a clown car full of millionaires: the 2016 presidential primary thread

pretty sure this is the movie

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOxJwINeQfw

guys I think JE's found his campaign slogan:

http://ww2.hdnux.com/photos/37/57/61/8322157/4/920x1240.jpg

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2015/07/17/jeb-bush-wants-to-be-the-uber-candidate-heres-the-problem-with-that/

Aaaaaaaaand Trump is done

Officially?

I get a story about him going after McCain, but nothing about dropping out.

Probably wrong about this, but I still don't think he's running, although maybe stick it out for some debate action? I always envision him saying something controversial enough at the right time where he could bow out....again, prob wrong. My mom just said she hopes El Chapo gets off a good, clean shot at him--which is why she is the best.

No not officially

Xp

The McCain thing is completely inexplicable to me. Even knowing that he'll say anything at anytime, his pronouncements do serve a purpose for the fringe part of his party that loves him. Same old story. But didn't it occur to him that even a good part of the converted he's preaching to will turn on him over this? (Not everyone, mind you--clearly there was part of the party who hated McCain in 2008.) There couldn't have possibly been any calculation here; I just don't see what he gains by this, other than the certainty he won't be in the debates and maybe (who knows) a quick exit.

I clicked on the trending story facebook link and saw the Rush Limbaugh thread as I scrolled down, so I clicked it out of morbid curiosity, and the comments I read are 100% pro-Trump, with some pretty nasty anti-McCain stuff. He does have his fans.

so this happened in Phoenix at the Netroots Nation conference, with Sanders and O'Malley

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/jul/18/martin-omalley-bernie-sanders-interrupted-hecklers-phoenix

McCain is even more reviled amongst the true believers now than he was in 08.

the Clinton Train is already circling the wagons vs Bernie -- and it's Anthony Weiner to the rescue!

http://observer.com/2015/07/hearing-footsteps-fake-ass-progressives-rush-to-demonize-bernie-and-lionize-hillary/

it is shocking to me how many of my friends are throwing in for Sanders, who I'd consider a sure loss against generic (R)

u know i love you, man, but VOTERS ARE NOT POLITICIANS. STOP STRATEGIZING.

hey Karl are you cool with doing 3 people's jobs y/n: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/21/us/politics/jeb-bush-promises-to-curb-lobbying-and-cut-size-of-government.html?_r=0

https://twitter.com/thegarance/status/623226841487273984

lol i need to read this henwood article; i just came here with this tweet:

https://twitter.com/DougHenwood/status/622801207942324224

where he kinda sorta wonders out loud whether the #BLM protests against the Unhillary candidates was a ratfuck

aren't #readyforhillary so

her absence from the event was cuuuurious

fits with my New Nixon template

xposts i doubt i'll be in the biz for much longer anyway, but we're already struggling with imposed attrition as it is.

there's at least an element of truth in this, though:

“There are a lot of exemplary employees in the federal government, but they’re treated no better than the bad ones,” Mr. Bush said. “And the bad ones are almost impossible to effectively discipline or remove.”

my big achievement this weekend was getting my mom to agree not to vote for scott walker, if it comes to that. she didn't know about his whole thing with public employees.

"the bad ones are almost impossible to effectively discipline or remove.”

I have no doubt this is true, but forced downsizing by a third is a nonsensical way to address it

yep, although i think his plan wast to downsize by 10%, not a third (by only replacing one out of every 3 people who leave).

right sorry I was fixated on the 3-for-1 formula

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/polltracker/abc-wapo-poll-trump-mccain

A poll released on Monday showed that real estate mogul Donald Trump had skyrocketed to a commanding lead nationally in the Republican presidential field prior to his criticism of Sen. John McCain's (R-AZ) military career.

The latest Washington Post/ABC News poll found that Trump topped the crowded Republican field with 24 percent support among Republicans and Republican-leaning Independents.

While those numbers were the best of all Republican candidates, the poll showed support for him may have dropped following his disparaging comments about McCain's time as a prisoner of war. McCain, a Navy veteran and longtime Republican senator, was a POW in Vietnam for five years.

Most of the telephone interviews took place before Trump's comments were reported on Saturday, but according to the Washington Post, the decline in support was statistically significant. It's unclear how much his criticism of McCain will negatively affect the Trump campaign.

Trump has pulled the same stunt twice: blow the dogwhistle in the form of a "joke" (Mexicans are all rapists, drug dealers, well maybe there's a few honest ones too) and then blame mass media for the uproar. The McCain POW comment is only going to play well with the fringe that McCain rightly labelled "crazies." He's too outspoken, and thin-skinned, to pull it off many more times before something explodes. He's gonna be a treat on the debate stage, if that happens.

treat = emetic

And John Kasich is getting into the field. Ugh.

sweet 16

Looking at realclearpolitics' poll-of-polls, 24 is the high water mark for Republican candidates in polls - Christie hit it once, in November 2013, just after his re-election.

Why do we not like Kasich? I don't know anything about him, saw a bit on TV where he seemed nice, bland, probably a RINO, which at least differentiates him from most of these goons.

http://thinkprogress.org/health/2015/06/29/3674322/abortion-ohio-budget/

Kasich is a monster

Yeah, figures.

http://www.politico.com/story/2015/07/john-kasichs-anger-management-120345.html

are you ready for the Kasichuation

https://mlpforums.com/uploads/post_images/sig-3822884.cthulhu__s_seal_of_approval_by_hwango-d4rc81x.png

xxp that story made him sound a lot more human than most of these other candidates

I know Kasich from his political collabs with Bono in the early '00s and his FOX show. He's not very bright but he gives the impression of being someone who can at least be persuaded to change his mind.

Yeah, that's kinda what I was getting at. Republicans and abortion legislation is going to be an ongoing battle, obviously, but when I saw him the day after gay marriage passed his comments were at least "let's see how this new law plays out" and not Jindal/Huckabee firebreathing.

Kasich is a Gingrich pal from their time working together in the House, and also later worked for Lehmann Brothers at the time they were doing damage to the economy, but since he pushed for Medicaid expansion in Ohio, and doesn't always do the firebreathing, he comes across more moderate than his overall record or his principles

Oh, lord, I just remembered all these fuckers are coming to Cleveland for the convention next summer. **starts planning vacation**

lmao

http://www.newsweek.com/trump-gives-out-lindsey-grahams-cell-phone-number-televised-speech-355899

amazing

hahahahahaaaaaaaaa

I just remember Kasich as Ohio governor constantly being in the news cutting things and cancelling things like transit or intercity rail that had been burbling their way through the system under his Dem predecessor. Obviously this is really vague. He's probably not the most heinous in the field, yeah, but maybe one of the more heinous that has a shot at appearing "moderate."

luckily the GOP has no use for "moderates"

kasich was mentioned as a dream rightwing candidate once, there was a lot of hope and speculation in 2012. my understanding is he's just strong on paper, a really weak pol in person. i can remember byron york talking about him as a candidate that has more supporters in a room before he speaks than after. he might be running for veep. it's interesting cuz i've seen sherrod brown mentioned as a possible veep pick for hillary though supposedly that slot is practically castro's already.

it's interesting cuz i've seen sherrod brown mentioned as a possible veep pick for hillary though supposedly that slot is practically castro's already.

well, Raul's older than Fidel

More on Kasich: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2015/07/20/what-ohio-gov-john-kasich-is-doing-to-public-education-in-his-state/

still trying to figure out how someone like him measures his seemingly-genuine Christian compassion with obliterating public school finding so that private schools can get taxpayer funding through vouchers. i guess it's ok if they're religious schools, eh?

if you're poor, you're in public school, therefore you don't work hard enough