US Presidential election 2016

[Tilbury]

He's drawing massive crowds and is closing the gap in the polls v. Hilary. Would be fantastic if he managed to take this a long way.

 

[Ebeneezer Goode]

Never going to happen. US elections are decided by the donors.

 

[Tilbury]

I agree but if Sanders can mobilise the grass roots (which he looks to be doing) like Obama did in 2008 then it could get interesting.

 

[Ebeneezer Goode]

Obama? He's a bigger corporate whore than any of them. That war chest didn't come from the grassroots.

 

[Tilbury]

He set records for the amount of small donation received in both the 2008 and 2012 election cycles and mobilised people like never seen before. Sure he may have received a big chunk from companies and rich individuals but compared to everyone else he was pretty clean.
http://cfinst.org/Press/PReleases/12-02-08/Small_Donors_in_2011_Obama_s_Were_Big_Romney_s_Not.aspx

 

[Tilbury]

Having had the biggest crowd of any of the candidates thus far in Wisconsin on Wednesday, the polls in the key Iowa and New Hampshire primaries are showing Sanders pulling back some of the lead that Clinton has made. New Hampshire and Iowa.
Don't really fancy picking a winner from the GOP, but come on Trump . New Hampshire, Iowa & Overall

 

[Tilbury]

Damn, seems that Joe Biden is about to throw his hat into the Democrat ring shortly. Big shame, I am pretty confident Sanders would have gone on to beat Hilary and secure the nomination, but this will obviously change things up.

 

[Ebeneezer Goode]

Bernie beat Hillary? Never in a million years. The money men won't touch him. Too sensible.

 

[Tilbury]

She's toxic, as bad as a Republican.

 

[Alty]

She's toxic, as bad as a Republican.

I don't follow.

 

[Modernist]

I don't follow.

Republicans are toxic.

 

[Alty]

Republicans are toxic.

As is Hilary Clinton, apparently (?)

Those her don't like her tend to really hate her, but I can see Clinton winning a Midwest swing state by convincing the undecideds to vote for. I'm not sure there are many Republicans of whom that's true. Maybe Bush?

I see Trump has ramped things up a notch by saying he doesn't respect veterans like McCain because they got captured. He's also threatening to stand as an independent if the Republicans annoy him

 

[smat]

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/330359969813770242

It'll just never not be funny.

 

[Tilbury]

As is Hilary Clinton, apparently (?)

Those her don't like her tend to really hate her, but I can see Clinton winning a Midwest swing state by convincing the undecideds to vote for. I'm not sure there are many Republicans of whom that's true. Maybe Bush?

I see Trump has ramped things up a notch by saying he doesn't respect veterans like McCain because they got captured. He's also threatening to stand as an independent if the Republicans annoy him

Pretty much what I meant.

 

[Alty]

Pretty much what I meant.

TBF a firebrand left-wing Jew like Sanders has a large section of the electorate who'll automatically hate him.

 

[Tilbury]

TBF a firebrand left-wing Jew like Sanders has a large section of the electorate who'll automatically hate him.

Of course. He does well with veterans (vocal critic of Iraq war) and with his record on civil rights he should do very well with minorities as well. He'll need to try and convert some of the women that Hillary does so well with, I guess that's why he's been talking about introducing maternity leave for parents so much. Also evidence to show that he does (or could do) better than Hillary against the GOP candidates in the key swing states. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/h-a-goodman/reason-1-to-vote-bernie-sanders_b_7863524.html

Edit: Just found this.http://www.ibtimes.com/voters-new-h...inion-every-2016-candidate-except-one-2024842
Only one candidate of 6 of the main contenders who has a positive public opinion in Iowa and New Hampshire. Sanders of course.

 

[SUTSS]

Lots of rumours that Joe Biden is set to run.

 

[Alty]

Republican debate tonight. Ted Cruz is seen as the most likely to have a pop at Trump as he was previously the most popular of the 'outsider' type candidates.

 

[Tilbury]

Another day, another sold out arena.

 

[smat]

https://twitter.com/aurosan/status/631200732788690944

 

[Tilbury]

Sander LEADS Clinton 44-37 in a New Hampshire primary poll. Squeaky bum time EG. http://www.bostonherald.com/news_op...s_surges_ahead_of_hillary_clinton_in_nh_44_37

The same poll was 44-8 in March.

 

[Ebeneezer Goode]

Still can't see it happening. I bet the Republicans are praying that it does though.

 

[Tilbury]

He'll destroy Trump if he gets there's.

 

[Dr Mantis Toboggan]

no chance of a trump-sanders election both are too 'extreme' ideologically. trump is too right for the right and sanders too left for the left

 

[Alty]

Only just got round to watching this. TBF I actually thought Bush, Rubio and Kasich came across as broadly sane. One of them in charge of the US wouldn't particularly worry you, I don't think.

Some of the others...fucking hell. Trump was the worst of the lot. Couldn't string a sentence together.

And for the first time in my life I'm actually going to praise Fox News - I thought all three moderators were really good.

 

[Dr Mantis Toboggan]

that's like praising isis for their environmental policies

 

[Jockney]

I struggled to carry on when Huckabee stated that it was a scientific fact that the embryonic life at conception constituted a person, but I'll keep going. At the very least it's entertaining.

 

[Jockney]

Ted Cruz's response to the ISIS question was disturbing. I'm not sure how much more I can take. The mudslinging between Paul and Walker was pathetic, made even more embarrassing by the reaction of the braying mouthbreathers who made up a sizable proportion of that Ohio crowd. There's something to be said for the charisma and presence of American politicians, but honestly I've seen more substance and dignity in Cameron's rabble-rousing at party conferences than I have from a single GOP candidate this year.

I can't believe I sort of talked favourably about David Fucking Cameron, even if it was in relative terms.

P.S. It's all a load of bollocks, and even if the debate had carried on in the tone and spirit of Kasich's surprisingly left-wing defence of his expansion of medicaid in Ohio, you'd still be dealing with cold reality of a broken democratic system in which all but three or four of the candidates on both sides are middle-aged white men from extremely privileged backgrounds.

 

[Alty]

Next debate tonight. No doubt it'll pop up on Youtube at some point tomorrow.

Apparently the last debate was one of the most-watched TV events in US history. Which is bloody incredible, really.

I'm wondering at what point the Trump bubble bursts. It has to, surely? Deep down even his supporters must know he'd be a terrible president? Even if I don't agree with making blatantly racist and sexist comments, I can at least understand how the generally pissed off and downtrodden get a bit of a buzz out of hearing him say politically incorrect stuff. But actually voting for the bloke to lead the country? It's anathema to me.

 

[Dr Mantis Toboggan]

i'd be really interested in a study on how america became so rightwing. also how the left-right dichotomy transitioned between republican-monarchist, to democracy-non democracy to communism-capitalism. guess it's more traditionalist-pragmatic now