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Source: (consider it) Thread: Purgatory: U.S. Presidential Election 2016
romanlion
editorial comment
# 10325

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It's funny because for all the talk about how a Trump nomination would doom the GOP and Hillary would be a lock, Hillary is a deeply flawed human being (never mind candidate) and if the dims actually nominate a self-described socialist, they are done for at least a generation.

Their bench is worse than empty, it's non-existent, and if Hillary is the nominee she is going to get pounded.

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"You can't get rich in politics unless you're a crook" - Harry S. Truman

Posts: 1486 | From: White Rose City | Registered: Sep 2005  |  IP: Logged
Augustine the Aleut
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quote:
Originally posted by romanlion:
quote:
Originally posted by Palimpsest:
Well, Trump at least does distract from the appalling nature of the rest of the Republican candidates. It's hard to figure out which one is least loathsome.

Not so tough a calculation for the dims.
I may be missing something. Dims?
Posts: 6236 | From: Ottawa, Canada | Registered: Oct 2001  |  IP: Logged
Og, King of Bashan

Ship's giant Amorite
# 9562

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quote:
Originally posted by Augustine the Aleut:
quote:
Originally posted by romanlion:
quote:
Originally posted by Palimpsest:
Well, Trump at least does distract from the appalling nature of the rest of the Republican candidates. It's hard to figure out which one is least loathsome.

Not so tough a calculation for the dims.
I may be missing something. Dims?
Trust me, you're not missing anything.

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"I like to eat crawfish and drink beer. That's despair?" ― Walker Percy

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RuthW

liberal "peace first" hankie squeezer
# 13

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quote:
Originally posted by romanlion:
... if Hillary is the nominee she is going to get pounded.

The party of swift-boating and the Willie Horton ad would "pound" any Democratic candidate.
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Palimpsest
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quote:
Originally posted by romanlion:

Their bench is worse than empty, it's non-existent, and if Hillary is the nominee she is going to get pounded.

Just like the last election when the Republicans knew Obama was going to get pounded.
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romanlion
editorial comment
# 10325

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quote:
Originally posted by Palimpsest:
quote:
Originally posted by romanlion:

Their bench is worse than empty, it's non-existent, and if Hillary is the nominee she is going to get pounded.

Just like the last election when the Republicans knew Obama was going to get pounded.
Quite the opposite, actually. Obama was (and still is) completely unknown.

Hillary is completely known, she just hasn't been advertised as such yet...

She's fucked, win or lose...

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"You can't get rich in politics unless you're a crook" - Harry S. Truman

Posts: 1486 | From: White Rose City | Registered: Sep 2005  |  IP: Logged
romanlion
editorial comment
# 10325

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quote:
Originally posted by Augustine the Aleut:
quote:
Originally posted by romanlion:
quote:
Originally posted by Palimpsest:
Well, Trump at least does distract from the appalling nature of the rest of the Republican candidates. It's hard to figure out which one is least loathsome.

Not so tough a calculation for the dims.
I may be missing something. Dims?
Could be you are...

People who support democrat politicians are "dim"....

As in the opposite of bright...

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"You can't get rich in politics unless you're a crook" - Harry S. Truman

Posts: 1486 | From: White Rose City | Registered: Sep 2005  |  IP: Logged
mousethief

Ship's Thieving Rodent
# 953

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Glad the level of conversation and debate here has managed to keep out of the name calling department, and the junior-high school taunts. Until now.

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This is the last sig I'll ever write for you...

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lilBuddha
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quote:
Originally posted by romanlion:


As in the opposite of bright...

As in bright people don't support Republicans.


Sorry, mt

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I put on my rockin' shoes in the morning
Hallellou, hallellou

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RuthW

liberal "peace first" hankie squeezer
# 13

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quote:
Originally posted by mousethief:
Glad the level of conversation and debate here has managed to keep out of the name calling department, and the junior-high school taunts. Until now.

Yeah, well, we're just matching the level of debate among the Republican candidates. If the Democrats would schedule one at a time when people might actually watch, we might do better.
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Golden Key
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And put it on broadcast TV, not just cable.

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Blessed Gator, pray for us!
--"Oh bat bladders, do you have to bring common sense into this?" (Dragon, "Jane & the Dragon")
--"Oh, Peace Train, save this country!" (Yusuf/Cat Stevens, "Peace Train")

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Golden Key
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quote:
Originally posted by romanlion:
It's funny because for all the talk about how a Trump nomination would doom the GOP and Hillary would be a lock, Hillary is a deeply flawed human being (never mind candidate) and if the dims actually nominate a self-described socialist, they are done for at least a generation.

Their bench is worse than empty, it's non-existent, and if Hillary is the nominee she is going to get pounded.

Have we had any presidents who weren't deeply flawed??

--------------------
Blessed Gator, pray for us!
--"Oh bat bladders, do you have to bring common sense into this?" (Dragon, "Jane & the Dragon")
--"Oh, Peace Train, save this country!" (Yusuf/Cat Stevens, "Peace Train")

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irish_lord99
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quote:
Originally posted by RuthW:
quote:
Originally posted by mousethief:
Glad the level of conversation and debate here has managed to keep out of the name calling department, and the junior-high school taunts. Until now.

Yeah, well, we're just matching the level of debate among the Republican candidates. If the Democrats would schedule one at a time when people might actually watch, we might do better.
To be fair, the term "tea-bagger" gets thrown about quite a bit without objection. I think I also read "gun fellator" in a different thread recently. "Clown-car" was pretty frequently used in this thread too. Quite a few others as well, if you read through the thread.

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"There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics." - Mark Twain

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romanlion
editorial comment
# 10325

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quote:
Originally posted by irish_lord99:
quote:
Originally posted by RuthW:
quote:
Originally posted by mousethief:
Glad the level of conversation and debate here has managed to keep out of the name calling department, and the junior-high school taunts. Until now.

Yeah, well, we're just matching the level of debate among the Republican candidates. If the Democrats would schedule one at a time when people might actually watch, we might do better.
To be fair, the term "tea-bagger" gets thrown about quite a bit without objection. I think I also read "gun fellator" in a different thread recently. "Clown-car" was pretty frequently used in this thread too. Quite a few others as well, if you read through the thread.
On the last page alone we had "Mr. Ignorant", "Human Ebola", and a reference to "Red-necked Americans".

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"You can't get rich in politics unless you're a crook" - Harry S. Truman

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Crœsos
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quote:
Originally posted by romanlion:
quote:
Originally posted by Palimpsest:
Just like the last election when the Republicans knew Obama was going to get pounded.

Quite the opposite, actually. Obama was (and still is) completely unknown.
There are some of us whose memory actually goes back three-and-a-half years to the ancient and mist-shrouded days when Republicans just "knew" that all the polls were skewed, that they had the secret sauce for "unskewing" them, and that the obvious result was a Mitt Romney landslide. We also remember how Mitt "I only need to write a victory speech" Romney was totally blindsided by his loss.

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Humani nil a me alienum puto

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Og, King of Bashan

Ship's giant Amorite
# 9562

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quote:
Originally posted by RuthW:
quote:
Originally posted by mousethief:
Glad the level of conversation and debate here has managed to keep out of the name calling department, and the junior-high school taunts. Until now.

Yeah, well, we're just matching the level of debate among the Republican candidates. If the Democrats would schedule one at a time when people might actually watch, we might do better.
Let's go back, though, and consider the link I posted at the bottom of the last page. Clinton surrogates are out there telling folks that Sanders will dismantle Medicare, without mentioning that he actually wants to expand it to cover everyone.

Medicare expansion is something Democrats should be behind. But Clinton is using the same old "he wants to take away your benefits!" scare tactic to make sure that it doesn't happen.

Is that really a debate we can be proud of? It's easy to laugh at the other guys, but don't think for a second that there aren't cynical B.S. tactics being deployed on the Left. If you believe in single payer healthcare, you should be mad as hell.

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"I like to eat crawfish and drink beer. That's despair?" ― Walker Percy

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lilBuddha
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quote:
Originally posted by irish_lord99:
To be fair, the term "tea-bagger" gets thrown about quite a bit without objection. I think I also read "gun fellator" in a different thread recently. "Clown-car" was pretty frequently used in this thread too. Quite a few others as well, if you read through the thread.

No, if you are truly being fair, you would also note that these comments are at least sometimes accompanied by supportive statements.

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I put on my rockin' shoes in the morning
Hallellou, hallellou

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Dave W.
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Welcome back, romanlion.

I'm still curious about who you support in 2016 - care to share?

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irish_lord99
Shipmate
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quote:
Originally posted by lilBuddha:
quote:
Originally posted by irish_lord99:
To be fair, the term "tea-bagger" gets thrown about quite a bit without objection. I think I also read "gun fellator" in a different thread recently. "Clown-car" was pretty frequently used in this thread too. Quite a few others as well, if you read through the thread.

No, if you are truly being fair, you would also note that these comments are at least sometimes accompanied by supportive statements.
Still juvenile name calling.

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"There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics." - Mark Twain

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Stercus Tauri
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quote:
Originally posted by romanlion:
quote:
Originally posted by Palimpsest:
quote:
Originally posted by romanlion:

Their bench is worse than empty, it's non-existent, and if Hillary is the nominee she is going to get pounded.

Just like the last election when the Republicans knew Obama was going to get pounded.
Quite the opposite, actually. Obama was (and still is) completely unknown.

Hillary is completely known, she just hasn't been advertised as such yet...

She's fucked, win or lose...

Curious to assert that Obama is "completely unknown". Despite his misfortune of having been sucked into the leadership vacuum left by eight years of G.W. Bush and his business partners, and being dumped upon constantly by a cynical and destructive Republican party, at least he'll be remembered as a president who tried, unlike his pitiable predecessor who wasn't even capable of trying, and who had no notion of what it meant to be the leader of the most dangerous nation on earth.

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Thay haif said. Quhat say thay, Lat thame say (George Keith, 5th Earl Marischal)

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HCH
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I am actually disappointed in the "benches" of both parties.

The Democrats have several people who want the job and are arguably as qualified as most candidates, but they are rather old. Where are the comparatively young, bright Democrats? Who is waiting in the wings to run in 2020 or 2024 or 2028?

The Republicans have plenty of people who want the job, but it's hard to find anyone impressive on the list: governors who are wildly unpopular in their own states and junior senators who have accomplished nothing at the national level. Almost none of the Republican candidates have qualifications such as experience in the Foreign Service or in the Vice Presidency or in the cabinet. I don't see a retired general on the list.

I think it would be fun if some prestigious executive-search firm would analyze the job, decide on a list of qualifications and evaluate the candidates (of all parties). Such a firm should not be from then U.S. but from somewhere else such as Switzerland or Australia. The results might be very entertaining.

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Og, King of Bashan

Ship's giant Amorite
# 9562

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quote:
Originally posted by HCH:
I am actually disappointed in the "benches" of both parties.

The Democrats have several people who want the job and are arguably as qualified as most candidates, but they are rather old. Where are the comparatively young, bright Democrats? Who is waiting in the wings to run in 2020 or 2024 or 2028?

Arguably, this was supposed to be Obama's year, but he jumped ahead in line, and everyone else was pretty much expected to stand down to give Clinton a second shot.

quote:
Originally posted by HCH:
junior senators who have accomplished nothing at the national level. Almost none of the Republican candidates have qualifications such as experience in the Foreign Service or in the Vice Presidency or in the cabinet.

Once again, Obama comes to mind...

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"I like to eat crawfish and drink beer. That's despair?" ― Walker Percy

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Sioni Sais
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quote:
Originally posted by irish_lord99:
quote:
Originally posted by lilBuddha:
quote:
Originally posted by irish_lord99:
To be fair, the term "tea-bagger" gets thrown about quite a bit without objection. I think I also read "gun fellator" in a different thread recently. "Clown-car" was pretty frequently used in this thread too. Quite a few others as well, if you read through the thread.

No, if you are truly being fair, you would also note that these comments are at least sometimes accompanied by supportive statements.
Still juvenile name calling.
From what I have seen so far, juvenile name calling is a fair summary of the campaigning so far, so it should be no surprise that it is reflected in this thread.

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"He isn't Doctor Who, he's The Doctor"

(Paul Sinha, BBC)

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Belle Ringer
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A lot of my normally democrat friends who used to like Hillary now intensely dislike her because she comes across as totally establishment, it's all about whatever benefits big business. (To be fair, you've got be pro big business and their interests to get enough money to run for this office.)

But none of the Republicans are any better.

And a viable 3rd party doesn't seem to be happening unless trump breaks off and goes inde.

I don't see a happy ending. Period.

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Doublethink.
Ship's Foolwise Unperson
# 1984

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quote:
Originally posted by HCH:
I am actually disappointed in the "benches" of both parties.

The Democrats have several people who want the job and are arguably as qualified as most candidates, but they are rather old. Where are the comparatively young, bright Democrats? Who is waiting in the wings to run in 2020 or 2024 or 2028?

The Republicans have plenty of people who want the job, but it's hard to find anyone impressive on the list: governors who are wildly unpopular in their own states and junior senators who have accomplished nothing at the national level. Almost none of the Republican candidates have qualifications such as experience in the Foreign Service or in the Vice Presidency or in the cabinet. I don't see a retired general on the list.

I think it would be fun if some prestigious executive-search firm would analyze the job, decide on a list of qualifications and evaluate the candidates (of all parties). Such a firm should not be from then U.S. but from somewhere else such as Switzerland or Australia. The results might be very entertaining.

On general principles, I think it is a bad idea to permit anyone who reaches command rank in the military to run for political office - even if retired. Ideally, I'd like it written into law as a disqualifying condition - it is a truly terrible precedent / slippery slope for a democracy.

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All political thinking for years past has been vitiated in the same way. People can foresee the future only when it coincides with their own wishes, and the most grossly obvious facts can be ignored when they are unwelcome. George Orwell

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Og, King of Bashan

Ship's giant Amorite
# 9562

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quote:
Originally posted by Belle Ringer:
A lot of my normally democrat friends who used to like Hillary now intensely dislike her because she comes across as totally establishment, it's all about whatever benefits big business. (To be fair, you've got be pro big business and their interests to get enough money to run for this office.)

But none of the Republicans are any better.

It's almost as if no one is running against Hillary for the Democratic nomination...

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"I like to eat crawfish and drink beer. That's despair?" ― Walker Percy

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Amanda B. Reckondwythe

Dressed for Church
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quote:
Originally posted by Doublethink.:
On general principles, I think it is a bad idea to permit anyone who reaches command rank in the military to run for political office - even if retired.

We've had good (Dwight D. Eisenhower) and bad (Ulysses S. Grant).

quote:
Ideally, I'd like it written into law as a disqualifying condition - it is a truly terrible precedent / slippery slope for a democracy.
I think it would take a constitutional amendment.

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"I take prayer too seriously to use it as an excuse for avoiding work and responsibility." -- The Revd Martin Luther King Jr.

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Prester John
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quote:
Originally posted by Amanda B. Reckondwythe:
quote:
Originally posted by Doublethink.:
On general principles, I think it is a bad idea to permit anyone who reaches command rank in the military to run for political office - even if retired.

We've had good (Dwight D. Eisenhower) and bad (Ulysses S. Grant).

quote:
Ideally, I'd like it written into law as a disqualifying condition - it is a truly terrible precedent / slippery slope for a democracy.
I think it would take a constitutional amendment.

Not to mention George Washington, William Henry Harrison, Andrew Jackson and Zachary Taylor. A mixed bag to be sure. On the other side of the Atlantic Wellington served as PM. From what I've read he seemed to do a good job and helped push for Catholic Emancipation.
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Brenda Clough
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There is a novel, Starship Troopers by Robert a. Heinlein, which proposes limiting the franchise to those who serve in the armed forces. The idea being that if you won't fight for it you shouldn't be governing. In the novel (it is SF) not only do all men serve at one point or another in life, most women serve as well, and are in fact especially prized as space pilots, at which they are better than men.
I will add that both my children are in the US Army. This has filled me with a powerful suspicion, not to say contempt, for politicians who are careful to sit safe at home, and whose kids do not serve, who yell for carpet-bombing Iraq or invading Syria. Blockheads like Donald Trump, who announce that being in a private military academy is equivalent to combat duty, should be forced to immediately serve.

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Science fiction and fantasy writer with a Patreon page

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Doublethink.
Ship's Foolwise Unperson
# 1984

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quote:
Originally posted by Prester John:
quote:
Originally posted by Amanda B. Reckondwythe:
quote:
Originally posted by Doublethink.:
On general principles, I think it is a bad idea to permit anyone who reaches command rank in the military to run for political office - even if retired.

We've had good (Dwight D. Eisenhower) and bad (Ulysses S. Grant).

quote:
Ideally, I'd like it written into law as a disqualifying condition - it is a truly terrible precedent / slippery slope for a democracy.
I think it would take a constitutional amendment.

Not to mention George Washington, William Henry Harrison, Andrew Jackson and Zachary Taylor. A mixed bag to be sure. On the other side of the Atlantic Wellington served as PM. From what I've read he seemed to do a good job and helped push for Catholic Emancipation.
The issue is not the quality of the individuals themselves, it is the risk that that military leaders start to see themselves as political powerbrokers. I take your point Brenda, but of course the vast majority of military personnel are not command level - and those who bear the brunt of poor political and military decisions will tend to be the lower ranks.

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All political thinking for years past has been vitiated in the same way. People can foresee the future only when it coincides with their own wishes, and the most grossly obvious facts can be ignored when they are unwelcome. George Orwell

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Palimpsest
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Grant for all his faults as President, was the general that won the civil war. He also wrote a great memoir, although there are suspicions that Mark Twain may have ghost written some of it as well as helping to publish it.

As for Hilary, I'm not a big fan, but it's worth noting that Sanders is only 2 points behind in Iowa polls and in a race in New Hampshire. Of course she does have great strength in the following southern primaries but if she loses the first two, the rest may be closer.

It is sad that there isn't a stronger back bench to provide candidates for the Democrats. Part of that is losing the House seats makes it harder to build that back bench.

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Barnabas62
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quote:
Originally posted by Stercus Tauri:

Curious to assert that Obama is "completely unknown".

If you are predisposed to mistrust someone. for whatever reason, you can't really get to know them because you mistrust any information you get about them which is in any way positive.

Short version. romanlion's posts have been demonstrating mistrust of Obama for 8 years.

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Who is it that you seek? How then shall we live? How shall we sing the Lord's song in a strange land?

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Dave W.
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But he said Obama is "completely unknown", not that he didn't know anything good about him. I think it's safe to assume that romanlion has heard lots of bad things about Obama, just as he has about Clinton; mere mistrust of Obama should present no obstacle to his "knowing" those things.
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lilBuddha
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quote:
Originally posted by Palimpsest:
Grant for all his faults as President, was the general that won the civil war.

Grant is a great example of how strength in one area does not confer strength in all.
And an illustration that even were Trump* the businessman he claims to be, it does not then confer the ability to be a good president.

*Actually, he is about half as successful as he should be. And about a quarter as much as he claims.

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Hallellou, hallellou

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Barnabas62
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# 9110

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quote:
Originally posted by Dave W.:
But he said Obama is "completely unknown", not that he didn't know anything good about him. I think it's safe to assume that romanlion has heard lots of bad things about Obama, just as he has about Clinton; mere mistrust of Obama should present no obstacle to his "knowing" those things.

Sure. Maybe a mixture of hyperbole and head-nodding towards His Bobship?

A "complete unknown" in the song is a naïf (e.g. from the online definition "the senator, newly elected and still naïf, will learn soon enough how Washington really works") who discovers about life the hard way.

[ 17. January 2016, 17:46: Message edited by: Barnabas62 ]

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Who is it that you seek? How then shall we live? How shall we sing the Lord's song in a strange land?

Posts: 21397 | From: Norfolk UK | Registered: Feb 2005  |  IP: Logged
Palimpsest
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quote:
Originally posted by lilBuddha:
quote:
Originally posted by Palimpsest:
Grant for all his faults as President, was the general that won the civil war.

Grant is a great example of how strength in one area does not confer strength in all.
And an illustration that even were Trump* the businessman he claims to be, it does not then confer the ability to be a good president.

*Actually, he is about half as successful as he should be. And about a quarter as much as he claims.

One could argue that Grant and Trump had comparable skills in business; it's just that the bankruptcy laws are far more lenient today.
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simontoad
Ship's Amphibian
# 18096

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A few posts ago, someone talked about alternative candidates. For the Republicans, I'd love to see a Condaleezza Rice or a Colin Powell nomination. I don't so much agree with their politics, but I think they would be responsible leaders focused on serving the country.

On the Democratic side I fancy Elizabeth Warren. Again, a solid, responsible politician who would act in the country's best interests.

On the question of insults in political discourse, I feel that the best are witty and erudite. If not, the insult just becomes aggressive and, well, dim.

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Human

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Golden Key
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# 1468

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simontoad--

At one point, I was interested in Powell as a presidential candidate. Didn't care for his politics, but I liked him. I also think his family did the right thing in pleading with him not to run, for fear for his safety.

But Condi? No way. She doesn't have the right kind of focus and perspective and sense of responsibility. She told the 9/11 commission that yes, there'd been chatter that something would happen--but it wasn't anything specific, so she didn't pay much attention. She should've either stayed at Stanford, or gone on to a career as a concert pianist.

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Blessed Gator, pray for us!
--"Oh bat bladders, do you have to bring common sense into this?" (Dragon, "Jane & the Dragon")
--"Oh, Peace Train, save this country!" (Yusuf/Cat Stevens, "Peace Train")

Posts: 18601 | From: Chilling out in an undisclosed, sincere pumpkin patch. | Registered: Oct 2001  |  IP: Logged
Golden Key
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# 1468

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Re Grant vs. Trump:

I wonder which is the best at poker? Grant's had an extra 100 years or so to practice...

The last of the "Gambler" movies--wickedly funny if you liked any of the old TV Westerns, and the "Kung Fu" TV series--was partly about the last legal poker game in the US. (In San Francisco, IIRC, to take advantage of the time zone.) Anyway, Grant was secretly there to play.
[Cool]

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Blessed Gator, pray for us!
--"Oh bat bladders, do you have to bring common sense into this?" (Dragon, "Jane & the Dragon")
--"Oh, Peace Train, save this country!" (Yusuf/Cat Stevens, "Peace Train")

Posts: 18601 | From: Chilling out in an undisclosed, sincere pumpkin patch. | Registered: Oct 2001  |  IP: Logged
Enoch
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# 14322

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Is Poker really banned in the US? It isn't here.


I think the Parliamentary debate on banning Donald Trump will be later today.

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Brexit wrexit - Sir Graham Watson

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cliffdweller
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quote:
Originally posted by Enoch:
Is Poker really banned in the US? It isn't here.

Nope, it's not. But gambling is legal only in certain jurisdictions-- most notably Nevada, of course.

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"Here is the world. Beautiful and terrible things will happen. Don't be afraid." -Frederick Buechner

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Golden Key
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# 1468

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Yes, sorry, I should've been more clear.

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Blessed Gator, pray for us!
--"Oh bat bladders, do you have to bring common sense into this?" (Dragon, "Jane & the Dragon")
--"Oh, Peace Train, save this country!" (Yusuf/Cat Stevens, "Peace Train")

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lilBuddha
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# 14333

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simontoad,

Where do people elect responsible leaders focused on serving the country? I should like to move there.


Re: gambling in the US.
My understanding is that it is a state by state basis.
Some states, like Nevada and New Jersey, allow games of chance, some only allow games of "skill". Might be some that do not allow any at all.

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I put on my rockin' shoes in the morning
Hallellou, hallellou

Posts: 17627 | From: the round earth's imagined corners | Registered: Dec 2008  |  IP: Logged
simontoad
Ship's Amphibian
# 18096

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I mean, whatever your view of his politics, I think Obama is genuinely trying to do his best for the country. You might think Obamacare is a disaster, or his executive order on guns unconstitutional, but he thinks, and many people with him in the USA, that these are the right things to do for the country.

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Human

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Brenda Clough
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# 18061

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Obamacare has saved the life of people I know. The health care system in the US is still effed up. But not nearly as bad as it was ten years ago.

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Science fiction and fantasy writer with a Patreon page

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Amanda B. Reckondwythe

Dressed for Church
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quote:
Originally posted by simontoad:
I think Obama is genuinely trying to do his best for the country.

Unlike Congress, who are trying their best to do absolutely nothing.

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"I take prayer too seriously to use it as an excuse for avoiding work and responsibility." -- The Revd Martin Luther King Jr.

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Leorning Cniht
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# 17564

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quote:
Originally posted by Doublethink.:
On general principles, I think it is a bad idea to permit anyone who reaches command rank in the military to run for political office - even if retired. Ideally, I'd like it written into law as a disqualifying condition - it is a truly terrible precedent / slippery slope for a democracy.

Why? What are these principles?
(Of course, we have fairly recent precedent for the highest office: Eisenhower made a fair president, and I don't see any slippery slopes in his successors.)

Would you also disqualify a retired civil servant from seeking elected office? A retired police officer?

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Augustine the Aleut
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# 1472

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quote:
Originally posted by Leorning Cniht:
quote:
Originally posted by Doublethink.:
On general principles, I think it is a bad idea to permit anyone who reaches command rank in the military to run for political office - even if retired. Ideally, I'd like it written into law as a disqualifying condition - it is a truly terrible precedent / slippery slope for a democracy.

Why? What are these principles?
(Of course, we have fairly recent precedent for the highest office: Eisenhower made a fair president, and I don't see any slippery slopes in his successors.)

Would you also disqualify a retired civil servant from seeking elected office? A retired police officer?

US presidents with a military command background are all over the map politically-- both Truman and Kennedy commanded men in the field (or the water), but Johnson and Reagan had not. With the end of conscription and the increasing rarity of children of the élite in the forces, it may well be that those of command rank will in the future increasingly be immigrants or the children of immigrants.
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Prester John
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The military's officer corps is overwhelmingly white and has been so for some time. I remember reading an article in the WSJ that described the majority of the Army's officer corps during Clinton's administration as small-town Southern whites, just like the president. The combat arms, infantry, armor & artillery, and especially the elite forces are overwhelming white- both officers and the rank and file. As officers with combat experience are given preferment for advancement the conditions I described will not be changing anytime soon.
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RuthW

liberal "peace first" hankie squeezer
# 13

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quote:
Originally posted by Palimpsest:
It is sad that there isn't a stronger back bench to provide candidates for the Democrats. Part of that is losing the House seats makes it harder to build that back bench.

The Democrats are shockingly short of players on the national stage and in the statehouses. They've not only lost seats in the House and Senate, they don't hold a lot of governorships or seats in state legislatures. They don't have a back bench for presidential candidates because they can't get people elected at the state level.
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