The New American Politics thread

[calgarygeologist]

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'm glad I don't live in the US because I can't associate with any of their political parties or leaders. I wouldn't bother voting and would be totally disenfranchised by the whole system.

[Bunk]

^disenchanted.

[ah123]

Found this editorial really interesting. Explains where a lot of Trump's support is coming from

But Trump voters also have real economic insecurities. A generation ago, they could aspire to well-paid, low-skill jobs. Now many of them have poorly paid, low-skill jobs.

At the same time, these same people have lost their voice in politics. They have voted Republican for decades, but they are increasingly angry at the GOP. What Mr. Trump has done is give them a voice. He has turned their frustration into outright anger and pointed it toward China and Mexico. Blaming free trade rings true to them, for good reason.

There is one more thing, though, and this is where it gets so ugly: Analyses of Mr. Trump’s voters show that they are concentrated in states that have higher rates of racial animus, especially toward black people. Mr. Trump shamelessly endorses his voters’ bigotry – something no mainstream Republican has dared to do. This is why his supporters love to boast that their man “tells it like it is” and “says what he thinks.” He is saying what they think.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/opini...service=mobile

[Ashasx]

The thing is, it's coming from both sides.

For different reasons, of course, but in many ways, it's just as scary.

To me, to associate yourself with a political ideology and a political party, and define yourself as such, is just ludicrous. That shouldn't define you as a person and should have no impact on your social interactions.

These people wouldn't vote for the other party if their platform was exactly what they wanted.

[afc wimbledon]

Originally Posted by killer_carlson

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

I think the long term reviews will be that he was one of the most competent presidents in history, inherited a recession of biblical proportions and two soul and cash sucking pointless lost wars, got the U.S. Out of all of that releitively unscathed, brought in a successful healthcare program against insane opposition, killed Bin Laden.

What more do you want? I think the historical review will be that the U.S. stood on the brink of economic cataclysm and he pulled them off the edge.

[killer_carlson]

I think his foreign policy will be highly criticised.

[GirlySports]

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.

Hes not wrong though. That was a very organized disruption of a rally. Protests are fine but cant be rushing the stage

[Dan02]

Indeed, a bunch of Bernie supporters to go a Trump rally just to cause problems, yet we're supposed to blame the Trump supporters?

[Street Pharmacist]

Originally Posted by Dan02

Indeed, a bunch of Bernie supporters to go a Trump rally just to cause problems, yet we're supposed to blame the Trump supporters?

No, you blame the source of the violent hateful rhetoric. They were not all Bernie supporters. They are Muslims against Trump, blacks against Trump etc.

[HockeyIlliterate]

Originally Posted by afc wimbledon

I think the long term reviews will be that he was one of the most competent presidents in history, inherited a recession of biblical proportions and two soul and cash sucking pointless lost wars, got the U.S. Out of all of that releitively unscathed, brought in a successful healthcare program against insane opposition, killed Bin Laden.

What more do you want? I think the historical review will be that the U.S. stood on the brink of economic cataclysm and he pulled them off the edge.

Getting out of the recession was the work of the Federal Reserve; Obama had comparatively little to do with it.

The US is still in Iraq and Afghanistan, and can't figure out how to handle Syria or ISIS.

The ACA is still a mess and doesn't address the underlying problem of high health care costs. And it has fundamental problems in regards to how to handle health insurance costs for the newly unemployed.

Most of his domestic "achievements" have been done through executive order, and he's been slapped down by SCOTUS at least once by one of his actions and further challenges are being reviewed now.

Lastly, he completely ignored the rule of law and shook down BP for billions (most of which has been squandered by the States and Fed) outside of the court system.

What more do I want? Well, I'd like a president who actually reads the Constitution and abides by it.

[Vulcan]

Originally Posted by HockeyIlliterate

Getting out of the recession was the work of the Federal Reserve; Obama had comparatively little to do with it.

The US is still in Iraq and Afghanistan, and can't figure out how to handle Syria or ISIS.

The ACA is still a mess and doesn't address the underlying problem of high health care costs. And it has fundamental problems in regards to how to handle health insurance costs for the newly unemployed.

Most of his domestic "achievements" have been done through executive order, and he's been slapped down by SCOTUS at least once by one of his actions and further challenges are being reviewed now.

Lastly, he completely ignored the rule of law and shook down BP for billions (most of which has been squandered by the States and Fed) outside of the court system.

What more do I want? Well, I'd like a president who actually reads the Constitution and abides by it.

Well yeah, he could have done better but with the GOP just saying no on every position he took, he did well. The GOP self admittedly made stopping Obama on every issue their aim, with no regard with what was best for the country. Obama showed a lot of restraint in trying to work with the GOP until he said frug it.

[afc wimbledon]

Originally Posted by HockeyIlliterate

Getting out of the recession was the work of the Federal Reserve; Obama had comparatively little to do with it.

The US is still in Iraq and Afghanistan, and can't figure out how to handle Syria or ISIS.

The ACA is still a mess and doesn't address the underlying problem of high health care costs. And it has fundamental problems in regards to how to handle health insurance costs for the newly unemployed.

Most of his domestic "achievements" have been done through executive order, and he's been slapped down by SCOTUS at least once by one of his actions and further challenges are being reviewed now.

Lastly, he completely ignored the rule of law and shook down BP for billions (most of which has been squandered by the States and Fed) outside of the court system.

What more do I want? Well, I'd like a president who actually reads the Constitution and abides by it.

There is no 'handling' ISIS or Syria, once Bush unleashed that crap show there was and is no putting it back together again, historians will view the instability of the Middle East, the rise of Islamic extremism as a consequence of the neo imperialist beliefs that grew out of Reagans presidency. I doubt Obama will even figure in historians analysis other than the death of Bin Laden, from a historic perspective nothing that has happened since his election is anything other than an unavoidable consequence of the invasion of Iraq.

[Senator Clay Davis]

Originally Posted by Street Pharmacist

No, you blame the source of the violent hateful rhetoric. They were not all Bernie supporters. They are Muslims against Trump, blacks against Trump etc.

Protest outside the venue then. Getting inside was about causing a scene and provoking a reaction. They weren't all Bernie supporters, but Bernie supporters bragging on Twitter about how much effort went into organizing the disruption makes them look like a bunch of dolts. Bernie and Trump supporters both share one big trait in common, both groups are basically internet trolls come to life.

[calgarygeologist]

I'm watching the Kansas City Trump rally right now and these events have become such a gong show. What a joke. I won't be surprised if someone gets killed soon and I'll be even less surprised if someone manages to smuggle in a gun and takes a shot at Trump.

I wonder how well he can dodge shoes?

[troutman]

Yup. Another Trump gong show in KC.

He doesn't need a tele-prompter because he can't say anything more than his handful of catch phrases.

Every rally he has in a big city from now on is going to be trouble.

[troutman]

Originally Posted by Senator Clay Davis

Protest outside the venue then. Getting inside was about causing a scene and provoking a reaction. They weren't all Bernie supporters, but Bernie supporters bragging on Twitter about how much effort went into organizing the disruption makes them look like a bunch of dolts. Bernie and Trump supporters both share one big trait in common, both groups are basically internet trolls come to life.

He has angered many groups. In Chicago there was BLM, Latinos, Sanders supporters, Millenials, Muslims, Move On etc.

CNN has gone to other programming, but MSNBC has it now.

[Senator Clay Davis]

All these groups are doing is helping Trump, I hope they know that when they do this. I've been saying it for months, when you start ignoring Trump he will probably go away. Instead they keep producing incidents that don't hurt him and probably drive more supporters to him. Force him to talk about substance instead of provoking reactions in the event that allow him to go off on tangents.

[troutman]

Originally Posted by Senator Clay Davis

All these groups are doing is helping Trump, I hope they know that when they do this. I've been saying it for months, when you start ignoring Trump he will probably go away. Instead they keep producing incidents that don't hurt him and probably drive more supporters to him. Force him to talk about substance instead of provoking reactions in the event that allow him to go off on tangents.

I think his ceiling is about 30% of the population. The rest will become very galvanized against him.

[Boo Radley]

I would not put it past the Trump campaign that they start manufacturing these types of things themselves.

[HockeyIlliterate]

Originally Posted by calgarygeologist

I'm watching the Kansas City Trump rally right now and these events have become such a gong show. What a joke. I won't be surprised if someone gets killed soon and I'll be even less surprised if someone manages to smuggle in a gun and takes a shot at Trump.

I wonder how well he can dodge shoes?

The conspiracy-theorist in me thinks that the GOP establishment will get a patsy into a rally to assassinate Trump, who will then get shot by another, a la JFK-Oswald.