The Big Thread For the USA 2016 Presidential Candidates [Poll updated!]

Started by Blythe, July 31, 2015, 04:50:07 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

la dame en noir

I'm very afraid of those that actually think Donald would make a great president.
Games(Group & 1x1): 7 | Post Rate: 1 - 6 days | Availability: Actively looking!
A&A | FxF |
O/Os | FxF Writers Directory

Oniya

Quote from: la dame en noir on December 17, 2015, 12:28:10 AM
I'm very afraid of those that actually think Donald would make a great president.

Right there with you.
"Language was invented for one reason, boys - to woo women.~*~*~Don't think it's all been done before
And in that endeavor, laziness will not do." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Don't think we're never gonna win this war
Robin Williams-Dead Poets Society ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Don't think your world's gonna fall apart
I do have a cause, though.  It's obscenity.  I'm for it.  - Tom Lehrer~*~All you need is your beautiful heart
O/O's Updated 5/11/21 - A/A's - Current Status! - Writing a novel - all draws for Fool of Fire up!
Requests updated March 17

Cassandra LeMay

Quote from: la dame en noir on December 17, 2015, 12:28:10 AM
I'm very afraid of those that actually think Donald would make a great president.
Makes me wonder how many of Trump's supporters actually believe he'd make a great president, and how many of them would vote for him just because they are fed up with "the establishment" or have some other reason for supporting him that does not depend on his presidential qualities.
ONs, OFFs, and writing samples | Oath of the Drake

You can not value dreams according to the odds of their becoming true.
(Sonia Sotomayor)

Mithlomwen

It terrifies me beyond words to think that he might actually win the nomination. 
Baby, it's all I know,
that your half of the flesh and blood that makes me whole...

gaggedLouise

Quote from: Mithlomwen on December 17, 2015, 08:04:52 AM
It terrifies me beyond words to think that he might actually win the nomination.

Indeed, but Cruz or Rubio are much more likely in the long run, are they not? At some point in the primaries, when things are getting real, Trump will drive into the ditch or begin to lose steam (not that Ted Cruz is a genius, but he seems a bit more reasonable than Trump).

Trump and Putin as presidents of the two biggest military powers in the world for several years sounds like a nightmare. A peculiarly bad pairing.

Good girl but bad  -- Proud sister of the amazing, blackberry-sweet Violet Girl

Sometimes bound and cuntrolled, sometimes free and easy 

"I'm a pretty good cook, I'm sitting on my groceries.
Come up to my kitchen, I'll show you my best recipes"

MasterMischief

I am not only concerned Trump could win the primary.  I am concerned how far to the right he is pulling the conversation.  We, as a nation, should be telling him to sit down and be quiet.  What he is saying is unAmerican.  That people cheer the vile, hateful things he says scares the crap out of me.

Cassandra LeMay

Quote from: MasterMischief on December 17, 2015, 11:19:06 AM
I am not only concerned Trump could win the primary.  I am concerned how far to the right he is pulling the conversation.  We, as a nation, should be telling him to sit down and be quiet.  What he is saying is unAmerican.  That people cheer the vile, hateful things he says scares the crap out of me.
It's not like he's forcing people at gunpoint to convert to a political view they might not already have at least some sympathy for. Maybe it's better some things are exposed this way? I know it's pretty scary, but isn't it better to be aware what evil might lurk in the hearts of men?
ONs, OFFs, and writing samples | Oath of the Drake

You can not value dreams according to the odds of their becoming true.
(Sonia Sotomayor)

MasterMischief

Quote from: Cassandra LeMay on December 17, 2015, 11:24:32 AM
It's not like he's forcing people at gunpoint to convert to a political view they might not already have at least some sympathy for. Maybe it's better some things are exposed this way? I know it's pretty scary, but isn't it better to be aware what evil might lurk in the hearts of men?

You bring up a good point.

I wish Trump were an exaggerated Steven Cobert.

Cycle

I think Trump now has a realistic chance of winning the primary.  It'll depend on how the other candidates play their cards.

The Republican party today is a Frankenstein.  Part of it is made up of Rich Old White Guys (tm) who want taxes cut, regulations abolished, and minimum wage/equal wage suppressed.  Part of it is made up of the hardcore religious types, the pro-lifers, the pro-gun rights, tribalists, and the I-hate-Obama crowd.  The financial interests of the latter are inconsistent with the former.  The latter group used to be a small percentage, but it looks like over time, they've grown to nearly 50%.

Trump's tapped into the latter group.  He's now their Pied Piper.  This, of course, freaks the heck out of those who support the former group because they know that while the latter may represent a significant percentage of the Republican party, they do not represent a significant portion of the total electorate.  Thus, letting the latter group lead will doom their chances of ever winning the White House.

But the beauty of it is that there is nothing the former can do to stop this.  The latter has realized, after the McCain and Romney experiments, that they hate the former.  They don't trust em.  They won't follow them.  Matter, meet antimatter.

Fun stuff, really, for those of us who love laughing at politicians.

Cycle

Finally, some news about Democratic in-fighting!

Bernie's campaign apparently got their hands on some crucial Clinton supporter data (lists of folks who are strong supporter/hence not worth the time, and folks who are lukewarm/hence should be targeted).  The DNC responded by suspending Bernie's access to all DNC voter data, until the DNC gets an accounting from Bernie's folks of what they did with the info.  Bernie then responds by stealing a page from The Donald's playbook:  he sues!  XD

Edit to add the "audit log" of what Bernie's staff was supposedly doing.  Looks like Bernie's national data director was lying when he said he was "merely trying to verify the data breach."

DudelRok

#535
I have always seen this as a Trump vs Sanders race. I know it's only the preliminaries, but these are going to be your two big "personalities" that win out with both sides. As I see it as a Trump v Sanders race, I then have to look at the two of them and what they either mean for my nation or myself, or what they will end up doing to these things. This presents me with a very difficult problem...


Sanders sounds awesome on paper, do not get me wrong. All this free stuff, and all this free stuff is basically for me, Mr. Working Poor! Free/cheap school? Less harsh student loans? Living wages? etc? All of it sounds like a socialist dream, but I live in an primarily capitalistic mindset nation. I see job losses as people like my own boss end up cutting me outright when they can't pay for my high wage. $15 an hour would mean I do not have a job or that the cost to stay in this hotel would be almost $100 a night (and you would see this harsh increase on prices literally everywhere if that was the solution by businesses), which it can not currently do. Not to mention the people who already make less than, or the same as, that in management positions, are they going to get paid the same amount as the guy that they hire tomorrow or will there be an increase on them as well? A lot of the increased taxes also wouldn't go where Sanders says he wants to put them, simply because those people he wants to tax would take their money and leave. We're talking 90% of the nations money not in the nation anymore. What does that lead to, folks? I'm pretty sure it's economic collapse. I'm not a genius, but I'm pretty sure Sanders is just promising things he either knows he can not do or is actively trying to plummet our economy (what's left of it). This is ignoring the overall value of the USD will also drop. His solutions to ISIS and "terrorism," in general, are also very weak handed.


Trump, on the other hand, fits my nation's ideas and behaviors frighteningly well, and will be unable to start any concentration camps (and if he does, I'm not a Muslim). He'll be a very strong and loud  leader/figurehead, which our nation has lacked for many years. We might be "laughed at" for having someone who's so crass as our president, but those people would also start to fear us again. I do not agree with, like, anything he says, but I do not fear what he desires the way I fear what Sanders desires. Trump can't actually accomplish what he wants, and if he does, it doesn't lose me my job, my apartment, or my way of life, and that's all I really care about. I don't care how the rest of the world sees the US. I do not care about any war (unless it's on our shores). I care about my paycheck, because I work for a living, and have to support 3 people on it. I want that made easier, and stay that way, or I want it left alone so I can do what I need to do in order to increase my ability to support who I gotta support.


I'm not pro-Trump, I'm anti-Sanders.

Edit: If Hillary becomes the democrat against Trump then it literally doesn't matter. They are the same person, one just happens to be female and not hate Muslims.

I AM THE RETURN!

DudelWiki | On/Off Thread | A/A Thread

Oniya

Quote from: DudelRok on December 19, 2015, 09:57:32 AM
Trump, on the other hand, fits my nation's ideas and behaviors frighteningly well, and will be unable to start any concentration camps (and if he does, I'm not a Muslim).

First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Socialist.

Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.

- Martin Niemöller (1892–1984)
"Language was invented for one reason, boys - to woo women.~*~*~Don't think it's all been done before
And in that endeavor, laziness will not do." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Don't think we're never gonna win this war
Robin Williams-Dead Poets Society ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Don't think your world's gonna fall apart
I do have a cause, though.  It's obscenity.  I'm for it.  - Tom Lehrer~*~All you need is your beautiful heart
O/O's Updated 5/11/21 - A/A's - Current Status! - Writing a novel - all draws for Fool of Fire up!
Requests updated March 17

MasterMischief

Other countries manage a living wage and affordable college.  The wealthy control the media and tell us to fear 'communism' above everything else.  If that is not enough to keep us in line, then they bring up ISIS and any other 'other' group they can conjure a boogie man out of.  Trump's party's policies are precisely why we are where we are.

You want to talk about 'free stuff', let's talk about highly profitable corporations paying zero taxes, and in some cases, getting money from the government.

DudelRok

Quote from: Oniya on December 19, 2015, 12:05:19 PM
First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Socialist.

Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.

- Martin Niemöller (1892–1984)

Yeah, but that's also not going to be an issue. While our nation is capitalist thinking in terms of it's money, it's a bit more liberal when it comes to it's people. Trump will not be allowed to do this, and such things would take more years than he could be president.

Quote from: MasterMischief on December 19, 2015, 02:20:25 PM
Other countries manage a living wage and affordable college.  The wealthy control the media and tell us to fear 'communism' above everything else.  If that is not enough to keep us in line, then they bring up ISIS and any other 'other' group they can conjure a boogie man out of.  Trump's party's policies are precisely why we are where we are.

I have never been concerned with "terrorism" or other issues of fear, but there is an issue with certain people attacking our shore and that needs dealt with somehow. I don't care how, at all, just as long as it is dealt with. They could carpet bomb the entire middle east and it wouldn't even phase me, as long as the attacks on US soil stopped. Though, again, I don't live in a "target area" so am also not as concerned with this as others.

Also, are those other countries coming from a capitalistic mindset (it's people, I mean)? When people start seeing their pay directly affected (at least in this country) then they start getting a lot less altruistic. Like, I get my "living wage," and then everything around me suddenly spikes up to adjust, or my boss cuts my hours, or I'm outright fired, so while I make more, it means nothing, or even less as our total world-wide economic standing drops even further. Is there going to be some kind of magic button that keeps those corporations from continuing to be evil? Nope! They are going to continue to milk us for everything we got, and making them spend more money only makes them want to get more money to compensate, or even fully negate, what happened to them.

QuoteYou want to talk about 'free stuff', let's talk about highly profitable corporations paying zero taxes, and in some cases, getting money from the government.

Yes, and it is a nation that I live that, unfortunately, relies on those corporations for literally everything. What happens when a, now global, company decides to just up and leave the US? Especially when, I think it was, 3 of them basically own all of the US's everything?

In my honest opinion, what Sanders even wants to do will not even be allowed by the people who control things.



The bottom line of it all is all I care about is me, and mine. I have WAY too much stuff to worry about to be afraid for my job because someone was trying to "help me." What Sander's wants scares me, what Trump wants is... basically impossible.

I AM THE RETURN!

DudelWiki | On/Off Thread | A/A Thread

MasterMischief

Quote from: DudelRok on December 19, 2015, 05:08:38 PM
I don't care how, at all, just as long as it is dealt with. They could carpet bomb the entire middle east and it wouldn't even phase me, as long as the attacks on US soil stopped.

It is thinking like this that could allow someone like Trump to turn this country into a dictatorship.  You are far more likely to be killed by an American with a gun than a terrorist right now.

Blythe

Lindsey Graham's now bowed out. The Republican field is slowly starting to thin out. Slowly.

elone

A lot of people fear Trump getting the nomination, so do I. However, the most dangerous one of the bunch to me is Rubio. He is the ultimate neocon who seems to think that the US should rule over the middle east. Also, he is a supporter of Israeli impunity over law and Palestinian aspirations for a state. This does not bode well for our own Middle East policies. Fear this man.

Bernie is the solution,
In the end, all we have left are memories.

Roleplays: alive, done, dead, etc.
Reversal of Fortune ~ The Hunt ~ Private Party Suites ~ A Learning Experience ~A Chance Encounter ~ A Bark in the Park ~
Poetry
O/O's

Blythe

Pataki's bowed out.

Not surprised about this one. Updating OP to reflect he's out of the running.

AnneReinard

B-But how can we lose Pataki!

He had a whole... 4% of the vote at one point! And sometimes he had 1% or more!
Ons and Offs

Always free for a little teasing back and forth. Or suggestions to titles to make this exhibitionist squirm! I adore silly little PMs.

Song

Quote from: elone on December 22, 2015, 08:48:18 AM
A lot of people fear Trump getting the nomination, so do I. However, the most dangerous one of the bunch to me is Rubio. He is the ultimate neocon who seems to think that the US should rule over the middle east. Also, he is a supporter of Israeli impunity over law and Palestinian aspirations for a state. This does not bode well for our own Middle East policies. Fear this man.

Bernie is the solution,

Not American, but I would be quite happy to see Trump get the Republican nomination, as that would almost certainly lead to a democrat president, Trump has almost no support within the minorities, blacks, latinos, muslims, and so forth. He also has almost no support with the independents and even a large portion of republicans would rather have a democrat president than Trump. Now I don't like Clinton, but I would rather see her as a president than any of the republican field... Of course, Bernie would be amazing, but seems a little unlikely, at the moment, anyway.
My RP requests: Join the Space gldiators in Requiem For Mankind

O/O

Cassandra LeMay

Quote from: Song on December 31, 2015, 05:04:41 AM
Not American, but I would be quite happy to see Trump get the Republican nomination, as that would almost certainly lead to a democrat president, Trump has almost no support within the minorities, blacks, latinos, muslims, and so forth. He also has almost no support with the independents and even a large portion of republicans would rather have a democrat president than Trump. Now I don't like Clinton, but I would rather see her as a president than any of the republican field... Of course, Bernie would be amazing, but seems a little unlikely, at the moment, anyway.
As a German I am only an outside observer so I could very well be mistaken, but even if Trump doesn't win the presidency, I would still consider him winning the Republican nomination a bad thing. As far as I can tell, the Republican party seems to tend ever more rightward when one of their leaders fails. It started with Gingrich, after him there was DeLey, then the Tea Party followed by the Freedom Caucus, now Trump... The Republican instinct when extreme policies fail seems to be to denounce the leader at the time as weak and try for even more extreme policies next time. This polarization of politics can't be good for the country in the long run, even if the more extreme elements remain a minority. Unless Trump comes down hard very soon and someone more moderate takes his place as the Republican frontrunner (fat chance of that I guess), his defeat will only serve to encourage the more extreme elements on the right of the political spectrum.

But perhaps I am overly pesimistic about this?
ONs, OFFs, and writing samples | Oath of the Drake

You can not value dreams according to the odds of their becoming true.
(Sonia Sotomayor)

Song

Quote from: Cassandra LeMay on December 31, 2015, 05:30:28 AM
As a German I am only an outside observer so I could very well be mistaken, but even if Trump doesn't win the presidency, I would still consider him winning the Republican nomination a bad thing. As far as I can tell, the Republican party seems to tend ever more rightward when one of their leaders fails. It started with Gingrich, after him there was DeLey, then the Tea Party followed by the Freedom Caucus, now Trump... The Republican instinct when extreme policies fail seems to be to denounce the leader at the time as weak and try for even more extreme policies next time. This polarization of politics can't be good for the country in the long run, even if the more extreme elements remain a minority. Unless Trump comes down hard very soon and someone more moderate takes his place as the Republican frontrunner (fat chance of that I guess), his defeat will only serve to encourage the more extreme elements on the right of the political spectrum.

But perhaps I am overly pesimistic about this?

Would seem a poor strategy to me, considering that Trump is worse than Hitler was before gaining power, with very similar, but less masked rhetoric. Hard to imagine anyone going any more extreme... And once he fails, you'd imagine the republican field would get the hint: It doesn't fly.

Then again, I've never called the republicans out for behaving in a rational manner, so you might be correct with your hypothesis.
My RP requests: Join the Space gldiators in Requiem For Mankind

O/O

Oniya

It's hard to avoid Godwinning Trump, but when the former head of the KKK says that you need to dial it back a bit, the comparison does become a bit too easy.
"Language was invented for one reason, boys - to woo women.~*~*~Don't think it's all been done before
And in that endeavor, laziness will not do." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Don't think we're never gonna win this war
Robin Williams-Dead Poets Society ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Don't think your world's gonna fall apart
I do have a cause, though.  It's obscenity.  I'm for it.  - Tom Lehrer~*~All you need is your beautiful heart
O/O's Updated 5/11/21 - A/A's - Current Status! - Writing a novel - all draws for Fool of Fire up!
Requests updated March 17

Song

I just want to clarify, I'm not comparing Trump to Nazis. I am simply stating that his views are more extreme than the stated views of Hitler prior to him rising up to power. There is no necessary correlation, I'm not saying that the next step would be Trump putting muslims in gas chambers. I'm saying that as far as extremist campaining goes, it is hard to find examples of anyone going further than Trump.
My RP requests: Join the Space gldiators in Requiem For Mankind

O/O

Oniya

Fully agreed, Song - and I don't think Trump has the necessary diplomacy to make a world leader, to be quite honest.
"Language was invented for one reason, boys - to woo women.~*~*~Don't think it's all been done before
And in that endeavor, laziness will not do." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Don't think we're never gonna win this war
Robin Williams-Dead Poets Society ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Don't think your world's gonna fall apart
I do have a cause, though.  It's obscenity.  I'm for it.  - Tom Lehrer~*~All you need is your beautiful heart
O/O's Updated 5/11/21 - A/A's - Current Status! - Writing a novel - all draws for Fool of Fire up!
Requests updated March 17