The 2016 Presidential Candidates Thread

Farid

Well-Known Member
Not to mention Kyle lying/bragging about shooting "looters" in New Orleans following Katrina. Guy was about as far from a hero as you can get. Just another guy with a hero complex looking for glory. History will forget about him.
 

cybrguy

Putin is a War Criminal
I'm old, and I have followed politics most of my life, but I have never seen anything like this. Anyone who approached his kind of character, or maybe this kind of lack of character, was eliminated early on in the choosing process. Any ONE of the dozens of huge character failures and massive personal foibles would have sent them packing, but TWO of them would have ejected them with force.

Donald Trump seems to be immune. How can that be? Even clearly smoking guns of bribery? The gun barrels are still hot for mercy's sake! Damn $25000 goes a long way in Trump world...

20050523_tru_h16_001.jpg


Presumptive Republican nominee can’t shake ‘Trump U’ controversy
07/14/16 09:24 AM
By Steve Benen

There were quite a few surprises in the new lineup for Republican speakers at the party’s national convention, but the Tampa Bay Times flagged one of the names that stood out.
Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, whose ties to Donald Trump have been a source of controversy, will have a prime-time speaking appearance at next week’s Republican National Convention.

Bondi is scheduled to give a five-minute address at 8:30 p.m. Wednesday on the subject of law enforcement…. As the state’s chief legal officer, Bondi is the target of ethics complaints over her solicitation of a $25,000 campaign contribution from Trump in 2013.

As we’ve discussed before, the details surrounding Florida’s conservative A.G. paint an unflattering picture. Bondi briefly considered joining a multi-state suit against the controversial “school,” but the Florida Republican dropped the investigation after the Trump Foundation made a $25,000 contribution towards Bondi’s re-election.

And while that raises serious ethics questions, the controversy became more serious when we learned Bondi “personally solicited” the money from Trump while her office was considering a case against “Trump University.”

It’s against this backdrop that Trump and Republican officials have invited Bondi to deliver a high-profile, prime-time speech “on the subject of law enforcement”? Is this some kind of joke?

Norm Ornstein called the decision “cringe-worthy,” which seems quite fair under the circumstances.

In the meantime, the “Trump U” litigation is still pending in the courts, and the Washington Post reported overnight on the latest developments.

In his first public hearing on Trump University since being called a “hater of Donald Trump” by the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel on Wednesday heard arguments about whether the candidate’s videotaped testimony in the case should be released to media organizations.

Curiel did not mention the attacks by Trump…. But Curiel pushed Trump’s attorney to defend his position that the videos should remain confidential.

Note, transcripts of Trump’s depositions have already been released, and they’re don’t do the Republican candidate any favors. But news organizations believe the public has a right to see the videos, and Trump’s lawyers are trying to prevent that.

Trump attorney Daniel Petrocelli said yesterday the videos “would be subjected to massive and perhaps unprecedented public dissemination.”

I’m not sure that’s a legal argument. The judge should agree to keep the videos hidden because, if they’re available to the public, people will see them?

Watch this space.
 

Serious

Liable to snap at any moment.
I'm old, and I have followed politics most of my life, but I have never seen anything like this. Anyone who approached his kind of character, or maybe this kind of lack of character, was eliminated early on in the choosing process. Any ONE of the dozens of huge character failures and massive personal foibles would have sent them packing, but TWO of them would have ejected them with force.

Donald Trump seems to be immune. How can that be? Even clearly smoking guns of bribery? The gun barrels are still hot for mercy's sake! Damn $25000 goes a long way in Trump world...

20050523_tru_h16_001.jpg


Presumptive Republican nominee can’t shake ‘Trump U’ controversy
07/14/16 09:24 AM
By Steve Benen

There were quite a few surprises in the new lineup for Republican speakers at the party’s national convention, but the Tampa Bay Times flagged one of the names that stood out.
Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, whose ties to Donald Trump have been a source of controversy, will have a prime-time speaking appearance at next week’s Republican National Convention.

Bondi is scheduled to give a five-minute address at 8:30 p.m. Wednesday on the subject of law enforcement…. As the state’s chief legal officer, Bondi is the target of ethics complaints over her solicitation of a $25,000 campaign contribution from Trump in 2013.

As we’ve discussed before, the details surrounding Florida’s conservative A.G. paint an unflattering picture. Bondi briefly considered joining a multi-state suit against the controversial “school,” but the Florida Republican dropped the investigation after the Trump Foundation made a $25,000 contribution towards Bondi’s re-election.

And while that raises serious ethics questions, the controversy became more serious when we learned Bondi “personally solicited” the money from Trump while her office was considering a case against “Trump University.”

It’s against this backdrop that Trump and Republican officials have invited Bondi to deliver a high-profile, prime-time speech “on the subject of law enforcement”? Is this some kind of joke?

Norm Ornstein called the decision “cringe-worthy,” which seems quite fair under the circumstances.

In the meantime, the “Trump U” litigation is still pending in the courts, and the Washington Post reported overnight on the latest developments.

In his first public hearing on Trump University since being called a “hater of Donald Trump” by the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel on Wednesday heard arguments about whether the candidate’s videotaped testimony in the case should be released to media organizations.

Curiel did not mention the attacks by Trump…. But Curiel pushed Trump’s attorney to defend his position that the videos should remain confidential.

Note, transcripts of Trump’s depositions have already been released, and they’re don’t do the Republican candidate any favors. But news organizations believe the public has a right to see the videos, and Trump’s lawyers are trying to prevent that.

Trump attorney Daniel Petrocelli said yesterday the videos “would be subjected to massive and perhaps unprecedented public dissemination.”

I’m not sure that’s a legal argument. The judge should agree to keep the videos hidden because, if they’re available to the public, people will see them?

Watch this space.

I keep thinking of two quotes, "There's a sucker born every minute" - P.T. Barnum, and "The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter" - Winston Churchill.
 

Serious

Liable to snap at any moment.
Pence is my guess also, Christie and Gingrich have scheduled speaking spots at the convention, and Pence has to choose whether he's going to run for Governor by Friday, the deadline for picking a VP.
Besides, Gail Collins says Trump will pick Pence because he's good looking.
 

CarolKing

Singer of songs and a vapor connoisseur
All news sources are saying Pence. Thats OK. Remember all the controversy regarding transgender bathrooms? He also thought it was OK to allow business not to serve gays or lesbians. That would include transgendered now I would assume. He also wanted an all Muslim ban, so that would pair well with Trump.

I've read that Pence is a very religious person and we know Trump is not.
 
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HellsWindStaff

Dharma Initiate
It's Pence, seems like a good choice for him.

Trump has ..... the KKK,.....

Just a point, but there is record of the KKK coming out and saying they are supporting Hillary. (I know they have members who have supported Trump too) The guy who said it has repeated it as well. 20k donated? It hasn't been "verified" but he has repeated it a handful of times and there is no indication either that it is "false". So take that for what its worth....personally neither means much to me

@grokit , that's actually why I opened this thread, still think polls are a skewed resource but was wondering if it would be brought up or not. Saw an article that included Johnson, don't recall what he had but he brought them both down and they were tied still. Thanks for posting.

Actually think that poll is exceptionally good for Trump. It was done before the whole "she's above the law" came out which I do only think hurt her (I think it was basically lose/lose for her) And I still think Trump supporters are less likely to poll.
 
HellsWindStaff,
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Silat

When the Facts Change, I Change My Mind.
Just to make things fun I'm going to put my virtual poker chip, no cash value, on Mike Pence.

($)

I think Christie will be asked to be AG, which would be really fucked considering his stand on cannabis.
Exactly my take on the situation.
 
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Gunky

Well-Known Member
It looks like Pence, which sort of makes sense to me. Pence is Trump writ small. Trump panders to bigots. Pence is himself a religious right type of bigot, particularly on the anti-gay front. So Pence gives Trump religious right cred as well as establishment Repub cred and reinforces Trump's us-against-them sort of ethos. Meanwhile Pence is doing badly in his state, so this might be a good landing for him, perhaps in prep for a future run after Trump goes down in flames.

Eight years ago polls showed John McCain with a slight edge and after the convention he had an even better edge.
 

Silat

When the Facts Change, I Change My Mind.
Just to make things fun I'm going to put my virtual poker chip, no cash value, on Mike Pence.

($)

I think Christie will be asked to be AG, which would be really fucked considering his stand on cannabis.

AG would be perfect for the corrupt storm trooper. I understand his problems start legally in September.
 

HellsWindStaff

Dharma Initiate
It looks like Pence, which sort of makes sense to me. Pence is Trump writ small. Trump panders to bigots. Pence is himself a religious right type of bigot, particularly on the anti-gay front. So Pence gives Trump religious right cred as well as establishment Repub cred and reinforces Trump's us-against-them sort of ethos. Meanwhile Pence is doing badly in his state, so this might be a good landing for him, perhaps in prep for a future run after Trump goes down in flames.

Eight years ago polls showed John McCain with a slight edge and after the convention he had an even better edge.

agree that Pence makes sense for Trump to appeal to religious zealots and republican cred. Disagree that those people are bigots, some are maybe? Definition of a bigot is "a person intolerant of another's beliefs or opinions" if they are bigots for not believing in gay marriage than the person calling them that is also a bigot for saying that's the wrong way of thinking. Per the definition of the word; not saying you personally are a bigot

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nat...the_United_States_presidential_election,_2008

Based on the 2008 polls, Hillary supporters should feel ok. McCain led in a few polls, right after the convention. Basically the only time. So if all polls follow the same trend the "favorite" has nothing to worry about. Will be more accurate as it gets closer to fall.

I'm not putting a lot of stock into Trump being tied, in June. Just like I didn't put a lot of stock into Hillary "crushing him in the polls" (figures vary from 5-12%!) a month prior (which is less accurate as its further away from election) I feel this election will be different. I know some of you love her, but I don't think there have ever been two candidates as universally despised? I'd have to look up the numbers and am on mobile so can't but that in itself should differentiate 2016 as a "standard" election.

All us "bigots" ;) are simply just shutting our mouths

I've mentioned how I think it will follow Brexit, but I wonder what Nixons supporters were perceived as? Were Democrats saying Repubs are not for civil rights? What about Vietnam? Were Dems for helping the Vietnamese or were they "peace children" and weren't about the war? Could see it either way. Genuinely curious though as I feel there are some parallels with the times/events
 

Gunky

Well-Known Member
In 2000, Pence stated "Congress should oppose any effort to recognize homosexual's [sic][47] as a 'discreet [sic] and insular minority' entitled to the protection of anti-discrimination laws similar to those extended to women and ethnic minorities." He called for "an audit to ensure that federal dollars were no longer being given to organisations that celebrate and encourage the types of behaviors that facilitate the spreading of the HIV virus" and instead advocated that resources be directed towards conversion therapy programs.[48][49][50]
']']']
']']']Pence has said that homosexuals should not serve in the military, saying "Homosexuality is incompatible with military service because the presence of homosexuals in the ranks weakens unit cohesion" and in 2010 stated that repealing Don't ask, don't tell would "have an impact on unit cohesion".[51] Pence opposed the 2009 Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Act, saying that Obama wanted to "advance a radical social agenda"[52] and said that pastors "could be charged or be subject to intimidation for simply expressing a Biblical worldview on the issue of homosexual behavior."[53]
']']']
']']']
']']']Pence opposes both same-sex marriage and civil unions.[54] He has referred to Harvard sociologist Pitirim Sorokin's findings that throughout history, societal collapse was brought about by the deterioration of marriage and family.[55] He has advocated a constitutional same-sex marriage ban, but did not champion such a proposed ban for his first year as governor.[56]

Pence insisted that RFRA did not legalize discrimination against LGBT folks and overturn local anti-discrimination laws. Then when companies and events started threatening to pull out of Indiana, he claimed the law needed fixing and signed revisions to it.
 
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Gunky,

CarolKing

Singer of songs and a vapor connoisseur
Since we are picking fly shit out of pepper the Christian Right is prejudice against Lesbians, Gays and Transgender maybe that is a better word @HellsWindStaff. The Republicans represent the right wing Christians. There are plenty of Christians that are democrats, they are the more sain christians that mostly leave other people alone.

I've never been polled this presidential season. The only folks that are polled are the ones stupid enough to answer their land line phones if they don't know who's calling. The polls are only going to work if people actually take them.

The Republican Party has changed a great deal since the Richard Nixon administration. The Republican Party has changed just in the last 20 years. The Democrats have changed as well.

The Democrats have been the party that has pulled this country into the modern times far as how folks need to be treated it seems like. Far as the way gays, lesbians and transgendered folks are thought of and are treated here in the U.S

If Republicsns are in office they will try their best to get rid of a woman's right to choose. They will place Supreme Court choices that will change the landscape of our country. You can forget about legal cannabis.

Folks need to vote their convictions but remember what a Trump White House would look like. The third party candidate has no chance of winning. Votes that don't go for Democrats will end up basically for the other guy.
 
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Serious

Liable to snap at any moment.
I wonder if the Republicans haven't changed themselves into extinction? After this election, I don't see how Romney and the Bushes, as two examples, ever meld back into what the party has now become, and I don't see the Tea Party crazies giving up their new foothold there in any case.
 

CarolKing

Singer of songs and a vapor connoisseur
My goal every election for the past 24 years or so has been to knock my husband's vote out of the water since he is a Republican. :cuss: He even voted for George W Bush a second time. It's really hard at times getting along too. We have both grown patience.;)
 
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grokit

well-worn member
I would say that libertarian votes take away from the gop,
like the green party takes away from the donkeys.
Should be interesting.
:popcorn:
 
grokit,

CarolKing

Singer of songs and a vapor connoisseur
Possibly some of the stuff that Trump is saying is in sighting some of the violence that we are seeing in the U.S and in Europe. It's not just his fault but he pisses people off with the stuff he says.

He fucking can't wait to go to war with radical Muslims. He is fucking crazy.

I can't stand him I want to blame him for all the bullshit that's going on.

Anything can be used as a weapon, including a semi truck.

I know Isreal has been dealing with this a long time.
 
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Farid

Well-Known Member
My goal every election for the past 24 years or so has been to knock my husband's vote out of the water since he is a Republican. :cuss: He even voted for George W Bush a second time. It's really hard at times getting along too. We have both grown patience.;)

Compromise and both vote for Gary Johnson. Liberals who do not want to vote for Hillary, but don't want their vote to help Trump should vote for Johnson, not Stein. Stein will only take away from Clinton's numbers, but Johnson will take votes from Trump, and also offers a way to vote against Trump without voting for Clinton.

As for your point about Trump going to war against radical Islam, I have to say I am more ok with that, than with Clinton bombing Syria while the government is fighting ISIS. Israel has not been dealing with this problem well, they have been exacerbating this problem through settlement expansion and collective punishment.

The problem of radical Islam has emerged since the 1950's, so it is not an old problem, and it is something that could easily be fixed by supporting state run education and infrastructure in places like Iraq and Syria, instead of supporting perpetual war. In fact the biggest reason Al Qaeda thrives in war torn places like Yemen, Afghanistan, Sudan, and Syria is because they open up madrasa (religious schools) for kids in places where state run institutions are either nonexistent or have been pushed out by conflict.

That is why the US/Clinton's support for Al Qaeda related groups in Syria is so dangerous. Even if we destroy ISIS militarily, Al Qaeda has still indoctrinated a whole generation of youth in Syria that will need to be deradicalized. ISIS is so brutal using mostly fear to rule, so when they no longer have an ability to hold the population hostage, their support will drop. Removing Al Qaeda from Syria on the other hand will pose a much more difficult problem, unfortunately.

Here's the State department responding to US provided weapons ending up in Al Qaeda's hands in Syria:
 
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His_Highness

In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king
My goal every election for the past 24 years or so has been to knock my husband's vote out of the water since he is a Republican. :cuss: He even voted for George W Bush a second time. It's really hard at times getting along too. We have both grown patience.;)

Did you congratulate him when Bush won?

As someone patient and wise once said 'sometimes it's how we accept defeat that shows character.' :lmao::rofl::lmao:
 
His_Highness,

CarolKing

Singer of songs and a vapor connoisseur
@His_Highness i had a hard time with that one. I wasn't sure if he was really going to vote for Bush? I actually peeked into his ballot to mail in. He had it all sealed up, I opened it. I thought he would have second thoughts because he wasn't going to tell me who he was voting for. I saw the vote for Bush and I almost threw his ballot in the fire but I didn't because I don't know if I could have lived with myself. I am an honest person for the most part and the deceit would have bothered me. It's not worth the anxiety.

When you're married as long as I've been some things you have to over look and appreciated the things that you love about that person. I take the wonderful with the not so great.

Edit
I wish I could actually talk politics with my husband but my head would explode. His whole family is a butch of Republicans. You can imagine what holiday family dinners are like during the election season. I make sure I'm plenty medicated before I go and they never know. Most all are anti cannabis too except for my great brother in law who used to be my black market connection some years ago. Bless his precious heart.

I saw Bill Maher on Stephen Colbert he acted like he was pissed. Kinda like he wished he didn't have to do the show when he first walked on. He acted pissed on Chris Mathews too I thought. Chris Mathews went on about how he loved Bill's show so that sweetened him up a bit. I've seen Chris Mathews on Bills show but I've never seen Stephen Colbert. Maybe eventually we will see him on Real Time. Not on topic, I know.

@HellsWindStaff
big·ot·ed
ˈbiɡədəd/
adjective
  1. having or revealing an obstinate belief in the superiority of one's own opinions and a prejudiced intolerance of the opinions of others.
    "a bigoted group of reactionaries"
    synonyms: prejudiced, biased, partial, one-sided, sectarian, discriminatory; More
I think @Gunky used the right word. Sometimes the happy grass will interfere with ones definitions.
 
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His_Highness

In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king
@His_Highness i had a hard time with that one. I wasn't sure if he was really going to vote for Bush? I actually peeked into his ballot to mail in. He had it all sealed up, I opened it. I thought he would have second thoughts because he wasn't going to tell me who he was voting for. I saw the vote for Bush and I almost threw his ballot in the fire but I didn't because I don't know if I could have lived with myself. I am an honest person for the most part and the deceit would have bothered me. It's not worth the anxiety.

When you're married as long as I've been some things you have to over look and appreciated the things that you love about that person. I take the wonderful with the not so great.

I wish I could actually talk politics with my husband but my head would explode.

I understand completely - I've been married for 35 years now. I think I'm up for parole soon ;)

Fortunately this is the first time we've been this polarized politically. We both lean heavily to the liberal side. As contentious as this was for us ... If we were separated along party lines they'd be looking for my body by now.:uhoh:
 
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