Way too early democrat primary thread

This was predictable. It's a shame. Jim Webb is a good man and a patriot, but he's a man without a party. He's too populist for the GOP and too conservative, too supportive of the military, and lacks the identity politics credentials for the Democrats. If Trump is the GOP nominee, I could see him as a potential running mate.

 

I'd agree with all of that except Webb joining the Trump ticket. For the same reasons he didn't fit in the Democrat party, the R party establishment wouldn't accept him.

 

It felt weird writing that, but keep in mind that the GOP establishment isn't very accepting of Trump. They view him as a colossal wingnut. Though some of that is because of Trump's inflammatory rhetoric, a lot of it is because of his populism. In fact, I think they'd be more comfortable with a Web than with a Trump.

 

I'm sure Trump would be more comfortable with Webb but eventually he'll need to fall in line with the party establishment if he wins the nomination. He needs them in the general election.

 

My new dream scenario -- Trump names Webb as his running mate, and then withdraws, dies, or otherwise becomes ineligible or unable to run. Webb steps up to the top of the ticket, and wins the election to become a Republican president. That would be fun, and good for the country to boot.

Please note -- the benefit of this plan is NOT the fact that Trump dies. I'd rather it be that he decides he didn't really want to be president after all. Death is just one of the ways he could become unable or ineligible to run.

 

I've heard of the idea of a Trump/Fiorna or Trump/Carson ticket. My hope would be that if Trump leads the ticket somebody who knows something about getting things done inside the beltway is added to the ticket -- Kasich? or maybe Rubio?

I think now it's pretty clear that Hillary is all but set to be the Democratic nominee. I don't know who she would add to the ticket, but as this election is playing out, I'm really concerned that the Democrats have trouble identifying and elevating young leaders who can inspire passionate support.

 

Since 1950, the U.S. has elected 3 presidents younger than 50 -- JFK (43), Clinton (46), and Obama (47) -- and 2 more younger than 55 -- Carter (52) and George W (54). The Republican candidate has been a decade or more older than the Democratic candidate 7 times in the last 10 elections (including three times by 2+ decades). The Republican has been younger only once, by 3 years:

2012: Romney (65) +14 v. Obama (51)
2008: McCain (70) +23 v. Obama (47)
2004: Bush (58) -3 v. Kerry (61)
2000: Bush (54) +2 v. Gore (52)
1996: Dole (73) +23 v. Clinton (50)
1992: Bush (68) +22 v. Clinton (46)
1988: Bush (64) +9 v. Dukakis (55)
1984: Reagan (73) +17 v. Mondale (56)
1980: Reagan (69) +13 v. Carter (56)
1976: Ford (63) +11 v. Carter (52)​

Hillary will be 69 on election day. That makes her the oldest Democratic candidate in a long time, but only a little older than the average (65.7) and median (66.5) for a Republican candidate.

 

LOL at the Trump/Fiorina ticket. Alpha Male vs. Alpha Female. Fiorina is a very smart and driven lady. Could she ever be willing to subjugate herself to a chauvinistic egomaniac like Trump?

I could see a Trump/Carson ticket although the party establishment certainly would want one of their own on the ticket (like Rubio).

 

I can't imagine a less relevant job than being Donald Trump's vice president. I can just imagine his first conversation with his VP.

"Let's get something straight. You're a loser, and I'm awesome. The only reason you're on the ticket is because I had to put somebody on it, and a bunch of overpaid Jewish consultants told me to pick you.

Second, the people love me, and that means everybody. The blacks love me. The Mexicans (referring to all Latinos) absolutely adore me. The Orientals (referring to all Asians) love me. White guys obviously love me. Women of all backgrounds love me and secretly want to sleep with me. Ditto for the gays. None of them give a crap about you.

Third, you have one job to do for the next 8 years - shut up. You are never to speak for me or the Administration. Trust me. Nobody cares what you have to say.

Fourth, some VPs advise their presidents or try to promote their agenda. That's not going to be you. I don't give a damn what you think and don't want to hear from you. My agenda is to make America great, and only I can promote that. If you want to promote something, promote repealing the 22nd Amendment.

In short, stay out of my way, and don't try to steal my glory. Follow my rules, and if I feel like it, I'll send you an autographed picture of me in 8 years, or more if you're able to get the 22nd Amendment repealed. However, I doubt that a loser like you has the brains or competence to pull off something like that."

 

Deez, you're looking at it wrong. Being Trump's Vice President will be a crowning achievement in the world of Reality TV. Celebrity Apprentice -- Vice President of the United States of America. Wouldn't it be fun to watch the puncturing of egos when we hear, Christ Christie (or Ted Cruz, or Carly Fiorina) You're Fired!

 

You may be right, but if you are, that's really pathetic. What out essentially means is that being Trump's apprentice on TV has more prestige than being vice President of the US.

 

Some liberal commentators have said one should read up on the climate change-terrorism connection before dismissing it. So I did. Even if you fully and unquestioningly embrace the liberal view on climate change, it's pretty weak and attenuated. If feels very much like a conclusion looking for a rationale.

One could just as easily argue that a lack of beer and bacon leads to terrorism. If Muslims ate bacon and drank beer, they'd be fatter and drunker and therefore less likely to feel motivated to commit acts of violence, which are generally physically demanding. The climate change connection is much more attenuated than the beer/bacon connection.

 

Some are suggesting that this is a ruse by Clinton and Debbie Wasserman Schultz to rig the nomination.

 

Bernie Sanders handled this pretty well, IMHO.

 

I'm so sick of Hillary. I really wish Bernie would win the primary.

 

Hillary says: To all of you that don't like me

 

Yep. I can at least respect Bernie Sanders as a guy who tells it like it is (at least as he sees it). You can call him a socialist. You can call him far Left. You can call him wrong. But you can't call him a fraud.

And in an era of slick politicians, it's refreshing to see a dude who gets out of bed without combing his hair, puts on his $80 wrinkled suit, and says what he really believes.

 

He's the left version of Ted Cruz, albeit a more disheveled version.

 

Oh god, what a horribly insulting comparison. Unless you're just saying he's the complete opposite in every possible way.

 

I'm not so sure. First, setting aside politics (where I align closer to Cruz than to Sanders), Cruz is so sanctimonious and stuffy that I question his authenticity. He's not a blatant fraud like Hillary Clinton is, but I don't sense that the guy you see on TV is particularly similar to the Ted Cruz you'd see lounging around the house with his nuts hanging out the bottom of his shorts. I think the Sanders you see on TV is basically the real guy.

Second, I think Cruz's strategy is far more calculated, disciplined, and methodical, and I think he's tailoring his rhetoric to that strategy. He did the same thing to win his Senate seat. I don't see anything like that from Sanders. I see a guy who's got his own message that hasn't changed much in 40 years basically winging it with little regard for the optics. On the more negative side, I think he's less careful. For example, Cruz would never get into something like data problem Sanders is in, and if he did, he'd never have the humility to say he was sorry or admit he screwed up.

 

Let me explain more clearly. My impression of Cruz isn't that he's a political opportunist but rather an ideologue. I understand his reversal on immigration but I haven't seen any evidence of pandering to certain segments outside of that significant change. When he says "I say what I do and I'll do what I say" I believe him. That's as far as my comparison to Sanders goes. Where Sanders doesn't seem to care about his appearance, Cruz is best described as "smarmy" in a used car salesman vein.

 

Is it weird that their debate moderator hugged both candidates?

 

Someone dropped in an old SNL skit

 

Thought this was pretty great--
MSNBC reporter shocked and even offended that some female college students object to Hillary playing the gender card

 

One year ago -- The NBC/Marist had it: Hillary 69%, Bernie 13%

http://newscms.nbcnews.com/sites/ne...otated_questionnaire_nbc_news-marist_poll.pdf

 

Why? Fox News hugs all Republicans every day.

 

Video or it didnt happen

 

didn't know the rules and don't care enough to find it. I did not mean it literally.

Got used to looking for your posts on the Recruiting thread because you always had good information and points of view, I don't.

This subject and religion is dangerous so I avoid it, even with my ill informed sister.