We are heading towards an Idiocracy!

[Overcast]

Around the Podunk nearby the base I'm seeing less Trump signs, and more anti-Hillary signs. There are times I wonder if either of these candidates could have competed against anyone other than the other one.

[Aerozord]

Originally Posted by MasterOfMagic

I'm in Tennessee for some fishing, and woah, the amount of trump signs I've seen in yards is really disconcerting.

It probably sounds stupid, but it made it real for me. Like the are people, right? And they like, don't just want him to be president, but they advertise it. For every one to see. And there are a lot of them.

Not that it matters. Major issue with our political system is alot of states dont matter because they just mindlessly vote down party lines. Pennsylvania, Ohio, Florida, ect, these are the only places where support really matters because they are the kinds of places where people could vote for either.

They'd vote for ANYONE the republicans put up for election. So I wouldn't put too much thought into it

[Solid Snake]

Originally Posted by Overcast

Around the Podunk nearby the base I'm seeing less Drumpf signs, and more anti-Hillary signs. There are times I wonder if either of these candidates could have competed against anyone other than the other one.

I wouldn't underestimate the degree of support Hillary has from more 'establishment' centrist Democrats. Several of my friends from college and law school days in Washington DC since became cogs in the Democratic machine there, and there's a dogged insistence from many of them that Hillary has been horribly misrepresented in the media and by progressives and that she is, in fact, a leftist leader who can Get Shit Done. Some even have repeatedly claimed that Hillary is, at least in private circles, more left on many (predominantly domestic) issues than Obama. (No one's claiming she's any less of a foreign policy hawk, though.)

I'll concede that I at least really want to believe they're right, if only because the alternative is Donald Drumpf.

[rpgdemon]

In her speech tonight, she had a lot of specific leftist policy, and she did seem to pull significantly closer to Sanders in what she outlined.

I'm optimistic.

[Aerozord]

Originally Posted by rpgdemon

In her speech tonight, she had a lot of specific leftist policy, and she did seem to pull significantly closer to Sanders in what she outlined.

I'm optimistic.

I'm not, cause at the end of the day you cant really deny she's corrupt.

The president doesn't actually have alot of power, but are a few that are of deep concern. For me it comes down to, who would I rather have access to nukes, the corrupt politician or the incompetent one. Well the corrupt one is probably smart enough to not kill us and I'll take 8 years of societal decay over 8000 years of radio-active decay.

[Overcast]

Originally Posted by Solid Snake

I wouldn't underestimate the degree of support Hillary has from more 'establishment' centrist Democrats. Several of my friends from college and law school days in Washington DC since became cogs in the Democratic machine there, and there's a dogged insistence from many of them that Hillary has been horribly misrepresented in the media and by progressives and that she is, in fact, a leftist leader who can Get Shit Done. Some even have repeatedly claimed that Hillary is, at least in private circles, more left on many (predominantly domestic) issues than Obama. (No one's claiming she's any less of a foreign policy hawk, though.)

I'll concede that I at least really want to believe they're right, if only because the alternative is Donald Drumpf.

Well my worry is not from centrists, my worry is from progressives. The DNC has done quite a bit to impress centrists this year, under normal circumstances that would be fantastic as progressive voters are typically in the bag for the D party. Unfortunately she had to face off with someone in the primaries who tends to show off all her bad sides by being more progressive than her historically and presently, and also being more consistent in his opinions historically and presently. These last three days have been trying to reintroduce her to people, but it is hard to escape your history.

By and by I don't usually vote, but were I, I would vote for her. Mostly this is a matter of President Obama, due to stifling influences from the Republican majority in Legislature he has had to make a few notable Executive Orders, which would be easily unwound by a suitably inspired President. That kind of immediate shift would be quite bad, combine that with the fact that the Republicans still have not accepted Obama's peace offering of a Justice and the long term repercussions of any Republican candidate seem rough to me. Even if it weren't Trump. As for third parties, it is hard to stand behind them as hard as I'd like to with the First Past the Post system/Electoral College. There just seems to be too much risk involved.

[shiney]

Originally Posted by Solid Snake

Some even have repeatedly claimed that Hillary is, at least in private circles, more left on many (predominantly domestic) issues than Obama.

Her voting record absolutely supports this. She has been considerably misrepresented too, but much of that is her own doing as she can't seem to stop getting involved in stupid scandals of her own making. Of course, many of the things she's been attacked for are absolutely not her fault, but things like the email server were foolish mistakes and there have been enough of them to create this cloud of uncertainty around her.

That said, the President's speech the other night was genuinely amazing and had some terrific soundbytes. We have 3 months of that ahead of us. Bernie's speech was great. 3 months. Michelle, Warren...etc. The GOP has way less available in terms of both star power and genuinely inspiring speakers.

Check out this link. Now let's make no mistakes, TPM is virulently pro-Hillary and a very left-wing publication, so grain of salt. However, the tweets featured in that article are from very prominent current and former Republican media members, strategists, party elites. So there's some good times to look forward to.

Also Trump's refusal to release his tax information is going to damage him as people continue tying him to Russia. And his inability to take a joke or respond to insults in any way other than by bullying is going to turn off his less hardcore supporters. And etc etc.

We live in interesting if dangerous times.

[Overcast]

I did like the phrase, "Don't boo, vote." Should put that on a shirt.

[Solid Snake]

Originally Posted by shiney

Check out this link. Now let's make no mistakes, TPM is virulently pro-Hillary and a very left-wing publication, so grain of salt. However, the tweets featured in that article are from very prominent current and former Republican media members, strategists, party elites. So there's some good times to look forward to.

I hope you're right, but it's worth noting that Trump has effectively actually severed the bond between the Republican establishment and everyday members of the Republican party in such a way that I no longer think it's relevant what the old establishment members think or say.

Hillary could win the support of the majority of centrists, progressives and even establishment Republicans and still lose if there's no enthusiasm among those groups and the White Supremacist Pseudo-Fascist Trump-Loving Shitlords are excited and show up in hordes. If there's one thing Donald Trump has unequivocally proven it's that bigoted dipshits still exist in this country in alarming numbers, and need only the scent of one of their own in the media to emerge from hibernation.

EDIT: Jill Stein's opinions on science related to vaccinations is frighteningly similar to Republican beliefs on the science of climate change. Why the fuck do so many people on the fringe left and...well, everyone on the right...have such an issue with science?!?

[Aerozord]

Well both the left and the right have bad aspects, people just normally ignore the bad of the one they belong to. Liberals have aspects that support suppression of language, pseudo-science propaganda, and neo-luddites. In the same way conservatives have racists, anti-intellectualism, and xenophobia.

Most on both sides are fairly moderate. I know conservatives, most believe in evolution, have no issue with homosexuals, and are concerned with the poor. But partly thanks to jurymandering, partially thanks to bias media on both sides, probably mostly thanks to this us vs them mentality its the extremists that win out.

I was hoping this would mean those that fall in the middle would be the third parties. I was saddened to learn its the opposite and they are the ones TOO extreme for the main parties.