U.S. Presidential Election 2016

[Eutyphro]

Bernie won the debate clearly though.

[make total destroy]

didnt watch lol

[El Dildo]

informed voters gain nothing from watching these spectacles.

these circus shows are set up for the uninformed, f/ckwad masses who unfortunately decide our elections.

[Eutyphro]

What you can gain is understanding how the "uninformed, f/ckwad masses who unfortunately decide our elections" are manipulated by the corporate media. Not that the way in which this is happening isn't obvious either, but it is nice to stay current. What was a big change for this campaign compared to the previous one, was how campaign financing became a relevant topic. Nobody in the corporate media considered that a relevant issue before this election cycle. So that's pretty interesting.

[El Dildo]

yeah but I had that revelation like 10 years ago... nothing has changed.

[am30]

 

Bernie just needs to take a few more internet polls and the presidency is his tbh

In that scenario, he might just lose to Hitler and Colbert.

 

 

By Hitler, I take it you mean Trump.

 

What a terrible insult to Hitler. Trump is quite possibly one of the worst humans to have ever existed, if not THE worst.

[Svip]

 

 

Bernie just needs to take a few more internet polls and the presidency is his tbh

In that scenario, he might just lose to Hitler and Colbert.

 

 

By Hitler, I take it you mean Trump.

 

What a terrible insult to Hitler. Trump is quite possibly one of the worst humans to have ever existed, if not THE worst.

 

 

No, I meant Hitler. Hitler is very popular on the internet.

[Not A Nice Person]

nah reddit just brigaded a couple online polls

he still won the debate without these polls, o'malley imo was a close second. still can't get over that "i've never met a self-respecting deer hunter that needed an AR-15 to down a deer"

 

I am not into Bernie nor Hilary, but I feel like they made Hilary look more youthful and healthier compared to Bernie.

and that matters bcuz..? Elections aren't a beauty contest (but I might be wrong seeing how Trudeau won in Canada)

Edited January 18, 2016 by Sayuri

[Eutyphro]

O'Malley is an annoying self congratulating c*nt. "As the governor of Maryland I accomplished such and such" "As the mayor of Baltimore I did this and this"... He says such a thing in every point he makes. Nobody f*cking cares. The Republicans do this a lot too. Bernie and Hillary don't. It's really really annoying...

[Not A Nice Person]

O'Malley is an annoying self congratulating c*nt. "As the governor of Maryland I accomplished such and such" "As the mayor of Baltimore I did this and this"... He says such a thing in every point he makes. Nobody f*cking cares. The Republicans do this a lot too. Bernie and Hillary don't. It's really really annoying...

yeah i got annoyed by that, he mentioned it 2994849930 times

 

 

and when bernie said he did it for 8 yrs he said that's 8 i did it for 15 like..? ok?

 

 

[Eutyphro]

Haha, yeah... "I'm the only one who has balanced a budget" he said. That line seems stolen from the GOP debate. Kasich says that all the time. It must be the in the standard lines for insignificant candidates book.

[seven50iL]

 

nah reddit just brigaded a couple online polls

he still won the debate without these polls, o'malley imo was a close second. still can't get over that "i've never met a self-respecting deer hunter that needed an AR-15 to down a deer"

 

I am not into Bernie nor Hilary, but I feel like they made Hilary look more youthful and healthier compared to Bernie.You

and that matters bcuz..? Elections aren't a beauty contest (but I might be wrong seeing how Trudeau won in Canada)

 

You are completely missing my point Sayuri. All that I was saying is that it appears that the debate made Hilary look like a more healthier and youthful person compared to Bernie. One can even argue that the network is pro Hilary.

[X S]

RNC wants Bernie to win Iowa. Mmmmmm dirty politics are so exciting.

 

 

These Republican operatives are attempting to pick their Democratic opponent in the general election, and they’re making clear they’d rather face Sanders than Clinton. It is age-old political manipulation tactic, typically used with some subtlety. It comes as recent polls show Sanders as competitive in Iowa and leading in New Hampshire, where back-to-back Sanders victories could endanger Clinton's national lead.

 

http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2016-01-19/republican-operatives-are-trying-to-help-bernie-sanders

[Eutyphro]

But then again Bernie polls better against Republicans than Hillary. So probably that is just another article pushing for the age old 'inelectability' narrative about Bernie.

[Svip]

I think the RNC is making a mistake with that strategy. Their Cold War views of 'socialism' (quotations because it's not really socialism) are thoroughly outdated, and they think that Sanders won't be electable because of this very straightforward view.

 

The Republicans tried to paint President Obama as a socialist in 2008 and that didn't work at all. Not because - I believe - that people didn't buy into the idea that President Obama was a socialist, but that they don't view socialism that negatively anymore.

[Not A Nice Person]

You are completely missing my point Sayuri. All that I was saying is that it appears that the debate made Hilary look like a more healthier and youthful person compared to Bernie. One can even argue that the network is pro Hilary.

 

Well not quite, Hillary looked dead as a tree. She had the same expression the entire debate and Bernie was given an equal sum of spotlight.

 

btw, Is there anymore republican debates?

[BRITLAND]

Sarah Palin has endorsed Donald Trump for the Republican presidential nomination according to a report from the New York Times.

 

It had been widely speculated that the former Alaska governor and 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee would appear with Trump at a rally in Ames, Iowa, on Tuesday, based on flight records and Trump himself teasing a "big announcement" with a "very special guest."

 

Palin's endorsement is a major pick-up for Trump in Iowa, where he's running neck-and-neck with Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who was once championed by Palin.

 

Palin emerged from the 2008 campaign as a star in the grassroots conservative movement. After resigning as governor in 2009, Palin went on to endorse a slew tea party candidates who would win their elections in 2010, including Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio.

 

Before her endorsement Tuesday evening, Cruz's campaign spokesman Rick Tyler warned that Palin backing Trump would damage her image as a champion of conservative causes.

 

"I think it'd be a blow to Sarah Palin, because Sarah Palin has been a champion for the conservative cause, and if she was going to endorse Donald Trump, sadly, she would be endorsing someone who's held progressive views all their life on the sanctity of life, on marriage, on partial-birth abortion," Tyler said on CNN's New Day.

Trump and Palin, could you imagine

[X S]

The Republicans tried to paint President Obama as a socialist in 2008 and that didn't work at all. Not because - I believe - that people didn't buy into the idea that President Obama was a socialist, but that they don't view socialism that negatively anymore.

 

I had to laugh at that not because I disagree with the Republican's failed attempts to paint Obama as a socialist, but because most Americans don't even know what socialism is. We've had that discussion many times in here. So as a result, calling Obama a socialist is about as baseless and useless as calling him a Muslim. And even if he was a socialist, why did the DSA and his administration outright reject these accusations?

 

But if you want some hard numbers, in 2010, Gallup estimated that only 1/3 of Americans viewed socialism positively. But even in this poll, they didn't clearly define their terms, ie. capitalism, free enterprise, socialism, etc. Then there's the Pew poll that shows exactly what has been discussed in this thread, and which I wholeheartedly agree with concerning the American political spectrum. Socialism is viewed most negatively at 60% (fringe). Libertarianism lives at 38% and 37% positively and negatively, respectively (moderate). Finally, it's Progressivism that takes the cake in favoribility, at a whopping 67%, which is trailed by Conservatism at 62%. Also, both are view least negatively, which would place them at the ends of the mainstream political spectrum. They are the majorities.

 

http://www.gallup.com/poll/125645/socialism-viewed-positively-americans.aspx

 

http://www.people-press.org/2011/12/28/little-change-in-publics-response-to-capitalism-socialism/

[Stephan90]

Who needs these politicial orientations when you have gun and anti gun?!

[Clem Fandango]

'Progressivism' is a bullsh*t term. It basically means 'not a conservative.'

[X S]

'Progressivism' is a bullsh*t term. It basically means 'not a conservative.'

 

>Term has American origins

>must be bullsh*t

 

Teddy Roosevelt would like a word with you.

[make total destroy]

 

 

 

>Term has American origins

>must be bullsh*t

 

 

 

When discussing politics, this is actually a really good rule of thumb.

[Clem Fandango]

 

'Progressivism' is a bullsh*t term. It basically means 'not a conservative.'

 

>Term has American origins

>must be bullsh*t

 

Yeah but it literally means 'not a conservative.' How is that at all useful? It applies to everyone from social democrats to conservatives that aren't batsh*t insane.

[X S]

I'll let Euty defend Progressivism then. It's all yours, buddy..

 

[make total destroy]

While we're getting nitpicky

 

 

Then there's the Pew poll that shows exactly what has been discussed in this thread, and which I wholeheartedly agree with concerning the American political spectrum. Socialism is viewed most negatively at 60% (fringe). Libertarianism lives at 38% and 37% positively and negatively, respectively (moderate).

(American) Libertarianism is definitely not 'moderate'.

[X S]

(American) Libertarianism is definitely not 'moderate'.

 

That's funny, is that what the poll says, or are you making stuff up now?

[make total destroy]

Moderate = Centrist. Libertarianism is def not centrist.

[X S]

Moderate = Centrist. Libertarianism is def not centrist.

 

Just so we're clear here, you're referring to American libertarianism on the American spectrum, and not the international spectrum, right?

 

If American came up to you or I and said they were socially liberal and fiscally conservative, I'd call that moderation. That's the general classification of American libertarianism. If you really want to get all technical about it, then the next question is if they're an anarcho-capitalist or minarchist, and if they answer yes to either, then I'd agree, that is fringe as f*ck.

[Svip]

 

The Republicans tried to paint President Obama as a socialist in 2008 and that didn't work at all. Not because - I believe - that people didn't buy into the idea that President Obama was a socialist, but that they don't view socialism that negatively anymore.

 

I had to laugh at that not because I disagree with the Republican's failed attempts to paint Obama as a socialist, but because most Americans don't even know what socialism is. We've had that discussion many times in here. So as a result, calling Obama a socialist is about as baseless and useless as calling him a Muslim. And even if he was a socialist, why did the DSA and his administration outright reject these accusations?

 

But if you want some hard numbers, in 2010, Gallup estimated that only 1/3 of Americans viewed socialism positively. But even in this poll, they didn't clearly define their terms, ie. capitalism, free enterprise, socialism, etc.

 

http://www.gallup.com/poll/125645/socialism-viewed-positively-americans.aspx

 

http://www.people-press.org/2011/12/28/little-change-in-publics-response-to-capitalism-socialism/

 

 

Again, I purposely did not define 'socialism', because I only discussed how Americans view the word rather than its meaning. And in that regard, your polling data backs up my claim. 1/3 viewing it positively? I think that's far more Americans than the Republicans anticipated. And with Sanders' campaign, that number might be even higher today.

[sivispacem]

 

Moderate = Centrist. Libertarianism is def not centrist.

Just so we're clear here, you're referring to American libertarianism on the American spectrum, and not the international spectrum, right?

 

If American came up to you or I and said they were socially liberal and fiscally conservative, I'd call that moderation. That's the general classification of American libertarianism. If you really want to get all technical about it, then the next question is if they're an anarcho-capitalist or minarchist, and if they answer yes to either, then I'd agree, that is fringe as f*ck.

Polling people on how extreme they interpret political ideologies to be doesn't really work when you re-vector the entire political spectrum a quarter turn to the right. When the "centre" sits firmly in the centre-right camp, of course socialism (which Americans typically don't understand the meaning of anyway) looks more extreme than libertarianism.

 

The coffee cup on my desk looks bigger than the TV on the wall, but that's only because I'm so much closer to my coffee. If you view things from a skewed perspective and on a skewed scale, of course you're going to reach illogical conclusions.