The 2016 Presidential Candidates Thread

Snappo

Caveat Emptor - "A Billion People Can Be Wrong!"
Accessory Maker
The one despicable demonstration (among many) of Trump's that sticks in my craw the most is when he maliciously mocked the disabled individual with mangled contorted gestures. This did not trespass the bounds of political correctness by light years nearly as much as common human decency and empathy. The man's deep lack of sensitivity and discretion is supremely ego-maniacally pathological.
 

CarolKing

Singer of songs and a vapor connoisseur
I wish the presidential candidates would shut up about the prisoners that are being freed from Iran. Just shut the fuck up everybody until they are home. These people are so irresponsible. Rubio is saying some things he needs to shut up about as well as Trump.

People, better get out and vote or we are going to have a president worse than George W. Bush, if that's possible. I think it would with Trump especially.

@Snappo I'm with you, when Donald Trump imitated the reporter with the disability, that was it for me. A mockery of a disabled person is breaking all the rules IMO. I can't stand to even watch this man. This makes me think maybe he doesn't really want to be president.

That was a funny statire above but there's a lot of truth to it. Too bad it's made up, a great piece of writing. A very good author. I can't belive how so many people like him? It makes no sense to me. I wonder about their character, they must have a lot of hate and anger. It's really scarey.
 
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cybrguy

Putin is a War Criminal
The one despicable demonstration (among many)
Agreed! But sadly the fight against political correctness ends up being a fight against common human decency and empathy in many real world circumstances.

I'm sorry, but their IS a place in this world for what is described today as political correctness. And the fight against it does NOT serve us well.
 

Adobewan

Well-Known Member
I still can't beleive he got away with his John McCain remarks.

But it's clear a significant percentage of the population want an outsider to shake the system up, some want it shaken down, to the ground. Unfortunately, at times like these, a guy like Trump, who says things no other politician of note has, could take it. And don't think if he's up against Hillary that he won't use the Cosby case against her thru Bill, particularly after her remarks that all (Cosby's) alleged sexual abuse victims should be heard.

Apologies @cybrguy I reacted to your paraphrase so took it as an original remark.

I wish it wasn't a beauty pageant so guys like Ron(not Rand) Paul would have stood a stronger chance of being considered, but he was running against Romney who looks like he came off the shelf at the President store.
 

cybrguy

Putin is a War Criminal
January 15, 2016 1:27 PM
Why the Republican Field is Incapable of Challenging Trump

Tying in to what Martin just wrote about the Wretched Hive of Scum and Villainy, I’ve long felt that, even though the GOP has put up a large number of candidates this time around, the quantity doesn’t make up for the lack of quality.

A general consensus seems to be forming after last night’s debate that Republicans are in the phase of resigning themselves to a Trump candidacy. I’m seeing that noted in a variety of places. For example, Jonathan Chait, Greg Sargent and Steve Benen all have pretty good round-ups on that sentiment. While I was watching the debate last night, I had a growing sense of how the lack of quality in the field has enabled the ongoing dominance of Trump.

For all of his faults (there are too many to name, so don’t get me started), one of the things that Donald Trump is pretty good at is having a nose for hypocrisy as well as the ability to locate and exploit the weaknesses of others. One of the reasons his attacks work is that they usually contain a twisted sense of truth. The example that springs to mind from last night is that he outright called Jeb Bush “weak.” In a field where bullying is assumed to demonstrate strength, that’s pretty spot on.

Part of the reason why none of the current candidates can effectively challenge Trump is that there is not one of them who is grounded in authenticity and truth. For example, one of the things Jeb has become known for in this campaign is saying something and then having to call it back or revise it 3 or 4 times before he’s done. Everyone knows that Rubio is simply spouting lines that he has practiced and rehearsed. As we saw last night, Christie can hardly speak without lying. These days all Carson seems capable of is rambling incoherently. And Cruz is the closest thing we have to a sociopath in this race (with Carly Fiorina running a close second) - twisting his agenda to appeal to the lowest common denominator. The one candidate who exudes even a hint of authenticity is John Kasich. But all he seems to be able to do is flail his arms around, talk about his record, and extol the virtues of trickle-down economics.

In order to take on a bully like Trump you have to look him in the eye and stand your ground confidently - without prevaricating or attempting to out-bully the bully. In order to do that, you have to know what you believe and be able to articulate it authentically. Short of that, Trump will find the opening and exploit the hell out of it.

None of these candidates can do that because what the Republican Party is about right now is all a farce based on fear-mongering and out-dated policies that have proven themselves to be a disaster. They’re putting on a show and Donald Trump is making that obvious to everyone by simply putting on a bigger show.

by Nancy LeTourneau

BTW, the first link (Wretched Hive) in this story is a good one to follow...
 
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CarolKing

Singer of songs and a vapor connoisseur
It might not be a beauty contest but folks still consider looks. What's up with most presidents are tall. Anyway except Jimmy Carter, I don't think he's very tall. I can't remember any short presidents the last 50 years except President Carter. I just looked it up, Carter is 5' 9". I think an obese person wouldn't be as likely voted in for prez either IMO.

Edit
@Adobewan Ha ha I agree Nixon was "rat like". That's funny I love that.:lol:
 
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CarolKing

Singer of songs and a vapor connoisseur
Hillary Clinton doesn't have the charisma that her husband has. She speaks at her crowd not to them with a monotone voice. She has a hard time just leveling with the American people. I think she does better when she's talking one on one with someone like Anderson Cooper.

I thought Bernie did awesome at tonight's debate. I just saw bits and pieces but I liked what I saw.

Edit - more than 570,000 sign petition to ban Trump in the UK.
 
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1DMF

Old School Cheesy Quaver

lwien

Well-Known Member
Even Alex Salmond has said yesterday on the politics show he should be banned from Scotland!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-35338395

And if you take on board what he said about applying the same rules to everyone who is banned from UK, we have no choice but to ban the dumb ass racist!

Edit : For those who want to sign the petition : https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/114003

It really is embarrassing as an American to see how many people support him here.
 

CarolKing

Singer of songs and a vapor connoisseur
It will be worse if the American people are stupid enough to vote Trump the village idiot into the highest office in the nation. Anything is possible. The Democrats might not come out and vote in big numbers.

I'm pissed because so many TV stations have given him so much free air time, like CNN. Maybe they wanted to trip him up with all his outrageous statements and expose him for the racist and the hater that he is. I'm really not sure of their motives.
 

CarolKing

Singer of songs and a vapor connoisseur
Now Trump is bumbling around quoting bible verses. He's giving his lack of knowledge away as the fake that he is. He's not a religious person and he's trying to pretend that he is with evangelicals.
 

Snappo

Caveat Emptor - "A Billion People Can Be Wrong!"
Accessory Maker
Now Trump is bumbling around quoting bible verses. He's giving his lack of knowledge away as the fake that he is. He's not a religious person and he's trying to pretend that he is with evangelicals.
Like the quoted writer posted above, it seems that Trump is trying to sabotage his own presidential bid every step of the way, but the dopey public just wont let him go. As a final bid farewell he's going to have to do something just shy of committing homicide while raping a minor as cameras are rolling. Once denounced as a candidate his lawyers will have him exonerated of all charges and then he'll sign a 20 billion dollar 10 year deal with the networks to air his usual unimaginative pedantic reality show antics. Business as usual.
 

cybrguy

Putin is a War Criminal
It really is embarrassing as an American to see how many people support him here.
He so clearly (to us) represents the opposite of what America stands for that it is very sad he has such a powerful megaphone. Many people around the world don't get how our freedom of speech works and probably think that such a "prominent" person must reflect the positions of MANY Americans. The attention he gets makes him look much more mainstream to people outside the US.
I'm not saying he has no followers, he obviously has quite a few, but the space in the conversation and media he takes up is very deceiving insofar as the actual number of people who support him.
We can only hope that actual voting people will put the lie to the appearance...

And I am no longer confident that they will. I THINK they will, but my confidence is eroded...
 

TeeJay1952

Well-Known Member
And yet I am constantly reminded of his presence as I travel about. Seldom do I hear negative statements in the general population. Within the confines of family and friends there is mockery but in restaurants and party store conversations it is reversed.
 
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Snappo

Caveat Emptor - "A Billion People Can Be Wrong!"
Accessory Maker
He so clearly (to us) represents the opposite of what America stands for that it is very sad he has such a powerful megaphone. Many people around the world don't get how our freedom of speech works and probably think that such a "prominent" person must reflect the positions of MANY Americans. The attention he gets makes him look much more mainstream to people outside the US.
I'm not saying he has no followers, he obviously has quite a few, but the space in the conversation and media he takes up is very deceiving insofar as the actual number of people who support him.
We can only hope that actual voting people will put the lie to the appearance...

And I am no longer confident that they will. I THINK they will, but my confidence is eroded...
Archie Bunker merited all the same praise and popularity that Trump gets for just about all the same reasons. Trump's a modern day Bunker ...poor Edith Melania...
 

cybrguy

Putin is a War Criminal
But nobody was considering choosing Archie Bunker to lead the country. Archie Bunker was a JOKE that Norman Lear shared with the American public. He was never intended to be a role model. Folks were not intended to aspire to be like him. The idea was to be embarrassed by similarities between he and ourselves. He was the example of how civil people were NOT to behave.

Yet, we have Donald Trump, not only getting attention, but being supported by some significant segment of the population. This is NOT how it is supposed to work...
 

Snappo

Caveat Emptor - "A Billion People Can Be Wrong!"
Accessory Maker
He was the example of how civil people were NOT to behave.
...and just like Bunker, that's Trump to a "T". Only Bunker didn't really know any better... dumb ignorance. Trump is dumb like a rabid fox.

I don't know about how the rest of the population really feels about Trump, but to me he wreaks from his pores Archie Bunker, every time I hear him speak and gesture. Beavis & Butthead and South Park all rolled into one also come to mind.
 
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cybrguy

Putin is a War Criminal
Clinton, Sanders offer Dems a choice: evolution or revolution?

01/18/16 09:21 AM

By Steve Benen
The point of a major party’s presidential nominating contest is about more than just choosing a candidate. Parties have factions, constituencies, and rivalries, vying for primacy, and a lengthy process offers them an opportunity to fight for control.

This can occasionally get ugly, but it’s a feature, not a bug. This is what parties are supposed to do; it’s what nominating contests are supposed to be all about.

And with that in mind, last night’s Democratic debate in Charleston, sponsored by the Congressional Black Caucus Institute, YouTube, and NBC, was a terrific encapsulation of the fight for the Democratic Party’s future. In effect, voters have been given a choice: do they want an evolution or a revolution?

More so than at any point in recent memory, Hillary Clinton presented herself last night as the inheritor of President Obama’s mantle. The New York Times had a good piece on this.

Seeking to stabilize her 2016 campaign in the state where her 2008 contest with Barack Obama took its nastiest turn, Mrs. Clinton linked herself to the president again and again. And again.

She praised Mr. Obama for having “led our country out of the Great Recession.” She praised Mr. Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran: “I was very pleased to be part of what the president put into action.” She praised Mr. Obama’s handling of the Assad government in Syria – even though she fought with him over whether to arm and train Syrian rebels when she was his secretary of state.

Over and over Sunday night, Mrs. Clinton turned to Mr. Obama as both sword and shield – sometimes even in the same breath.
At around 10 p.m. eastern, the Clinton campaign also sent a press release to reporters, criticizing Sanders over multiple instances in which he distanced himself from the Obama administration. “Hillary Clinton believes we must build on the progress achieved under President Obama and that, no matter what, we can’t go backwards,” the press release said. “Despite 70 consecutive months of private sector job growth and landmark legislation for universal health care and Wall Street reform, Senator Sanders has a troubling history of questioning President Obama and his achievements.”

Ten bullet points followed, listing examples of when Sanders and Obama were not on the same page.

The point wasn’t subtle: Clinton wants to build on Obama’s legacy, while Sanders supports a far-more progressive and ambitious platform that would replace some of what Obama has done.

If you’re a Democrat who believes the Obama era has been filled with important accomplishments, Clinton wants you to know she’ll fight to protect those policies from Republicans who would tear them down. If you’re a Democrat who believes Obama’s successes have been too moderate and incremental, Sanders offers a more revolutionary alternative.

In other words, Clinton wants the Democratic primary to be a referendum on the Obama presidency – and in her vision, pro-Obama Democrats should side with her.

That’s actually not a bad plan. As Politico’s Michael Grunwald explained this morning, “The politics of this warm embrace aren’t hard to understand. Obama’s approval rating has climbed to nearly 50 percent, and nearly 90 percent among Democrats; he’s especially popular among African-Americans, a big part of South Carolina’s primary electorate. With unemployment down by half on Obama’s watch, the deficit down three fourths, gas at $2, and the uninsured rate at historic lows, what’s harder to understand is why the Democratic candidates have taken this long to embrace him. They’re going to be accused of running for Obama’s third term no matter what they say; it can only help them to make a case for the first two.”

This is not to say that Clinton was alone in praising the president; Sanders did much of the same last night, especially on foreign policy.

The difference is, Clinton sees Obama as a wedge, separating Sanders from the party’s pro-Obama base. She’s the president’s longtime ally and a former member of his cabinet, the argument goes, while Sanders is the one who’s called for a “course correctionaway from the Obama era.

It’s a real stretch, of course, to think that many Obama supporters are necessarily going to look askance at Sanders. We know there are plenty of Dems, especially in Iowa and New Hampshire, who support both. Indeed, in some ways, the entire dynamic is a little ironic, given the rivalry that used to exist between Obama, Clinton, and their respective camps.

Regardless, last night made clear that the Clinton campaign has come up with an unexpected way of going on the offensive against its surprisingly competitive rival: Bernie Sanders just hasn’t been a reliable enough ally of Barack Obama.

If Clinton prevails and wins the nomination, Republicans are going to use all of this to tell voters the former Secretary of State represents “more of the same” and a “third Obama term.” But since the GOP is going to do that anyway, the general-election risk probably doesn’t much matter at this point.
 
cybrguy,

CarolKing

Singer of songs and a vapor connoisseur
CAMPAIGN 2016
Bernie Sanders sits down with Cornel West and Killer Mike to discuss Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy

January 18, 2016

ee2801014de674bb63703bd91c9739df137a3197.jpg

From left, Cornel West, Killer Mike, Bernie Sanders and Nina Turner discuss Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy. (YouTube/Bernie Sanders)

Following Sunday’s Democratic presidential debate in Charleston, S.C., Killer Mike represented Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders in the spin room, where a reporter asked what drew him to the self-described Democratic socialist.

“Smoking a joint and reading his tweets,” the rapper responded.

Hours earlier, Sanders and Killer Mike sat down with Dr. Cornel West and former Ohio state Sen. Nina Turner for an informal discussion about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy on the eve of the federal holiday marking the birthday of the late civil rights leader.

“Let me tell you what kind of blew me away when you think about Dr. King’s life,” Sanders said during the discussion, which was live-streamed on his campaign’s website. “Obviously it took an enormous amount of courage to stand up to the segregationists, racists — they got jailed, they got beaten up — an incredible amount of courage. But what impressed me even more … he could’ve rested on his laurels. The establishment would’ve said, ‘You are a great black leader. Look what you did: You got the Voting Rights Act. Wow! You broke down segregation in the South. Incredible!’ But you know what? This is what courage is about. He said, ‘Enough.’ If he was going to be consistent with his own inner soul, he had to ask other questions.”
 

Farid

Well-Known Member
I think the elephant in the room that Sanders has done a good job highlighting is that an election cannot be fair if there is corporate money being funneled into campaigns. It's worth noting that the media also accepts money from these same corporations. I think something that must be addressed is the role of the media in these elections. Why is it that NBC or CNN have so much control over the polling and the running of debates. I can't help but question why NBCs polls have Sanders so much lower than independent polls. I also feel as if this is a question that cannot be brought up, as the media would tear any candidate to shreds if they got close to the issue.

I can't help but question if an article written by Steve Benen is biased because he worked as an intern for Bill Clinton.
 

Snappo

Caveat Emptor - "A Billion People Can Be Wrong!"
Accessory Maker
I think the elephant in the room that Sanders has done a good job highlighting is that an election cannot be fair if there is corporate money being funneled into campaigns. It's worth noting that the media also accepts money from these same corporations. I think something that must be addressed is the role of the media in these elections. Why is it that NBC or CNN have so much control over the polling and the running of debates. I can't help but question why NBCs polls have Sanders so much lower than independent polls. I also feel as if this is a question that cannot be brought up, as the media would tear any candidate to shreds if they got close to the issue.

I can't help but question if an article written by Steve Benen is biased because he worked as an intern for Bill Clinton.
I never met a poll that i didn't completely ignore for its' predictive value or insight into an individual's worth as a candidate. My political dish is a grain of media with a bowl of salt.
 

howie105

Well-Known Member
Like the quoted writer posted above, it seems that Trump is trying to sabotage his own presidential bid every step of the way, but the dopey public just wont let him go. As a final bid farewell he's going to have to do something just shy of committing homicide while raping a minor as cameras are rolling. Once denounced as a candidate his lawyers will have him exonerated of all charges and then he'll sign a 20 billion dollar 10 year deal with the networks to air his usual unimaginative pedantic reality show antics. Business as usual.
But nobody was considering choosing Archie Bunker to lead the country. Archie Bunker was a JOKE that Norman Lear shared with the American public. He was never intended to be a role model. Folks were not intended to aspire to be like him. The idea was to be embarrassed by similarities between he and ourselves. He was the example of how civil people were NOT to behave.

Yet, we have Donald Trump, not only getting attention, but being supported by some significant segment of the population. This is NOT how it is supposed to work...

But it is the way it is supposed to work. Freedom of speech, political participation and representation are just some of the things you want guaranteed to all of the citizens. Sure, candidates and their positions can be all wrong but that doesn’t mean the system isn't working or that peoples rights should not be respected.
 

His_Highness

In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king
I think the elephant in the room that Sanders has done a good job highlighting is that an election cannot be fair if there is corporate money being funneled into campaigns.

One of Hillary's weaknesses is that some don't find her trustworthy.... so....Sanders is capitalizing on that weakness when he suggests that Wall Street corporate money provided to Hillary is a conflict of interest. If I remember correctly the amount of money Sanders mentioned Hillary made for those Goldman Sachs speaking engagements was $600,000. I'd have to agree..... it's a little worrisome.
 
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