

I think part of the problem this time around, especially on the R side, was the sheer number of potentially viable candidates at the start of the primary season. With so many candidates in the mix the vote was split in too many directions so "reasonable" candidates like Cruz, Bush, and Kasich found it difficult to ever get a foothold and because there were so many "unreasonable" candidates like Trump, Carson, and Fiorina the others never coalesced to take down one of the unreasonable ones. I the RNC would have stepped in earlier and maybe dissuaded a couple from actually running we could be in a very different situation right now, even if it were one of the also-rans like Walker, Paul, or Huckabee who had sat out.
 
Bubba said:
Local (well, state-level) control - if you don't feel that your vote counts because your primary is late in the season, take it up with the state apparatus for the political party you prefer.

Now, if you want to talk about getting rid of the electoral college because it essentially makes your vote pointless, I'm all ears...
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I don't even count the primary as really anything on the federal, state or local level. It's basically a bunch of guys getting together to pick who they want to run and they've involved the government in the process because we do such a great job of delivering service. If there were another party, I hear there are a few, they can do whatever they want for primaries. As long as everyone can get their name on the local ballot by whatever deadline that's all that matters. Technically you could have two R or D candidates on the ballot if they can both get onto the state ballots. Hell, Ross Perot did it. I still feel for Raf. By the time CA votes no one cares anymore, but I also don't envy those who vote first.

Talking about getting rid of the electoral college would be a great thing. Maybe not this year because the idiots of 'Merica actually would vote in Trump and the college provides a little protection, but normally I hate the thing.

Gedunker said:
Also, get rid of straight party voting. You want to pick all Dems,or Reps? Fine, you manually have to flip the lever (or fill in the spot, connect the line, etc) for all the Dems or Reps separately. Too much chance for hoochie coochie otherwise.
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They should allow party voting. You flip one switch that says D or R and then your ballot is shredded because you're an idiot and your opinion shouldn't count. If you want to vote all one party take the time to fill in the little circle, line, or touch the button for each person.
 
dvdneal said:
Snipetty snip snip
They should allow party voting. You flip one switch that says D or R and then your ballot is shredded because you're an idiot and your opinion shouldn't count. If you want to vote all one party take the time to fill in the little circle, line, or touch the button for each person.
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This works as well.:D
 
Raf said:
I really hate our primary system. I really wish we either had one gigantic national primary day or combine all our primaries into "regional" primaries. 4 max primaries: west, midwest, south, east. How hard is that? I feel like my vote in the primary doesnt matter, yet i reside in the most populous state. That's just wrong.
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I agree. Over a year of politics is just too much. I watch the national news and five to ten minutes are dedicated to the election EVERY NIGHT! Come on. What stories are not getting covered so Donald Trump can insult someone every night. The whole presidential election process should be six months top. All these debates. Have we really learned anything about the candidates other than Cruz is creepy and Trump is a loud-mouthed bully? And all these senseless primaries. Sorry, Iowa, I don't care about your primary. Iowa is famous for its caucus and pork processing. Less talk. More bacon.

And I swear the next time Sarah Palin opens her yap, the media should just turn off their cameras and mikes and just walk away. I mean, actually do it. Shut it down and walk away while she prattles to dead microphones. That wouldn't shut her up, but at least I won't have to hear it.
 
otterpop said:
And I swear the next time Sarah Palin opens her yap, the media should just turn off their cameras and mikes and just walk away. I mean, actually do it. Shut it down and walk away while she prattles to dead microphones. That wouldn't shut her up, but at least I won't have to hear it.
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I swear I want to walk up to McCain and slap him upside his head for bringing Palin onto the political stage (just a figure of speech for those secret service people watching me). My friend says the guy is kind of a perv and tells a story about him helping a young lady get her name tag off before they took a picture. She has huge tracts of land he was interested in. So he says it's the perv factor that made him pick her as a VP. I still want to slap the guy.
 
dvdneal said:
Talking about getting rid of the electoral college would be a great thing. Maybe not this year because the idiots of 'Merica actually would vote in Trump and the college provides a little protection, but normally I hate the thing.
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That little bit of protection is pretty much the reason why they invented the thing in the first place.
 
michaelskis said:
On a side note, I applaud all the Bernie supporters who are still voting for him. I really hope that he wins every one of the remaining states just to prove how messed up the system is, because we all know there is no way the DNC and the Clinton Machine will allow him to be the nominee.
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I think Bernie should threaten the DNC with a 3rd party run. Either recount states he "lost" due to fraud and do away with the stupordelegates, or he just creates a progressive party. One of two things happens, 1) The R's go with Trump and no way that ass sucking Clinton Machine gets elected, or 2) the R's also run another candidate (Romney?), and we have a real election. It's win-win for me...
 
dvdneal said:
I swear I want to walk up to McCain and slap him upside his head for bringing Palin onto the political stage (just a figure of speech for those secret service people watching me). My friend says the guy is kind of a perv and tells a story about him helping a young lady get her name tag off before they took a picture. She has huge tracts of land he was interested in. So he says it's the perv factor that made him pick her as a VP. I still want to slap the guy.
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I have great sympathy for McCain for the tortures he endured while being held as a POW. But sometimes after Sarah Palin has delivered one of her prattling, nonsensical rants, I think McCain wasn't tortured enough!
 
Maister said:
That little bit of protection is pretty much the reason why they invented the thing in the first place.
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Yes, in this day and age, heaven forbid the majority of Americans be allowed to directly elect the candidate of their choice for President, especially if there's even a slight chance that those who vote against said candidate might not like the end result. :r:
 
There have been two stories recently of people from the LGBT community going too far to forward their agenda. In Durham NC, there was a transgender person who took a selfie in the bathroom and claims they were escorted out of the public bathroom my security. Well the City released the security video showing that person walking out without any security people at all.


The second was a gay pastor in Texas who claimed that Whole Foods added a derogatory term to the cake that he ordered, and filed a lawsuit against the company. Whole Foods then filed a lawsuit against him and showed security camera footage of him picking up the cake without the derogatory word written on it. He has now admitted that the company did not do what he said that they did and that he made it up. Both lawsuits have since been dropped.

In both cases, they are not helping their cause...

My question is why do people do this? It is not just the LGBT community, but all sorts of people from different sides of different issues. It makes me wonder what is true and what is a lie anymore. However I think that it is the most telling with political campaigns, and it is nothing new. People say this about Trump, or that about Bernie, or that Hillary is actually a space alien. First of all, why would anyone say something so mean about space aliens... but second, we live in a society there information can be checked at the speed of thought and the lies will come out almost as soon as they are said. But then what sources of media can we trust to get it right. CNN, Fox, CBS, ABC, and NBC can't be trusted.
 
I think people just want to get some attention and the cause if their method. Plus they don't think it will hurt the cause.

I'm more pissed about news media. A story like the gay pastor and Whole Foods might get covered by Fox saying what a horrible person/cause he represents. NBC might not even cover it because they don't want to promote or reject the cause, etc. For me, how is this even national news? True or not I really don't care that some Whole Foods employee did something horrible or some pastor did something horrible, whatever the case may be. NC's bathroom law is a bad/good thing depending on your view and is news. Someone getting escorted out of the bathroom isn't.
 
dvdneal said:
I think people just want to get some attention and the cause if their method. Plus they don't think it will hurt the cause.

I'm more pissed about news media. A story like the gay pastor and Whole Foods might get covered by Fox saying what a horrible person/cause he represents. NBC might not even cover it because they don't want to promote or reject the cause, etc. For me, how is this even national news? True or not I really don't care that some Whole Foods employee did something horrible or some pastor did something horrible, whatever the case may be. NC's bathroom law is a bad/good thing depending on your view and is news. Someone getting escorted out of the bathroom isn't.
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The 24 hours news cycle means we HAVE to have news. Even most things that aren't news. When we only got news at 8am, noon, and 5pm, we got well reported and generally interesting news. With 24 hours news cycles, we have heard about the awful stuff the second they happen... by 5pm I need to hear about the government waste of having a dog catcher, and the girl who slipped at a 7/11.
 
Hink said:
The 24 hours news cycle means we HAVE to have news. Even most things that aren't news. When we only got news at 8am, noon, and 5pm, we got well reported and generally interesting news. With 24 hours news cycles, we have heard about the awful stuff the second they happen... by 5pm I need to hear about the government waste of having a dog catcher, and the girl who slipped at a 7/11.
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True.

And the two people referenced are simply narcissists desperate for fame & fortune... really doesn't have much to do with them being gay.

The Whole Foods story is awesome though simply because he was so oblivious to Whole Foods consistent record of affirming diversity and being an ally to LBGTQ. He couldn't have picked a worse target if he tried, and I was glad to see a corporation hit back for once.
 
michaelskis said:
There have been two stories recently of people from the LGBT community going too far to forward their agenda. In Durham NC, there was a transgender person who took a selfie in the bathroom and claims they were escorted out of the public bathroom my security. Well the City released the security video showing that person walking out without any security people at all.
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Both of these are hardly about forwarding an agenda. It's all about money and trying to sue someone over it. There's an opportunity for it so these folks tried to take it. Every group has their shitty people like these two.
 
Not sure what to make of the Washington primary system. We caucused (the Dems at least) on March 26... a Saturday where I was next door in Idaho seeing family. Hillary won the caucus and thus the delegate from WA.

Then, last week, I get a primary ballot in the mail. Both Dems and Reps are on there, you choose your party and then vote in the primary.

I am confused... why have both?
 
zman said:
Not sure what to make of the Washington primary system. We caucused (the Dems at least) on March 26... a Saturday where I was next door in Idaho seeing family. Hillary won the caucus and thus the delegate from WA.

Then, last week, I get a primary ballot in the mail. Both Dems and Reps are on there, you choose your party and then vote in the primary.

I am confused... why have both?
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Texas used to have what was affectionately called the "Texas Two-Step," also known as the most confusing delegate selection process possible on the Democrat side. 50% of delegates were awarded by primary, with the other 50% awarded by caucus. The idea was that part of it rewarded turnout, while the caucus rewarded participation/passion. Texas always had a late primary/caucus, so we rarely mattered... until 2008. It was a complete mess because so few people understood the caucus system. Apparently in the past these precincts never had anyone show up for the caucus portion, causing delegates to be awarded based exclusively on the primary. I ended-up explaining the caucus system in our precinct and talking through three other precincts by cell phone. Oh, and they also did resolutions for consideration at the county/state conventions during the caucus process (which really confused the hell out of everyone). The most common complaint was that the delegates either weren't loyal or weren't apportioned based on the Precinct Caucus convention results (i.e. only one Obama delegate when the precinct was actually 40% in favor of Obama).

The Texas Dems went exclusively to a primary system in 2015. While I actually enjoy the caucus system, it was a complete disaster here in Texas.
 
5736494f2200004207256950.jpg


Ben & Jerry’s New Flavor ‘Empower Mint’ Is More Political And Punny Than Ever
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry...er-mint-ice-cream_us_57363be6e4b08f96c1833be0
 
JNA said:
Oklahoma Republicans want to impeach Obama over transgender bathroom rights, even though it's futile
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...ender-bathroom-rights-even-though-its-futile/

Oklahoma Legislature files measure asking Congress to impeach Obama
http://www.koco.com/news/oklahoma-l...re-to-impeach-president-barack-obama/39647160
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Sounds like just the sort of treasonous high crime impeachment was intended to address.
The Constitution said:
The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.
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:r:

Okay, I guess they gotta convict him of treason first. A mere technicality.
 
I had a serious Trump freak out today. Hillary is loosing her lead in the General Election polling and the democratic establishment is still acting like the Donald has no chance.

My man Bernie is out of the running sad to say. Hillary has to turn up the riot grrl and play hardball. Ill save the Hitler comparisons that all the whiney SJW's pull out because they cant actually argue against the right, but I have a bad feeling.

I hope there are secession movements if Trump wins.

Related: anyone think there's a chance of a Clinton/Sanders ticket?
 
The Terminator said:
I had a serious Trump freak out today. Hillary is loosing her lead in the General Election polling and the democratic establishment is still acting like the Donald has no chance.

My man Bernie is out of the running sad to say. Hillary has to turn up the riot grrl and play hardball. Ill save the Hitler comparisons that all the whiney SJW's pull out because they cant actually argue against the right, but I have a bad feeling.

I hope there are secession movements if Trump wins.

Related: anyone think there's a chance of a Clinton/Sanders ticket?
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No, Sanders is causing too much heart ache for the Cintons.

As for Trump, I don't think there will be a secession movement... In fact there won't be anything because Congress and the Senate won't let him do much. He will be a 4 year lame duck who will try to use executive orders and get overturned again and again.
 
michaelskis said:
No, Sanders is causing too much heart ache for the Cintons.

As for Trump, I don't think there will be a secession movement... In fact there won't be anything because Congress and the Senate won't let him do much. He will be a 4 year lame duck who will try to use executive orders and get overturned again and again.
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I think it will be interesting what happens down ticket. Clinton should kill Trump, but it will be MUCH closer than it is should be. If Trump wins, I think down ticket races will become harder for R's. If the D's win the majority of the senate or of the house (I would argue neither should happen), nothing will happen. Our split government with the Tea Party means that we will get nothing accomplished.

Not sure what it is going to take to get our political parties to be less ideological, but obviously Trump winning the election may help.
 
The primaries in Georgia for the non-Presidential races are tomorrow. The down-ticket impact of the Trump campaign is something the local fish-wrapper is trying to play up in relation to our Senate race; however, my mildly educated guess is that our incumbent moderate Republican gets through the primary without a runoff and, as usual, beats the stiff-of-the-month the state's Dems trot out in November.


The Terminator said:
I hope there are secession movements if Trump wins.
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:r:
 
The Terminator said:
I had a serious Trump freak out today. Hillary is loosing her lead in the General Election polling and the democratic establishment is still acting like the Donald has no chance.

My man Bernie is out of the running sad to say. Hillary has to turn up the riot grrl and play hardball. Ill save the Hitler comparisons that all the whiney SJW's pull out because they cant actually argue against the right, but I have a bad feeling.

I hope there are secession movements if Trump wins.

Related: anyone think there's a chance of a Clinton/Sanders ticket?
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I have said this over and over... H. Clinton is overly managed and her staff is failing her. Watching her campaign is like watching an AI robot trying to connect with humans. I think it is just simply overexposure and something about word choice that makes it sound too polished & too prepped.

Also, I pretty much hate the current DNC leadership. The GOP has practically handed them victory on a silver platter, and they are finding a way to screw it up. Not that the RNC leadership is any better.
 
Hink said:
I think it will be interesting what happens down ticket. Clinton should kill Trump, but it will be MUCH closer than it is should be. If Trump wins, I think down ticket races will become harder for R's. If the D's win the majority of the senate or of the house (I would argue neither should happen), nothing will happen. Our split government with the Tea Party means that we will get nothing accomplished.

Not sure what it is going to take to get our political parties to be less ideological, but obviously Trump winning the election may help.
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Suburb Repairman said:
I have said this over and over... H. Clinton is overly managed and her staff is failing her. Watching her campaign is like watching an AI robot trying to connect with humans. I think it is just simply overexposure and something about word choice that makes it sound too polished & too prepped.

Also, I pretty much hate the current DNC leadership. The GOP has practically handed them victory on a silver platter, and they are finding a way to screw it up. Not that the RNC leadership is any better.
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And Trump is leading in the polls? (LINK)


I am 100% positive that I will not vote for Clinton... and about 95% positive I will not vote for Trump. Gary Johnson is pro-choice.... so I don't want to vote for him.

When it gets to November, unless Trump really cleans up his act, I don't think he will win. Despite my dislike of Hillary, is is the political system and the Clinton Machine will find a way to put her in the WH, regardless of how the people vote.
 
I pay zero attention to these "national polls" because they mean nothing...the presidency won't be decided on a national popular vote.

What I DO pay attention to are the individual state polling numbers, because...you know...electoral college.
 
michaelskis said:
And Trump is leading in the polls? (LINK)


I am 100% positive that I will not vote for Clinton... and about 95% positive I will not vote for Trump. Gary Johnson is pro-choice.... so I don't want to vote for him.

When it gets to November, unless Trump really cleans up his act, I don't think he will win. Despite my dislike of Hillary, is is the political system and the Clinton Machine will find a way to put her in the WH, regardless of how the people vote.
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I'm leaning towards Trump because f**k it, let's see how the establishment likes a guy they can't control. Realistically, I don't think I could stomach voting for Trump though so I'll probably write in Sanders. I do however think Trump will win the whole thing though. I think he'll be the "safer" choice of the two, as crazy as that sounds. He will have no backing by either party, and I could see a mass Dem. sweep simply because of anti-Trump votes.
 
michaelskis said:
And Trump is leading in the polls? (LINK)


I am 100% positive that I will not vote for Clinton... and about 95% positive I will not vote for Trump. Gary Johnson is pro-choice.... so I don't want to vote for him.

When it gets to November, unless Trump really cleans up his act, I don't think he will win. Despite my dislike of Hillary, is is the political system and the Clinton Machine will find a way to put her in the WH, regardless of how the people vote.
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In honor of the Preakness I give this analysis:

And they're off:
Coming out of the gate it's Trump in the lead by a nose with Hillary a close second and Sanders bringing up the rear.
We all know Sanders isn't a long track horse and don't expect him to place.
Trump is definitely a mud runner and after the rain of recent primaries there is some mud on that track.
Trump is also motivated by the roar of the crowd which could make him go faster, but it could distract him letting Clinton take the lead.
 
I almost think Hillary will win the electoral and Trump the popular vote which will create a new round of pissed of GOP because the system is rigged and Hillary shouldn't be in office and...
 
What I don't get about Sanders supporters... your candidate has never been part of the Democratic party yet you complain about not getting support of the Super Delegates who are party insiders.

What I don't get about Sanders opponents... Sanders has never been part of the Democratic Party yet you expect him to shut up and do what's best for the Party.
 
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