2016 Presidential Race

[Pruitt]

Cruz is a good pick with Santorum and Perry out. Cruz has such tough luck here, he comes in as the "outsider, I'll get everyone in gear" guy and he's getting out-Cruzed by Trump.

Trump is gonna murder these dudes while they flip through talking points in their heads. They're gonna talk about Hillary while Trump hammers them.

Just listened to an interesting political podcast ("Podcast for America" from Slate), and their guest was Stuart Stevens a former strategist for Romney. He said that Trump's best tactic tomorrow would be to try and have a dull debate. To sound reasonable and let the other guys look like the crazy ones when they come after him.He also said that coming after any particular other candidate when there are ten of them onstage is lunacy. Just try to make your points and rise above the fray a bit.Hopefully, this doesn't happen and Cruz, Trump and Christie go berserk out there.

[SportsDoc]

So, as the Swamp's token "Right Wing Asshole":

Do you think your position in life here in the USofA is better today than it was in 2007? Mine is, but that is really a byproduct of the Bakken Boom here in western ND. We will take a huge economic hit if the new coal regs are enforced.

Who are you guys voting for of the candidates currently running, either party? I would vote for Kaisich, but I am intrigued by Ben Carson, too.

Would Trump getting the Republican nomination shock you? It would me, but I think he can force some uncomfortable discussion to help voters identify the best Republican candidate.

What would happen if Trump were to decide to be a third party candidate? I think it would flip the election to the Dems, and I wouldn't doubt he will consider it if he gets bumped at the Convention.

Who will be the first train wreck during the debates? I think Cruz can be a bull in the china shop sometimes, so I'll pick him.

I was just worried for a brief minute that you had shot Cecil the lion.

I am in hiding right now.

Bad: it was a dentist.

Worse: it was a dentist from a neighboring state.

Worserer: he is from ND.

[SportsDoc]

So, as the Swamp's token "Right Wing Asshole":

Do you think your position in life here in the USofA is better today than it was in 2007? Mine is, but that is really a byproduct of the Bakken Boom here in western ND. We will take a huge economic hit if the new coal regs are enforced.

Who are you guys voting for of the candidates currently running, either party? I would vote for Kaisich, but I am intrigued by Ben Carson, too.

Would Trump getting the Republican nomination shock you? It would me, but I think he can force some uncomfortable discussion to help voters identify the best Republican candidate.

What would happen if Trump were to decide to be a third party candidate? I think it would flip the election to the Dems, and I wouldn't doubt he will consider it if he gets bumped at the Convention.

Who will be the first train wreck during the debates? I think Cruz can be a bull in the china shop sometimes, so I'll pick him.

As the token Right-Wing Asshole, where do you derive your identification with the GOP? I know you've touched on your thoughts regarding social issues. Is that what drives it? I ask because my father is traditionally "Republican" but has embraced at least listening to my thoughts and maybe even making a shift more towards Liberterianism. I also had a near 2 hour "discussion" with his parents over the weekend who are both Fox News Republicans (and my grandfather, while a great man and someone I aspire to be like, has officially reached the brink between old-timey zenophobe and casual racist) and they just eat this shit up. Muslims are out to get us. ISIS is at our borders. Sharia Law is coming. Anyone who votes Democrat wants to take all my hard earned money and make sure it's distributed to all the crack addicts on the corner.

I can respect views of both sides on certain things. What makes you lean right where I lean left?

I'm probably a hard nut to crack.

I oppose abortion. I approve of same sex marriage. I can't wrap my head around the trans-gender issue, but I'm working on it. I am a Christian, but consider my faith personal, not driven by any particular religion. I don't own a gun, and don't hunt (I do fish, rarely) but I support gun ownership. I am quite fiscally conservative, which is why I tend to vote Republican, but I prefer to vote for people, not parties.

Is that confusing enough?

[A_B]

Sportsdoc almost completely describes me with that particular paragraph. Guess I'm just not an asshole!

[howard]

Sportsdoc almost completely describes me with that particular paragraph. Guess I'm just not an asshole!

(All together now)

Don't Sell Yourself Short

[Giff]

Why would a fiscal conservative vote Republican?

[howard]

Cuz deficits don't matter?

[brian]

Cuz deficits don't matter?

I'd vote for the first guy who actually intends to take an honest look at the deficit in a way that affects all Americans (i.e. Simpson-Bowles). Cutting taxes on high earners and using that money to gut education spending isn't exactly a fiscal conservative in my book. The problem is that Americans talk a good game when it comes to the deficit but when it comes to actually putting some of their own skin in the game, no one wants to.

[A_B]

Why would a fiscal conservative vote Republican?

To me, I wish governments worked more like private business where you can hire/fire based on merit and that budgets matter. I worked in a building for 20 years with the USDA occupying 2 floors. And every year at the end of the fiscal (i think theirs was in the summer) all of a sudden 10-20 new cars would show up in the parking lot. They HAD to spend the money or they lost it for the next year. That's absurd.

And yes, I identify Republican in large part because of my industry, but in truth I am pretty middle of the road. I don't like a lot of social problems but realize they are probably needed. However, I don't think most of them are managed well.

[The Sybian]

Cruz is a good pick with Santorum and Perry out. Cruz has such tough luck here, he comes in as the "outsider, I'll get everyone in gear" guy and he's getting out-Cruzed by Trump.

Trump is gonna murder these dudes while they flip through talking points in their heads. They're gonna talk about Hillary while Trump hammers them.

Just listened to an interesting political podcast ("Podcast for America" from Slate), and their guest was Stuart Stevens a former strategist for Romney. He said that Trump's best tactic tomorrow would be to try and have a dull debate. To sound reasonable and let the other guys look like the crazy ones when they come after him.He also said that coming after any particular other candidate when there are ten of them onstage is lunacy. Just try to make your points and rise above the fray a bit.Hopefully, this doesn't happen and Cruz, Trump and Christie go berserk out there.

I completely disagree with Stuart Stevens, and being a Romney strategist doesn't lend him much credibility. Trump's best play is to continue what is working, vacuous boasts about how great he is, how he will magically "win" at everything he does as President, and rid the country of Mexicans. He doesn't need to bash anyone, as he has all of the moment and poll numbers right now. He has no ideas or policies beyond Making America Great Again, and bragging about defeating the best negotiators in the world, so every world leader will cave in to his every demand. I still don't believe Trump even wants to be President. This is all a huge ego trip, or the greatest episode of Punk'd ever. I'd be more surprised if Trump doesn't bow out than I would be to discover he has been pulling an Andy Kaufmanesque stunt the past 30+ years. Maybe Bob Zmuda is hiding under the hairpiece.


Do you think your position in life here in the USofA is better today than it was in 2007? Absolutely, and I think the overwhelming majority of Americans are. Do I credit Obama for that? Maybe a little bit, but not much. I completely blame Washington and the lack of banking regulations, or more precisely the removal of banking regulations like Glass-Steagall and the financial industry's unconscionable greed with the mortgage backed securities and other schemes everyone knew would blowup, but they didn't give a fuck as they still walked away with a fuckton of cash.



Who are you guys voting for of the candidates currently running, either party? Kaisich seems the most reasonable, but I admit I don't know enough about him to have an informed opinion. I don't see how I could ever pull the lever for Hillary, but if she is up against a complete wackjob, and the election is somehow close in NJ, I may have to hold my nose and do it. I'm probably being naively optimistic, but I don't think Hillary gets the nomination.

Bernie is my man. He is just about the only politician who is genuinely working for the people. Putting the word "Socialist" before his name automatically kills his chances of pulling a broad base. Bernie is the only candidate who is willing to speak out against the big money interests controlling the election, and because of that, he will get shut down by the powers that be. It doesn't help that he looks like the crazy, drunk Jewish Uncle you keep hidden from everyone outside the family. He completely lacks charisma, too, but he is picking up more momentum than I ever would have thought.


Would Trump getting the Republican nomination shock you? Yep, he doesn't even want it.

What would happen if Trump were to decide to be a third party candidate? He wouldn't, but if he did, he would hand the election to the Dems for sure.



Who will be the first train wreck during the debates? This one is impossible to answer, as there are too many ways to look at this. Trump will be a trainwreck to anyone listening for actual ideas or platforms beyond "A Trump presidency will be fantastic, wait to you see what I'm going to do," but that seems to make him a runaway favorite at the moment, so a lot of people will think he did a great job. Huckabee will be a trainwreck, surely spouting off some obscure biblical reference of fire and brimstone and the efforts of The Gays to destroy Christianity, but lots of people will watch that and think he nailed it.

Cruz is a train wreck before he even opens his mouth. The man clearly must be brilliant based on his resume, but he either intentionally plays dumb or he suffered severe head trauma at some point in the last 4 or 5 years. Not to mention, looking at him creeps me the fuck out. He just has the look of someone who has a fridge filled with dismembered human body parts. I fully expect him to fall from grace when he is caught snorting coke off of a prostitutes cock.

[SportsDoc]

Why would a fiscal conservative vote Republican?

Because at this point a Libertarian can't win?

[The Sybian]

Why would a fiscal conservative vote Republican?

To me, I wish governments worked more like private business where you can hire/fire based on merit and that budgets matter. I worked in a building for 20 years with the USDA occupying 2 floors. And every year at the end of the fiscal (i think theirs was in the summer) all of a sudden 10-20 new cars would show up in the parking lot. They HAD to spend the money or they lost it for the next year. That's absurd.

And yes, I identify Republican in large part because of my industry, but in truth I am pretty middle of the road. I don't like a lot of social problems but realize they are probably needed. However, I don't think most of them are managed well.

The biggest issue in Federal government employment is unions. I am a pro workers rights guy, but government unions are the fucking worst. Federal employees have incredible protections to begin with, they have no need for a unions. I can't speak to state or local government employee unions, but since Chris Christie wants to punch the teachers' union in the face, I assume they are necessary.

I thought most private sector companies large enough to have separate budgets for different groups had the same system. If you don't spend your budget, it gets reduced the following year because, hey, you didn't need that much last year.

[A_B]

Don't get me started on unions!

And I guess to an extent that budget process may be true. But our bonuses are tied to coming in at or under budget, and so long as you can account for why you were under the year's budget doesn't usually get dinged.

Granted, my budget may be the smallest in the entire company in terms of cash available to a "department" (i'm the only guy in mine), so it might be that mine doesn't really matter in the grand scheme.

[tennbengal]

So, as the Swamp's token "Right Wing Asshole":

Do you think your position in life here in the USofA is better today than it was in 2007? Mine is, but that is really a byproduct of the Bakken Boom here in western ND. We will take a huge economic hit if the new coal regs are enforced.

Who are you guys voting for of the candidates currently running, either party? I would vote for Kaisich, but I am intrigued by Ben Carson, too.

Would Trump getting the Republican nomination shock you? It would me, but I think he can force some uncomfortable discussion to help voters identify the best Republican candidate.

What would happen if Trump were to decide to be a third party candidate? I think it would flip the election to the Dems, and I wouldn't doubt he will consider it if he gets bumped at the Convention.

Who will be the first train wreck during the debates? I think Cruz can be a bull in the china shop sometimes, so I'll pick him.

I was just worried for a brief minute that you had shot Cecil the lion.

I am in hiding right now.

Bad: it was a dentist.

Worse: it was a dentist from a neighboring state.

Worserer: he is from ND.

Right - just enough that I had a moment of..."wait, hope that isn't SportsDoc..."

[DaveInSeattle]

Not to mention, looking at him creeps me the fuck out. He just has the look of someone who has a fridge filled with dismembered human body parts. I fully expect him to fall from grace when he is caught snorting coke off of a prostitutes cock.

The Germans have a word for Cruz's face...Backpfeifengesicht. Translation: A face badly in need of a fist.

Scott Walker has the same look as well.

[P.D.X.]

I am in hiding right now.

Bad: it was a dentist.

Worse: it was a dentist from a neighboring state.

Worserer: he is from ND.

Confession: It wasn't until yesterday that I learned the lion was shot. I had only seen the (click-bait-ish) headlines about a dentist killing a lion and had assumed it happened during a veterinary procedure. (Which is also pretty fucking ridiculous but I've also checked out of what the general public considers "news" these days.)

[The Sybian]

I am in hiding right now.

Bad: it was a dentist.

Worse: it was a dentist from a neighboring state.

Worserer: he is from ND.

Confession: It wasn't until yesterday that I learned the lion was shot. I had only seen the (click-bait-ish) headlines about a dentist killing a lion and had assumed it happened during a veterinary procedure. (Which is also pretty fucking ridiculous but I've also checked out of what the general public considers "news" these days.)

But you and JoeyClams were on vacation, so it's understandable.

[SportsDoc]

SportsDoc - I don't think anybody thinks you are an asshole, just for your political beliefs. At least I hope not! Swampers will always hammer each other into the boards, but then we'll have a drink together after the game.

But, your unwavering support for UND hockey, well... that's another thing... :^)

Well, we haven't had a National Championship since 2000. That includes the likes of Parise, Toews, Oshie and Stafford.

But, there's always this year! Looking forward to hanging banner #8.

[The Sybian]

Bernie Sanders scheduled to speak at Liberty University's convocation. Very curious to watch this one. The students certainly weren't happy being forced to listen to Ted Cruz' speech and announcement that he was running. Liberty's entire reason for existing is to indoctrinate students into becoming warriors for the Religious Right movement, so I can't imagine a self-proclaimed "non-religious" Jew (likely Atheist) being well received. Throw in the extreme Right beliefs held and taught by Liberty, and I can't imagine a self-proclaimed Democratic Socialist being well received. SOCIALISM!!!!

[Rush2112]

[The Sybian]

Who are you guys voting for of the candidates currently running, either party? I would vote for Kaisich, but I am intrigued by Ben Carson, too.

Carson is too much of a loose cannon. He says some truly cringe worthy things, then blames critics for "allowing words to affect you more than listening to what was actually being said." If you are going to be President, you need to be measured in the words you use. You can't say Obamacare is worse than slavery, and continually say the US is like Nazi Germany, because people can no longer criticize the government. Not only did he stand by these statements, but continue to make them.

Carson also buys into a number of conspiracy theories, or at least does a convincing job pretending to buy into them. He has said there is a very real threat the 2016 elections would be called off and Obama would declare martial law and stay in the White House. He believes Obamacare's purpose to place citizens under government control. He believes Congress should impeach the Justices who signed onto the Ogberfells decision legalizing gay marriage, because that amounts to treason. He "proved" being gay is a choice because men come out of prison gay.

I tried reading his book, but it was too far out there. His disdain for poor people and tough love ideas are pretty disturbing. He thinks every poor person should be able to lift themselves into the middle class, so we need to remove all of their crutches. Unfortunately, only a few can make it out, no matter how hard they work at it. He has some hard core fundamentalist beliefs as well. Oh, and he believes the military should ignore all rules of law, as there is no such thing as war crimes, and the US should win at all costs.

[DaveInSeattle]

Who are you guys voting for of the candidates currently running, either party? I would vote for Kaisich, but I am intrigued by Ben Carson, too.

Carson is too much of a loose cannon. He says some truly cringe worthy things, then blames critics for "allowing words to affect you more than listening to what was actually being said." If you are going to be President, you need to be measured in the words you use. You can't say Obamacare is worse than slavery, and continually say the US is like Nazi Germany, because people can no longer criticize the government. Not only did he stand by these statements, but continue to make them.

Carson also buys into a number of conspiracy theories, or at least does a convincing job pretending to buy into them. He has said there is a very real threat the 2016 elections would be called off and Obama would declare martial law and stay in the White House. He believes Obamacare's purpose to place citizens under government control. He believes Congress should impeach the Justices who signed onto the Ogberfells decision legalizing gay marriage, because that amounts to treason. He "proved" being gay is a choice because men come out of prison gay.

I tried reading his book, but it was too far out there. His disdain for poor people and tough love ideas are pretty disturbing. He thinks every poor person should be able to lift themselves into the middle class, so we need to remove all of their crutches. Unfortunately, only a few can make it out, no matter how hard they work at it. He has some hard core fundamentalist beliefs as well. Oh, and he believes the military should ignore all rules of law, as there is no such thing as war crimes, and the US should win at all costs.

Other than that, he sounds like a great guy!

[Pruitt]

Carson sounds like the sort of guy who would have a very interesting internet radio show.

[Gunpowder]

Why would a fiscal conservative vote Republican?

To me, I wish governments worked more like private business where you can hire/fire based on merit and that budgets matter. I worked in a building for 20 years with the USDA occupying 2 floors. And every year at the end of the fiscal (i think theirs was in the summer) all of a sudden 10-20 new cars would show up in the parking lot. They HAD to spend the money or they lost it for the next year. That's absurd.

And yes, I identify Republican in large part because of my industry, but in truth I am pretty middle of the road. I don't like a lot of social problems but realize they are probably needed. However, I don't think most of them are managed well.

You are probably damn near a hippie in Kentucky.

[Gunpowder]

Are unions still that much of a thing these days? In Chicago I know they are strong, but in all other walks of life other than Major League Baseball, they seem absolutely toothless.

[DaveInSeattle]

Are unions still that much of a thing these days? In Chicago I know they are strong, but in all other walks of life other than Major League Baseball, they seem absolutely toothless.

Public unions (like the autoworkers, etc) have lost a ton of clout since the 80's (Reagan firing the Air Traffic Controllers was a huge step in that direction), but now the Republicans have a hard-on for going after gov't worker unions, such as SEIU. Its basically what made Scott Walker a rising star in the GOP.

[DaveInSeattle]

The audience for the Play-In game debate:

[Johnny Carwash]

This is PFTCommenter, and a BBC reporter is convinced he is serious.

[rass]

[The Sybian]

That shirt and sign are both awesome. Sometimes people can be great. I missed the NIT debate, anything hilarious? I don't know how long I can watch the train wreck, but I am going to try to watch the debate. A smarter man would wait for the lowlight reel and save themselves 2 hours, but I am a sadist.

It's a shame for the GOP they can't get a reasonable candidate through their base, because if they put a sane, somewhat centrist candidate against Hillary, they would win in a landslide.

[howard]

You people tuning in to this shitshow for gratuitous entertainment all oughta be ashamed of yourselves.

[The Sybian]

You people tuning in to this shitshow for gratuitous entertainment all oughta be ashamed of yourselves.

No way. This is my version of the Real Housewives or some other shitty reality show. Fuck, I really can't find a way to phrase this that doesn't leave me feeling ashamed. It is like watching the Special Olympics hoping to laugh at a kid falling down. But... Trump in a debate! I just wish Perry and Santorum were there to up the entertainment. I'm going to take a drink every time a candidate makes a point arguing against a ridiculous strawman idea. I expect to be shitfaced by 9:45.

[The Sybian]

Guess I'm not watching. Website won't let me log in. I even created a FoxNews account, but the verification e-mail isn't coming through. The FoxNews Go sign in isn't working, and signing in through LinkedIn and Google+ isn't going through. I did get a security e-mail from Google saying I signed in. Fuck FoxNews.

[Pruitt]

You people tuning in to this shitshow for gratuitous entertainment all oughta be ashamed of yourselves.

Working until 9:30 or so then hurried excitedly downstairs in time to say Walker drool out talking points that had nothing to do with the question he was asked. It went downhill from there and after a half hour I'd had enough.

Life is too short to sit through lies, distortions, rephrased campaign slogans and the odd nugget of honesty.

My takeaways are that Rand Paul needs a new hair style, Huckabee should crawl under a rock and Christie can sound reasonable when he is only allowed to speak once every fifteen minutes. And Trump is much easier to take when you read about what he said. Watching him speak is very hard to deal with.

[howard]

No way. This is my version of the Real Housewives or some other shitty reality show.

Like. I. Said.

(jk. I am ashamed to live in a country that polls +30% for Donald Trump, et al. I can't fault anyone who is at least enjoying the ride.)

[DaveInSeattle]

That shirt and sign are both awesome. Sometimes people can be great. I missed the NIT debate, anything hilarious? I don't know how long I can watch the train wreck, but I am going to try to watch the debate. A smarter man would wait for the lowlight reel and save themselves 2 hours, but I am a sadist.

It's a shame for the GOP they can't get a reasonable candidate through their base, because if they put a sane, somewhat centrist candidate against Hillary, they would win in a landslide.

Lets see...Rick Perry forgetting how long he was Texas governor, and praising our former President "Ronald Raven"...

[DaveInSeattle]

You people tuning in to this shitshow for gratuitous entertainment all oughta be ashamed of yourselves.

I decided I'd rather see more realistic dinosaurs, and went to Jurassic World with my daughter...

[Johnnie]

"The military is not a social experiment."

Actually, it kind of is. It's a society run without democracy under a guise of inclusiveness and readiness made up of volunteers from all walks of life from all over the country and world. And there's a rank system and funny rules.

Only assholes without any idea of what the military is think otherwise. Huckabee is one of those people.

[Johnny Carwash]

"The military is not a social experiment."

Actually, it kind of is. It's a society run without democracy under a guise of inclusiveness and readiness made up of volunteers from all walks of life from all over the country and world. And there's a rank system and funny rules.

Only assholes without any idea of what the military is think otherwise. Huckabee is one of those people.

He missed that whole thing where the military desegregated long before much of the rest of the country did.

[Johnny Carwash]

I couldn't stomach actually watching the debate, but I've been trying to glean a summary of the reactions:

- A lot of media pundits are declaring Kasich the winner of the debate, though that may not mean much.
- Some online polls show Trump as the winner, because people are dumb.
- Fox News was really hammering Trump afterward and trying to shit on his performance, which is not insignificant considering how much they shape the thought of the GOP's base.
- None of the other candidates except for Rand Paul were willing to go after Trump, suggesting that they may be hoping to swoop in and pick up some of his supporters when he self-destructs. Only he might not self-destruct.
- Jeb Bush was apparently a dud.
- Fiorina did well in the JV debate and may have elevated herself to the big kids' table, and possibly VP material.