The 2016 Presidential Election Trainwreck

[Moliere]

Make the pledge: send the GOP a clear message and vote for Hillary!

Yeah, send them a message that we prefer dishonest pandering politicians. I'd vote for a write-in candidate before i'd vote for Hillary. I'm now very likely to vote for that Johnson guy the Uncle Ted loves so much.

[byu71]

Bloomberg is ostensibly a republican. A vote for him is nowhere near the protest vote as is one for Hillary. The GOP needs radical reform. Let's get it done quickly.

The GOP has gone through radical reform and look what you have. Tell Hannity, Rush, Beck we actually would prefer they declare as Independents or something different than republicans.

It might sting for a short time, but in the end might draw in some independents.

Maybe someone can enlighten me. This anger that the republicans have done nothing doesn't register with me. What could they do. Obama is the President. The Senate needs 60 republicans to do it their way and they don't have sixty. The house can't do anything just by themselves.

How about being appreciative of how obstructionist they have been Yes I appreciate them blocking all the crap Obama wants to do. I wish Obama was accomodative with the republicans as he has been with our enemies. I digress, what could the republicans have done they didn't. Shut down the government?? Yea that is a real winner when 47% of the people are dependent on the government paying them something.

[Northwestcoug]

Yeah, send them a message that we prefer dishonest pandering politicians. I'd vote for a write-in candidate before i'd vote for Hillary. I'm now very likely to vote for that Johnson guy the Uncle Ted loves so much.

The GOP has gone through radical reform and look what you have. Tell Hannity, Rush, Beck we actually would prefer they declare as Independents or something different than republicans.

It might sting for a short time, but in the end might draw in some independents.

Maybe someone can enlighten me. This anger that the republicans have done nothing doesn't register with me. What could they do. Obama is the President. The Senate needs 60 republicans to do it their way and they don't have sixty. The house can't do anything just by themselves.

How about being appreciative of how obstructionist they have been Yes I appreciate them blocking all the crap Obama wants to do. I wish Obama was accomodative with the republicans as he has been with our enemies. I digress, what could the republicans have done they didn't. Shut down the government?? Yea that is a real winner when 47% of the people are dependent on the government paying them something.

This is only half TIC. But I'm serious that I will vote for Hillary over Trump. I completely understand why many people will write in candidates. But the way I see it, your write-in candidate is as much a protest vote as mine is for Hillary, but potentially less effective. If a ton of independent voters go for Hillary, that will send a much clearer message to the GOP than a bunch of write-in votes for a lot of other people.

The reform I'm looking for in the GOP is a break of the ties with crazy people in the news and talk radio organizations. It's embarrassing that serious candidates have to play games with would-be kingmakers like Hannity and Fox News personalities. They are part of the reason why near majorities of conservative voters reject good candidates because they are not rabid anti-illegal immigration, or die-hard pro-lifers. Their business depends of fomenting the perception that establishment GOP candidates do not represent voters. That may be true in some instances, but there's no way the talking heads keep up their ratings without constantly beating that drum.

Realistically, I'm more moderate than most GOP voters, so what I want is likely not what they want. But I'm looking for any way the GOP can start becoming a serious party for more than just the hard right. Cut the ideological ties to crazy people. Fix the nomination process so that we don't end up with another Trump. Quit demanding ideological purity. Until that happens, I doubt many serious candidates will make it through to the nomination. I will not vote for jokes. Hillary has issues, I know, but at least she is not a joke.

May my protest vote ring loud and true in the ears of the GOP!

[byu71]

The reform I'm looking for in the GOP is a break of the ties with crazy people in the news and talk radio organizations. It's embarrassing that serious candidates have to play games with would-be kingmakers like Hannity and Fox News personalities. They are part of the reason why near majorities of conservative voters reject good candidates because they are not rabid anti-illegal immigration, or die-hard pro-lifers. Their business depends of fomenting the perception that establishment GOP candidates do not represent voters. That may be true in some instances, but there's no way the talking heads keep up their ratings without constantly beating that drum.

Realistically, I'm more moderate than most GOP voters, so what I want is likely not what they want. But I'm looking for any way the GOP can start becoming a serious party for more than just the hard right. Cut the ideological ties to crazy people. Fix the nomination process so that we don't end up with another Trump. Quit demanding ideological purity. Until that happens, I doubt many serious candidates will make it through to the nomination. I will not vote for jokes. Hillary has issues, I know, but at least she is not a joke.

May my protest vote ring loud and true in the ears of the GOP!

I am in agreement with you as noted in a previous post. I consider myself very conservative, but Hannity, Rush, Beck, Laura, et.al. have convinced me I am not their definition of conservative.

[USUC]

Bloomberg is ostensibly a republican. A vote for him is nowhere near the protest vote as is one for Hillary. The GOP needs radical reform. Let's get it done quickly.

Mr nanny state himself ostensibly a Republican? Bloomberg is a moderate Democrat at best.

[Jarid in Cedar]

I am reading about the history of Nazi Germany. Currently in the section on Hitler's rise to power in the the early 1920's. Noticed a few things:

1) One of his central messages was to make Germany great again (and safe).
2) Following the Germany defeat in WW1, another central theme was restoring an attitude of winning.
3) Constantly talked about the negative influence of foreigners and immigrants in Germany.
4) His message resonated with the angry working class. Educated people were mostly against him.
5) At the early Nazi rallies, protesters would show up and shout and disturb the events. Some of the attendees beat the protestors up and Hitler approved. Based on this approval, a group of thugs formally organized to beat up protesters at subsequent rallies. This group later became the SA (storm troopers).

Now before you go all Godwin's Law on me, I do not consider Trump to be anywhere near the threat that Hitler was. Just found the parallels interesting.

On my Facebook feed today:

trump.jpg

[Jeff Lebowski]

[QUOTE=Jarid in Cedar;1247560]On my Facebook feed today:

[Northwestcoug]

Mr nanny state himself ostensibly a Republican? Bloomberg is a moderate Democrat at best.

Sure, but the perception of him is that he's a centrist republican.

[Northwestcoug]

I'm no neurosurgeon, but I know a sham candidacy when I see one:

These questions have been circling since last summer. If they're right, the most sympathetic interpretation is that Carson, like his donors, was being taken for a ride by his aides, and wasn’t in on the scam. Carson seemed to suggest as much on Tuesday, implying he was taken advantage of by aides who treated the campaign as an ATM. That doesn’t necessarily reflect well on him, though. If Carson couldn’t see what was going on in his own campaign, is he ready to run the country?

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/...a-scam/470715/

[HuskyFreeNorthwest]

I'm reminded of the good old days when people were comparing W to Hitler. It is almost like there is a group of angry people that haven't learned yet that politics is just a giant game, and they get excited calling a new person Hitler.

[Omaha 680]

I'm no neurosurgeon, but I know a sham candidacy when I see one:



http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/...a-scam/470715/

you didn't know it until The Atlantic told you.

[Northwestcoug]

you didn't know it until The Atlantic told you.

I confess, I had my suspicions. But I guess I didn't know for sure until the article told me so.

[Omaha 680]

I confess, I had my suspicions. But I guess I didn't know for sure until the article told me so.

I can't believe he's sticking around. Huckabee did it for a TV show...what is Carson's angle?

[Northwestcoug]

I can't believe he's sticking around. Huckabee did it for a TV show...what is Carson's angle?

51DhUpg6POL._SX329_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg41cj8NKr68L._SX308_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg
51ejgkPM9EL._SX308_BO1,204,203,200_.jpgbencarson.jpg
cpac030814275f.jpg

[Moliere]

GOP debate