The 2016 Presidential Candidates Thread

If anything 'we' need to shore up with the American born Muslims who have lived normal lives before 9/11 and expand on that base. Like say Michigan. CAIR wants more law enforcement and a larger police presence in Muslim American community's. US Muslims should be more comfortable reporting hate crimes. (Muslim teenagers don't need to feel more alienated than any other teenager. ) But the same consequences should play out that I would have played out, if I say misreported/misrepresetned a crime. Equal Justice, etc, etc.
There is going to be the occasional friction and awkward moment between people. Even a joke can get out of hand and some will take it as bait. Just buffer for that.

@CarolKing Yes I agree a lot of stimulating conversation has occurred here at FC. Let's all try keep it that way. It's kind of an FC tradition. TX and .

ichibaneye said:

Lol "Why" I hope you're being sarcastic. Otherwise take a look at history. The answer will be apparent and obvious. Good luck

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Scare people enough an you can do all kinds of things, from the annoying to the insane. Given that I never try to predict the path of a fearful people led by an amoral government.

December 7, 2015
Bernie Sanders Just Won TIME’s Person of the Year Reader’s Poll—And It Wasn’t Even Close


The democratic socialist came out far, far ahead of both Clinton and Trump.

Sanders’ campaign has been a gravitational force, pushing Clinton to embrace positions and rhetoric far to the left of where she has previously stood on major issues.

Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders won the online reader’s poll for TIME magazine’s 2015 Person of the Year—receiving just above 10 percent of the vote when polling concluded Sunday night. Sanders came out far ahead of other presidential candidates, trumping Donald Trump (1.8 percent) and vanquishing his main contender, Hillary Clinton (1.4 percent), who stills carries a strong lead in national polls.

Since the start of the 2016 presidential race, Sanders’ campaign has been a gravitational force, pushing Clinton to embrace positions and rhetoric far to the left of where she has previously stood on major issues. Though pundits do not currently project that Sanders will triumph in the Democratic primary, he has received unprecedented press coverage for a progressive candidate, galvanizing mass audiences in his call for a “political revolution” that will help dismantle rampant class inequality in the United States.

Coming in second and third places were Pakistani girls’ education activist Malala Yousafzai with 5.2 percent and Pope Francis with 3.7 percent. Sanders also beat other notable political and cultural figures including President Barack Obama (3.5 percent), Stephen Colbert (3.1 percent), German Prime Minister Angela Merkel (2.4 percent) and pop singer Adele (2.3 percent).

The reader's poll award does not secure Sanders TIME's Person of the Year title. If Sanders wins, he will be the first presidential candidate to receive the award since it was first given out in 1927. TIME editors will reveal their decision for Person of the Year during NBC’s Today Show on Wednesday morning.

- and -

TIME Snubs Bernie Sanders for Person of the Year After He Crushes Readers’ Poll
December 7, 2015

Apparently, TIME doesn’t value the opinions of its readers.

TIME Magazine’s editors have snubbed Bernie Sanders for Donald Trump.

After the shortlist of finalists for the magazine’s Person of the Year designation was released today, Sanders’ image was noticeably absent, given readers’ strong preference for the Vermont U.S. Senator and Democratic presidential candidate. The shortlist includes billionaire Republican front-runner Donald Trump, Russian president Vladimir Putin, German chancellor Angela Merkel, Uber CEO Travis Kalanick, Iranian president Hassan Rouhani, ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, Caitlyn Jenner, and Black Lives Matter activists.

Sanders’ exclusion from the shortlist comes as a surprise for Sanders’ supporters, who helped him overwhelmingly win first place in TIME’s readers’ poll for Person of the Year by a wide margin, with 10.2 percent of all votes. Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai was in a distant second, with 5.2 percent of the vote. Pope Francis, who was TIME’s Person of the Year in 2013, came in third with 3.7 percent.


Sanders won TIME’s readers’ poll for Person of the Year by a wide margin.

Sanders’ rivals on the Democratic ticket and on the Republican side weren’t even included in the top 10. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton received 1.4 percent of the votes, and Donald Trump received just 1.8 percent of all votes.

The popularity of Bernie Sanders among the grassroots likely propelled him to the top position for TIME’s readers above the rest of the pack — since Sanders declared his intent to run for president in the Spring, he’s packed houses, auditoriums, gymnasiums, convention centers and arenas full of supporters across the country. A summer barnstorming tour down the West Coast, from Seattle, to Portland, to Los Angeles, drew over 100,000 people in a matter of days.

The latest composite of polls for the Republican nomination:


Trump: 29.3%
Cruz: 15.5%
Rubio: 14.8%
Carson: 13.8%
Bush: 3.8%
Christie: 2.5%
Fiorina: 2.5%
Kasich: 2.0%
Paul: 1.8%
Huckabee: 1.5%

It's gonna be a trump-cruz ticket for the gop, I'd almost bet on it
Cruz is already endorsing trump's , that's why he's movin' on up in the polls

grokit said:

It's gonna be a trump-cruz ticket for the gop, I'd almost bet on it
Cruz is already endorsing trump's , that's why he's movin' on up in the polls

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I hope so because that ticket has no chance to win! If the GOP primary voters were to focus on who can win versus their extreme right ideology they would nominate Rubio. Rubio polls well against Clinton and the race would most likely be very close. Honestly I think Rubio is the only one of the bunch that stands a chance in hell of actually winning.

That is why they lose adds up to 87.5.
13.5 are unaccounted for.
Clinton must be cheating already

As an ignorant Canadian can you explain how you could vote for any of the republican candidates? I see there is lots of hate on Hillary, though I'm sure she is far from ideal, at least it is clear she is intelligent. I'd love to see Bernie Sanders win but highly doubt this is possible.

Its not over till the last check is cashed.

YaFreekin Right said:

As an ignorant Canadian can you explain how you could vote for any of the republican candidates? I see there is lots of hate on Hillary, though I'm sure she is far from ideal, at least it is clear she is intelligent. I'd love to see Bernie Sanders win but highly doubt this is possible.

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Around three hundred million people means there are lots of folks spread out everywhere on the political spectrum. I would much rather see Trump supporters engaged in the political process then have them turn into folks who are alienated from it.

grokit said:

It's gonna be a trump-cruz ticket for the gop, I'd almost bet on it
Cruz is already endorsing trump's , that's why he's movin' on up in the polls

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I'll take that bet.



Republican presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) (R) and Texas Governor Greg Abbott (L) participate in a news conference Dec. 8, 2015 on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.
Photo by Alex Wong/Getty
Cruz spearheads anti-science push
12/09/15 08:40 AM

By Steve Benen
President Obama was in Paris last week for the start of the international climate talks, where he took a not-so-subtle shot at the Republicans running to replace him. “I think the president of the United States is going to need to think [the climate crisis] is really important,” Obama said. “Your credibility and America’s ability to influence events depends on taking seriously what other countries care about.”

Almost immediately thereafter, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) told MSNBC there is no climate “crisis.” Asked if he’s relying on evidence, the governor replied, “That’s my feeling. I didn’t say I was relying on any scientist.” Florida Sen. Marco Rubio (R), the same day, added that global warming is less of a threat than the national debt.

But Texas Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), in an apparent game of “anything you can do I can do worse,” took an even more aggressive step in support of climate denialism yesterday. Politico reported:
Ted Cruz took a break from the campaign trail on Tuesday to dive headlong into an aggressive Capitol Hill attack on mainstream climate science – the kind his fellow Republican presidential contenders have mainly sought to avoid.

Less than eight weeks before the crucial Iowa caucuses in which he’s leading the latest polls, Cruz convened a Senate subcommittee hearing where he criticized environmentalists as “alarmists” and questioned “the objectivity of climate research.”

It’s worth noting for context that when Republicans took the majority in the Senate, GOP leaders made Cruz the chairman of the Commerce Committee’s panel that oversees “Science and Space.” And in his capacity as chairman, the Texas Republican has the authority to organize anti-science hearings such as yesterday’s.

Incidentally, Rubio is on the same subcommittee, and he’s also a climate-denier, but he didn’t show up for work yesterday.

Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) said during a press conference yesterday, “The only thing that requires a thorough scientific investigation is why Sen. Cruz is having a hearing on climate science. This is no longer debate across the entire planet. They’re all there. The last group of deniers are the Republican Congress. The last sub-cult of deniers are the Republicans on the Senate Commerce Committee.”

Of course, the problem with yesterday’s nonsense wasn’t limited to Cruz; it also included the “expert witnesses” the panel’s chairman called to testify. Our pals at “All In with Chris Hayes” had a good segment on this last night.

http://www.msnbc.com/all-in/watch/ted-cruzs-hearing-on-climate-change-582523459581

Donald Trump Widens Lead in New Hampshire, Poll Shows

Donald J. Trump has widened his lead in New Hampshire, according to a poll released on Tuesday that showed him beating his closest rivals for the Republican presidential nomination by a margin of more than 2-to-1.

The poll follows a spate of terrorist attacks around the world and the mass shooting in San Bernardino, Calif., that have made national security a central issue in the 2016 race, but it was taken before Mr. Trump’s provocative proposal to bar Muslims from entering the United States. However, two of Mr. Trump’s campaign chairmen in New Hampshire said they approved of his plan.

Voters see Mr. Trump as the candidate best suited to take on the Islamic State, manage government spending and win in a general election, the poll found.

http://www.nytimes.com/politics/fir...hampshire-endorsers-stand-by-their-candidate/

cybrguy said:

I'll take that bet.

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I'll take that bet as well. If I had to put money on it, I think Rubio will get the GOP nomination and he'll choose Fiorina as his running mate to help get the female vote when he goes up against Hillary.

OK, so here is my prediction 1 year out from the election. Trump will remain high in the polls and the republican party will have to find a way to eliminate him either through a number of candidates and talking heads (FOX) attacking him consistently, or with a revolt at the convention. He will naturally then run as a third party candidate, tho I don't know what party would accept him. It will be too late to create a new party and I don't know if you can get on the ballots with no party affiliation...

That means either Cruz or Rubio at the top of the repub ticket, and I think it will be Rubio because of stuff like the above post. I THOUGHT it was gonna be Cruz, but his extremism is destroying his chances, IMO. So Rubio it is, and it is too early for me to predict who his running mate will be...

Now, I would PREFER that Trump get the republican nomination because that would bring out ALL the Dems, and result in a lot of republicans staying home due to their disgust with their ticket. That would help Dems up and down the ballot, and is likely the only way that the Dems get the House back, mostly due to gerrymandering. Only a huge Dem turnout and a reduced republican turnout can get a Dem House, and that is what Trump could create. That obviously is the best of all options, because a triple play will allow America to move forward rather than backward or standing still.

And the world is too dangerous a place right now to be standing still...

This is a wholesale rejection of america's political class, which has completely failed us.
If hillary wins the democratic nomination, trump could be our next president


Donald Trump: 'I will never leave this race' despite criticism



1 hour ago

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has said he will never leave the 2016 race despite increasing calls for him to step aside.

The White House said Mr Trump was "disqualified" after he said the US should stop allowing Muslims from entering the country.

Mr Trump told the Washington Post he would not step aside no matter what happens.

Other contenders in the 2016 race condemned his comments about Muslims.

He also alluded to running as an independent in a tweet linking to a USA Today poll which found 68% of his supporters would vote for him if he left the Republican party.

Concerned that Mr Trump could run as an independent, Republican leaders persuaded the New York businessman to pledge to support the eventually nominee.


http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-35055626

grokit said:

Concerned that Mr Trump could run as an independent, Republican leaders persuaded the New York businessman to pledge to support the eventually nominee.

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And of course anyone who thinks this means anything is a good bridge customer.

All the Republicans are saying that they will support the eventual nominee, but if it turns out to be Trump I'm betting they claim that the "candidate" has made it impossible for them to do that and abandon him. It should be a very interesting convention...

"I will support the eventual nominee" doesn't necessarily mean the one chosen by the primary process. It could easily be the one chosen at the convention...

grokit said:

If hillary wins the democratic nomination, trump could be our next president

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I'd love to understand the logic, so please no one take offense. I cannot wrap my head around the idea of if it came down to a vote between Hillary Clinton & Donald Trump how anyone could vote for Donald. Maybe it would help if someone could explain what is so bad about Hillary?

Trump leading in these polls means nothing. If he leads the polls by 36%, it means that 64% is not behind him. When the lower rung candidates drop out, I doubt very much that their backers will throw their vote into Trumps camp. If they haven't already, they won't.

His base is totally loyal to him but that base is in the minority. For him to possibly win the nomination, he's going to have garner a whole bunch of new backers that are not backing him now. Does anyone here really think that that's going to happen?

Hell, even Darth Vader (Cheney) spoke out against him.

lwien said:

Hell, even Cheney spoke out against him.

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Right, when Darth Vader says you are too evil you know you have some ugliness happenin...

Edit:

lwien said:

Trump leading in these polls means nothing.

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I wouldn't go so far to say that it means nothing, but it certainly doesn't mean he will win the election or even the nomination. What it DOES mean is there are a good number of people out there who are afraid and think that someone who talks tough can help them. It is fairly safe for people to grasp at straws this far out. I am quite confident in Mr Trump's ability to drive most of them away long before it really matters.

I am also hoping that at some time the press decides they need to do their job of informing the public. Trump's rhetoric is disgusting enough and virulent enough to give them permission to drop the "both sides do it" infection they have come down with.

YaFreekin Right said:

I'd love to understand the logic, so please no one take offense. I cannot wrap my head around the idea of if it came down to a vote between Hillary Clinton & Donald Trump how anyone could vote for Donald. Maybe it would help if someone could explain what is so bad about Hillary?

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Trump transcends politics, as america is rejecting its politicians. The last "real winner" republican president (reagan) was also a media personality that brought "fresh ideas" to the table. And trump's following hitler's playbook, which almost won the planet on behalf of the fascists, who haven't gone anywhere.

In point of fact, america's decline since dubya's two terms in office has mirrored the fall of democratic pre-war germany and the rise of the nazis in myriad ways, with the "best" yet to come imho.

Hillary represents the political class that's being rejected en masse, on both sides of the spectrum. If she's nominated, and sanders runs as an independent or even if he just decides not to endorse her, the democrats will be split along a variety of issues. This includes but is certainly not limited to gun control, as daesh is now attacking america's "gun-free zones", and there is no perception of a strategy in place to protect us.

edit:
Only hours after calling for a “total and complete ban on Muslims entering the United States,” the Republican presidential candidate forwarded the notion that America should also consider “closing the Internet up in some way,” as a means of fighting the Islamic State.

also:
Just let the Republicans win: Maybe things need to get really bad before America wakes up
A GOP victory would bring disaster.
Perhaps that's necessary to destroy their credibility -- and wake up Democrats...

YaFreekin Right said:

I cannot wrap my head around the idea of if it came down to a vote between Hillary Clinton & Donald Trump how anyone could vote for Donald.

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Statistically speaking, half of all people are of less than average intelligence.

Call me jaded or misanthropic or whatever, but that's how I feel most of the time....

^^^ reminds me of this.

My prediction is that the Republican Party will distance themselves from Trump. He will then run as a third party candidate and fuck it up for all of them. Donald Trump is a gift for the Democrats.

CarolKing said:

My prediction is that the Republican Party will distance themselves from Trump. He will then run as a third party candidate and fuck it up for all of them. Donald Trump is a gift for the Democrats.

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He's a mole for Hillary planted in the GOP to destroy it.

The funny part about what I just said is that I have no doubt that there are some who actually believe that.

CarolKing said:

My prediction is that the Republican Party will distance themselves from Trump. He will then run as a third party candidate and fuck it up for all of them. Donald Trump is a gift for the Democrats.

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I think the republicans want to win at any cost, and uniting behind trump is the only way this could happen. Unfortuunately in recent history it's the democrats that implode (think nader/bush), not the gop. This is because they are always sucking up to corporate cash, which alienates their progressive base.

Of course there is more corporate cash on the republican side anyways, so this is a troubling strategy for the democrats to say the least. This is also what makes both sanders and trump so appealing for so many; that they don't appear to be for sale to the highest corporate bidders like the rest of the candidates.

grokit said:

I think the republicans want to win at any cost, and uniting behind trump is the only way this could happen.

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Why do you think that?