2016 General Election Thread

[GORDON]

Someone said only morons get their news from the media, or something like that.

[Leisher]

Reality TV Party, formerly the GOP

I don't think that's true at all.

Aside from Duck Dynasty, I'd believe that far more Dems watch reality TV than Republicans. All the old guard Republicans I know barely watch TV.

[Malcolm]

All the old guard Republicans I know barely watch TV.

Are they watching this election? Because it seems more like Survivor than a campaign. But seriously...

No wonder Shiftless D streamrolled them. Furthermore, I called them the RTP because of their candidate, not their viewing habits.

[Leisher]

The two most hated presidential candidates in history. Seems like this is exactly who should be running for president right now.

[Leisher]

[Leisher]

Mutiny on the SS Sanders.

[TheCatt]

The characterizations of Sanders's state of mind aren't particularly flattering either. Aides portray him as angry, hurt, and actively deluding himself about both the reasons he's losing and the possibility he may still win:

Sanders is himself filled with resentment, on edge, feeling like he gets no respect -- all while holding on in his head to the enticing but remote chance that Clinton may be indicted before the convention

He sounds a lot like his supporters.

[TheCatt]

Bernie's a dumb ass

I love this quote.

Iger again rejected Sanders' arguments on Thursday, saying his company is a "positive for the United States and for the world."
"He chose the wrong company to criticize," Iger said. "I thought that it was indicative of a person who had never been in business and had not taken the time to really understand and appreciate what the meaning of business is to the country."

My biggest complaint with Bernie is that he's never had a job, he's never worked for anything, he has no idea how the real world operates.

[TheCatt]

I can't think of which meme picture this goes with, but this applies to at least a few people on the Internet.

"Hates career politicians... voted for Bernie"

[Leisher]

Is that legit? He's never had a job?

[TheCatt]

I guess he has had some jobs:

After graduating from college, Sanders returned to New York City, where he initially worked at a variety of jobs, including Head Start teacher, psychiatric aide, and carpenter.[31] In 1968, Sanders moved to Vermont because he had been "captivated by rural life." After his arrival there he worked as a carpenter,[33] filmmaker, and writer[45] who created and sold "radical film strips" and other educational materials to schools.[46] He also wrote several articles for the alternative publication The Vermont Freeman.[47]
...
Following his resignation from Liberty Union, Sanders worked as a writer and the director of the nonprofit American People's Historical Society (APHS).[53] While with the APHS, he made a 30-minute documentary about American Socialist leader and presidential candidate Eugene V. Debs

He started running for office in 1971, eventually won mayor of Burlington, VT in 1981, and was re-elected 3 times.
He joined Congress in 1990, and was re-elected until he won election for senator in 2006, re-elected in 2012.
So he's been in politics for 45 years. That's a long time without a job.

[TPRJones]

I can't think of which meme picture this goes with, but this applies to at least a few people on the Internet.

"Hates career politicians... voted for Bernie"

[TheCatt]

Nicely done, TPR.

[Vince]

Holds a perfect description of my feelings for this year's election...

You know that Donald Trump is an unstable imbecile. But this knowledge doesn't oblige you to discover new qualities in the bottomlessly cynical, power-mad grifter Hillary Clinton. In your heart of hearts, you may suspect that if she thought it would get her four centimeters closer to the presidency, Hillary Clinton would devour your squealing grandchild, or her own, live on the set of The View. It's a terror to contemplate. But in no way should this terror obviate your equally credible suspicion that Donald Trump is rabies in human form, likely to drive our country into a feverish search for scraps in the neighbors' garbage only to get us run over by a truck.

[TheCatt]

Gun to your testicles/other painful things that wont kill you: Hillary or Trump?

[Malcolm]

Gun to your testicles/other painful things that wont kill you: Hillary or Trump?

Someone will inevitably ask you this question: "But really, gun to your head: Do you want President Trump? Or do you want President Clinton?" You should reframe the question for them like this: "When someone asks, 'Gun to your head: Do you want a gun to your head? Or a gun to your head?' The only response is: 'Just get over with it.'"

I'm conflicted between my desire to save my balls and my desire to be contrarian for spite's sake in the face of a despot or fascist. Might depend on my mood. I'm looking at the angle of Bill being back in DC, which is damn near the only plus. With any luck, he hasn't lost a step.

[Vince]

Gun to your testicles/other painful things that wont kill you: Hillary or Trump?

That answer depends on what you're really asking, so I'll explain the hell out of my answer.

I used to call them both "big government, crony capitalist progressives", but I've come to decide that Trump isn't forward thinking nor disciplined enough to be an actual progressive. So I'll leave him at simply a big government liberal. I think Hillary would probably be more damaging to the country for 4 years as opposed to 4 years of Trump, but not by much. I've been trying to look past this election. Four years from now we'd get another run at an awful President Hillary. After 4 years of Trump, the Democrats get another run at him. Bottom line for a Trump Presidency is that best case we're going to get 12 years of growing government and I think that kills us regardless. Either he's such a good big government President that he ends up with a lot of Democrat crossover in '20, or he's so awful and the Republican brand so damaged that we end up with 8 years of a big government Democrat.

So who is worse for 4 years? Hillary. Who's worse for the extended future? I think Trump.

Now all that being said, here's my hope. I'd love for the national GOP to keep pushing the line that we have to line up behind the nominee while at the same time keeping Trump at arm's length. That technique so far has been sending a seriously mixed message. Then when the convention comes enough state delegates go rogue to deny Trump the nomination on the first ballot. When the national GOP representatives go rushing to the state delegations, they are refused entry to make it clear that it isn't the national party that's ejecting the presumptive nominee, but the grass roots state delegates themselves. That's about the only way the Republican party survives as anything other than a watered down version of the Democrat party. I don't think that would give the Republicans a great shot at the general election this year (see above), but the national party has been less than worthless as an opposition party and the alternative of Trump is just party suicide.

I think we're probably beyond a Washington solution at this point anyway. We keep voting thinking the disease will cure itself. Time for an article 5 convention of the states.

[Malcolm]

Time for an article 5 convention of the states.

There will never be another. There might be a way to chip away at the two-party hegemony going on.

[Vince]

Time for an article 5 convention of the states.

There will never be another. There might be a way to chip away at the two-party hegemony going on.

8 states have already signed on. Need 34 total. I think a Hillary administration will advance it further.

[Malcolm]

That's a long, long way to go.