The Next American President Thread (2016)

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  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    edited March 2016 Posts: 23,883
    -Build a fence won't cost much.
    -Pump money into defense while eliminating waste is what he's said. There is a lot of waste in the procurement process as it is
    -cut taxes works. It depends on what taxes. Corporate? Middle class? Or top of the pack? It's a matter of balance, as well as streamlining the voluminous tax code

    The deficits actually soared under this president too, although I understand he had a financial crisis of epic proportions to deal with. He did not address the bank problem and no democrat can with an obstructionist congress.

    As I said earlier, I think only a republican president can make the American political system work again. The congress will obstruct any democrat, and especially Clinton. The wounds are deep.
  • Posts: 1,631
    bondjames wrote: »
    -Build a fence won't cost much.
    -Pump money into defense while eliminating waste is what he's said. There is a lot of waste in the procurement process as it is
    -cut taxes works. It depends on what taxes. Corporate? Middle class? Or top of the pack? It's a matter of balance, as well as streamlining the voluminous tax code

    The deficits actually soared under this president too, although I understand he had a financial crisis of epic proportions to deal with. He did not address the bank problem and no democrat can with an obstructionist congress.

    As I said earlier, I think only a republican president can make the American political system work again. The congress will obstruct any democrat, and especially Clinton. The wounds are deep.

    The "wounds" are imaginary ones made up by the Republican leadership to justify them not doing their jobs. And I say this as someone who would identify as a Republican. The actions of my party have been nothing short of shameful over the past four years.

    The only appeal of Donald Trump is that he might end up destroying the entire government system. That's his only appeal. It's a shame that we can't get that kind of potential from a candidate with a realistic chance of winning that doesn't spout out bigoted rhetoric on a nearly daily basis.

    If Mitch McConnell won't hold hearings on Obama's SCOTUS nominee, then he and everyone who supports his efforts should be impeached. If I were Obama, I'd troll the Congress and nominate McConnell himself to the Supreme Court. It would be hilarious to watch him have to decide whether or not to block his own nomination. Either way he'd look like an even bigger idiot than he already is.
  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    Posts: 23,883
    I realize they have been self servingly obstructionist. There's no doubt about that. It won't change though. They are the tougher party in congress (by being so uncompromising). I think the only way to bring them along is from within. An outsider (e.g. Democrat) can't do it. If Obama with all his people power couldn't do it (no we can't!) then no one can from that party.

    What they're worried about is Trump on the top of the ticket may kill some of their congressional election seats. I sure hope so.
  • Posts: 1,631
    They'll only work with a Republican president, so things will get done under a Republican, but once we go back to a Democrat, it'll be back to obstructionism.

    The only way to fix the Republican party is to keep electing Democrats to the presidency and allow them to continue the obstructionism. Eventually the people will become fed up with it and revolt against them, which we're seeing somewhat with the rise of Drumpf. The attitude that is resulting in his rise will eventually, if allowed to fester longer, will either shame the current Republican lawmakers into doing their jobs, or find the electorate voting them out of office in favor of Democrats and Independents, or find those members forced out of office in the primary process like what we saw with Majority Leader Eric Cantor.
  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    Posts: 23,883
    Yes, you're probably right. We'll all be a lot older by the time they're all gone sadly. I was so happy when Cantor got the boot. He was awful.
  • Posts: 1,631
    The problem with Cantor's ouster was that he was replaced with someone unqualified for the job. If anything, the problem in Washington got worse because of Cantor's ouster, as he was replaced with a Tea Party candidate who is a professor at a small college in a small Virginia town.

    I was all for the idea of ousting Cantor, but it needed to be with someone who was 1) moderate and 2) qualified for the job.
  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    Posts: 23,883
    Correct again. However, the party at the congressional level is so far off the rails that it probably will take a few kicks at the can to bring it back from the dark side. I still prefer anyone to Cantor. He was just dangerous and too well funded. Tea party at the end of the day is populism of sorts, and I prefer that to insider backing from lobbyists.
  • Posts: 110
    JamesStock wrote: »
    HASEROT wrote: »
    Ted Cruz creeps me out.... plus i don't agree with where either he (or Rubio) stand with abortion.... I am, and have always been a Pro-Choice guy - a women shouldn't be told what she can and can't do with her own body - and bringing religion into it (and creating laws based off of said religion) makes things worse.
    I think Ted Cruz represents the old GOP with his all-or-nothing rhetoric. Whether the GOP likes it or not, it needs to adjust and step to the left a little (on social issues). If the primary process would just get a moderate through to a nomination, I think republicans would find a re-awakening and a ton of support in purple states.

    They don't have to be gung-ho, but at least make recognition that there are cases where abortions make sense. I wouldn't have an issue going one step further and stating, while it is wrong and unfair for the baby, at the same time, forced parenting (because, face it, most people who would have a baby probably won't give it up for adoption) just leads to problems for the child down the road. Chances are they wouldn't turn out to be republican-leaning either. Same with gay rights...who freaking cares...let them be. I don't know why the government doesn't just get out the business of determining marriage. Let it be spiritual and call legal marriage something different on the tax form.

    I totally agree with you on Cruz. I think he is a decent guy, but I don't think his farther right stance would win him the election. Again as I said above, I am a Christian, but even I find his religious rhetoric off putting.

    With Trump, I don't think you have to worry about abortions or gay rights. I think he is even liberal on those two issues, but regardless, his "big three" issues that he will be spending his time on if he wins the presidency would be the borders, terrorism and the economy. There may be a few far right social conservative voters who may complain and moan about his social issue beliefs, but too bad. You can't please everyone, and right now, the issues I mentioned that Trump would concentrate on are the hot button issues for most people.
  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    Posts: 23,883
    I agree. He has the pulse of the electorate right now, and social issues aren't where it's at.
  • Posts: 110
    FLeiter wrote: »
    You have to wonder what non-USA citizens must think now. You have one party that wants to: build a wall to keep out non-whites, encourage buying as many guns as your bunker will hold, tell women when they can have children, tell people who they can love, believe that climate change isn't proven and restrict voting rights of minorities.

    You have candidates who promise to bomb and slaughter people all over the world. But when they had the opportunity to actually join the military and stand a post, they had better things to do. Trump, Rubio, Cruz, Kasich and Carson have as much military experience as your basic house plant. We call them chicken-hawks.

    And then there's the other side.

    Oh please! Again with the fallacy that republicans and conservatives want to keep non-whites out of this country! First of all, several republicans signed on to the Gang of Eight bill that gave illegals amnesty, so right there your statement doesn't hold water. Second, regarding Trump who is against amnesty, he is against illegal immigrants coming in here. He has no problem bringing in non-white immigrants who are hard workers, will benefit the U.S. economy, and who come in here legally.

    What part of the word illegal do you not understand?!
  • Posts: 110
    TripAces wrote: »
    Trump sounds like a typical Republican to me:

    1. Build a fence
    2. Pump money into defense
    3. Cut taxes. Which means: how do we pay for #1 and #2?

    There's a reason deficits soar under Republican leadership.

    Since you chose not to respond to my illegal immigrant post above, I will try this. The reason we had a deficit soar under GW Bush was because he spent (especially towards the end) like a drunken sailor in the same style that the democrats spend. Some may have been warranted due to the economy tanking, but I certainly hold him accountable for the increase in the deficit as well.

    But this brings me to the rest of your post. If you feel that the U.S. is not in danger from drug dealers and terrorists that come through the border illegally, then you have been completely misinformed. Common sense says that when the borders aren't enforced, the worst of the worst can come walking in here pretty easily. And the reason we have to strengthen our defense is in case another major terrorist attack happens here. Like I said above, no more nation building or neoconservatives in office. But we still need a strong military to deter others from trying anything stupid, and we will use it if need be. I don't understand why people don't get that there is a price to pay if we still want to be the free society we are.
  • edited March 2016 Posts: 110
    dalton wrote: »
    The "wounds" are imaginary ones made up by the Republican leadership to justify them not doing their jobs. And I say this as someone who would identify as a Republican. The actions of my party have been nothing short of shameful over the past four years.

    The "wounds" as you call them are not imaginary. You sincerely don't think we have a problem with the border issue? Even if I don't listen to the talking heads from both parties, it's just common sense to believe that when we can't enforce our borders, bad people can come through here every day. Plus many good intentioned people coming here illegally for a better life are still taxing our hospitals and schools to the point where our government has no funding to pay for all of those people. So to say these are "imaginary wounds" is not a very accurate assessment on your part. And for someone who claims to identify as a Republican, you certainly don't sound like one in relation to where you stand on the issues.
  • Posts: 315
    FLeiter wrote: »
    You have to wonder what non-USA citizens must think now. You have one party that wants to: build a wall to keep out non-whites, encourage buying as many guns as your bunker will hold, tell women when they can have children, tell people who they can love, believe that climate change isn't proven and restrict voting rights of minorities.

    You have candidates who promise to bomb and slaughter people all over the world. But when they had the opportunity to actually join the military and stand a post, they had better things to do. Trump, Rubio, Cruz, Kasich and Carson have as much military experience as your basic house plant. We call them chicken-hawks.

    And then there's the other side.

    Oh please! Again with the fallacy that republicans and conservatives want to keep non-whites out of this country! First of all, several republicans signed on to the Gang of Eight bill that gave illegals amnesty, so right there your statement doesn't hold water. Second, regarding Trump who is against amnesty, he is against illegal immigrants coming in here. He has no problem bringing in non-white immigrants who are hard workers, will benefit the U.S. economy, and who come in here legally.

    What part of the word illegal do you not understand?!

    Was that the Gang of Eight bill that was never voted on, never passed and that Marco Rubio flipped on? It was stopped by House Republicans. Don't confuse activity with accomplishment.

    As to Donald Trump(a serial adulterer) and the undocumented aliens issue. He has no problem hiring undocumented workers to work on his current Old Post Office project in Washington. But some prefer not to look in mirrors before they speak.

  • edited March 2016 Posts: 1,631
    dalton wrote: »
    The "wounds" are imaginary ones made up by the Republican leadership to justify them not doing their jobs. And I say this as someone who would identify as a Republican. The actions of my party have been nothing short of shameful over the past four years.

    The "wounds" as you call them are not imaginary. You sincerely don't think we have a problem with the border issue? Even if I don't listen to the talking heads from both parties, it's just common sense to believe that when we can't enforce our borders, bad people can come through here every day. Plus many good intentioned people coming here illegally for a better life are still taxing our hospitals and schools to the point where our government has no funding to pay for all of those people. So to say these are "imaginary wounds" is not a very accurate assessment on your part. And for someone who claims to identify as a Republican, you certainly don't sound like one in relation to where you stand on the issues.

    If you go back and read the post I was responding to, you'd see you're taking me out of context with the "wounds" point.

    And, to your point, yes, we do have a problem with border security. Between 1981 and 2008, we had 20 years of Republican leadership in the White House. Did anything get done about border security then? No, I don't think that it did. The "wounds" comment was about how the Republicans feel about the Democrats under Obama. Obama is not the reason that we don't have border security. Reagan, Bush Sr., Clinton, Bush Jr., and Obama are part of the reason we don't have border security. The bigger reasons are both the Democrats and the Republicans. So, yes, the "wounds" are imaginary as they relate to the Republicans' feelings towards the Democrats. It's not the Democrats fault that we don't have border security. It's both side's fault, and it's not a new phenomenon that happened in the last eight years, which is what the "wounds" comment I was responding to was about, not the issue of border security.
  • Posts: 315
    Good points, Dalton. Repubs have short memories and feel all the world's problems started when an African American was elected President. But they have little legacy to brag about their own kind. Bush Jr. was so afraid of his friends he hasn't attended the last two political conventions. But what about their 'Saint Ronnie'?

    "I believe in the idea of amnesty for those who have put down roots and lived here, even though sometime back they may have entered illegally,". President Ronald Reagan 1984
  • edited March 2016 Posts: 1,631
    FLeiter wrote: »
    Good points, Dalton. Repubs have short memories and feel all the world's problems started when an African American was elected President. But they have little legacy to brag about their own kind. Bush Jr. was so afraid of his friends he hasn't attended the last two political conventions. But what about their 'Saint Ronnie'?

    "I believe in the idea of amnesty for those who have put down roots and lived here, even though sometime back they may have entered illegally,". President Ronald Reagan 1984

    That quote from Reagan shows just what a fraud Ted Cruz is.

    I don't know if I'd agree that W hasn't shown up because he's afraid of his friends. Within the Republican party, he's still pretty popular, and has undergone something of an image rehabilitation. He's also extremely skilled at personal politics, and can get someone on his side in a face-to-face conversation even if they vehemently disagree with him and his policies, so I don't see it as that. I just believe that he's sincere in not wanting to be out there second-guessing Obama, as he's said many times when asked to comment on various things, and he's done more than just skip the conventions. He rarely does interviews as well.

    As someone that identifies mainly with the Republicans, I wouldn't necessarily say that they have little legacy to brag about, although such accomplishments are in short supply in recent years. Reagan, despite some questionable economic policies, did usher the world into the post-Cold War era. Granted, that was helped along by his predecessors, but virtually everything a president does has the table set for it by those that came before. Eisenhower, a Republican, authorized the establishment of NASA, setting the table for JFK to call for a mission to the moon.

    That said, it's embarrassing to associate with the current Republican party. The leaders of the party are abysmal. Mitch McConnell should be impeached if he goes ahead with blocking Obama's SCOTUS appointment, and this is coming from someone who doesn't really want to see another liberal judge on the court. It's the president's constitutional duty to appoint justices to vacant seats, and the last time I checked, Obama is the president, and McConnell has a constitutional duty to call for a vote and discussion about the nominee.

    The problem with the Republican party today is, mainly, that the, as Donald Trump would like to say, "good ones" have their voices drowned out by the insane asylum that others in the party, like Ted Cruz and Mitch McConnell, are running.
  • TripAcesTripAces Universal Exports
    edited March 2016 Posts: 4,585
    bondjames wrote: »
    -Build a fence won't cost much.
    -Pump money into defense while eliminating waste is what he's said. There is a lot of waste in the procurement process as it is
    -cut taxes works. It depends on what taxes. Corporate? Middle class? Or top of the pack? It's a matter of balance, as well as streamlining the voluminous tax code

    The deficits actually soared under this president too, although I understand he had a financial crisis of epic proportions to deal with. He did not address the bank problem and no democrat can with an obstructionist congress.

    As I said earlier, I think only a republican president can make the American political system work again. The congress will obstruct any democrat, and especially Clinton. The wounds are deep.

    There is no greater waste than what we find in defense spending. Don't go thinking the Repubs hate government spending; they only hate government spending that doesn't make their friends rich.
    TripAces wrote: »
    Trump sounds like a typical Republican to me:

    1. Build a fence
    2. Pump money into defense
    3. Cut taxes. Which means: how do we pay for #1 and #2?

    There's a reason deficits soar under Republican leadership.

    Since you chose not to respond to my illegal immigrant post above, I will try this. The reason we had a deficit soar under GW Bush was because he spent (especially towards the end) like a drunken sailor in the same style that the democrats spend. Some may have been warranted due to the economy tanking, but I certainly hold him accountable for the increase in the deficit as well.

    But this brings me to the rest of your post. If you feel that the U.S. is not in danger from drug dealers and terrorists that come through the border illegally, then you have been completely misinformed. Common sense says that when the borders aren't enforced, the worst of the worst can come walking in here pretty easily. And the reason we have to strengthen our defense is in case another major terrorist attack happens here. Like I said above, no more nation building or neoconservatives in office. But we still need a strong military to deter others from trying anything stupid, and we will use it if need be. I don't understand why people don't get that there is a price to pay if we still want to be the free society we are.

    1. The borders are not any more or less enforced now than they have been for decades. So why, all of a sudden, are the cons having panic attack over this? It's called "perception" and not reality. This is the problem with Republicans: they operate on a perception and not a reality. Take...

    2. Defense as another example. The U.S. spends more on defense than the next ten industrialized nations COMBINED. And yet...it's not enough. Of course, problem is, as is always the case with Republicans, they don't have the sense to realize that paradigms have shifted and that trying to fight a "method of warfare" is not the same as fighting an actual country. So all of that "spending" in Iraq and Afghanistan got us NOWHERE. You can't fight "terrorism" with bombs. But that's a whole other matter. Point is, almsot every expert on Middle East politics said that toppling Huessein was only going to create instability in the region. Guess what? It did just that. We are already paying a steep steep steep price for "defense." We don't need to spend more. The only reason to do so is to line the pockets of defense contractors. Who then take that money and use it to further influence politicians.

    3. Legalize drugs. You do have to worry about drug dealers.

    4. Instead, cut defense spending and put it into infrastructure. This creates jobs and does so for the betterment of everyone. Roads. Bridges. The grid. Also: high speed rail, new technologies, solar energy. The list goes on. The U.S. has (had?) an opportunity to lead the way on new forms of power and mass transit and sh*t the bed because Conservatives are slaves to big oil. We were once the leaders: from the automobile to air travel to putting a man on the moon. Now? The neo cons' lack of vision (and lack of knowledge of science) will ultimately destroy us.

    5. You can't pump billions into defense without paying for it. GW CUT taxes and waged war at the same time...and what happened? In reality, what Repubs want is to line the pockets of the wealthy on phony "we need to increase defense spending" claims and steal through taxes on the middle and lower classes. Furthermore, you can't wage wars without also willing to spend money to nurse and help our vets afterward. The Repubs call themselves "patriots" and then dump on the men and women who sacrifice their health for the "cause" the Repubs want. It's simply comical.
  • BondJasonBond006BondJasonBond006 on fb and ajb
    edited March 2016 Posts: 9,020
    The Republicans have two options now.

    A: They can unite themselves and wholeheartedly support Trump to get the Presidency.

    B: They can continue their self-destruction and kiss the Presidency goodbye for at least one more decade and possibly lose the next mid-term elections as well.
  • chrisisallchrisisall Brosnan Defender Of The Realm
    Posts: 17,801
  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy My Secret Lair
    Posts: 13,384
    :))
  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    Posts: 23,883
    Trump wants strong defense combined with smart defense spending (he is the only one who has spoken about waste in defense spending actually - not Hillary and certainly not any other repub candidate). He wants infrastructure (he has been going on about it for some time now) and he wants secure borders (as we know).

    I don't see anything wrong with any of that. Just because the borders haven't been secure to date doesn't mean they shouldn't be secure. That's just common sense.
  • chrisisallchrisisall Brosnan Defender Of The Realm
    Posts: 17,801
    Trump in this election will be good for all concerned. ;)
  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    Posts: 23,883
    Gosh such glee here. I hope it's not misplaced. Reminds me of establishment repubs & most pundits last summer. Look at them now. Full scale panic.
  • Posts: 1,631
    Not even a majority of the Republican party is in favor of Trump. Some won't vote for him and will stay home in the general. And that doesn't even take into account the majority of the country that isn't Republican who won't vote for him because of the "R" that will be next to his name.

    The key with Trump will be his VP choice. I don't think it's a stretch, given his temperament and disregard of anything that stands for decency, that he could be impeached if he is elected, especially if the Democrats win Congress during his time in office. Or it could be done by the Republican establishment looking to take their party back from him.
  • Posts: 11,119
    bondjames wrote: »
    Trump wants strong defense combined with smart defense spending (he is the only one who has spoken about waste in defense spending actually - not Hillary and certainly not any other repub candidate). He wants infrastructure (he has been going on about it for some time now) and he wants secure borders (as we know).

    I don't see anything wrong with any of that. Just because the borders haven't been secure to date doesn't mean they shouldn't be secure. That's just common sense.

    And it's common sense that Mexico is going to pay for those 'more secure borders' (you make Trump sound like a nuanced Obama, when he really said he wants to have.....walls....WALLS).

    Look, I am aware that Trump is the product of a violent neo-conservative GOP. But there's a difference between saying things as a marketing instrument for votes.....or saying things as a promise to realistically bring them into practice.

    I will be happy if finally the days are over that people vote for what politicians stand for, instead of voting solely for ranting and political incorrectness. And call me a traditionalist, but political incorrectness never solved real problems. In the long end they only made things worse. There's plentiful historical evidence for that.

    A vote for Trump is a vote for thinking with your balls.
  • ShardlakeShardlake Leeds, West Yorkshire, England
    Posts: 4,043
    America is hilarious and at the same time bloody terrifying.
  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    Posts: 23,883
    bondjames wrote: »
    Trump wants strong defense combined with smart defense spending (he is the only one who has spoken about waste in defense spending actually - not Hillary and certainly not any other repub candidate). He wants infrastructure (he has been going on about it for some time now) and he wants secure borders (as we know).

    I don't see anything wrong with any of that. Just because the borders haven't been secure to date doesn't mean they shouldn't be secure. That's just common sense.

    And it's common sense that Mexico is going to pay for those 'more secure borders' (you make Trump sound like a nuanced Obama, when he really said he wants to have.....walls....WALLS).

    Look, I am aware that Trump is the product of a violent neo-conservative GOP. But there's a difference between saying things as a marketing instrument for votes.....or saying things as a promise to realistically bring them into practice.

    I will be happy if finally the days are over that people vote for what politicians stand for, instead of voting solely for ranting and political incorrectness. And call me a traditionalist, but political incorrectness never solved real problems. In the long end they only made things worse. There's plentiful historical evidence for that.

    A vote for Trump is a vote for thinking with your balls.
    You're wrong, perhaps unsurprisingly.

    Trump is not a product of a violent neo-conservative GOP. He is the product of a failed political system. A system that has failed the ordinary voter. Like Sanders. Just appealing to the other side.

    His argument for 'wall's is a caricature for secure borders. At the end of the day, he can do it with a wall (which is more symbolic than anything else) or he can do it by stricter border enforcement and control to prevent 'illegal' immigration. That is something the American public want (not just Republicans). If he's president, how he goes about implementing it will be the key.

    You may like to think with your balls, but please don't make general comments about the many who have decided to show support for Trump. It's insulting.
  • Posts: 11,119
    Shardlake wrote: »
    America is hilarious and at the same time bloody terrifying.

    It's happening everywhere in the 'classic West's:
    - Donald Trump, USA
    - Geert Wilders, Netherlands
    - Viktor Orban, Hungary
    - Nigel Farrell, UK
    - Marine le Pèn, France
    - Gold Crescent, Greece
    - Pegada, Germany
    - Filip DeWinter, Belgium
    - Pía Kjaergaard, Denmark
    - FPÖ, Austria
    - Beate in Poland
    - Finland
    - Sweden

    Want me to mention more? Perhaps these people themselves are not pure racists. But ask yourself what racists would vote for. That's the real problem.
  • ShardlakeShardlake Leeds, West Yorkshire, England
    Posts: 4,043
    @bondjames I must ask do just choose to ignore all of the offensive things this man has said?

    Do you just think he's just trying to press buttons and even if he is, that someone would resort to some of the things he's said why would a country even entertain him as their President?

    Do you believe that all of his racist, bigoted and sexist rhetoric is fine and that is the kind of man you want as your Commandering Chief?
  • chrisisallchrisisall Brosnan Defender Of The Realm
    Posts: 17,801
    Trump is a closet Liberal (just look at who his Wife is... wowza), and he's playing his game to win. And his plan is to crush the Republican party with one swift blow to FORCE it to rebuild from scratch into a party of Humanitarian LEADERS again (which it one was). He wants to force Hillary upon us (a bitter pill I grant you, but sometimes the cure is harsh) to create a new future in the next decade.
    In losing, he will ultimately win.
    He's not unlike Bruce Wayne in Batman Begins, playing the Penthouse Urchin to conceal his nobility.
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