2016 Presidential Democratic Primary Thread

[Undermind]

Just got home from seeing Bernie Sanders speak to a packed house at Cumberland County Civic Center (called something else now) in Portland, ME tonight.  I am feeling very energized about politics for the first time in a long time and am planning on volunteering, which no candidate has ever made me feel like doing before. ...

[runawayjimbo]

Damnit, now I'll have to start clicking on all those ridiculous Trump stories

http://fusion.net/story/162656/we-made-a-chrome-extension-to-add-real-ridiculous-donald-trump-quotes-to-every-mention-of-his-name/

Extension here

We made a Chrome extension to add real, ridiculous Donald Trump quotes to every mention of his name

As you may have heard, "Why doesn't he show his birth certificate" "The American dream is dead" Donald "I will be the greatest jobs president that God ever created" Trump is running for president.

Since "Why doesn't he show his birth certificate" "The American dream is dead" Donald "I will be the greatest jobs president that God ever created" Trump's reality TV bona fides have carried him near the top of some early Republican polls, we'll probably be reading about him for at least a few more months. Which is annoying, given his penchant for saying pompous, ignorant, racist, and sexist things in a never-ending quest for attention.

Luckily, there's a way to make reading about "Why doesn't he show his birth certificate" "The American dream is dead" Donald "I will be the greatest jobs president that God ever created" Trump much, much better. We wrote a custom extension for Google Chrome that adds a ridiculous "Why doesn't he show his birth certificate" "The American dream is dead" Donald "I will be the greatest jobs president that God ever created" Trump quote to every online mention of his name.

To be extra-clear: these are all real quotes that "Why doesn't he show his birth certificate" "The American dream is dead" Donald "I will be the greatest jobs president that God ever created" Trump actually said, such as:

"Laziness is a trait in blacks."

"We need global warming."

"Somebody's doing the raping"

You can install the extension at the Chrome Web store by clicking here. (Or just download the crx file if you'd prefer to install the extension manually.)

As soon as the extension is installed in your Google Chrome browser, go ahead and click refresh to see it in action. As you'll see in the examples below, the extension turns reading about "Why doesn't he show his birth certificate" "The American dream is dead" Donald "I will be the greatest jobs president that God ever created" Trump from a chore into a delight. (And when you feel like turning it off, you can disable it in the Chrome extensions window.)

[ytowndan]

http://www.ibtimes.com/voters-new-hampshire-iowa-have-negative-opinion-every-2016-candidate-except-one-2024842

Voters In New Hampshire And Iowa Have A Negative Opinion Of Every 2016 Candidate Except One


Voters in Iowa and New Hampshire don't much like their options in the primary-election races for U.S. president in 2016. That doesn't bode well for the crowded field of candidates who have been attempting to woo voters in the country's two earliest voting states for months now. Among 17 declared Republican and five declared Democratic candidates for president, the only one with an overall positive favorability rating is U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, Ind.-Vt.

NBC News/Marist Poll results in Iowa and New Hampshire released Sunday and seen by International Business Times show all the other candidates from Jim Webb and Ted Cruz to Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton -- especially Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton -- with overall negative favorability ratings. That means there are more voters with negative opinions than there are voters with positive opinions about every candidate, except Sanders.

Here are the favorable/unfavorable scores of half a dozen presidential candidates among all registered voters in Iowa:

    • Bernie Sanders +3 (30 percent/27 percent)

    • Marco Rubio -1 (31 percent/32 percent)

    • Scott Walker -1 (30 percent/31 percent)

    • Jeb Bush -12 (34 percent/46 percent)

    • Hillary Clinton -19 (37/56 percent)

    • Donald Trump -28 (32 percent/60 percent)

Notably, the NBC News/Marist Poll points out that Clinton's favorable/unfavorable score in Iowa among all registered voters mirrors the numbers found by a recent Quinnipiac University Swing State Poll conducted there.

Here are the favorable/unfavorable scores of half a dozen presidential candidates among all registered voters in New Hampshire:

    • Sanders +12 (41 percent/29 percent)

    • Bush -5 (40 percent/45 percent)

    • Walker -6 (28 percent/34 percent)

    • Rubio -6 (28 percent/34 percent)

    • Clinton -20 (37 percent/57 percent)

    • Trump -40 (27 percent/67 percent)

The news gets a bit better for Clinton and Sanders when it comes to Democratic voters exclusively. Among them, Clinton's favorable/unfavorable rating is +54 (74 percent/20 percent) in Iowa and +48 (71 percent/23 percent) in New Hampshire. Sanders' comparable rating is +39 (54 percent/15 percent) in the Hawkeye State and +51 (65 percent/14 percent) in the Granite State.

Despite leading their respective parties in the polls, Clinton and Trump also attracted the highest unfavorability ratings by far in the two states. Even among Republican voters, Trump, the real-estate mogul and reality-television personality, has a favorable/unfavorable rating in New Hampshire of -14 (39 percent/53 percent) and a rating in Iowa of +1 (45 percent/44 percent).

With varying margins of error, the polls were conducted July 14-21, meaning voters were asked their opinion before and after Trump's controversial comments about U.S. Sen. John McCain's war record July 18. Those remarks did not affect Trump in Iowa (he was at 16 percent before the comments and 18 percent after), but they did hurt him in New Hampshire (26 percent before, 14 percent after).

[emay]

bernieeee!!! my man

[runawayjimbo]

Vox sits down with Bernie for a long conversation. I haven't read thru the whole interview, but figured there'd be some interest here. With videos if you're more into that auditory thing.

I've said it before, but I have a lot of tremendous amount of respect for Bernie. The man is not afraid to say what he believes and fights tirelessly for it. He is a career politician who does not act like one and I applaud him for that. If my choice is between him and Hillary, it is a no brainer for me. But, man, you see some of those economic ideas on paper and it's some scary shit.

http://www.vox.com/2015/7/28/9014491/bernie-sanders-vox-conversation

[runawayjimbo]

FINALLY a candidate I can get behind

http://www.mediaite.com/online/deez-nuts-files-for-presidential-run-pretty-much-sums-up-2016/

Deez Nuts Files for Presidential Run; Pretty Much Sums Up 2016

As this next election season kicks into full gear and becomes a tidal wave of slimy politics, moronic commentary, and gaffe-centric news cycles, we're all likely to think: What does any of this matter? We're all going to die one day, so screw it, why waste time caring so deeply about something so futile?

One anonymous American seems to have recognized the farcical nature of partisan politics. But instead of whining about it in a blog post, he filed with the Federal Election Commission to run for president in 2016. Under the name "Deez Nuts."

It's not that difficult to file an FEC Form 2 to declare your candidacy, so on Sunday, Mr. Nuts submitted the proper paperwork and became an official candidate for office, running as an Independent. The campaign is registered to an address in rural Wallington, Iowa.

Here's hoping for a Deez Nuts-Sweet Meteor of Death 2016 ticket.

See the form below:

https://www.scribd.com/doc/272842600/Deez-Nuts-for-President-2016

[mbw]

Deez Nuts is a strong candidate, but I'm kinda liking Limberbutt McCubbins. http://www.npr.org/sections/itsallpolitics/2015/07/08/421140664/for-limberbutt-mccubbins-the-time-is-meow-to-run-for-president

#TheTimeIsMeow

[Guyute]

So here is my worry on Bernie.  He really appeals to the young liberals.  These are ones that typically rally, get involved, and then don't show up on election day.

I was able to meet Bernie a few times when he was my representative and yes I voted for him.  I had a prof that worked for him in college so he came and met with us.

I can say, this is the real Bernie.  There isn't public Bernie and private Bernie.  He is a genuinely nice person and deeply believes in what he is saying which is very refreshing.  I don't think he can win, but he really does bring a missing element to this, honesty.

[ytowndan]

So here is my worry on Bernie.  He really appeals to the young liberals.  These are ones that typically rally, get involved, and then don't show up on election day.

I was able to meet Bernie a few times when he was my representative and yes I voted for him.  I had a prof that worked for him in college so he came and met with us.

I can say, this is the real Bernie.  There isn't public Bernie and private Bernie.  He is a genuinely nice person and deeply believes in what he is saying which is very refreshing.  I don't think he can win, but he really does bring a missing element to this, honesty.

I generally agree but, in this specific case, I think it's more than just young liberals.  It's the left in general that's really Bernie's base.  Young and old, they're thrilled and ready to step up.  And they'll actually show up to vote for someone who truly shares their views, not to mention someone as sincere as Sanders.  So, I don't think he'll have any problems mobilizing his base on election day(s).  It's the Clinton Democrats who have a hard time getting the base to show up for them.  Particularly the younger liberals (as you mentioned). 

Having said that, he does have one very major problem:  The crowds he draws at his rallies (as massive as they are) are about as ethnically diverse as a Tea Party town hall.  He's going to have to start working on a way to really reach out to the Latino and African-American communities.  He's been talking about economic populism for decades -- and you can tell.  But you can also tell how awkward he feels when talking about issues like the Black Lives Matter movement.  He's said numerous times in the past that social and racial issues divide working people.  And he's not wrong.  But he's never had to campaign outside of super-white Vermont, nor has he ever had to work inside of a Democratic primary.  That's my biggest worry. 

[Hicks]

So here is my worry on Bernie.  He really appeals to the young liberals.  These are ones that typically rally, get involved, and then don't show up on election day.

I was able to meet Bernie a few times when he was my representative and yes I voted for him.  I had a prof that worked for him in college so he came and met with us.

I can say, this is the real Bernie.  There isn't public Bernie and private Bernie.  He is a genuinely nice person and deeply believes in what he is saying which is very refreshing.  I don't think he can win, but he really does bring a missing element to this, honesty.

I'm flattered that you consider me young.   

I generally agree but, in this specific case, I think it's more than just young liberals.  It's the left in general that's really Bernie's base.  Young and old, they're thrilled and ready to step up.  And they'll actually show up to vote for someone who truly shares their views, not to mention someone as sincere as Sanders.  So, I don't think he'll have any problems mobilizing his base on election day(s).  It's the Clinton Democrats who have a hard time getting the base to show up for them.  Particularly the younger liberals (as you mentioned). 

Having said that, he does have one very major problem:  The crowds he draws at his rallies (as massive as they are) are about as ethnically diverse as a Tea Party town hall.  He's going to have to start working on a way to really reach out to the Latino and African-American communities.  He's been talking about economic populism for decades -- and you can tell.  But you can also tell how awkward he feels when talking about issues like the Black Lives Matter movement.  He's said numerous times in the past that social and racial issues divide working people.  And he's not wrong.  But he's never had to campaign outside of super-white Vermont, nor has he ever had to work inside of a Democratic primary.  That's my biggest worry.

Well if by some miracle Bernie makes it to the general, he can always deploy Bill.   8-)

[runawayjimbo]

Been too excited by the boys to mention this (can't tell you how much of a relief that is). Tomorrow's lineup was announced. Looking forward to the clown show.

Donald Trump
Jeb Bush
Scott Walker
Mike Huckabee
Ben Carson
Ted Cruz
Marco Rubio
Rand Paul
Chris Christie
John Kasich

Kids table

Rick Perry
Rick Santorum
Bobby Jindal
Carly Fiorina
Lindsey Graham
George Pataki
Jim Gilmore

http://www.cnn.com/2015/08/04/politics/fox-debate-cleveland-announcement/

[emay]

ugh I dont think I could even put myself through watching that.

[runawayjimbo]

Also, I know this won't come as a surprise to most of you fine folks, but Hillary = Jeb.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/08/04/hillary-clinton-s-mega-donors-are-also-funding-jeb-bush.html

Hillary Clinton's Mega-Donors Are Also Funding Jeb Bush
Racetrack owners, bankers, and chicken kings: Meet the ultra-rich bankrolling the Bush and Clinton dynasties. A special report by Vocativ and The Daily Beast.

For some wealthy donors, it doesn't matter who takes the White House in 2016—as long as the president's name is Clinton or Bush.

More than 60 ultra-rich Americans have contributed to both Jeb Bush's and Hillary Clinton's federal campaigns, according to an analysis of Federal Election Commission data by Vocativ and The Daily Beast. Seventeen of those contributors have gone one step further and opened their wallets to fund both Bush's and Clinton's 2016 ambitions.

After all, why support just Hillary Clinton or just Jeb Bush when you can hedge your bets and donate to both? This seems to be the thinking of a group of powerful men and women—racetrack owners, bankers, media barons, chicken magnates, hedge funders (and their spouses). Some of them have net worths that can eclipse the GDPs of small countries.

...

[sls.stormyrider]

I wonder if Hillary is pissed at Brett Tipaul or Leon Wagner.
No special favors / pardons for them

[runawayjimbo]

Apparently Carly Fiorina crushed the JV debate.

Time for the shitshow Main Event.

Some godawful casual banter between the moderators a min ago. If this debate is as exciting as that, I'm not gonna be able to take it.