Countdown to Extinction: The 2016 Presidential Election

[knight66]

That sentiment is I think Bolt's rather than More's. I have been thinking more The Bacchae.

Mike

[drogulus]

     Christie is about to go bye bye. If I'm Kasich I'm feeling prett-y prett-y good about now. Not that I believe he's going to go  all  the  way and win. What he'd need to stand a decent chance is for Bush and Rubio to go really soon. Hey, Bloomberg, don't run, endorse Kasich.

     

That sentiment is I think Bolt's rather than More's. I have been thinking more The Bacchae.

Mike

     Oh, you're probably right. I did say "might have"....

[knight66]

Whichever; I hope the electorate regain their collective minds and step back from the abyss.

Mike

[drogulus]

Whichever; I hope the electorate regain their collective minds and step back from the abyss.

Mike

      Since psychopathic lesbian murderousness isn't much of a negative these days, I think voters will see reason.

      As for Bill, there may be a chemical solution. After all, we are not monsters....

[Archaic Torso of Apollo]

It looks like I'm finally getting my long-held wish of seeing the Republican and Democratic parties get destroyed by their own voters. Time to break out the popcorn!

[drogulus]

It looks like I'm finally getting my long-held wish of seeing the Republican and Democratic parties get destroyed by their own voters. Time to break out the popcorn!

     That's a false symmetry. No matter what happens with Sanders or the next election, the Dems are a coherent national party that can govern.

[Sammy]

I lean towards Bloomberg over any of the Rs and Ds. But the only way he could actually win would be a 3-way race with Trump or Cruz and Sanders (not a 4-way race with Trump).

I can't seriously consider a man who wants Government to control the size of soft drinks.

[Todd]

Whichever; I hope the electorate regain their collective minds and step back from the abyss.

Voters are facing no abyss.  Fortunately, presidents have only influence domestically, and have to rely on Congress for funding, etc.  Now, of course, with Obama having abandoned all semblance of legality in terms of military intervention overseas, various foreign lands could feel the practical manifestation of actual presidential power.  Even with all the bluster and promises, I see no candidate who would do much more than send some additional special forces and extra planes to the Middle East.  Well, maybe they could move some troops from Kuwait to Iraq.

On the plus side for the Republicans, Fiorina and Christie have officially dropped out.  A bit more thinning before Super Tuesday could reveal the real challenger to Trump.  If Trump doesn't get majority victories going forward, he can be stopped.

[Karl Henning]

Well, we do all rely on Hillary to restore the semblance of legality 

[knight66]

Trump: here is what he is clearly sanctioned in Aberdeen. THe item misses out on the most unpleasant example; that of an 80 year old woman whose water supply was cut off several years ago by Trump's contractors and who now has to obtain water manually. He really is a specil kind of shit.



^{http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/residents-fear-donald-trump-will-launch-1403310#mjhrMMm5FDSuVhpz.97}


Mike

[drogulus]

     Bernie Sanders is the future of the Democratic Party

     

[Todd]

Trump: here is what he is clearly sanctioned in Aberdeen. THe item misses out on the most unpleasant example; that of an 80 year old woman whose water supply was cut off several years ago by Trump's contractors and who now has to obtain water manually. He really is a specil kind of shit.

This trend is much bigger than Trump, and applies to the rich, left, right, and center.  Here in Portland, we have no Trumps, but we have lesser evil men who engage in gentrification development projects, with the full backing and support of very liberal/progressive politicians, which force poor people out of neighborhoods all the time.  It even had the effect of making Portland a whiter city in 2010 than it was in 1990 (per the Census), the only major US city to have that happen.  (The poorer minorities moved to the east side, the wealthier ones to the west side.)  It is even embedded in the legal system.  Kelo v. City of New London from 2005 allows the use of eminent domain for private development.  Trump is merely taking advantage of the system, and given that he's a public celebrity, he gets more attention.

     Bernie Sanders is the future of the Democratic Party

That's wishful thinking.  Kids grow up. 

[drogulus]

That's wishful thinking.  Kids grow up. 

     The point of the article is that a more ideological party is a real possibility, and might be the best move. How has Obama/Clinton centrism fared?  No, Repub hand biting might require more of a "choice not an echo". The Repubs are at the fringe as things stand, the Dems are nowhere near that. They have room to go left and I think the article has a good point that they should use that room. If people want reform, offer it.

     This isn't about Sanders, it's about a template for the future. Yes, kids grow up, like the Vietnam era Dems grew up and changed the party. They didn't grow up into Hubert Humphrey. The Sanders babies won't grow up to become Hillaryites.

[Todd]

Yes, kids grow up, like the Vietnam era Dems grew up and changed the party.

Yes, they drifted right and grew up to be or support Bill Clinton.  They also stopped protesting after Nixon stopped the draft.  Maybe Dems can take a page from his playbook and give college kids what they are clamoring for now - "free" tuition so they can drop out or study for 6, 7, 8, 9, 10+ years without consequence - and they will be placated.  Handouts represent one type of reform, I guess.

I suspect Democrats will become more ideological, which, when combined with the increasing importance of racial politics going forward and substantially reduced fiscal policy options as transfer payments become even more important, means domestic politics will get even nastier.  Bring it on.

[drogulus]

     Yes, that's what I want, a real fight. What sense does it make to work with Repubs whose program is never ever working with you? What has that got Obama? What will it get Hillary? If she won't fight, the party must be transformed from below to force her hand. I suspect it will happen. I think it should happen. Whether it produces better or worse results is an open question.

[knight66]

This trend is much bigger than Trump, and applies to the rich, left, right, and center.  Here in Portland, we have no Trumps, but we have lesser evil men who engage in gentrification development projects, with the full backing and support of very liberal/progressive politicians, which force poor people out of neighborhoods all the time.  It even had the effect of making Portland a whiter city in 2010 than it was in 1990 (per the Census), the only major US city to have that happen.  (The poorer minorities moved to the east side, the wealthier ones to the west side.)  It is even embedded in the legal system.  Kelo v. City of New London from 2005 allows the use of eminent domain for private development.  Trump is merely taking advantage of the system, and given that he's a public celebrity, he gets more attention.

Well, yes, in London money is the only thing that talks in terms of building permissions, especially foreign money, and the Scottish government was supine. Trump comes over here and pisses on us and imagines we should enjoy it. I read recently that where his supporters are shown how his bankruptcies, unpaid debts and employment damaging behaviours have been explained to them; fewer feel inclined to vote for him. I hope my Government has woken up now. I think that Salmond's replacement has not yet caught the near inevitable celebrity fever.

Mike

[Todd]

Yes, that's what I want, a real fight.

Based on what you've written over the years, I'd have to disagree.  You want a fight on certain things that you feel comfortable with.  Are you ready for more frequent, more intense race baiting from both parties?  It's coming.

Democracy is the political regime in which the citizen entrusts the public interests to those men to whom he would never entrust his private interests.

A moderately fancy sound-bite equivalent from a reactionary.  Big whoop.

Incidentally, I would have entrusted some of my money to Mitt Romney.  I just didn't have enough to invest.

[drogulus]

Based on what you've written over the years, I'd have to disagree.  You want a fight on certain things that you feel comfortable with.  Are you ready for more frequent, more intense race baiting from both parties?  It's coming.

      You may not get the fight you want either. Anyway Helter Skelter won't save the Repubs. As for the Dems indulgence of identity politics, practically its unavoidable. I don't care for it. And I particularly don't think labeling people who disagree as racist/sexist/homophobes on the flimsiest evidence is kosher. I played the role of not so innocent bystander when a particularly poisonous version of this conflict tore though the New Atheist movement a few years back. So actually I have a fairly educated opinion of what a witch hunt looks like.

      I doubt witch hunting will be a big factor. Repubs were innocent until proved guilty by their own actions. What do you want, a mistrial? Why bother, the punishment is being known for what they are, what they insist on being taken for. If they're your guys, the stink's on you.

[Karl Henning]

I saw it on Facebook, so it must be true:

Everyone who knows Hillary trusts her.

[kishnevi]

This seems to have slipped away, unnoticed
http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/10/politics/carly-fiorina-drops-out-suspends-campaign/