U.S. Presidential Election 2016

[Argonaut]

Although I'd call that debate a draw, Trump definitely came back in a way that will have ruffled a few feathers at the Clinton camp- those who expected the "Trump tape" to bury the hatchet were given second thoughts. He pulled off a good number of successful zingers that gave him cheers, managed to keep on the attack and show Hillary's lies out in the open- but was still susceptible to repetition and weak construction of arguments.

 

 

 

 

If anything tho, this video just highlights some of the really poor lines Clinton ran in the debate- "But we are great because we are good." ???? Like come on, wake up and say something meaningful for a change. Maybe i'll be waiting for awhile for that to happen in either candidates, mind you.

Edited October 10, 2016 by Argonaut

[jatiger13]

I didn't watch the debate but I'm sure Trump did poorly and our resident supporters are just making sh*t up.

He did horrible, if you look at it objectively. His response to the Muslim woman was especially cringe worthy.

 

Other than that, he couldn't answer what he would do to improve certain things. He could only point out what is currently wrong. He was largely void of solutions. And, oh my, he has issues with staying on topic.

He also has an aversion to truth, still. He lied about 30 times. That's one lie for every 80 seconds that he was speaking. But that's not exactly news. Most of what he says are lies, that has been thoroughly documented.

 

The one thing he did very well was to creep around the stage while wearing his resting bitch face.

 

 

 

Last offensive in Palmyra was 3 days ago.

 

Source 1

Source 2

Source 2 also includes fighting in al-Sukhnah, al-Tayibeh and near Arak oilfield.

 

6 days ago: "Syrian Army reenters Jabal Thardeh after pushing ISIS away from Deir Ezzor Military Airport"

Source 1

Source 2

Source 3

Defending yourself from ISIS trying to advance is different from actively fighting someone, like Assad does against the rebel forces.

 

The bottom 3 sources (2 are about the same thing) are, again, not what I consider Syria fighting ISIS. All Syria did was to retake strategically important points. Other than that, they're not actually trying to eliminate ISIS.

Edited October 10, 2016 by jatiger13

[Twilight Sky]

All that did it for me was when he said Syria is Russia. That's EXACTLY what Putin wanted to hear, I'm sure. And he's a Russian and ISIS sympathizer, though he probably doesn't realize it but he sure made it sound like it.

 

I will give it to Trump though, I hate to admit, his "better than usual" showing is largely because he did not get unhinged.

Edited October 10, 2016 by Twilight Sky

[Eutyphro]

What also complicates matters is that a lot of the best commentators on the region don't believe the FSA exists or think it's very small and irrelevant.

 

Charles Glass: " They are now a very small faction of the opposition, [..] So the Free Syrian Army is a much diminished and, frankly, irrelevant force now." Patrick Cockburn: “The Free Syrian Army even at its best, which was some time ago, was an umbrella organisation with various fragmentary units," he said, adding that some rebel factions in northern Syria "aren’t particularly Islamic but the general trend is that the opposition is getting more Islamic there." “You might have a group that doesn’t look like they are extreme jihadi but it operates under licence from those who are.” Robert Fisk "the Free Syrian Army is a complete myth and I don't believe it really exists"

So when there's news on "the FSA being hit by the Syrian army and Russia" it's almost pure propaganda.

[xxxtentacion]

The debate was pretty sh*t I think. Like it's been said Trump has extremely low expectations so it's not hard to see that being a "fooking savage brah" is considered a win for him.

 

Overall I think it was just depressing, it's like two dogs standingl next to their piles of sh*t. Nobody really gained from it, although Clinton will go up in the polls this week because people are hopping off the Trump train now that his campaign is beginning to crumble a bit.

[sivispacem]

Last offensive in Palmyra was 3 days ago.

Source 2 also includes fighting in al-Sukhnah, al-Tayibeh and near Arak oilfield.

 

6 days ago: "Syrian Army reenters Jabal Thardeh after pushing ISIS away from Deir Ezzor Military Airport"

in addition to the comments above, it is worth noting that the media organisations responsible for these reports are Iranian government aligned, so probably worth treating them with a degree of caution. Iranian, Syrian and Russian sources have consistently asserted that any organisations they're fighting against are IS, even when there not.

 

As for the term "FSA", I don't mean to infer the anti-Assad rebels are anything like the FSA was when it was first formulated in 2011-12. I simply use it as shorthand for the Sunni led armed resistance.

[Twilight Sky]

The way I understand it is, Assad is fighting ISIS so that they don't control Syria, but he is also fighting the rebels who don't want him to stay in power. And Russia is helping for different reasons...honestly Assad should also be concerned about Putin.

[Craigsters]

maybe mr Socko well get the truth out of them? or gag them?

 

[Not A Nice Person]

I didn't think either candidate won, Trump was a wreck (but he did better than the first debate) and Clinton didn't meet her godly standards.

 

I just hated the way Trump stood behind Clinton during some parts of the debate, that was absurd.

[Svip]

Watching the chatter about the debate, I am beginning to feel Trump did worse than I initially thought immediately after the debate, probably because Trump delivered a more coherent composure with some substance towards the end of the debate, and some might even say that his answer to the last question was 'nice'.

 

The only problem is - as is apparently from the chatter - that's not what people are talking about with regards to this debate, they are talking about the first 30 minutes where all the insults were flung at one another.

 

And looking at that, I feel Trump probably blew it. Polling data with regards to Bill Clinton's past with women plus their opinion on the Billy Bush tape suggests that Trump would be pursuing the wrong strategy with over 60% of voters, if he did what he did last night. I wonder whether these voters will feel Trump's attacks was more stunt than substance.

 

As Eutyphro said a page back, Trump basically has one task to turn this around, and that's to make Clinton more unpopular than him, a task at which he failed at tonight. But I wonder if he did more damage to his own image in the process!

 

Of course, with regards to polling data on the election itself, the effects of either the tape and/or the debate will first be apparent on Thursday.

[Eutyphro]

I actually think Trump did well the first part of the debate, and I think the way he apologized for the tape was done right. But as the debate went on Trump seemed to want to be more aggressive than the first debate, because he lost the first one, and because the recent bad publicity put him under pressure.

Because he seemed very aggressive I think it made him seem unpresidential. Clinton though, wanted to seem presidential by being pedantic and pretending to be above Trump, which generally made her seem unable to handle Trump's demagoguery. It made her seem distant, which is something she struggles with. So Trump's 'unpresidential' aggression made both look bad.

So I think what this debate did was made both look bad, and apart from making both of these people look bad, I don't think there was a clear winner. I liked the previous debate much better.

Edited October 10, 2016 by Eutyphro

[jatiger13]

I just hated the way Trump stood behind Clinton during some parts of the debate, that was absurd.

Creeps gonna creep.

 

 

I actually think Trump did well the first part of the debate, and I think the way he apologized for the tape was done right.

You're actually the first person I've seen to say that, other than the Trump sheep.

His apology was, once again, not a real apology. Instead he did what he does best, deal in false equivalences. Zero contrition from him. And then the numbskull, out of nowhere, brings up ISIS.

 

ISIS, a subject he knows nothing about but loves to talk about as if he does.

Edited October 10, 2016 by jatiger13

[Eutyphro]

He apologized and only brought up Bill Clinton's legacy after being pressed on the tape for question after question. He could've dropped the Bill is a rapist and Hillary laughed when defending one bomb in the first question, but he didn't. For Trump it was very classy. Consider that I'm trying to be objective, and are personally well aware Trump is a total piece of sh*t in every way possible. All I'm saying is the apology was done right. Not that I think he means it, or that he's a good guy. He probably doesn't mean it, and he's a piece of sh*t.

Also consider that most people don't bother trying to be objective, and have simply made their mind up that Trump is an utter piece of sh*t in everything he does, and that's perfectly fine and reasonable.

Edited October 10, 2016 by Eutyphro

[Spuds725]

My opinion of the debate--

 

"Giant Douche" did better than expected but played to his base who won't in a million years vote for "Turd Sandwich" and IMO did little to sway undecideds-- much improved from the first debate and IMO bringing up "Mr. Sandwichs'" infidelities will NOT help him with undecideds--- we already did this 18 years ago-- he isn't running and if anything may garner "Secretary Sandwich" some sympathy from undecideds. He will likely not get much above his ceiling of 42%...

 

So "Giant Douche" did over perform expectations and in that sense he won-- did it help-- probably not.

 

 

"Turd Sandwich" turned it a solid performance and perhaps slightly underperformed her expectations, but IMO did little to disuade her supporters from taking a big bite of that sandwich on Nov 8th.... Myself included--- So I am giving this round to to "Giant Douche" by a nose.... I'm in Ohio-- absentee ballots go out starting tomorrow-- I'll be voting some time in the next week.

 

 

 

 

This is Not a good sign for Giant Douche in the big picture.... http://www.cnn.com/2016/10/10/politics/paul-ryan-said-he-wont-defend-donald-trump/

[Eutyphro]

bringing up "Mr. Sandwichs'" infidelities will NOT help him with undecideds--- we already did this 18 years ago-- he isn't running and if anything may garner "Secretary Sandwich" some sympathy from undecideds.

But it isn't about Mr. Sandwich getting his dick sucked by a chubby jewish girl in his office. We've known about that for a long time, and though it's kinda embarrassing, we should've never really cared about it at all. It's about Mr. Sandwich's long history of non consensual sexual attacks and rape, which I had been barely aware of before the internet informed me about it. The mainstream loves Mr. Sandwich a lot, and didn't bother informing people that he's a rapist, and that's pretty interesting.

[Spuds725]

 

bringing up "Mr. Sandwichs'" infidelities will NOT help him with undecideds--- we already did this 18 years ago-- he isn't running and if anything may garner "Secretary Sandwich" some sympathy from undecideds.

But it isn't about Mr. Sandwich getting his dick sucked by a chubby jewish girl in his office. We've known about that for a long time, and though it's kinda embarrassing, we should've never really cared about it at all. It's about Mr. Sandwich's long history of non consensual sexual attacks and rape, which I had been barely aware of before the internet informed me about it. The mainstream loves Mr. Sandwich a lot, and didn't bother informing people that he's a rapist, and that's pretty interesting.

 

 

 

Really??? This is when she went public with allegations Feb 24, 1999-- http://www.mrctv.org/videos/full-dateline-nbc-juanita-broaddrick-bill-clinton-raping-her

 

This contratidicts her sworn statements she made previously.... and if you skip to about 22 minutes into the video you can see her state that nobody tried to keep her silent or threaten or intimidate her.

 

Either way-- Mr. Sandwich isn't running so once again... moot point--- Does she have a score to settle-- Most Definitely-- can Mrs. Sandwich still play the victim in the story-- yes.

[sivispacem]

...long history of non consensual sexual attacks and rape...he's a rapist...

Is he, though? There's quite a difference between allegation and fact; I'm not versed enough on the issue to judge the validity of the statements made by the alleged victims but it is pretty obvious you've already decided what you think the facts of the matter are. Obvious, too, that you've confused allegation with fact.

[Eutyphro]

When the list of allegations starts reaching a certain magnitude, I start making up my mind a bit, and conclude I don't believe he can likely be innocent. I have to admit I have no detailed knowledge of these cases either, but the amount of them makes me reach a certain conclusion.

After all, I have no knowledge of the detail and the evidence concerning what Bill Cosby has done either, but no one in their right mind seems to believe there's the slightest chance he's innocent.

[El Dildo]

Eutyphro seems to think that Bill Clinton is the one running for president...

 

what any of this has to do with Hillary as a candidate is beyond me.

[Eutyphro]

what any of this has to do with Hillary as a candidate is beyond me.

 

That criticizing Trump for his disrespect of women is one of the most important aspects of her campaign, when her husband is a serial sex offender, and that makes such attacks on Trump pretty bizarre to be coming from her.

 

I also wonder why some supposed feminists in this topic are starting to collectively become rape apologists. Rape only matters to them when it is done by people they don't like I guess. That's how super feminist they are.

Edited October 10, 2016 by Eutyphro

[GTA_stu]

Eutyphro seems to think that Bill Clinton is the one running for president...

 

what any of this has to do with Hillary as a candidate is beyond me.

 

Maybe because having a rapist husband doesn't look great. Especially when you defended him.

[Svip]

He apologized and only brought up Bill Clinton's legacy after being pressed on the tape for question after question. He could've dropped the Bill is a rapist and Hillary laughed when defending one bomb in the first question, but he didn't. For Trump it was very classy.

You think it was classy to meet with women who accuse Bill Clinton of rape just before the debate and then have arrangements for them to sit in the audience near Bill Clinton (although the CPD said that they could not sit in the family box, because they were not family, which was originally the Trump campaign's plan)? One of the four women included was there because Hillary Clinton was appointed by a judge to be the public defender for the man who raped her when she was a 11 year old girl. Holy sh*t, how is that in any way classy?!

 

The fact that he and his campaign arranged for having these women in the room means that he planned on attacking Clinton for Bill Clinton's past regardless of the questions that the moderators or the audience would ask.

Edited October 10, 2016 by Svip

[Smith John]

I mean, an individual who sat in office for 8 years - and allegations against him - who happens to be married to a candidate currently running for the same office is a complete irrelevance...

[Eutyphro]

Holy sh*t, how is that in any way classy?!

It's absolutely not. It's disgusting that this is how campaigns are run these days. But Clinton's 'women will be the reason' campaign video against Trump is equally disgusting. But I expected Trump to give a speech of multiple minutes on the history of sexual violence by Bill at the debate, and he didn't do it. He mentioned it. Considering how he is under fire, and consider what kind of person Trump is, he played it subtle.

[Craigsters]

3 minutes into the video I love the word he uses to apologize , sounds like he says abulgize you spell it the way it may of sound to you

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyAiLkAo4CE

Edited October 10, 2016 by Craigsters

[Svip]

 

Holy sh*t, how is that in any way classy?!

It's absolutely not. It's disgusting that this is how campaigns are run these days. But Clinton's 'women will be the reason' campaign video against Trump is equally disgusting. But I expected Trump to give a speech of multiple minutes on the history of sexual violence by Bill at the debate, and he didn't do it. He mentioned it. Considering how he is under fire, and consider what kind of person Trump is, he played it subtle.

 

That I will concede, I too was expecting more from Trump, but watching the debate it seemed like he was planing on doing that, but when the moderators moved on from the subject and on to the next one, it seemed as if Trump just let it go by then.

[xxxtentacion]

To be honest I thought the debate was pretty depressing. The fact that the majority of it was personal attacks on both sides kinda cancel out anybody really getting anything out of this. Both sides were pretty sh*t and it just seemed like two dogs standing next to their piles of sh*t.

 

Nobody really won, but Clinton will be up in the polls like she already is. General Election polls by NBC and the Wall Street Journal have her up by double digits already, and it's not even midweek. Like I predicted this most likely isn't from the debate, but it's most likely from the sh*t that happened with Trump prior. The tape, top Republican's jumping ship, losing funding and mailing services from the RNC, etc, etc.

 

I think he's most likely gonna lose the election itself, and the GOP is just trying to tear him away from their party as soon as possible.

[X S]

Let's be real. Nobody is watching these debates and actually considering policy. In the end, all we end up remembering are the zingers and gaffes. I said following the last debate that it was terrible. I stand by that from a policy-oriented perspective, and I would say the same for the most recent debate, but I've also acknowledged that any attempt to analyze it is far less complicated than it appears, at least on the surface of things. Just take a look back at the defining moments of past debates:

 

 

[Smith John]

That creepy walk up behind Bush by Gore will always go down as a highlight of the American debates for me. Classic stuff.

[xxxtentacion]

I can agree that there are people who like to see all the zingers and sh*t, so they can rave on Twitter about how "fooking savage yo" their candidate is.

 

But I don't think that that's who they vote for, as we're seeing now with Hillary's poll numbers jumping. She hardly made the same remarks that Trump did that ended up all over social media that night.