The 2016 Presidential Candidates Thread

cybrguy

Putin is a War Criminal
Trump offers hilarious ‘proof’ to back up conspiracy theory
06/16/16 10:01 AM


The day after the deadliest mass-shooting in American history, Donald Trump suggested to a national television audience that President Obama might be a terrorist sympathizer. Two days later, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee was even less subtle, declaring that the president “continues to prioritize our enemy over … the American people.”

In an unexpected twist, Trump yesterday said he has proof to substantiate his ridiculous claims. The Washington Post reported:

Just two days after Donald Trump implied that President Obama sympathized with terrorists, provoking a backlash that included members of his own party, the presumed Republican presidential nominee declared himself “right,” based on a published report claiming administration “support” for the Islamic State.

In a post to his Twitter account early Wednesday, Trump said “Media fell all over themselves criticizing what Donald Trump ‘may have insinuated’ ” about Obama. “But he’s right,” it said, linking to a story published by the conservative website Breitbart News.

The problem, of course, is that Trump is accusing the war-time president of treason based on information he clearly doesn’t understand.

As ABC News reported yesterday, Breitbart, a prominent right-wing website, relied on a memo that is “neither secret nor does it demonstrate the administration’s support for ISIS or any other policy. Indeed, it’s a recently declassified and heavily redacted intelligence field report from August 2012 about the worsening security situation in Iraq…. Breitbart falsely concludes that because the memo mentions that al Qaeda in Iraq (a precursor to ISIS) is fighting against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, the Obama administration therefore supports ISIS.”

The Washington Post’s Glenn Kessler added, “This is what happens when people with little understanding of policy or context choose to willfully misinterpret documents. This is a relatively unimportant memo, with little information not in newspapers at the time. Rather than showing that the Obama administration is supporting terror groups, the information in the memo demonstrates why the administration was so reluctant to back rebel groups in Syria, often to the annoyance of Republican hawks.”

But before just laughing this off as the latest nonsense from a ridiculous candidate, it’s worth appreciating what stories like these tell us.

A presumptive major-party nominee for the world’s most powerful job accused the president of treason. That’s bonkers. Facing criticism, he pointed to evidence that actually proved the opposite of his intended point. That, too, is plainly outrageous.

Donald Trump is like that annoying friend on Facebook who publishes nonsense he hasn’t read and doesn’t understand, then wonders why everyone doesn’t agree with him. That annoying friend, however, isn’t trying to be leader of the free world.

I’m reminded of this recent piece from Vox’s Ezra Klein: “Among the most important tasks the president has is knowing what to believe, whom to listen to, which facts to trust, and which theories to explore. Trump’s terrible judgment in this regard is one of the many reasons he’s not qualified for the office.”

We’ve effectively reached the point at which Trump has difficulty differentiating between fact and fiction, and when pressed, his clouded mind leads him to evidence that doesn’t exist in reality. Given the fact that this man may soon be elected president, it’s not comforting.

A Republican fundraising bundler recently got his first up-close view of Trump at a California fundraiser. The GOP donor was forced to concede afterwards, “Okay, so our guy is insane.”
That’s not at all reassuring.
 

lwien

Well-Known Member
Given the fact that this man may soon be elected president, it’s not comforting.

It's comforting to know that that is not even within the realm of possibility. With a 70% disapproval rating and a 90% disapproval rating among Hispanics, it's impossible for him to win anything and on top of that the GOP has not really rallied behind him. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't become the GOP's nominee.
 

CarolKing

Singer of songs and a vapor connoisseur
John McCain is worried about his own senate seat come this fall. He thinks speaking out against Obama will make him look better to his constituents. I think too he's angry. He sees Trump fucking things up for the Republicans. He's supporting Trump even though he has said that McCsin wasn't a war hero. Never mind all the other stupid stuff that Trump has said over the past year.

Edit
I think @lwien with Trump's language he lowers the bar for the fellow republicans.
 
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Gunky

Well-Known Member
I liked McCain better back before he ran for prez, when he was a maverick. In those days he was for campaign finance reform. Now he's stepping all over his dick rushing to kneel and kiss Trump's ring. Disgusting.
 

CarolKing

Singer of songs and a vapor connoisseur
John McCain is 79 years old and is up for reelection come this Nov. He may need to consider retirement soon. Blaming initially Obama for the killing of the 49 people in the night club in Orlando Florida is ridiculous and isn't thinking with clarity.

I had more respect for McCain when he was running against Obama. Actually I felt sorry for him when the republicans decided on Sarah Palin as the VP. That blew his chances. It was a good thing for the democrats.

For Hillary Clinton they need to have a 15 minute "get to know Hillary" commercial. and run it 2 times 1 month before the election, just my opinion.

Richard Armitage, who held top national security positions in the administrations of former Presidents George W. Bush and Ronald Reagan, said he would vote for presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton over her likely Republican rival, Donald Trump.


"If Donald Trump is the nominee, I would vote for Hillary Clinton," Armitage, who served as a deputy secretary of State under Bush and as an assistant secretary of Defense under Reagan, told Politico on Thursday.
"He doesn't appear to be a Republican. He doesn't appear to want to learn about the issues. So I'm going to vote for Mrs. Clinton."

Clinton hit Trump earlier this month on national security, saying his ideas would put America in greater danger and inspire more terrorist attacks.
 
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grokit

well-worn member
Clinton hit Trump earlier this month on national security, saying his ideas would put America in greater danger and inspire more terrorist attacks.
:huh: Greater danger than what?

Look at all of the terrorist attacks inspired by the status quo:
~ every single fucking one of them.
This is NOT an endorsement for trump; it's the reason I can't support clinton either :disgust:
:horse:
 

lwien

Well-Known Member
Yet we keep indiscriminately dropping bombs on them, and assassinating them illegally with drones :mad:

Yeah but I'm convinced that if you stopped all of the bombing and drone attacks tomorrow, it wouldn't put a scratch in their inspiration tank. Hell, if you stopped the attacks tomorrow, their tanks would still be overflowing a decade from now.........maybe even longer.

What's that old saying?.......You can't unring a bell.
 

CarolKing

Singer of songs and a vapor connoisseur
Pandora's box was opened when the Bush Administration decided to invade Iraq. When Obama came into office the country was a mess and still is. When you end up with a shitty president it takes many years to undo the damage. Often decades.

I'm not saying that Hillary is the best choice. She is way better than electing a bigot who wants to divide people because of race and religion. In reality Americans don't have much of a choice at this point. I'm weighing the 2 evils and have decided I'm sticking with the Democrats.

If something happens with the emails maybe Bernie will have that snowball's chance in hell. I'm still feeling the Bern if he gets the chance to be in the running.
 
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lwien

Well-Known Member
Yes this is true, a bell cannot be unrung. But people will respond if we stop murdering them, look at how well we get along with the vietnamese now as a modern example of how attitudes can change for the better.

Yup. We're really good friends with the Vietnamese. Hell, after what we did to Japan, we're good friends with them also. But those are countries, not religious ideologies. HUGE difference.
 

His_Highness

In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king
Yet we keep indiscriminately dropping bombs on them, and assassinating them illegally with drones :mad:

Can we drop bombs and assassinate the ones who have attacked us? I'm all for eliminating the indiscriminate attacks but I have found I get this horrible neck pain when I turn the other cheek. It usually comes right around the time I get hit in the other cheek.
 

gangababa

Well-Known Member
Religious ideologies are no different than nationalist ideologies, or even favorite team tribal identities.
All are examples of the human condition and problem of "Identity".

Any time an individual is so certain that their own identity, their own religion, nationality, ethnicity, understanding, their own needs, opinions, ideas, desires, etc express the absolute truth, and the 'other' is wrong (even deserving of death*) problems will arise in societies.

*GOP congressman has no regrets about quoting Bible verse that condemned gays as worthy of death
 

cybrguy

Putin is a War Criminal
I'm all for eliminating the indiscriminate attacks but I have found...
Because there ARE no indiscriminate attacks. Does anyone really believe that we are firing drones for the fun of it? Or just to enrich the missile makers? THIS administration? Give me a fucking break.

In a Cheney administration maybe, but certainly not in an Obama administration. I will take firing drones at known ISIL or El Qaeda leadership over sending troops any day of the week.

The CIA is getting out of the drone business, and the pentagon is taking over. As long as it is the military in charge of drone warfare I am fine with it. I encourage it even.

So call me a war monger cause anyone who knows me will laugh at you. But I MUCH prefer killing these murdering assholes over there to trying to stop them here.
 
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