His tax plan is very good and fixes one of the major problems in the United States that has been ignored for the past several decades. Fixing what is the worst immigration system in the western world is also a pertinent need. The rest of his platform is largely irrelevant to me.
I think a stand on China is important. How to keep American companies and jobs in America. The trade agreement is totally one sided in favor of China. China keeps its currency artificially low to attract imports to Americans and as a result American businesses setting up shop to sell to Americans. Money going out. Copyright is also a big issue, China steals everything from American clothing to electronics. Would President Trump attack China on these issues at the table?
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If it really does come down to a race between Trump and Clinton.... I really hate to say it, but Trump comes across as the less sketchy of the two of them. The other Republican candidates would be destroyed by Hillary, and the best choice in Sanders doesn't have the support.
Maybe America should just go 'President Free' for four years.
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As someone who is interested in the race, but has no interest in learning the American Electoral system, when should I actually tune in?
Well, are you interested because you want to follow what's important, or because you want to be entertained?
There's a chance that we get a once-in-a-lifetime spectacle of an absolutely bloody Republican convention in July. If that's happening, you don't want to miss it. A lot of it is going to come down to all these arcane rules, but I don't think you need to know (or care) about the rules to appreciate the drama of it.
There's also a lot of potential ripple effects here, like well-funded independent or third party candidates, the ongoing Clinton email server investigation, the Trump University lawsuits, the supreme court justice appointment, prominent party-member or ally defections. And for the most part, we don't know when (or even if) any of these other events are going to happen or come to light.
I'd say that a lot of what happens between now and July is going to be delegate math. Republican convention onward is where we're going to start to get an idea of where the parties are positioned and how they're going to refine and shape their positions to appeal to the electorate.
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The final selection of each party, and I guess when the actual race for president starts?
This may be one of the biggest problems with the American system as a whole. The electoral process begins so early that there is barely any time for governance. There should be some serious restrictions in place that limit the time spent on each election. Like six months post to post.
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Normally the best time to start paying attention is when the NFL season starts. But they've moved the primaries up this year from late August to late July.
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Originally Posted by Harry Lime
This may be one of the biggest problems with the American system as a whole. The electoral process begins so early that there is barely any time for governance. There should be some serious restrictions in place that limit the time spent on each election. Like six months post to post.
Still waaaay too long. There's no way they couldn't do this in 3 months if they wanted to. But as is usually the case, this will remain an 18 month process because too many people make too much money this way. Sounds about right for American politics.
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Normally the best time to start paying attention is when the NFL season starts. But they've moved the primaries up this year from late August to late July.
Still waaaay too long. There's no way they couldn't do this in 3 months if they wanted to. But as is usually the case, this will remain an 18 month process because too many people make too much money this way. Sounds about right for American politics.
18 months?! Baha. Maybe officially.
This thing has been going on since Obama started his second term. It's probably the most annoying part about US politics. They are literally ALWAYS campaigning. It doesn't leave room for actually doing things.
As someone who is interested in the race, but has no interest in learning the American Electoral system, when should I actually tune in?
Day after the last primary. Barring the rare occurrence of a contested convention that's basically when preperation for the general begins. The campaigns hire up, the ticket is finalized (VP selection) etc. etc.. If you're not into that process stuff then tune in at the conventions, that's when the campaigns start kicking into second gear.
Location: In a land without pants, or war, or want. But mostly we care about the pants.
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Originally Posted by octothorp
There's also a lot of potential ripple effects here, like well-funded independent or third party candidates
I really hope Trump loses the nomination due to a bitter fight on the floor and runs third-party. Maybe resurrect the Bull Moose party in the spirit of Teddy Roosevelt (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Progre..._States,_1912).
Although though instead of "Speak softly, and carry a big stick", Trump's catchphrase could be "Speak loudly, and then sometimes, you yell."
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His tax plan has been panned by numerous groups on both sides of the ideological divide. Standard for any policy proposal but it certainly isn't met with praise and in fact will likely greatly add to the countries deficit and debt. As with most thing Drumpf, his details aren't really given. He talks about loopholes being closed but typically doesn't specify them. Those that make out the best under his plan are shockingly the ones who don't need the help. He and his family alone would personally benefit by billions of dollars. Most of the GOP candidates tax plans are just dressed up trickle down economics...give a little bit to satisfy the whining masses but most benefit goes to the wealthy the friends of the party. And at some point cutting taxes has to end.
You obviously must not have much experience with the US tax code, which is by far the most convoluted system in the world and makes Canada's system look like a model of efficiency in comparison. There are countless loopholes and credits that have been engineered by special interest groups over the years resulting in a system that benefits certain types of (usually larger) corporations at the expense of small to mid-size businesses and individuals who cannot move profits offshore nor take advantage of credits as easily. The corporate tax rate in the US is among the highest in the OECD and it is driving business outside the country as evidenced by the rash of tax inversions in recent years (Valeant, Burger King / Tim Hortons, Mylan, Pfizer etc.). The convoluted system is the major government policy that is stopping the US economy from achieving its potential right now.
I'd suggest that you read Trump's tax platform because your comments seem to indicate that you are not familiar with his proposal. The system is a progressive income tax structure that is very similar to Canada's with the key difference being a base personal exemption of $25,000 rather than $11,327.
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Originally Posted by ernie
The immigration system being broken is overblown and his solution and things he has said are quite frankly disgusting. Undocumented population is about 3% of the overall population and a great many of those undocumented would be welcomed with open arms so really this is a different sort of 1% "problem".
Quick name the fastest growing undocumented group? hint it's not mexicans or muslims. A wall and registry are not going to work as one moves forward. Unless that wall completely encircles the entire country.
The immigration system is most certainly broken and there is no debate about it. When the number of illegal immigrants continues to exceed those in the US legally I'm not sure how you can argue this. Even if you disregard the problem with illegal immigration the legal immigration system is horrendous.
The majority of legal immigrants to the United States arrive there under family reunification. A small portion of legal immigrants arrive in the US under economic classes despite the country being the most desired location for well educated migrants worldwide. The current policies result in legal immigrants being to the US being older, less healthy, and poorly educated in comparison to those arriving in countries with working immigration policies like Canada. Fareed Zakaria did a nice piece on this several years back that I'd encourage you to watch. Combined with the illegal immigration problem, the current system is creating a demographic nightmare in the United States rather than helping the economy as immigration should.
I'm not a Trump supporter and I agree that his comments on immigration are tasteless populist bluster designed to appeal to the typical American idiot, but it imperative for the immigration system to be fixed. Funnily enough, both the horrible tax code in the US and the broken immigration system have benefited Canada by shifting corporate jobs here and providing us a pool of highly skilled immigrants who have been unable to gain access to their preferred destination, but a US economy functioning to its potential would be a far better scenario for our prosperity.
Having said all of that, the prospects of any candidate making material changes to these policies remain slim due to the entrenchment of the Democratic and Republican political establishment in Washington. It amazes me how seriously this charade we go through every four years is taken by many people when the differences in governance between both parties are largely superficial.
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Do I like Trump’s platform? No, I think most of it is silly and misguided, but at least it is not the same bull#### casserole that has been on the menu in Washington DC for as long as I have been alive.
His candidacy is a happy accident that is currently ripping the soul of America apart, which is something that I think we desperately need (and deserve) at this time in our history, for better or for worse.
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Bernie is a breath of fresh air, but I’m not sure he can beat Hillary. In a match between Bernie and Donald, I’d vote for the former. In a match between Hillary and Donald, I’d vote for the latter. It isn’t a vote for Trump, but rather a vote against the political establishment (which must be removed from office at any cost – even if it means electing a reality TV star for president). The stakes are too high. Hillary cannot win or the oligarchy will continue unabated.
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I believe that it is too late for a conventional cure. So, there is Trump. He is indeed a buffoon and a recipe for disaster. If he were to do half of the horrific things he says he would, he would be a catastrophe. He could be a blend of Hitler and Hirohito.
That’s why I would vote for him. The last time we crossed paths with a Hitler and/or Hirohito, the country woke up and fought. And won! He might supply us with the shock we need in order to wake up and fight.
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As a gay muslim, the Republican Party has not been kind to me, to say the least. However the Democrats almost arrogantly expect me to hand my vote to them because of who I am, which insults me.
I am a son of immigrants but we have always followed the law to the letter. Donald Trump’s discussion on immigration is extremely relevant. I even support the temporary ban on Muslims, even though I still have many law abiding family members in Syria who deserve the opportunity to come to the US and escape the horrors of the war. We don’t vet these people properly. To let them in willy nilly is ludicrous.
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I’m a liberal-left college professor in the social sciences. I’m going to vote for Trump but I won’t tell hardly anybody.
My main reason is anger at the two-party system and the horrible presidencies of Obama and Bush. But I’m also furious at political correctness on campus and in the media.
I’m angry at forced diversity and constant, frequently unjustified complaints about racism/sexism/homophobia/lack of trans rights. I’m particularly angry at social justice warriors and my main reason to vote Trump is to see the looks on your faces when he wins.
It’s not that I like Trump. It’s that I hate those who can’t stand him. I want them to suffer the shock of knowing all their torrents of blog posts and Tumblr bitch-fests and “I just can’t ...” and accusations of mansplaining didn’t actually matter. That they’re still losing. And that things are not getting better for them. They’re getting worse.
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Yes, I admit it. I support Trump, but it’s a secret.
My reason for keeping it secret is that I’m an evangelical pastor and have to hold my nose at some of the things that Trump says, as far as being tasteless and brutish. This language and attitude flies in the face of my faith.
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Trump is a wake up call. A president Trump could be as bad as Hitler, but if he shocks some good people in both the Republican and Democratic parties into realizing that they are ignoring legitimate concerns of a sizable minority, then let him have his four years.
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I voted for Trump with the faint hope that his election would actually be good for the country. If he were elected, it would perhaps teach more to the country than all the high school civics lessons in the our nation’s brief history.
If elected, Trump would accomplish very little to none of his vacuous agenda. His congressional agenda would be as dead on arrival as that of Bernie Sanders’s. So what good could result? Perhaps more people would begin to realize that members of Congress, governors, mayors, and members of the state houses have the real power. That the framers of the Constitution created this wonderfully balanced system in which no one person holds the kind of power that Trump claims he could wield. That democracy is messy and frustrating. That change involves more hard work than just voting for somebody who says the right things.
An awful lot of protest voters. I never realized people were so angry down there.
__________________ "We are no longer living. We are empty of substance, and our head devours us. Our ancestors were more alive. Nothing separated them from themselves."
If it really does come down to a race between Trump and Clinton.... I really hate to say it, but Trump comes across as the less sketchy of the two of them. The other Republican candidates would be destroyed by Hillary, and the best choice in Sanders doesn't have the support.
Maybe America should just go 'President Free' for four years.
Well the race is not over yet. Realistically Clinton has 595 pledged delegates compared to Sanders 405. Superdelegates do not count if popular vote goes the other way and if Sanders can pull off a better showing in the remaining non-Southern states, he still has a chance, even if it is a fairly small one based on current polls.
You obviously must not have much experience with the US tax code....
Not experienced at all....I just file in it every single year.
I know exactly what his tax platform is. I've read a lot about it. Was that Drumpf enough? He collpases 7 brackets down to three to great benefit to the wealthy end of the spectrum. He plays around with removing/adding various credits. I also know that without significant cuts far beyond his hypothetical get rid of waste he will run a huge deficit (adding 34 trillion in debt by 2036 according to some analyses). He has also been very vague on many loopholes he will actually get rid of other than ones that when removed will benefit the wealthy and in particular the very wealthy. His tax plan is appraised to add more debt than anyone else on either side of the aisle.
His tax plan is not all that much different than the rest of the GOP field which in the end can be equated to lower taxes that end up benefiting the wealthy far more than anyone else in the end. Yes some benefit is seen in terms of reduced tax load on individuals but at what expense to government programs and overall country well being? They will expand the income gap in the country.
And keep in mind it is one thing to propose a supposed loophole free tax code and actually pass one into law. It'll never happen. It's not reality.
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The immigration system is most certainly broken and there is no debate about it....
The number of undocumented immigrants is dropping and has been for the last 6-8 years. Down from over 12 million when Obama came in to 10.9 million last month. There has been a heavy focus on tightening the border and deportation under this administration. Doesn't get a lot of press but the reality does not match the rhetoric of Drumpf. The problem is in providing a path to citizenship for valuable members of society not in sealing up the borders and massive tyrannical deportations because that is actually working as it is. And that's part of the reason why you see that same shift in focus from some within the GOP (I don't think it is simply to get the Latino vote but because the reality of the situation is that the numbers are coming down).
His comments also aren't populist bluster. They are racist and zenophobic to the nth degree.
Well the race is not over yet. Realistically Clinton has 595 pledged delegates compared to Sanders 405. Superdelegates do not count if popular vote goes the other way and if Sanders can pull off a better showing in the remaining non-Southern states, he still has a chance, even if it is a fairly small one based on current polls.
It's not over, it's just 99.5% likely Hillary will win. Been two days since Super Tuesday and so far the Bernie camp has done nothing at all to erode the reason he's losing: Clinton's dominance with minorities. If he can't significantly change that picture, he should do the right thing and drop out if he loses badly enough on the 15th. I just don't think he has it in him to go after Hillary like he needs to in order to win. Say what you will about Trump, he'll get as ugly as he needs to for the wins. Bernie just doesn't appear to have it in him to do it. Noble? I guess, but it's a losing strategy and nobility is losing is still losing.
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