The New American Politics thread

[PostandIn]

Great job by the Chicago PD. Could've been a lot worse.

[Dogbert]

I have a real bad feeling as to how Trump's bigoted, paranoid, armed-to-the-teeth supporters are going to react to this - especially once Monday rolls around and the right-wing talk radio pundits can whip them into a lather about THEM EVIL LIBRULS wanting to shut them up.

Rush Limbaugh is probably salivating right about now (though it could be a side effect from the OxyContin).

[HockeyIlliterate]

The Republican establishment needs to drop Trump from the party. Block his nomination at the convention, put out nation-wide ads stating that Trump isn't a Republican and that the party doesn't support him or his values, and bar his name from appearing on the election ballot under the Republican heading.

Let Trump run as an independent. It will be far better for the Republican Party to lose the White House this go-round than to be tagged with Trump for all of history.

There is absolutely nothing good about Trump. He stokes anger, he's vindictive, he's a demagogue, he's a liar, and he will intentionally encourage riots and violence while smirking a "who, me?" faux ignorance. Most of his supporters are, quite frankly, morons who are too simple-minded to realize that they are falling for a con man and a troll who is simply lining his own pockets at their expense. History often repeats itself, and his idiot followers never got past 2nd grade to read the history books.

[afc wimbledon]

Originally Posted by HockeyIlliterate

The Republican establishment needs to drop Trump from the party. Block his nomination at the convention, put out nation-wide ads stating that Trump isn't a Republican and that the party doesn't support him or his values, and bar his name from appearing on the election ballot under the Republican heading.

Let Trump run as an independent. It will be far better for the Republican Party to lose the White House this go-round than to be tagged with Trump for all of history.

There is absolutely nothing good about Trump. He stokes anger, he's vindictive, he's a demagogue, he's a liar, and he will intentionally encourage riots and violence while smirking a "who, me?" faux ignorance. Most of his supporters are, quite frankly, morons who are too simple-minded to realize that they are falling for a con man and a troll who is simply lining his own pockets at their expense. History often repeats itself, and his idiot followers never got past 2nd grade to read the history books.

The trouble is the GOP does support most of his racist values, it's only the pro choice, anti bombing the crap out of the Middle East stuff they have problem with.

[HockeyIlliterate]

Today's GOP might, but the classic(al) Republican and the Republican of old does not.

The fiscally conservative and socially liberal person no longer seems to have a party in America.

[octothorp]

Originally Posted by Dogbert

I have a real bad feeling as to how Trump's bigoted, paranoid, armed-to-the-teeth supporters are going to react to this - especially once Monday rolls around and the right-wing talk radio pundits can whip them into a lather about THEM EVIL LIBRULS wanting to shut them up.

Rush Limbaugh is probably salivating right about now (though it could be a side effect from the OxyContin).

I don't think either side is blameless, but you look at recent quotes by Trump and how his supporters might interpret those words (from a rally earlier today):

“Part of the problem and part of the reason it takes so long [to kick them out] is nobody wants to hurt each other anymore,” Trump said during a speech at the Peabody Opera House — around 12 miles from Ferguson, Mo., the site of racially charged mass protests in 2014.
“There used to be consequences. There are none anymore,” Trump said. “These people are so bad for our country. You have no idea folks, you have no idea.”
...
"And you know what? The audience swung back. And I thought it was very, very appropriate. He was swinging. He was hitting people. And the audience hit back. And that's what we need a little bit more of," he declared.

http://www.politico.com/blogs/2016-g...iolence-220638

[Caged Great]

Make America Riot Again?

I feel like I've entered a time warp back to the 1960's.

[calgarygeologist]

Originally Posted by HockeyIlliterate

The fiscally conservative and socially liberal person no longer seems to have a party in America.

It is too bad that the Libertarian Party could never really gain any traction.

[FlamesAddiction]

The atmosphere around U.S. politics is starting to resemble the kind of crap you see in 3rd world countries and Eastern European oligarchies.

[Street Pharmacist]

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

The atmosphere around U.S. politics is starting to resemble the kind of crap you see in 3rd world countries and Eastern European oligarchies.

And what the US has had in fairly recent history

[Itse]

Originally Posted by Senator Clay Davis

Ok...how? When he needs to win independents 71-28 to barely win Michigan, and he can't rely on those votes in a closed primary....good luck. There simply isn't enough support for him unless he makes serious inroads with minorities and registered Dems..

As pure speculation, the success with independents could make some registered dems see Sanders as "more electable".

Ultimately you have to win the independents to become president, and people in political parties will generally care a lot about that stuff.

[Ashasx]

I can't believe how divided politics are right now. People associate themselves with one side or another like it's black and white. And they hate the other side.

[CliffFletcher]

Originally Posted by Ashasx

I can't believe how divided politics are right now. People associate themselves with one side or another like it's black and white. And they hate the other side.

Yeah, I've found it's almost impossible to have a rational discussion about politics on forums where a lot of Americans post. You're instantly earmarked as being on one side or the other, and then it's all dumb partisan attacks.

[GirlySports]

yup, America is at a crossroads. What happens now?

[Vulcan]

Trump draws huge crowd in Ohio. He blames "communist Bernie" supporters for part of the Chicago problem while his supporters are nice people. Everybody there is buying his shtick. Lapdogs.

[RougeUnderoos]

Ted Cruise stirring up the new world order scare to a crowd of crosseyed halfwits in Missouri right now.

"one more liberal justice on the Supreme Court and no more second amendment and we'll be subject to a world court end of American sovereignty bla bla bla".

[Senator Clay Davis]

Must not be fun being an American staring at a bunch of choices that are basically varying degrees of terrible. Probably explains why Obama's approval keeps going up the longer this goes on, people are realizing it really wasn't that bad under him and will likely be worse no matter who wins.

[killer_carlson]

Originally Posted by Vulcan

Trump draws huge crowd in Ohio. He blames "communist Bernie" supporters for part of the Chicago problem while his supporters are nice people. Everybody there is buying his shtick. Lapdogs.

I watched a clip of how Trump handled the protesters. They played right into his hands and he spun their protest into huge rallying points for his supporters.

"Go home and get a job"

"These are not the people that made America great. We will make America great, not these people"

Trump seems to have a great sense for off the cuff populist rallying points and is slicing and dicing his opponents up. There seem to be a lot of Americans who want the swagger and bravado back in the American identity. It isn't dissimilar to Putin's strategy of building popular support.

[killer_carlson]

Originally Posted by Senator Clay Davis

Must not be fun being an American staring at a bunch of choices that are basically varying degrees of terrible. Probably explains why Obama's approval keeps going up the longer this goes on, people are realizing it really wasn't that bad under him and will likely be worse no matter who wins.

I think long term reviews of Obama will not be flattering.

[flames_fan_down_under]

Originally Posted by Ashasx

I can't believe how divided politics are right now. People associate themselves with one side or another like it's black and white. And they hate the other side.

It's a truly poisonous culture in the USA. Fox News etc for years has been pushing partisan politics to extreme ends. The result is the 'You're either with us or you're against us' mentality along with political tribalism has ultimately reached new highs.

There is no place for moderate anymore. If you are socially liberal you face derision and are labelled a 'communist'. If for some reason you are anti-abortion then by default it seems that person has to be pro-gun, pro-war, anti-immigration. You just get swept into these large categories and the result is everyone feels personally attacked by the other side.

Donald Trump is a lying, deluded, selfish demagogue who is leveraging the anger that is so prevalent in USA. Everyone is so angry and its this is what its brought them to.