The 2016 US American Election Thread

[Iowa_Flames_Fan]

Originally Posted by afc wimbledon

the Trump super pac that took 2 mill from the Daily Telegraph reporter pretending to be Chinese?

I feel like that would be huge news in any other election cycle. First, they were breaking the law, and knew they were breaking the law. Second, they were influence-peddling in exactly the way that Trump accuses his opponent of doing, but so clumsily and so crassly that it was almost cartoonish. Third, it is and should be very embarrassing that they fell for such an obvious set-up.

But this just gets added to the background noise of what a terrible candidate he is overall, and my guess is that it will barely make a ripple. There are advantages to being the "Twitter tantrum" candidate who is a serial groper. When a "real" scandal breaks, no-one is paying attention anymore.

[Senator Clay Davis]

To give you an idea of the level of desperation Trump supporters are at, Hannity had the former editor of the Weekly World News on his show last night who claimed he was a Clinton "fixer". Hopefully he "fixed" this one.

[Iowa_Flames_Fan]

It's weird to be saying this for (I think) the second time--but here is a good article by David Frum, regarding the dilemma that Republican conservative voters face in the US right now:
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/...o-vote/504977/

Although I am not of that stripe I can sympathize with the issues set out here, and while we are all mocking the GOP for nominating such an obviously unqualified boor, it is worth asking: what if Democrats had done the same? What if Trump were running as a Democrat against a tarnished and unpopular but still-competent GOP candidate? (Romney 2.0, let's say).

I suspect the shoe would be on the other foot in every sense, and though Romney would likely win (for the same reasons that Clinton will likely win) there would be a lot of "deplorable" democrats holding their noses and casting ballots for Trump. It is an unhealthy side effect of the polarized two-party system.

[Senator Clay Davis]

Record day of (non-debate) lying for Trump yesterday (the 42 states one easily the funniest and most brazen)






https://twitter.com/ddale8/status/790911682583355392

[Coach]

Originally Posted by Iowa_Flames_Fan

It's weird to be saying this for (I think) the second time--but here is a good article by David Frum, regarding the dilemma that Republican conservative voters face in the US right now:
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/...o-vote/504977/

Although I am not of that stripe I can sympathize with the issues set out here, and while we are all mocking the GOP for nominating such an obviously unqualified boor, it is worth asking: what if Democrats had done the same? What if Trump were running as a Democrat against a tarnished and unpopular but still-competent GOP candidate? (Romney 2.0, let's say).

I suspect the shoe would be on the other foot in every sense, and though Romney would likely win (for the same reasons that Clinton will likely win) there would be a lot of "deplorable" democrats holding their noses and casting ballots for Trump. It is an unhealthy side effect of the polarized two-party system.

I think Romney would win pretty handedly in that scenario. But Trump would never end up as the Dem nominee in his current form. He wouldn't have made it passed the primaries spouting his nonsense. It would be interesting to see what type of tone he would take, because Democrats just don't tolerate most of what he says. He'd have to be a completely different person.

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by Iowa_Flames_Fan

It's weird to be saying this for (I think) the second time--but here is a good article by David Frum, regarding the dilemma that Republican conservative voters face in the US right now:
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/...o-vote/504977/

Although I am not of that stripe I can sympathize with the issues set out here, and while we are all mocking the GOP for nominating such an obviously unqualified boor, it is worth asking: what if Democrats had done the same? What if Trump were running as a Democrat against a tarnished and unpopular but still-competent GOP candidate? (Romney 2.0, let's say).

I suspect the shoe would be on the other foot in every sense, and though Romney would likely win (for the same reasons that Clinton will likely win) there would be a lot of "deplorable" democrats holding their noses and casting ballots for Trump. It is an unhealthy side effect of the polarized two-party system.

The thing is, the Republicans have better candidates, but somehow Trump won the nomination. They would have been better going off the board with someone relatively unknown.

I kind of missed the build up to how Trump actually got here, but would the Democrats even make this kind of mistake? For example, who would the Democrat equivalent be? I just couldn't see them going down the celebrity path instead of picking a career politician.

[GGG]

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

The thing is, the Republicans have better candidates, but somehow Trump won the nomination. They would have been better going off the board with someone relatively unknown.

I kind of missed the build up to how Trump actually got here, but would the Democrats even make this kind of mistake? For example, who would the Democrat equivalent be? I just couldn't see them going down the celebrity path instead of picking a career politician.

Well Trump won by recognizing that 30% of the republicans are the "deplorables" and played his extremist rhetoric. Then the winner take all system and the 17 candidate field allowed one candidate to rack up a big enough lead that win the field winnowed it was too late.

So can the Democratic Party fall victim to a candidate harnessing a large minority party view to put forth a platform against traditional democratic values? I'd argue no as the proportional distribution of delagates prevents this from occurring so you always need at least 50% support of the party.

Bernie was a similar movement to trump playing to independants and the parties
Minority view but without the celebrity.

[station]

^^^ I think the point was if Trump himself had run as a Democrat. He's been one in the past so not that implausible. He could still have used the anti free trade/globalization stuff, added some compassion into the immigration stuff and come out on the left side of social issues (LGBT rights, abortion, etc.).

[Senator Clay Davis]

A Dem Trump would lose to Bernie in the primaries though, for the same reason Bernie lost to Hillary: minority voters.

[photon]

One GOP woman wonders why the men in her party won’t defend her

Earlier this month, Eric Trump sent out a fundraising solicitation showing a map of his father overwhelmingly winning the election. There was only one catch. The winning map represented a pollster’s projection of what would happen if only men voted.

It was a mistake, but fitting nonetheless. The way Trump has conducted his campaign, it’s as if the Republican Party would like female voters to fall off the map completely.

As a former communications aide to Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) and former senator Jim DeMint (R-S.C.), I can personally testify that Republican women have, for years, fended off accusations from the Democrats of the party’s allegedly anti-woman beliefs. What did we get for it? The nomination — by way of a largely older, male voting base — of a brazen and unapologetic misogynist.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...1000&tid=ss_tw

[station]

Yes most likely. Although a Dem Trump likely doesn't come out on the first day calling Mexicans rapists. But yeah Bernie is way more likable and genuine obviously.

[photon]

Conway relays a conversation between her and Trump in which Trump calls her 'honey'.

http://nypost.com/2016/10/25/campaig...cript-or-lose/

Conway's way too smart to not have done that on purpose.

[Senator Clay Davis]

So I'm sure the GOP is thrilled to be spending an entire day with less than two weeks left in the election doing publicity for their candidates new hotel, and defending a state they should never have to defend (which obviously kills any argument they're trying to make that things aren't a debacle right now)

[MoneyGuy]

With all that Trump has said and done it's amazing that this is still a race. He wouldn't be in contention if not for the fact that some people won't vote for a woman president and that Clinton is not exactly clean herself.

[GirlySports]

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

The thing is, the Republicans have better candidates, but somehow Trump won the nomination. They would have been better going off the board with someone relatively unknown.

I kind of missed the build up to how Trump actually got here, but would the Democrats even make this kind of mistake? For example, who would the Democrat equivalent be? I just couldn't see them going down the celebrity path instead of picking a career politician.

Mark Cuban.

But it would be much more difficult since there are no winner take all states. So Cuban could win a few states but not build much of a lead until they caught onto him. Plus superdelegates.

[Senator Clay Davis]

Mark Cuban isn't a Democrat, he just hates Trump that much. The Democrat equivalent would more or less be Leonardo DiCaprio or some other actor/activist.

[Izzle]

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by Senator Clay Davis

Mark Cuban isn't a Democrat, he just hates Trump that much. The Democrat equivalent would more or less be Leonardo DiCaprio or some other actor/activist.

I was thinking someone like Michael Moore or Sean Penn (to a lesser degree).

[afc wimbledon]

Originally Posted by Senator Clay Davis

Mark Cuban isn't a Democrat, he just hates Trump that much. The Democrat equivalent would more or less be Leonardo DiCaprio or some other actor/activist.

Trump isn't a republican, what's your point?

[GGG]

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

I was thinking someone like Michael Moore or Sean Penn (to a lesser degree).

Moore would likely be a comparable in terms of bombastic half truths however he would still be fundamentally more sound on policy even if that policy was very naive.

He wouldn't win though.

Jill Stein's policies would be the comparable to what trump is spewing. The mainstream democratic base just wouldn't follow it.