As I watch in fascination the gradual decline of humanity towards a spray tan and an awful comb over, I'm curious how you poor sods in America are coping with the candidacy race! I always love a good political insight. Is anyone actually pro-Trump? Or as I like to think of it, anti-policy.
I think the best comment I've seen so far is "America, this is your IQ test. The world is watching, and so far the results don't look good!" Hah.
Discuss.
Politics, YAY! The Trump.
Re: Politics, YAY! The Trump.
Terrible. This is an interesting read on trying to explain it, http://www.vox.com/2016/3/1/11127424/tr ... itarianism
I'd wager a surprising amount of people around here are Trump fans. By surprising I mean more than 0 :p Our problem, as it has been for the past few elections, is we lack any candidate worth anything - the constant debate usually ends with some version of "I don't like him, but he's better than xxx so I'm likely voting for him." We are also a nation obsessed with instant gratification, reality television, and hate-mongering. It really isn't too surprising to see Trump do well when you stop and face the fact that the majority of Americans can name all of the Kardashians but not a single Supreme Court judge.
On second thought, I'm relatively positive that Vaen is an avid Trump supporter. Pretty sure he has Trump underwear.
I'd wager a surprising amount of people around here are Trump fans. By surprising I mean more than 0 :p Our problem, as it has been for the past few elections, is we lack any candidate worth anything - the constant debate usually ends with some version of "I don't like him, but he's better than xxx so I'm likely voting for him." We are also a nation obsessed with instant gratification, reality television, and hate-mongering. It really isn't too surprising to see Trump do well when you stop and face the fact that the majority of Americans can name all of the Kardashians but not a single Supreme Court judge.
On second thought, I'm relatively positive that Vaen is an avid Trump supporter. Pretty sure he has Trump underwear.
Re: Politics, YAY! The Trump.
Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert picked a hell of a year to end their shows for. This political shithouse would have been gold for them.
Re: Politics, YAY! The Trump.
I saw that too, had me laughing for a good long while.Mangler wrote:I think the best comment I've seen so far is "America, this is your IQ test. The world is watching, and so far the results don't look good!" Hah.
I'm starting to feel that is what politics is... picking the least of two evils.Lykan wrote:"I don't like him, but he's better than xxx so I'm likely voting for him."
Re: Politics, YAY! The Trump.
It's not news when a stupid person says something stupid, and that's been my attitude towards Trump (and really all the Republican candidates) since last summer. Sadly, it's getting to the point where he will have to be dealt with as more than just an amusement or an outrage. But he's not as terrifying as someone like Cruz, whose largest accomplishment to date has been shutting the government down for two weeks--in other words, failing to maintain the basic functions of government and failing to perform the basic duties that come with his job. The trouble with the Republican candidates isn't actually that they're stupid, it's that they treat their voter-base as if they're stupid. In large part, they get away with it.
Lykan is right that Vaen is an avid Trump supporter, but I (sort of) disagree that there have been no good candidates in the last election cycles. Jon Huntsman for the Republicans, for instance, was at least a sane person who understand some very basic premises, like the reality of climate change.
It's probably no surprise that I'm a Bernie Sanders supporter (first political donation of my life), and it's encouraging to me that when he won his first elections in the 80s, Vermont was largely a conservative state. People don't vote for him or against him because he identifies as a socialist, they vote for him (and against him) because he means what he says and has devoted his career to working for the working class.
Additionally, saying that we only can vote for the best of worst options is a position that I understand but, I think, ultimately benefits the reactionaries and the wealthy. It discourages participation in the political process, and many of America's problems would be solved just by getting the majority of people to bother to vote.
Lykan is right that Vaen is an avid Trump supporter, but I (sort of) disagree that there have been no good candidates in the last election cycles. Jon Huntsman for the Republicans, for instance, was at least a sane person who understand some very basic premises, like the reality of climate change.
It's probably no surprise that I'm a Bernie Sanders supporter (first political donation of my life), and it's encouraging to me that when he won his first elections in the 80s, Vermont was largely a conservative state. People don't vote for him or against him because he identifies as a socialist, they vote for him (and against him) because he means what he says and has devoted his career to working for the working class.
Additionally, saying that we only can vote for the best of worst options is a position that I understand but, I think, ultimately benefits the reactionaries and the wealthy. It discourages participation in the political process, and many of America's problems would be solved just by getting the majority of people to bother to vote.
Re: Politics, YAY! The Trump.
#Kanye2020
Re: Politics, YAY! The Trump.
I support Trump. He's going to build an even better wall around the Stone of Tear. Believe me. It will be incredible. And he'll make those Mayene's pay for it too. They don't send their best to Tear anyway. Always those murderers.
And any fish and spice imports will be a 35% tariff too.
He'll make Tear Great Again.
-Melat al'Farath
Defender of the Stone
And any fish and spice imports will be a 35% tariff too.
He'll make Tear Great Again.
-Melat al'Farath
Defender of the Stone
Re: Politics, YAY! The Trump.
It's America's way of sticking it to the political establishment only his voters didn't completely think this one through. It's kind of like setting yourself on fire to prove that there ought to be more fire departments. We get it, you hate your politicians, but this self-destructive path is going nowhere fast. You thought Obama was bad having to work with arguably the worst congress ever? Just wait until these people put the Donald in the white house.
Having said that I am enjoying the primaries immensely. The republican race is hilarious and filled with so many quotes it truly is a shame Stewart/Colbert aren't around to produce comedy like they used to. Wholeheartedly agree with Mantorok there. Hillary is painted out to be the devil with her e-mailgate and bank ties all the while Bernie is to the democratic party what Ron Paul, at times, was for the republican party. It truly is entertaining.
Think of some of the past greats and let this sink in:
FDR, Abe Lincoln, Washington, Jefferson and....Donald Trump.
Photo op outside the U.N:
Ban ki-moon...and Donald Trump.
Having said that I am enjoying the primaries immensely. The republican race is hilarious and filled with so many quotes it truly is a shame Stewart/Colbert aren't around to produce comedy like they used to. Wholeheartedly agree with Mantorok there. Hillary is painted out to be the devil with her e-mailgate and bank ties all the while Bernie is to the democratic party what Ron Paul, at times, was for the republican party. It truly is entertaining.
Think of some of the past greats and let this sink in:
FDR, Abe Lincoln, Washington, Jefferson and....Donald Trump.
Photo op outside the U.N:
Ban ki-moon...and Donald Trump.
Re: Politics, YAY! The Trump.
Judging by the massive WoTMAD politics threads a few years back, there's nothing surprising about it.I'd wager a surprising amount of people around here are Trump fans.
Re: Politics, YAY! The Trump.
Think there's definitely room for Trump in American politics because he sparks a conversation between parties rather than in ideological echo chambers. There's a large majority of individuals who are embarrassed at the presence of Trump, but he's a byproduct of infotainment that professes political views through one-liners.
Both sides of the media have fed their consumers the awfulness of their counterparts and we're facing a complication of that with Fox news and the conservative base. They've fed the extreme right base fearmongering information and media bias for so long that now when they try to counter the consensus' narrative around Trump, they shouldn't be surprised that people won't listen. They've been spoonfed the one liners about media bias enough to remember them and simply label their own news agencies as participants (thus pointing to the need of Trump).
Trump is polarizing and divisive, but it seems in some ways that we are catering to the same divisive tactics he is using to reach voters. The most popularly shared articles I see aren't intellectual engagements, but rather click bait echo chamber performances. (Think Onion, Slate, Fox) These articles focus on pointing out the absolute incompetence of the other side and invite the reader to share in being a member of the winning team, the smart team. His tactics just feed on the material people have been taught to fear and hate by their own side (read into how much polling he did before his election campaign).
It's an interesting moment because for the last 10 or so years the Republican party has been two parties combined together in service of their economic agenda. You have the economically focused anti-govt side and then the socially conservative (arguably racist) minority that come together to fight against the established Democratic party. It has worked for a long time. The shift to infotainment has, however, seemed to shift and seduce economically conservative voters to the more socially conservative and fearmongering side of the party. You shouldn't be surprised with the amount of articles that suggest this moment is the fracturing and possibly end of the two party system.
I do find it interesting that the rest of the world is taking this as a moment to mock Americans. This is a civil war in a two-party system and the posturing of the political establishment on the Republican side should illustrate the fear their party is under. It is not a question of who they nominate to the position of President, it is a question of who loses to the Democratic candidate. Unless Kasich wins the nomination, there is no chance that we have a Republican President (and if the nominee is Trump, I'd suggest that we're facing 16 years of Democratic power in the White House).
Mitt Romney's emergence and the continued establishment attacks on Donald Trump are a too little too late reaction to a situation that they created. Previous to Rubio's drop-out in Florida he ranted against the situation of the political party, though I can't seem to find the video--here's a synopsis published by Mother Jones that contains some of the interesting rhetorical moments. (http://www.motherjones.com/politics/201 ... ters-thugs)
Another interesting article I've spent some time thinking about is How the P.C. Police Created Donald Trump http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2 ... trump.html. Think through some of the issues raised by that author then engage with this article http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfre ... ns-support. As far as economics seem to go, Trump's international policies align closely with Sanders (without making any comment on militarization because it seems hard to consider any of what Trump says as anything other than pandering). So, both parties have an upstart outsider with economic ideas that go directly contrast to the party's professed political ideologies.
There is room for Sanders as an Independent, but it should be noted that he is not a Democrat. He does not align himself within the two party structure. There is no room for Donald Trump, so he is pandering to the created base that the conservatives have been fostering as they move closer and closer to an extreme right and further and further away from a moderate stance on anything. There are a lot of interesting possible consequences of the election, but again it depends on what candidates are elected. I would almost guarantee it leads primaries to become across the states proportional in their declaration of delegates. It might cause the Democratic side to abandon the super delegates situation.
At the end, though, the idea that Donald Trump is a potential president (even presidential candidate) is bogus. More than likely the Republican party sides behind someone who is more moderate (Kasich) or backs their own version of an extremist (Cruz). If they back Trump the consequences to the party extend far beyond the implications of the current election. (Consider how much money the Koch brothers spend, and their importance to the party). The Koch brothers are against Trump, they have not committed to spending money either way in the presidential race, though it was clear they preferred candidate Rubio. Likely, the Republican party will not risk the Koch brothers support for the popular vote (if it is in favor of Donald Trump).
Fun cycle to think about though, I enjoy the implications.
Both sides of the media have fed their consumers the awfulness of their counterparts and we're facing a complication of that with Fox news and the conservative base. They've fed the extreme right base fearmongering information and media bias for so long that now when they try to counter the consensus' narrative around Trump, they shouldn't be surprised that people won't listen. They've been spoonfed the one liners about media bias enough to remember them and simply label their own news agencies as participants (thus pointing to the need of Trump).
Trump is polarizing and divisive, but it seems in some ways that we are catering to the same divisive tactics he is using to reach voters. The most popularly shared articles I see aren't intellectual engagements, but rather click bait echo chamber performances. (Think Onion, Slate, Fox) These articles focus on pointing out the absolute incompetence of the other side and invite the reader to share in being a member of the winning team, the smart team. His tactics just feed on the material people have been taught to fear and hate by their own side (read into how much polling he did before his election campaign).
It's an interesting moment because for the last 10 or so years the Republican party has been two parties combined together in service of their economic agenda. You have the economically focused anti-govt side and then the socially conservative (arguably racist) minority that come together to fight against the established Democratic party. It has worked for a long time. The shift to infotainment has, however, seemed to shift and seduce economically conservative voters to the more socially conservative and fearmongering side of the party. You shouldn't be surprised with the amount of articles that suggest this moment is the fracturing and possibly end of the two party system.
I do find it interesting that the rest of the world is taking this as a moment to mock Americans. This is a civil war in a two-party system and the posturing of the political establishment on the Republican side should illustrate the fear their party is under. It is not a question of who they nominate to the position of President, it is a question of who loses to the Democratic candidate. Unless Kasich wins the nomination, there is no chance that we have a Republican President (and if the nominee is Trump, I'd suggest that we're facing 16 years of Democratic power in the White House).
Mitt Romney's emergence and the continued establishment attacks on Donald Trump are a too little too late reaction to a situation that they created. Previous to Rubio's drop-out in Florida he ranted against the situation of the political party, though I can't seem to find the video--here's a synopsis published by Mother Jones that contains some of the interesting rhetorical moments. (http://www.motherjones.com/politics/201 ... ters-thugs)
Another interesting article I've spent some time thinking about is How the P.C. Police Created Donald Trump http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2 ... trump.html. Think through some of the issues raised by that author then engage with this article http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfre ... ns-support. As far as economics seem to go, Trump's international policies align closely with Sanders (without making any comment on militarization because it seems hard to consider any of what Trump says as anything other than pandering). So, both parties have an upstart outsider with economic ideas that go directly contrast to the party's professed political ideologies.
There is room for Sanders as an Independent, but it should be noted that he is not a Democrat. He does not align himself within the two party structure. There is no room for Donald Trump, so he is pandering to the created base that the conservatives have been fostering as they move closer and closer to an extreme right and further and further away from a moderate stance on anything. There are a lot of interesting possible consequences of the election, but again it depends on what candidates are elected. I would almost guarantee it leads primaries to become across the states proportional in their declaration of delegates. It might cause the Democratic side to abandon the super delegates situation.
At the end, though, the idea that Donald Trump is a potential president (even presidential candidate) is bogus. More than likely the Republican party sides behind someone who is more moderate (Kasich) or backs their own version of an extremist (Cruz). If they back Trump the consequences to the party extend far beyond the implications of the current election. (Consider how much money the Koch brothers spend, and their importance to the party). The Koch brothers are against Trump, they have not committed to spending money either way in the presidential race, though it was clear they preferred candidate Rubio. Likely, the Republican party will not risk the Koch brothers support for the popular vote (if it is in favor of Donald Trump).
Fun cycle to think about though, I enjoy the implications.