Josh writes: From over on the UK side of the pond the 2016 US Presidential election is a bit of a mystery. What should we think?
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Josh writes: From over on the UK side of the pond the 2016 US Presidential election is a bit of a mystery. What should we think?
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Doh!
Two words…Supreme Court.
Sadly, the SCOTUS has become(always was?) hopelessly politicized and the current (and future) set of judges are beholden to the party of the President who nominates them. Their decisions appear (to me at least), in large part, to mirror the desired political outcome of the party that placed them there, regardless of how tortured the legal logic has to be to arrive at the desired outcome. SCOTUS was envisioned as a ‘neutral arbiter’ between the Congress & the Executive to ensure that neither gained too much power and established a defacto ‘dictatorship’. I fear that they have failed in that mission and the Executive Branch is perilously close to obtaining the ‘defacto’ dictatorship that Jefferson feared so much.
It is my personal belief that the ‘balance of power’ of the Executive/Legislative/Judicial branches no longer functions in the American system of government. specifically the Legislative Branch has become effectively powerless, which is NOT what was intended.
I think it is working just fine. The proof of balance of power is an empty seat at the SCOTUS since February. Everything in our Constitution is about LIMITING government power whether it is their power over us or power of one branch over another. Witness the the “beauty” of dictatorships and royalty who have no such limitations – and be THANKFUL!
The president govern by executive orders and executive acreements.
The state Attorneys General and US Attorney General have strong political affiliation.
The judges in supreme court are selected by their political tendencies.
Everything has become politicised. There is not much integrity left.
Why is the president so important? Because he has too much power.
The Original Mike M: I see one empty seat on the Supreme Court. Beyond that, I see everything Obama wanted passed, no penalty for disobeying laws even when the Supreme Court agrees a law was broken, Republicans falling over themselves to increase the debt and work out every possible deal with Obama before he leaves office, hours of so-called Congressional hearings that yield no changes whatsoever—and you call this “separation of powers” working? I would hate to see what happens if it didn’t work. For all practical purposes, Obama has been a dictator, getting everything he wants by hook or by crook. The legislature refused to say “no”, the Supreme Court refused to enforce “no”. We have one man running the country. Whether that’s a good idea depends on whether or not one wants a democracy or one-man rule.
Try voting a dictator out of office.
More so by beliefs. Republican nominated Roberts is hardly beholden to Republicans or Democrats. Republican nominated Warren turned out to be hyper progressive. The supreme court is our only hope really which is why it’s so important to pick good ones. Sadly the last few were picked based on gender and race. Drain the Swamp.
The supreme court did not always have 9 justices. since they have assumed the role of setting long lasting government policies by establishing final legal precedent, I think there is wisdom in having am even number of justices. More ties would be a good thing, since it would indicate am issue that is a bit of a toss up that should not be decided with finality at the moment.
The Case for Shrinking the Supreme Court
Read at: http://www.nationalreview.com/article/441188/supreme-court-2016-election-fewer-justices-would-curb-power
Reality check, the problem is NOT the people in government, the problem is us for electing them. It isn’t Obama’s fault or Republican’s fault or the Supreme Court’s fault – it is OUR fault! It is still OUR government and we are the ones responsible for them being there. The TEA Party was the direct result of that thinking, WE have to fix OUR government by electing people who actually care more about our country than stuffing their pockets or bolstering their celebrity status on nightly MSM news.
So yes there is a problem but whining about it ain’t the solution. The solution starts with you and me electing honest leaders instead of lying thieving cheaters.
But WE are busy voting ourselves money as Ben Franklin warned about.
Agreed.
What is probably needed is to remove ALL pay from elected government positions (House, Senate and Pres/VP for federal and Gov, Senate and Reps for the states) both State and Federal. This would eliminate a goor portion of the federal and state budgets and give incentive for those in power to not remain as permanent fixtures.
Provide both Federal and State House/Senate Housing and meals for when the senate is in session but no form of paycheck and no retirement/pension.
Perhaps then there won’t be legislaters that are in there for 30 years, they might all be single termers.
And/or enact strict term limits of only 2 terms for any office, even 2 year seats.
The Original Mike M,
“Reality check, the problem is NOT the people in government, the problem is us for electing them.”
Irrational on the face of it, to me. If and only if there IS a problem with (at least some) people in the government, is there any reason to even speak of there being a problem at all . . This looks to me like some elitist “blame the little people for what we do to them” bullshit.
The digital mike m
Here is the British bill of rights dating from 1689
https://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/evolutionofparliament/parliamentaryauthority/revolution/collections1/collections-glorious-revolution/billofrights/
It dates from the glorious revolution and was partly modelled on the magna charta from 1215
They progressively placed severe limitations on the power of our monarch. A good part of the US bill of rights derives from it.
Whether the president circumvents his powers I will leave it to others to decide.
Tonyb
The government was set up based on balance of powers and a limited role. Over time that had been systematically dismantled, to the point that no branch of government is really kept in check by others.
The president can veto spending, but congress has nothing reducing them from running up obscene amounts of debt. And ultimately, both parties benefit from overspending, so there is really no check. Judges and the president can be impeached, but in practice this never happens. Just look at hillary, above the law and totally unaccountable to anyone.
We need to take the hard lessons of the last several centuries and have a convention of states to put things back on track. A balanced budget amendment would be a good start. term limits on politicians and politically appointed judges would be another step in the right direction.
Yep
I reckon Americans are caught between a rock and a hard place…….both candidates are awful. However if you want a change and a shake up vote Trump, if you want much of the same insane politics vote Clinton and ignore both of their awful shortcomings.
Mind you thats just my opinion from across the pond.
You sound like a well-informed American voter.
/grin
Now that’s an oxymoron.
There are plenty of well-informed American voters.
American voters are well-informed IS and oxymoron.
If you don’t understand the difference you ARE uniformed.
As another Brit with much affection for the USA, I strongly endorse your comment.
+1
if you want much of the same insane politics vote Clinton…
…It’s amazing to me how the very people that complain about corruption in politics…are willing to put a criminal and mafia enterprise back in office
And another +1. Hilary makes Nixon look like a paragon of virtue, and Trump makes a lettuce look like Einstein. Whichever way this blows we’re all in for interesting times.
Trumps problem isn’t lack of brains, it’s lack of political experience. All us non-politicians would make similar asinine comments. Kinda why I like the guy.
@USexpat, you hit the nail on the head. Trump is voicing everything we think and as a matter of fact , I think he is actually quite constrained in his language compared to many of us.
Just out of curiosity, is there anyone here who actually thinks they are more intelligent than Mr. Trump? . . Or that they could have done a better job under the circumstances?
I suspect not . . . I suspect many are just taking the opportunity to pretend . .
John,
Trump isn’t stupid. Just ignorant. Many here are both smarter and better informed than he is.
I was appalled by his performance in the primary and general election debates. His ignorance is profound, but he can learn. By now he might even know what the nuclear triad is.
Had he been disciplined enough to prepare for the first debate, he could have crushed Clinton. She pitched him slow balls right over the plate. How could a guy in the real estate business not have taken the chance to knock out of the park her comment about the bad economy Obama and she inherited from Bush.
Instead of pointing out that it was the Clinton administration and Democrats in Congress which insisted on adding the subprime slime onto repealing Glass-Steagall, all he could do was spout about NAFTA again. Then Rubin promptly left the administration to cash in at Citi on the new opportunity he’d just created.
Bush’s first SecTreas tried to rein in Fannie and Freddie, but Frank’s line-in boyfriend at Fannie squelched that effort. Bush’s main contribution to the financial meltdown of 2007-09 was moving 500 FBI agents from bank fraud investigation to counter-terror after 9/11, without replacing them, which would have required increased funding from Congress. And his then SecTreas Paulson’s attack on Lehman after bailing out Bear Stearns, deviously engineered by Soros.
With the least preparation, Trump could have replied effectively to that howler by Clinton and many others upon which he failed to capitalize.
Chimp,
“Many here are both smarter and better informed than he is.”
Mass mind reader/appraiser, eh? . . I can’t compete with that ; )
Last time I looked there were 5 choices for President/VP on the ballot, plus a write in slot.
Unforunately Write ins are only protest votes unless the write-in is organized and possibly criminal. What is truely needed is a “None of the Above” choice that if gives the majority of votes, would force a new round of elections while the “Line of Succession” temporarily assumes power.
Currently
2 Speaker of the House of Representatives Paul Ryan
3 President pro tempore of the US Senate Orrin Hatch
4 Secretary of State John Kerry
5 Secretary of the Treasury Jack Lew
6 Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter
7 Attorney General Loretta Lynch
8 Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell*
9 Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack
10 Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker
11 Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez
12 Secretary of Health and Human Services Sylvia Mathews Burwell
13 Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julian Castro
14 Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx
15 Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz
16 Secretary of Education John King, Jr.
17 Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert McDonald
18 Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson
Just remember that the oligarchy of left wing politicians, big money, media and academia have worked hard to create misleading impressions of the choices. It is only because events have over taken The narrative that other, apparently more correct views, are being heard.
We Brits have the Godless Pat Condell to tell us what to think and he is for Trump, Katie Hopkins is also very good value.
Thoroughly recommend Pat Condell’s videos (on Youtube). He speaks with a clear voice and cuts through the crap.
+ 1
Well, now that the FBI has reopened the Clinton case, I don’t think she has a chance…
I give her more than a chance….
The Clinton’s have been running a mafia shake down operation…getting protection money from people, businesses, and countries..lying about everything
..and the Democrat party has been 100% behind it
Democrats will vote for anyone as long as they have the democrat label…
…republicans voters are a mess….he’s not smart enough, he’s not religious enough, he’s not blah blah blah
And they are going to put this criminal mafia enterprise back in office…and that’s what both political parties want
Pretty much spot on
Just like here in the UK, you sometimes wonder if there shouldn’t be a box marked ‘none of the above’.
TinyCo2: AFAIK the US elections allow for a ‘write-in’ candidate so you can add your own choice if you wish.
But because of the winner take all system, a vote for a third party candidate or write in is a wasted vote.
When you vote for the lesser of two evils, you are still voting for evil.
..Come on MarkW, show some examples of his being…EVIL !!
It’s a saying Marcus. Surely you’ve heard it before.
Hillary is criminal.
Trump is criminally stupid.
MarkW says:
Trump is criminally stupid.
Sadly, you’ve bought into the media’s narrative.
Anyone who believes that Donald Trump is “criminally stupid” is head-nodding along with the media’s talking points. Ask yourself: how could such a stupid person earn billions of dollars? And it certainly wasn’t luck; he made his fortune over 40 years by producing what people want (122 skyscrapers, hotels, golf courses, resorts, convention centers, etc.) You can’t be stupid for 4 decades and still end up a billionaire.
You also can’t produce that much wealth by cheating your investors, or anyone else. Isn’t it telling that after four decades of being in the public eye, there isn’t a long line of former associates, business partners, children, investors, wives, partners, or others who worked with and for Donald Trump, who have joined the media’s monkey-pile on him? Just based on that metric, Trump is exceptional. It means he treats people right. That can’t be said about his opponent.
There is no doubt that the folks nearest him have been offered plenty to put their names on a “tell all” anti-Trump book. The people who know him best were given a golden opportunity to ‘get even’. But aside from the (plainly fabricated) handful of women who suddenly appeared late in the campaign claiming ‘unwanted sexual advances’, no one who was close to Trump over the years has had anything bad to say about him. Doesn’t that tell you anything?
Contrast that with his opponent. She has accumulated a ≈$200 million fortune in only a few years. How did she do that? The answer is simple: by corruption and treachery: selling out our country — for money!
As Secretary of State, HRC sold past, present, and future government access. That is illegal. Worse, she sold her gov’t positions to conniving foreigners (Saudis, etc.), and to hostile foreign governments (Russia, Iran, etc.). For example, while she was Secretary of State, Mrs. Clinton sold a large U.S.-controlled uranium stockpile to Russia (which duly paid her half a million dollars for a short speech).
There are dozens of other examples of her corruption, going back more than forty years. Why isn’t the media discussing them? Even more importantly, why aren’t we discussing the policy differences between the candidates? Isn’t that what elections are about?
Instead, all we see are comments about Trump’s hair, or HRC’s projection: imputing her own faults onto her opponent. She says he’s “dangerous” — while she issues warmongering comments trying to incite a war with Russia. And she labels his supporters as gun-toting rednecks. Everyone who supports Donald Trump is in her “basket of deplorables”. Half the country was insulted, simply because they won’t bow down to Hillary Clinton.
But if her policy proposals were discussed instead, she would be trailing badly. Voters don’t agree with her stated policies that our borders should be “dissolved”, and that people who are here illegally will be made legal by her decree “within the first 100 days” of her election.
Rather, we’re treated to gossip, innuendo, and half-baked opinions; bread and circuses for a country dumbed down by government .edu factories.
Instead of discussing policies, the MSM breathlessly reports on what amounts to unsubstantiated gossip. That has had the intended effect: even folks who should know better now say that DT is “criminally stupid”.
It’s pretty scary when otherwise intelligent people start repeating whatever Big Media tells them, which is always easier than thinking for themselves. For one thing, it means Goebbels was right. So was George Orwell.
But if the media is successful, it means this, too: the internet gave the Dems a good scare, and they intend to fix that. This will be the last Administration with a free speech internet. If anyone thinks there’s a little bit of censorship lately… just wait. You will look at this as the ‘good old days’ of internet free speech.
“Trump is criminally stupid.”
You cause me to suspect you’re insane, sir.
JohnKnight,
Mark isn’t alone. What he’s doing has been programmed into millions of voters being bombarded daily by incessant, one-sided media propaganda. Even folks who usually think for themselves tend to take the easy way, and just head-nod along. Because thinking is hard; head-nodding is easy.
If Mark considers every accusation made about Donald Trump, and discards everything that hasn’t been verified, that eliminates ≈97% of Trump’s ‘faults’. If they had any real dirt on him, it would have been repeated every hour of the day, wouldn’t it? But all they have are their fabricated stories, and their innuendo, and their lies about a very successful businessman.
They are lying about him, Mark. That’s because they really don’t have anything factual. Goebbels was right, and the Big Lie tactic is being used effectively in this election. You’re a smart guy. Instead of believing what they say, deconstruct it. What’s left?
Counter the media spin by comparing the differences between the candidates through the ‘projection’ lens: Hillary is using psychological ‘projection’ as a tactic. (Projection is imputing her own faults onto her opponent.) Here are a few of many examples:
“Trump is dangerous”. Wrong. HRC is dangerous. As Secretary of State she sold more than 20% of America’s uranium stockpile to Russia, then lied about it. Furthermore, she was paid a $500,000 bribe by Russia to expedite the sale.
She has made bombastic comments threatening war with Russia — yet she claims her opponent is “dangerous”! Do you see how her projection is being used? There are other examples showing how dangerous a President she would be.
She also agreed to give Iran $150 billion! (She could have held up the payment as leverage to free the American citizens still being held by Iran… but she didn’t even try.)
“Trump is incompetent”. More projection: HRC is incompetent. Can anyone name one outstanding thing she’s ever accomplished for our country? Not something good for Hillary, but something good for America. Name one thing.
“Trump declared bankruptcy”. Yes, 4 times. When states bordering New Jersey abruptly decided to allow gambling, several casinos under construction lost their revenue base. Trump’s projects weren’t the only ones that ended up in bankruptcy.
But four bankruptcies out of hundreds of major projects is an outstanding record of achievement. On the other hand, HRC has pocketed more than $100 million over the past eight years… but for what, exactly? Trump has produced massive wealth, and the skyscrapers and other projects he built all provide an endless flow of government tax revenue. But what did HRC ever produce to earn her fortune? Can anyone name a single thing?
Most importantly, Trump is a fighter! Is there any doubt about that? Most candidates would have folded by now, but he keeps on coming at them. Hillary is clearly terrified, since she’s still hiding out. The latest news clips clearly show her growing desperation.
Our choice is between a fighter, and someone who constantly hides out, taking pot-shots from the safety of carefully scripted events. Which kind of President do we want? A fighter? Or someone who hides out?
We need to make the best choice. That means disregarding all the media lies and ad hominem attacks. If voters decided based on the candidates’ verified records, and on their stated policies, the choice would be a no-brainer. But the media keeps people fixated on petty gossip, and it never allows much discussion of the policies that will directly affect us.
We can either have a real fighter, who has proven his business bona fides over half a century… or, we can head-nod along and vote for an incompetent, ethics-challenged, self-serving coward who hides out in safety, letting the media do her fighting for her. That’s no different from what Michael Mann and his ilk have been doing, is it?
In the final analysis it all comes down to this: Don’t be credulous; don’t believe anything without solid evidence… AKA: Don’t be a chump. Think for yourself.
dbstealey,
“Most importantly, Trump is a fighter!”
Check out the verbal judo he pulled on George Stephanopoulos . .
Each vote, in the American system, is quite a blunt instrument. It doesn’t leave much room for principled, nuanced expression. The place for that expression is in all the primaries and state contests, such as they are. Once we get to election day, voting “None of the above” is functionally like casting 1/2 vote each for both Trump and Hillary. It is like saying there is no difference between the two. And that is patently ridiculous.
They are both going to be disasters. Different disasters, but still disasters.
Mark says:
They are both going to be disasters.
Since you’re adept at predicting the future, can you give us a few stock tips?
As I (a Brit) have said to others, the US is facing either the election of a successful business man who knows how to put the right people in place to manage his companies and give them the incentive to do well; or a woman of incredible (allegedly) corrupt pedigree, who is quite at home with New-Speak and can hold opposing opinions at the same time and who wants to lumber the US with crippling power-supply systems while allowing the US’s enemies to prosper.
Exactamundo
Harry, Trump is NOT a successful business man, he hides his tax return so that you can’t find this dirty little fact. He bankrupts a Casino, how is that possible when the house is guaranteed a cut/profit!
Sun Spot,
You too? Head-nodding to the media’s narrative has become an epidemic!
Do you remember when Romney was falsely demonized, in exactly the same way that Trump is now?
Romney was everything the Democrats say people should be like: he had adopted a dozen kids of all races, he gave millions away to charity, he was a successful businessman, and a successful governor — and no one ever accused him of dishonesty, until he was nominated to run against Obama.
The very same day Romney was nominated, the DNC published a picture of him with a foot-long nose. The demonization went on from there. In other words, Romney’s opponent projected his faults onto Romney.
This time around it’s no different. So I have a question for you:
Why do you believe the same people? They’re demonizing the opponent by lying; they are imputing HRC’s faults onto her challenger.
HRC is being forced to amend at least five years of tax returns — but instead, you question her opponent’s?? And 95%+ of HRC’s “charity” giving went to her own family’s foundation, which is not a charity. Did you know that? Or are you just repeating selected media opinions, with no counterpoint?
HRC has never produced anything, but you still criticize four bankruptcies out of ≈150 major projects? Did you know that neighboring states decided to copy New Jersey’s legal gambling, and that change put quite a few projects into bankruptcy? Trump’s casinos were affected by that the loss of NJ’s monopoly, just like many other casino builders were. Instead, can you explain where Hillary’s hundred million dollar+ fortune came from? Take your time…
I’m amazed at the number of folks here who accept the media’s spin without question.
That’s right, Gov Romney, who was in fact running on the success of Romneycare, his signature legislation. It was the model for Obamacare.
It was waaay over-budget at the time he ran for president, and functioning because of federal aid.
Obamacare is adding to our debt and even the democrats are not saying much about it.
He was also deeply involved in forming the regional GHG initiative, an alliance between the northeastern states to develop renewables economic model.
Pay attention because the Exxon-knew attorneys general are basically the rggi states, and they appear to be trying to recruit the west coast states.
And finally,
Romney has endorsed Hillary Clinton along with jeb Bush. Good riddance.
So, Dbstealey, tell me, is it OK if the candidate you support grabs your wife’s genitals? He can get away with it because he’s a star right? Would your wife enjoy it? Would you?
Site Pest,
I just noticed that you’ve hijacked Richard Baguley’s screen name.
Hiding behind other readers’ names is cowardly. Why do you do it? Ashamed of who you are? OK, I can understand that.
Next, @Sunspot,
Your comment is simply green-eyed jealousy over a truly successful businessman. Mr. T has produced enormous wealth, entirely legally, for his investors and himself for more than forty years, becoming a multi-billionaire in the process. Isn’t that the American way? As I explained, neighboring states decided to legalize gambling after the New Jersey casinos were already under construction, forcing several developers to file for bankruptcy protection.
So why would you say “He bankrupts a casino”? That is simply disingenuous. No one can see the future, and if he or any of the other NJ casino developers had forseen neighboring states deciding to legalize gambling they all would have avoided bankruptcy. Duh.
You obviously aren’t a businessman, because four bankruptcies out of more than 150 major projects spanning 40+ years is a very good record. Sorry he’s not your idea of perfect. Which perfect candidate are you supporting?
As for “hiding” his tax returns, what’s your opinion of HRC’s family ‘foundation’? More than 95% of her ‘charity donations’ went into it, but were never paid out to any charity. Instead, the loot just sits there, waiting for her to take it out. And now HRC’s Foundation has been forced to ‘adjust’ the past five years of its tax returns. What do you think about that? …*crickets*
Next, what’s your opinion of this? Or are you just parroting the media’s partisan attacks? You know: ‘It’s A-OK for my candidate to hide out. But Trump has to do whatever I say’.
That’s OK, if it’s clear you’re campaigning for Hillary. Otherwise, clutching at your pearls and pretending to be shocked over only one candidate’s tax returns looks like hypocrisy in action.
Finally, do you remember HRC whining when they left the White House, saying that they were flat broke? Maybe you could answer this question for us:
“Hillary, you didn’t invent anything or start a business, so what PRODUCT did you sell to go from zero to $200 million on a government salary?”
~Donald Trump
OK, I will answer it for you: The ‘product’ she sold was her government position, and she was paid very well for selling out Americans. Foreign entities bribed her as Secretary of State, and even as first lady, along with her future position (if she gets in, by hook or by crook).
For example, Russia paid a half million dollar bribe to HRC as a quid-pro-quo for her sale of U.S. uranium assets to the erstwhile Soviets…
…but you’re in a tizzy over DT’s entirely legal, ethical, and ordinary business decisions? Where is your sense of perspective??
HRC’s total lack of ethics is regularly exposed. If you, me, or any ordinary citizen had done what she did, we would be in a federal penitentiary. Instead, she gets a free pass.
Why would you want to put a crook like that into a position that would allow her to loot the Treasury?
Phase two and three are about to play out after Crimea and the South China Sea. Next up is the rest of Ukraine, Taiwan, and the take down of the Saudis.
Not to mention the Baltic Sea
“What should we think?”
“Think” Mike Pence
“Because low-cost energy is vital to our economy, we need an all-of-the-above energy strategy, including energy efficiency. But know this, Indiana is a pro-coal state, and we must continue to oppose the over-reaching schemes of the EPA until we bring this war on coal to an end[1].”
Sounds fine to me.
[1] Pence, M: State of the State, 2015: http://www.in.gov/gov/files/2015StateoftheState.pdf
pence can think? all i know of him is his vain monologuing about creationism.
hard to fault the universal desire for pork lips now…
gnomish, If that is truly all you know about Pence, you are demonstrating a powerful input filter applied to facts that come your way.
SR
““Think” Mike Pence”
Good idea! 🙂 We need to start a new cadre of conservative leaders, and Pence looks like a good one from here.
As the Republican primary demonstrated, the Republican Party is a little light on leaders who have the pulse of the People. Instead, they have the pulse of the Elites. We need some non-Elites running the U.S., and the Republican party.
“USA elects” — potentially the worst President in US history, regardless of which of the 2 ‘major party’ candidates is elected. I’d say that it holds for the other two candidates as well, but thankfully we don’t have to contemplate what their Presidency might be like.
It is without doubt the worst {Presidential Candidates} I have ever been faced with ‘choosing’ among (I’m 66) and is the first Presidential election that has me seriously considering not voting for any of them… well, actually I wouldn’t be ‘voting for’ any of them in any case, I’d be selecting the one I think may cause the least damage and that is something I don’t think I can do.
Write in Cruz or Sanders then. At least then we’d have someone we can respect.
If you were hungary and a dedicated vegan, you’d choose to starve rather than eat cheese or meat? Well, you’re dedicated, definately.
What did poor Hungary have to do with anything…but hungry people should eat what prevents starvation.
I’d be selecting the one I think may cause the least damage and that is something I don’t think I can do….
…and this is exactly how democrats win elections
Liberals do not do this….they vote for a democrat no matter what and vote against a republican
And the only solution is for Republicans to become like Democrats, and support their sides candidate no matter how bad.
And thus my contention that it no longer matters who wins. The end of the Republic is in site.
either support the republican….or elect another democrat
Support the Republican and elect another Democrat.
Is ‘Draining the Swamp’ an environmental crime?
Seems to me you have to vote one in. Heads or tales. Then a vote of no confidence in him/her and get them out. Trey Gowdy to stand for president. He might not be in the party you want but he would Shaw get Americas respect back.
No such thing as a vote of “no confidence” or we’d be changing Presidents as often as we change clothes.
trey gowdy and pat condell!
In the UK we used to have Labour and Conservative. Now we have Red Labour and Blue Labour, with people voting Conservative thinking they are getting a conservative party but actually getting centrists liberals barely different from New Labour under the Blair creature. That Trump became the Republican candidate seems to me to be because the Republican party has done the same thing as our Conservatives and no longer represent those with a conservative outlook. The US system gives them a chance to reject that which we don’t have here.
Cheer up America !
You can vote again in four years time.
Millions, if not billions of people around the world have no such luxury.
Good luck and prosperity to all, whoever you vote for.
Assuming we can still freely vote. Elections may become like they are in communist countries—you vote for the candidate you are told to vote for. Not free elections.
We do still have that choice, but people seem less and less concerned about voting and candidates and more and more concerned about the handouts from their goverment. They speak of the “new normal” of violence in the streets, riots, etc. Democracy only lasts if people are actively engaged in the process. Hopefully, they are.
Or as Stalin said, “what matter’s is who counts the votes”.
The reports of illegal voting and voting irregularities are getting more common every year.
Americans are getting more and more like British, starting to whinge about everything. British whine about the EU, Brexit or anything from a bit of the extra summer sunshine to few drops of winter’s snowflakes. They’ve done numerous Brexits from the various corners of the Empire, so what’s to complain about now.
Americans use to be go and get people, but now only few Clintoniers and a few Trumpetiers are standing fast, the rest just whinge and whine, mone and groan because they don’t like their presidential choice.
Americans cheer up, the world still believes in you.
The best action can be found at Reddit and O’keefe’s.
Lotsa fun, and cartoons too!
https://www.reddit.com/r/The_Donald/
https://twitter.com/JamesOKeefeIII
Don’t get your panties in a knot, it doesn’t matter who you vote for, what matters is who counts the votes and in America, Soros counts the votes in the following states: Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Virginia, California, District of Columbia, Illinois, Louisiana, Missouri, New Jersey, Oregon, Washington and Wisconsin.
Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2016/10/18/soros-connected-company-provides-voting-machines-in-16-states/#ixzz4OfGscJZC
It will be worth electing Trump. If nothing else the demand for Depends on the staff of The Economist will go through the roof. Another rag down the tubes after some Germans bought it. Not that it was all that good a couple of years ago either.
As an Englishman, I would very much like to see Trump triumph. I think he’d be good for the US. But most of all, it would stuff one up the organisations here who would hate to see it, like the BBC (and so many newspapers). He also supported Brexit, and I thank him for that. We’ve been set free (almost). to all our friends in the US, I really hope you get Trump, because he will actually put your country first. Clinton has agendas, and she even scares me over here in the UK! She’s too unbalanced.
Clinton is also bought and paid for by George Soros.
Isn’t everything?
Clinton has agendas…mafia enterprise
What should we think?…..
That the news media is just as corrupt and criminal as one of the candidates.
That one candidate should be in jail…and the other says nasty things.
…all the wrong people are telling me to not vote for Trump
As usual in any of the recent elections, either in the States or Britain, the joke is on the electorate. Those in power get rich by milking the system, while ordinary wage earners pay the bill. I don’t see the current style of western democracy lasting much longer as it is becoming too obvious that the whole system is corrupt.
To the contrary Tenuc, these people are going to turn the entire WORLD into one, giant, global market, with individual governments elected in crooked elections, and lawyers running everything basically for themselves, since there’s never anyone to teach all the poor, how to be a cunning manipulopath in business yet not be an outright criminal.
The world’s governments are going to become MORE like this not less, and they’re going to consider it a helluva improvement while the West will bemoan the days when all was well in WestWorld, and everybody else could suck it.
As has been said many times before – it doesn’t matter who you vote for, the government still gets in….
first time i heard that one.
now i have to find room for another bumper sticker. 🙂
Have any of the anti Trump posters actually watched a rally on YouTube or are you parroting what the media has so successfully spoon fed (or more like shovel fed) you? Please quote what you have heard him say instead of the twisted reasoning the media has applied to what he actually said.
We have an extremely corrupt media in the US and you can not trust anything they say. This is why they are close to single digits on their reliability in the US. Trump could say “Thanks for coming on such a nice day” and the media would report “Trump thinks he is a weather man.” It is funny, Trump has employed female and minority executives throughout his career and guess what, they love him. He was one of the first ones to allow Jewish and Blacks into his country clubs and took a lot of flack for it. Now when you put a R (Republican) beside his name he is a racist and a misogynist. Just like global warming. If you don’t like the facts – spin them until everyone believes them.
The democrat party had a former Grand Wizard from the KKK as one of their leaders in the US Senate until he recently died and Hillary Lionized him after he passed! – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryweuBVJMEA The Wiki Leaks show that Hillary was using Brown Shirt techniques to incite viloence at Trump rallies – is there no limit to this woman’s corruption?
Remember there is only one candidate that is against future funding for Global Warming!
Also, to everyone who states you should vote for a third candidate – please research the way US elections work. We are not Ireland. We don’t have a Parliament. This is not a consensus election. At this point in our race it is between two candidates. If you vote for a third party you might as well stay home. Your vote has no meaning.
Hillary is the Global Warming of the Political Class. Watch one or two of Trump rallies before you respond to this comment. Just like the Global Warming debates, I really don’t like discussing this with the uninformed.
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DONALD J. TRUMP CONTRACT WITH THE AMERICAN VOTER
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Therefore, on the first day of my term of office, my administration will immediately pursue the following six measures to clean up the corruption and special interest collusion in Washington, DC:
FIRST, propose a Constitutional Amendment to impose term limits on all members of Congress;
SECOND, a hiring freeze on all federal employees to reduce federal workforce through attrition (exempting military, public safety, and public health);
THIRD, a requirement that for every new federal regulation, two existing regulations must be eliminated;
FOURTH, a 5 year-ban on White House and Congressional officials becoming lobbyists after they leave government service;
FIFTH, a lifetime ban on White House officials lobbying on behalf of a foreign government;
SIXTH, a complete ban on foreign lobbyists raising money for American elections.
On the same day, I will begin taking the following seven actions to protect American workers:
FIRST, I will announce my intention to renegotiate NAFTA or withdraw from the deal under Article 2205
SECOND, I will announce our withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership
THIRD, I will direct my Secretary of the Treasury to label China a currency manipulator
FOURTH, I will direct the Secretary of Commerce and U.S. Trade Representative to identify all foreign trading abuses that unfairly impact American workers and direct them to use every tool under American and international law to end those abuses immediately
FIFTH, I will lift the restrictions on the production of $50 trillion dollars’ worth of job-producing American energy reserves, including shale, oil, natural gas and clean coal.
SIXTH, lift the Obama-Clinton roadblocks and allow vital energy infrastructure projects, like the Keystone Pipeline, to move forward
SEVENTH, cancel billions in payments to U.N. climate change programs and use the money to fix America’s water and environmental infrastructure
(etc at Trump website, 100 day plan)
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versus,
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Hillary’s 10 year plan
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“I won’t let anyone take us backward, deny our economy the benefits of harnessing a clean energy future, or force our children to endure the catastrophe that would result from unchecked climate change.”
-Hillary, November 29, 2015
Climate change is an urgent threat and a defining challenge of our time. It threatens our economy, our national security, and our children’s health and futures. We can tackle it by making America the world’s clean energy superpower and creating millions of good-paying jobs, taking bold steps to slash carbon pollution at home and around the world, and ensuring no Americans are left out or left behind as we rapidly build a clean energy economy.
On day one, Hillary Clinton will set bold, national goals that will be achieved within 10 years of taking office:
Generate enough renewable energy to power every home in America, with half a billion solar panels installed by the end of Hillary’s first [jail] term.[cough]
Cut energy waste in American homes, schools, hospitals and offices by a third and make American manufacturing the cleanest and most efficient in the world.
Reduce American oil consumption by a third through cleaner fuels and more efficient cars, boilers, ships, and trucks.
Hillary’s plan will deliver on the pledge President Obama made at the Paris climate conference—without relying on climate den[y]ers in Congress to pass new legislation. She will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 30 percent in 2025 relative to 2005 levels and put the country on a path to cut emissions more than 80 percent by 2050.
(etc, ad nauseum at crooked Hillary’s website)
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Why would a skeptic or disbeliever not vote for Trump?
+1
{{Why would a skeptic or disbeliever not vote for Trump?}}
Is that a joke? Why would anyone vote for a narcissistic imbecile like Trump?
because the other one is a criminal
While I think Trump speeches are so shallow they damn near bead up, and I did not support him in the primaries, he is most definitely not Hillary Rodham Clinton (you did want a reason to vote for Trump?)
As opposed to the narcissistic criminal?
I’ve never heard Trump cackle with glee over the death of another human being, like Hillary the naked psychopath did on TV recalling her role in the extra-judicial slaughter of Qaddafi.
(“I know Hillary is going to laugh quite a bit tonight…sometimes even at an appropriate moment” – Trump)
Not once in my life have I witnessed an imbecile become both billionaire and adored American icon.
http://82.221.129.208/trumpmugger.jpg
In fact, I never heard a single harsh word spoken about Trump until he announced he was running for President.
Isn’t that strange?
Have you even been paying attention?????
While you were soaking your tiny incompetent brain in propaganda from the MSM, I was actually paying attention. Let me demonstrate…
* Roughly 2/3rds of Americans distrust mainstream media: mainstream media hates & fears Trump, loves Hillary.
(“All the wrong people are telling me to not vote for Trump.” – Latitude)
* Roughly 2/3rds of Americans rate “corruption of government officials” as their greatest fear:
Hillary is the embodiment of a corrupt government official.
* Sanders was, in fact, more popular with Democrat voters than Hillary, but he didn’t have super-delegate support.
http://www.nationofchange.org/2015/wp-content/uploads/sanders-cnn-poll.jpg
* Sander’s supporters booed & jeered when he asked them to support Hillary at the DNC.
* Trump supporters booed and jeered Cruz when he refused to endorse Trump at the RNC.
* “Report: 46,000 Pa. Democrats Become Republicans Due To Trump” — CBS, March 10
* “Nearly Half of Sanders Supporters Won’t Support Clinton: Poll” – Bloomberg, July 22
In paying attention, I’ve noticed that Trump-haters are incapable of specifying even one policy they don’t like.
Funny that.
Funny how disagreeing with a candidate makes you a hater.
Makes you sound like a leftist.
Regardless, Trump’s trade policy is going to be a disaster.
That’s the big one for me.
our trade policy now is a disaster…
They sold a bunch of idiots on the idea they could buy crap cheaper if it was made overseas…
…and they were so stupid they didn’t realize what they were shipping overseas were their jobs
Latitude, one small problem.
None of that is true.
What are you talking about Mark….of course it’s true
…and the idiots didn’t think that without jobs…they can’t afford the cheap Chinese crap
The democrats said they would retrain them all in computer programming…and then imported computer programmers from India
U.S. trade policy is already a disaster. Trump certainly can’t do any worse, and I suspect he will do a lot better. Other nations are taking the U.S. to the cleaners over trade and have been doing so for years.
Because he’s the only one on the right side of the economy destroying issue that Hitlery is demonstrably on the wrong side of, and we can’t sustain (pun intended) another 4 years of that stupidity.
Because Trump is on the right side of the economy destroying “Climate Change” issue that Hit-lery is demonstrably on the wrong side of, as evidenced by the positions espoused by the candidates.
From Josh’s drawing – Florida, it’s always Florida.
For good reason. Factoid: 1/3 of Sunshine State Floridians have vitamin D deficiency from use of high SPF sunscreen. Factoid: 1/3 of Floridians aren’t from Florida. Factoid: Floridians imported melaleuca to dry the Everglades because they thought it was a swamp, not a river. Factoid: Florida has more invasive species than any other state, including giant Burmese pythons, poisonous lionfish, iguanas, and psyllids carrying the citrus greening bacterial disease.
I’m impressed by the fact that, with the full resources of the US government working for them, the Democrats haven’t been able to find anything to smear Trump with beyond a recording of some old locker room bravado. You would think that a top businessman should have a lot of dirty deals to hide.
Clinton has a lot of dirty deals fairly out in the open with the Clinton Foundation. But I suppose that anyone who enters politics ends up having to do dirty deals…
From the point of view of non-Yanks, Clinton seems to want to fight the Chinese and the Russians, which doesn’t fill me with confidence. Trump seems to have a vision of a 1950s Mid-West small-town America, with lots of small local businesses, lots of non-government self-help and a Federal government withdrawing from world affairs. I wonder how that will work in the back streets of Detroit…
The back streets of Detroit are not a president’s problem.
Talk to the mayor and maybe the governor.
Hear, hear!
Remind Michigan about States’ Rights. Your mess, your cleanup.
On another blog, one of our leftist members is claiming that since the Republicans refused to bail out Detroit, Detroit’s bankruptcy is 100% their fault.
“I’m impressed by the fact that, with the full resources of the US government working for them, the Democrats haven’t been able to find anything to smear Trump with beyond a recording of some old locker room bravado. You would think that a top businessman should have a lot of dirty deals to hide.”
That’s a very good point, DG. There is one week left. We will see the worst they have by then, if they have any more “worst”. Right now Donald is looking pretty clean. Compared to Hillary, he is pristine.
BTW, two of the women who Trump supposedly groped have come out publicly and said the news reports of this were completely false and taken out of context and both women said they loved Trump and that Trump had treated them with nothing but respect.
The Leftwing media will be correcting this story shortly. Don’t you think? No? Yeah, me neither.
I think this election is a time for judging the candiates on who they try to appeal to, and who is actually supporting them. Trump is running as a populist, and against the Establishment of both the government and his own nominal party. Hillary Clinton is a bad characture of an establishment politician, a conservative running as a purported progressive. She is, however, such a machine politician I wonder who the highest bidder was as far as determining what policy she will actually do.