The Politics Thread

[DRW50]

This type of thing always makes me laugh:

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/03/10/the-budding-bromance-between-president-obama-and-canadas-justin-trudeau-in-11-great-pictures/

 

Barring some big shifts over the next 9 months, it looks like Obama will probably be leaving office with a much better legacy than W and, while he won't be as popular as Clinton, he likely also won't have a huge ugly pardoning scandal clouding his last days.

 

http://www.politico.com/story/2016/03/barack-obama-approval-ratings-hit-three-year-high-220569

 

It's telling that the right wing press only has nonsense like "he didn't go to Nancy Reagan's funeral" to use as fodder. 

 

The best thing to happen with Obama is when he stopped giving a sh!t and even started outright trolling these jackasses. While it wouldn't work for every President, it worked for him, and it certainly worked for me. 

 

Of course one could say the party itself lost a lot under him, but I think the party is stagnant and inept as a whole and has been since the '70s or '80s. 

[Vee]

I think Obama is deeply beloved by at least as much of the country as the portion that hates and fears him - and I think more of the middle at the very least admires and respects him. I think a lot of people are quietly wishing he could do a third term. I know I am. He got a lot of good done, and in his first four years as well as his last, despite an impossible government. He also deeply frustrated the gatekeepers of both the mainstream DNC apparatus and the hard left that never recovered from the Bush years - and that's a good thing.

 

It will be a long time before we see his like again. That being said, I said Julian Castro will be president someday too, and I believe he will. I also believe he will be Hillary Clinton's running mate.

Edited March 10, 2016 by Vee

[Juliajms]

Ben Carson is going to endorse Donald Trump? BC was not my cup of tea, but he seemed like a nice enough guy. I just don't get it. I know his tiny group of supporters don't really matter, but it's just frustrating to see so many people falling in line with the insanity.

 

I'm glad we have a two term limit on the presidency.  I'm pretty ambivalent on President Obama. I'm glad he got the ACA through and I agree it's fun to watch him troll the Republicans, but I'm almost always ready for a fresh start after someone has been in power for 8 years. That's even true for Bill Clinton who I pretty much adored. I supposed HRC isn't really a fresh start, but I'll take it.

[marceline]

The beauty of watching each GOP candidates suddenly knuckle under for Trump is that it shows the party for the morally bankrupt hypocrites they truly are. "Trump is a fraud and a con artist but I'll support him" lays out perfectly how these people have no values, ethics, or morals. All they care about is the quest for power. They now have zero credibility. The mouth breathing base won't care but independents, moderates and however few thinking conservatives still remain will be able to call them out for their craven weakness.

[DRW50]

Carson seems nice because he's soft-spoken, but the whole National Prayer Breakfast ambush he did with Obama always seemed disrespectful to me, and tacky. He's also, IMO, completely nuts. Beyond that, I'd guess it's down to Cruz. He has never forgiven Cruz for telling Carson supporters before the Iowa caucuses that Carson was going to drop out. 

[marceline]

Apparently Shondaland has decided who they are voting for.

 

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[DRW50]

I can't help wishing I could vote for Viola Davis...

[Vee]

Watching the GOP debate out of sheer boredom. Trump is having a very rough night in this Republican debate because no one is attacking him. He even basically goaded them to about 20 minutes ago - without that he is fumblng for any answer. Every other person on the stage except maybe Kasich may be a completely insane right-winger but at least they have (horrible) specifics beyond "we're gonna do it, believe me!"

I doubt it will make any difference to the GOP base or save the nomination from him, but it's clear he can't handle anything that's not on his own terms. He's clueless and uncomfortable.

Edited March 11, 2016 by Vee

[DRW50]

This is the face of a Trump supporter, and a face of today's GOP in general:

 

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/john-mcgraw-protester-kill-him-next-time

[Juliajms]

^ That was really f*cked up. I don't believe candidates are responsible for their supporters, but they are obligated to disavow this kind of violence.  I hope that guy goes to prison for a good long time.

[DramatistDreamer]

"Strong but flawed..." Wow, Shonda should be HRC's new speechwriter, that was compelling as all get out!

 

It's so ironic that people flock to these characters on TV but a real life woman in charge is almost not allowed to have any visible flaws at all.  

[DRW50]

Some comments from people who have been hassled and abused at Trump rallies:

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/get-him-out-racial-tensions-explode-at-donald-trumps-rallies/2016/03/11/b9764884-e6ee-11e5-bc08-3e03a5b41910_story.html?tid=pm_politics_pop_b

[marceline]

I've been enjoying all the people who say "I don't watch TV for politics!" As if politics isn't in the DNA of all Shonda's shows. 

[Vee]

For anyone who doesn't know: A Trump rally in Chicago erupted into mass protests last night, and was called off amidst chaos and fighting. The Trump campaign claimed the Chicago police had urged them to cancel the event; Chicago PD denies ever speaking to them about it. Here's a Vox piece about it as well.

 

Meanwhile, the right-wing Breitbart News, recently marked as colluding with Trump, has struggled to deal with a growing scandal over one of its own reporters being accosted by Trump's chief of staff Corey Lewandowski at a campaign event when she pressed Trump on a question. First Trump and Lewandowski said they'd never met Michelle Fields, then Lewandowski took to Twitter to call her a liar. Breitbart has remained tongue-tied about this as Fields produced photos of her bruises, then video from outside media showing Lewandowski confronting her.

 

In response, Breitbart spokesperson Kurt Bardella quit the site and took to CNN and social media to excoriate them and Trump.

 

Also essential: Rachel Maddow on the rage of Trump.

 

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Edited March 12, 2016 by Vee

[ThePrinceOfSunspear]

Rachael was her usual lying over the top grandiose judgments and lies.... I can't. 

 

Watching Marco Rubios conference today was pretty sad. The guy looked very sad. Like it dawned how ugly the campaign is and could become. 

 

As as for the protestors they have a right to protest but they're idiots if they go into a Trump rally.