The 2016 Presidential Election Trainwreck

[PaloAltoCougar]

I finally listened to a Trump speech today. And I finally listened to a Cruz speech. I have to say, that Cruz is much worse than Trump. In all the ways that Trump is deplorable, Cruz is horrible, worse than intolerable. Moreover, it's hard to believe Trump really intends or believes most of what he says. He's the world's biggest troll and probably as surprised as you or I at his popularity and political success. Cruz really is a Jesus freak misogynistic fascist, in a deliberate, coherent, cold blooded way.

Cruz may be more frightening because he's smarter and would actually try to do the things he says he intends to do on the Cruz website, which is far more detailed than Trump's laughably simplistic platform. Cruz lost me a long time ago when he, per his site, "Stood with Kim Davis [the Kentucky County Clerk] in defense of her right to live in accordance with her faith." Nobody questioned Davis's right to live in accordance with her faith--she would be free to follow the dictates of her conscience and marry for a fifth time a man of her choosing or bear more children out of wedlock. The issue (although Cruz deftly sidestepped it) was whether a person who accepts a government job should be exempted from performing (while blocking others from performing) the very function she was being paid to perform.

Kasich or Rubio, or a player to be named later, but never Trump or Cruz.

[byu71]

I finally listened to a Trump speech today. And I finally listened to a Cruz speech. I have to say, that Cruz is much worse than Trump. In all the ways that Trump is deplorable, Cruz is horrible, worse than intolerable. Moreover, it's hard to believe Trump really intends or believes most of what he says. He's the world's biggest troll and probably as surprised as you or I at his popularity and political success. Cruz really is a Jesus freak misogynistic fascist, in a deliberate, coherent, cold blooded way.

It is so rare I agree with you, when I do I want to note the occasion. I agree with you.

President Obama, Hillary and Cruz are three people who when they come on to speak I immediately change channels.

This whole thing has me frustrated. After talking with some friends, who also are frustrated at the choices, I realized my talk about voting for Hillary is just a threat made out of anger. I could never vote for someone who is so low as to call parents of slain Americans liars. Along with all her other faults, I can't believe I even thought about voting for her.

As far as Cruz goes, turnabout is fair play and I will sit home like he and his far right wing religious zealots did when Romney ran if Cruz were the nominee.

[DrumNFeather]

Cruz may be more frightening because he's smarter and would actually try to do the things he says he intends to do on the Cruz website, which is far more detailed than Trump's laughably simplistic platform. Cruz lost me a long time ago when he, per his site, "Stood with Kim Davis [the Kentucky County Clerk] in defense of her right to live in accordance with her faith." Nobody questioned Davis's right to live in accordance with her faith--she would be free to follow the dictates of her conscience and marry for a fifth time a man of her choosing or bear more children out of wedlock. The issue (although Cruz deftly sidestepped it) was whether a person who accepts a government job should be exempted from performing (while blocking others from performing) the very function she was being paid to perform.

Kasich or Rubio, or a player to be named later, but never Trump or Cruz.

I think you're right on this point. I actually prefer Kasich a little bit, but voted for Rubio because I thought he had the best chance to take out Trump in Virginia - and he very nearly did (he won in all of the counties in Northern Va that in the last two elections have gone blue).

This country seems so desperate to not elect Hillary Clinton, but the rest of the bozos that have been trotted out there as options will force it to do just that. She'll win Virginia in a landslide in November.

[Jeff Lebowski]

I finally listened to a Trump speech today. And I finally listened to a Cruz speech. I have to say, that Cruz is much worse than Trump. In all the ways that Trump is deplorable, Cruz is horrible, worse than intolerable. Moreover, it's hard to believe Trump really intends or believes most of what he says. He's the world's biggest troll and probably as surprised as you or I at his popularity and political success. Cruz really is a Jesus freak misogynistic fascist, in a deliberate, coherent, cold blooded way.

This is funny. A religious guy scares you more than the most authoritarian presidential candidate of our lifetime.

[Uncle Ted]

This whole thing has me frustrated. After talking with some friends, who also are frustrated at the choices, I realized my talk about voting for Hillary is just a threat made out of anger. I could never vote for someone who is so low as to call parents of slain Americans liars. Along with all her other faults, I can't believe I even thought about voting for her.

You may just want to over look Hillary faults. They can't be any worse than the skinhead Drumpf's or the bible-thumper Cruz's. Actually, she seems to make a pretty good Republican, especially compared with the other choices. In fact, she even started out as a Goldwater Girl:

In high school, Hillary Rodham — who grew up in Illinois and was influenced by her die-hard Republican father and high school history teacher — considered herself a Republican and even became a Goldwater Girl. She wrote about it in her book Living History:

"I was also an active Young Republican and, later a Goldwater girl right down to my cowgirl outfit and straw cowboy hat emblazoned with the slogan 'AuH2O.'
"My ninth-grade history teacher, Paul Carlson, was, and still is, a dedicated educator and a very conservative Republican. Mr. Carlson encouraged me to read Senator Barry Goldwater's recently published book, The Conscience of a Conservative. That inspired me to write my term paper on the American conservative movement, which I dedicated 'To my parents, who have always taught me to be an individual.' I liked Senator Goldwater because he was a rugged individualist who swam against the political tide."

She also writes about volunteering to check voter registration lists against addresses to find voter fraud. And during her first year of college, she was even elected president of the Wellesley Young Republicans Club. According to Carl Bernstein's book A Woman In Charge, by the fall of 1966, she identified herself as a Rockefeller Republican.

http://www.npr.org/sections/itsallpo...illary-clinton

Hillary may be coming back to her roots: took big money from wall street and other republican special interest, supported TARP and the bailouts, voted for the Iraq war with Bush, etc. She has her faults but so did just about every Prophet who walked the earth.

[BlueK]

Trump is irrational. In what bizarro world does it make any sense to talk about uniting the party and then threaten the most powerful Republican in Congress less than five seconds later?

Or...if he is rational then the implications of that threat and what he plans to do with his power are pretty damn scary. I give you Donald Hugo Chavez Trump. Although it appears that Trump prefers the Mussolini comparison.

[Eddie]

Remember that time when Trump called Mexicans a bunch of rapists? WTF. Remember that one time he slighted bona fide war hero and P.O.W. John McCain, saying, " "I like people who weren't captured"? WHAT THE FUUUUUUUCCKKK?????? Is this what America has reverted to? Some crazy version of the electorate that isn't worried about electing a monster because he "operates outside the system?" Great. I'd say 'enjoy your shit sandwich, America,' but Trump won't beat Hilary.

No need to back off on your comments to America. Whether Hilary or Trump, the sandwich is the same.

...I also enjoy how his first response to the criticism of others is nearly always an ad hominem attack against the critic, usually consisting of ripping on the person's appearance, and often accompanied with veiled threats about something bad happening to that person....

Talking to a co-worker yesterday, she asked "when did all of the republican nominees go back to Jr. High? Trump's only response to criticism is that someone is ugly, stupid, or he's going to meet them behind the school and beat them up. And the best Rubio can come up with is small hand jokes. SMALL HAND JOKES! My 12 year-old is laughing at that stuff at school - and now it's the stuff we're using to pick the next president."

This coming from a Democrat, who doesn't want to vote for Hilary but is scared of what the Republicans are offering at least as much.

[Uncle Ted]

Fully agree with your assessment of Cruz. As for Trump, it's like we're living that episode of Seinfeld where George did the opposite of what he thought he should do and his life became amazing. Trump must go home every night and shout, "I'm bustin' Melania, I'm bustin'. Now get me some soup."

Yeah, Ted Cruz is a pussy...

[Jeff Lebowski]

No need to back off on your comments to America. Whether Hilary or Trump, the sandwich is the same.

Crazy talk.

[imanihonjin]

Crazy talk.

No it isn't. I get that you disagree, but go ahead and do so without labeling something as crazy, dumb or stupid. They are the same crap sandwich and both are awful choices to have when voting.

Donald is a buffoon and corruption has followed the Clinton's everywhere, so go ahead an make arguments on the margin how Hillary is incrementally less bad than Trump. However, realize that to many you are just arguing about distinctions without meaning.

[Jeff Lebowski]

No it isn't. I get that you disagree, but go ahead and do so without labeling something as crazy, dumb or stupid. They are the same crap sandwich and both are awful choices to have when voting.

Donald is a buffoon and corruption has followed the Clinton's everywhere, so go ahead an make arguments on the margin how Hillary is incrementally less bad than Trump. However, realize that to many you are just arguing about distinctions without meaning.

Crazy talk.

[Omaha 680]

So I know I said I had entered the depression phase last night, but this morning I find myself grasping for any shred of hope that Trump can be stopped. I just read that a high majority of the early states are open primaries and the states Trump loses are closed. This backs up the argument that he is not convincing Republicans to follow him, but leading a hostile takeover of the party. I checked and of the 15 Republican primaries so far, only 4 have been closed. Trump lost 3 of them. Granted, they were all close, but even with the not-Trump vote split, he isn't running away with the vote like he is in a lot of the open primaries. Has anyone seen any good exit poll data on this phenomenon? Are there a lot of first time Republicans and/or non-Republicans supporting Trump in the open primaries?

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epo...ate_count.html

Of the upcoming primaries through March 15, 13 out of 19 are closed. Unfortunately, one of the largest winner-take-all prizes (Ohio) is partially open. I will hold out hope until March 15. If the not-Trump candidates can deny Trump Florida and Ohio, there is a chance of checking his momentum and keeping him from a majority of delegates. Obviously if Trump takes those states it's over.

[wally]

I love the armchair psychology that is going on in the popular media about the Trump phenomenon: " there has got to be some explanation for this!! What they hell is even happening!?!"

The explanation is very simple: there is a segment of republicans who feel like they repeatedly and systemically aren't being heard, and so they are going nuclear with their votes.

You can only get patted on the head for your frustrations so many times before you decide to escalate your reaction to it. The "Authoritarian" explanation captures this sentiment in part, but like most simplistic explanations, fails to explain how Trump is capturing so much of the vote. You can use all the "well, he is only capturing the rural stupid people" anecdote to explain part of his support, not all of it. I think that there are a significant number of his supporters that realize he is a caricature and believe he wouldn't really do the crazy things he says, and because he is such a wild card, you can imagine him to be really anything you want him to be underneath the "facade."

In the end, if Trump is elected, it will be for similar reasons that Putin was elected in Russia, however Trump is most definitely no Putin.

[Topper]

I love the armchair psychology that is going on in the popular media about the Trump phenomenon: " there has got to be some explanation for this!! What they hell is even happening!?!"

The explanation is very simple: there is a segment of republicans who feel like they repeatedly and systemically aren't being heard, and so they are going nuclear with their votes.

You can only get patted on the head for your frustrations so many times before you decide to escalate your reaction to it. The "Authoritarian" explanation captures this sentiment in part, but like most simplistic explanations, fails to explain how Trump is capturing so much of the vote. You can use all the "well, he is only capturing the rural stupid people" anecdote to explain part of his support, not all of it. I think that there are a significant number of his supporters that realize he is a caricature and believe he wouldn't really do the crazy things he says, and because he is such a wild card, you can imagine him to be really anything you want him to be underneath the "facade."

In the end, if Trump is elected, it will be for similar reasons that Putin was elected in Russia, however Trump is most definitely no Putin.

The recent blog article about Trump being analogous to Andrew Jackson provides a possible explanation which supports your hypothesis.

[Omaha 680]

I love the armchair psychology that is going on in the popular media about the Trump phenomenon: " there has got to be some explanation for this!! What they hell is even happening!?!"

The explanation is very simple: there is a segment of republicans who feel like they repeatedly and systemically aren't being heard, and so they are going nuclear with their votes.

You can only get patted on the head for your frustrations so many times before you decide to escalate your reaction to it. The "Authoritarian" explanation captures this sentiment in part, but like most simplistic explanations, fails to explain how Trump is capturing so much of the vote. You can use all the "well, he is only capturing the rural stupid people" anecdote to explain part of his support, not all of it. I think that there are a significant number of his supporters that realize he is a caricature and believe he wouldn't really do the crazy things he says, and because he is such a wild card, you can imagine him to be really anything you want him to be underneath the "facade."

In the end, if Trump is elected, it will be for similar reasons that Putin was elected in Russia, however Trump is most definitely no Putin.

but what about my question about open primaries? There's got to be a reason?!

I see what you are saying and there is certainly a healthy portion of Trump's support that are mad as hell and aren't going to take it any more. But to paraphrase Karl Malone: What have Trump did that Cruz have not did? If there is a significant hyperconservative base in the party that is sick of not being heard, doesn't Cruz satisfy their criteria? Don't get me wrong I don't want either of them, but if it is as simple as being super conservative and being heard on things like gay marriage and immigration isn't Cruz the better choice? Or is it really just cathartic for these people to vote for the bully that says what they want to say when they are mad?