The Politics Thread

[DRW50]

The Beltway still trying to wave the pom-poms for their old hope Chris Christie (what an unfortunate headline though).

http://www.politico.com/story/2015/06/chris-christies-nothing-left-to-lose-campaign-119521.html?hp=t3_r

This made me laugh:

[quartermainefan]

Walker's calls for constitutional amendments is harmless singing to the choir. He must know that changing the constitution is almost impossible so therefore he might as well demand it all he can. I feel sorry for these republican candidates because time is passing them by and they don't know what to do about. Apparently polls show 60% approval for gay marriage by the american public, but that isn't who will vote in their primaries. Then there is a distinct change in views among people under 40 and over 40, but the over 40s tend to die at a faster rate than the under 40s. There primaries are held hostage by fundie zealots that are completely out of step with everyone else, and now you have Jeb Bush forced to say he doesn't think Jim Baker knows what he is talking about with foreign policy because as conservative as Baker is, he still isn't conservative enough for the republicans of 2015. Reagan would probably have been called a liberal and weak for willing to deal with democrats.

All along I have thought Chris Christie could not win because he is obese and belligerent. Nothing has changed in that regard. The only shot the republicans have is Jeb Bush, but I don't see how he can win as long as he is unwilling to say W was a disaster. He is unable to reject the Iraq war and people are not going to be so quick to want another Bush starting another war because he was listening to neo-cons. Plus, he has some positions not in line with republican zealotry.

While the country is resistant to older women, I don't think it will pass up the opportunity to follow up a black president and gay marriage with a woman president. The conservatives are losing the culture wars badly, and all the shouting white men in the world won't change that. They're so out of the mainstream that even the pope is too liberal for them. Of course he doesn't know who any of them are and doesn't care, but they have boxed themselves into a corner where now they tell themselves that it is they--not the pope--who is defending religion and morality.

[DRW50]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2015/07/01/81-things-that-mike-huckabee-has-denounced/?tid=pm_politics_pop_b

[DramatistDreamer]

and Donald Trump is trying to take several pages out of the Huckabee handbook. He knows he doesn't have a shot at being President but that is beside the point. Like Huckabee, he will seek to fatten his coffers by building a 'base' in hopes of getting lucrative speaking engagements and a pundit's chair where he can spout nonsense and have an audience actually listen.

I'd wager that very few of the Republican candidates right now believe they have a real shot at the Presidency, and they plan to follow the Palin or Huckabee route to financial enrichment.

[quartermainefan]

I doubt that. Trump doesn't need lucrative speaking fees or fattened coffers. He says $9 Billion, others say $4 Billion. He is running I think for the same reason he puts his name on everything: ego.

[marceline]

I agree but I think his wealth is greatly overestimated. The man has declared bankruptcy four times.

I love seeing the Latino community's response to his hateful comments about Mexicans. I hope it leads to record turnout at the polls.

Edited July 4, 2015 by marceline

[heffer]

And one of the GOP's best hope for the Latino vote, Ted Cruz is standing behind Trumps's remarks. At least Rubio (probably the most sane in the Repub clown car) was smart enough to come out against them.

[DRW50]

Cruz had no Hispanic support that I can remember.

[heffer]

http://www.npr.org/sections/itsallpolitics/2015/05/01/403375859/latino-panhandlers-ted-cruz-and-the-republican-push-for-hispanics

Mind you, I wasn't saying they were being GOOD at it.....

[DramatistDreamer]

I read somewhere that his wealth is most likely in the hundreds of millions, not billions.

It's going to be fun to guess how much farther his personal wealth drops.

Carlos Slim, an actual billionaire (who once topped the world's wealthiest a few years ago), who also happens to be Mexican dumped Trump on a very lucrative deal they were supposed working together on.

Cumulatively, this is going to bite the Donald in the pocketbook.

America Ferrera's open letter was great. No doubt the maker of those Donald Trump piñatas has to be a big winner right now.

Edited July 5, 2015 by DramatistDreamer

[DRW50]

That tone-deaf, shouty anti-gay screed Gov. Googly-Eyes made after the SCOTUS marriage decision must have spooked many (I read that he lost a major donor over it) - the Beltway, which has adored him for years, ran damage control this puff piece on his wife, trotting out the old Barbara Bush/Laura Bush talking points about how they don't agree with their husband's views and are therefore an (imaginary) moderating influence.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/scott-walkers-wife-toughened-by-life-adds-steel-to-the-gop-candidates-spine/2015/07/05/61337f5d-2513-4698-8f27-647e28b3c8cc_story.html?tid=pm_politics_pop_b

Edited July 6, 2015 by DRW50

[MichaelGL]

Sigh. Another embarrassment out of my home state. It's both funny and sad.

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[heffer]

And the wifey comes from a big union family. They must be so proud.

[DRW50]

I saw that rant - he's a huge Confederate flag supporter. There's a shocker. Let's focus on the real issues, like the devil in a rainbow light!!!

Interesting article.

http://www.thenation.com/article/theres-reason-gay-marriage-winning-while-abortion-rights-are-losing/

[DRW50]

Gov Googly Eyes continues to race to the right, as the media does backflips to still try to show us how mainstream he is.

Here he is saying the minimum wage is "lame":

http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/walker-dismisses-minimum-wage-lame

And here he is supporting a policy that cast gay men as sexual predators going after kids:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2015/07/14/scott-walker-boy-scouts-ban-on-gay-leaders-protected-children/