Republican Candidates for 2016 Race

[Robert Maxwell]

Yeah, that Trump is anything more than an embarrassing sideshow illustrates just what a pathetic circus the GOP field is. They have JEB!, who is hardly setting the world on fire, and then a bunch of idiots, madmen, and bullies like Scott Walker (who has been fucking up every step of his campaign so far, to my great amusement.)

 

[fonzob1]

Bengazi could end up hurting Hillary in the general election. I wouldn't say it's for sure yet that the middle ground will swing her way.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

Bengazi could end up hurting Hillary in the general election.

No.

 

[Squiggy]

Yeah, that Trump is anything more than an embarrassing sideshow illustrates just what a pathetic circus the GOP field is. They have JEB!, who is hardly setting the world on fire, and then a bunch of idiots, madmen, and bullies like Scott Walker (who has been fucking up every step of his campaign so far, to my great amusement.)

People thought the same thing with McCain and Romney. The comparative moderates ended up winning.

The problem with Trump and the like are that they're loud, so they can make a tiny bit of support seem more significant.

Early polling aside, Bachmann and Cain were riding high even closer to Iowa. They fizzled long before then. Trump isn't saying things that resonate. He's just saying things to be remembered which is all he wants.

Bengazi could end up hurting Hillary in the general election. I wouldn't say it's for sure yet that the middle ground will swing her way.

No. People didn't care when Benghazi was recent. They're not going to care about it 4 years on. Keep humping that chicken.

 

[Timby]

What gives me pause about Trump is that he's saying things -- the McCain thing, the Mexico thing -- that ostensibly would cause him to plummet in the polls, but instead they're actually moving him forward. Like, he basically Swift Boated McCain, and the base ate it up. You would think that when push comes to shove, the right interests would come together and nuke him from orbit, but those interests aren't well-aligned at the moment, which leaves the door open for someone like Trump, who's pushing everyone else into saying increasingly more insane shit just so they can actually get airtime -- see Huckabee's crazy shit about the Iran nuke deal.

 

[fonzob1]

No. People didn't care when Benghazi was recent. They're not going to care about it 4 years on. Keep humping that chicken.

Christopher Stevens was sodomized and tortured to death, and two Navy Seals were killed at an American embassy. Somebody certainly cared. The investigation is still ongoing, so I don't know that you're right that information released during the campaign couldn't have impact on some middle ground voters.

see Huckabee's crazy shit about the Iran nuke deal.

Huckabee clearly saw the success Trump was having and decided to take a page out of Trump's book.

 

[Davros]

No. People didn't care when Benghazi was recent. They're not going to care about it 4 years on. Keep humping that chicken.

Christopher Stevens was sodomized and tortured to death, and two Navy Seals were killed at an American embassy. Somebody certainly cared. The investigation is still ongoing, so I don't know that you're right that information released during the campaign couldn't have impact on some middle ground voters.

They have had around 8 investigations so far and they have all turned up nothing. If only the GOP cared as much for the 3,000 lives lost on 9/11, or the over 4,000 lives lost in Iraq.

 

[fonzob1]

If only the GOP cared as much for the 3,000 lives lost on 9/11

It was a GOP president that began a war in response to the lives lost on 9/11. Are you suggesting he did not target the the correct culprit in Al Qaeda?

 

[Amaris]

If only the GOP cared as much for the 3,000 lives lost on 9/11

It was a GOP president that began a war in response to the lives lost on 9/11. Are you suggesting he did not target the the correct culprit in Al Qaeda?

He began a war in Iraq, which is like punching your gardener for an act of violence committed by your mailman, and he did it based on false pretenses. The only people who care about Benghazi, at this point, are people using it as a political football. That's it.

Moderates do not care. Only many on the ideologically extreme right care, and that's because they're lapping it up in hopes it will dethrone someone they see as a threat. Those men? They don't give a damn about those men.

 

[fonzob1]

He began a war in Iraq, which is like punching your gardener for an act of violence committed by your mailman, and he did it based on false pretenses.

But, he began the WOT in Afghanistan against Al Qaeda and the Taliban. I was just curious what direction Davros was going in with that comment.

Moderates do not care. Only many on the ideologically extreme right care, and that's because they're lapping it up in hopes it will dethrone someone they see as a threat. Those men? They don't give a damn about those men.

I can't really argue with that. It is subjective.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

Yeah, that Donald "I am the least racist person" Trump is anything more than an embarrassing sideshow illustrates just what a pathetic circus the GOP field is. They have JEB!, who is hardly setting the world on fire, and then a bunch of idiots, madmen, and bullies like Scott Walker (who has been fucking up every step of his campaign so far, to my great amusement.)

People thought the same thing with McCain and Romney. The comparative moderates ended up winning.

Of course. JEB! being the boring establishment candidate is exactly why I think he'll get the nomination.

The problem with Donald "I am the least racist person" Trump and the like are that they're loud, so they can make a tiny bit of support seem more significant.

Early polling aside, Bachmann and Cain were riding high even closer to Iowa. They fizzled long before then. Donald "I am the least racist person" Trump isn't saying things that resonate. He's just saying things to be remembered which is all he wants.

As Timby pointed out, The Donald is running his mouth constantly, saying shit that you Just Don't Say... and people are eating it up. He's rising in the polls.

Granted, that's not an entirely new phenomenon. Each of the crazies got their turn to lead the polls in 2012, too. It may just be Trump's turn right now.

On the other hand, Trump has been saying the kind of nutty shit that Teabaggers lap right up. If those are the people voting in the primaries, God help the GOP!

 

[Timby]

Yeah, that Donald "I am the least racist person" Trump is anything more than an embarrassing sideshow illustrates just what a pathetic circus the GOP field is. They have JEB!, who is hardly setting the world on fire, and then a bunch of idiots, madmen, and bullies like Scott Walker (who has been fucking up every step of his campaign so far, to my great amusement.)

People thought the same thing with McCain and Romney. The comparative moderates ended up winning.

Of course. JEB! being the boring establishment candidate is exactly why I think he'll get the nomination.

As I said earlier, though, if JEB! gets the nomination, the Republicans are looking at a party-splitting revolt. All the whitewashing done on Bush 43's legacy still isn't helping Bush the Lesser, because Bush the Least poisoned that family's name for a generation.

As Timby pointed out, The Donald is running his mouth constantly, saying shit that you Just Don't Say... and people are eating it up. He's rising in the polls.

Granted, that's not an entirely new phenomenon. Each of the crazies got their turn to lead the polls in 2012, too. It may just be Trump's turn right now.

Newt Gingrich came close to really making a run until the Romneybot machine got to him. (And that machine is really impressive; it's been said that Christie won't run for President because the Romney campaign dug up so much on him while vetting him for VP that whomever Romney throws his support to can bury Christie in about two seconds.)

On the other hand, Trump has been saying the kind of nutty shit that Teabaggers lap right up. If those are the people voting in the primaries, God help the GOP!

It's the True Believers who vote in primaries, at least the early ones, so ... if Trump keeps on pandering to the "fuck everyone who isn't a straight white male from AMURRICA" crowd, it's entirely possible he can make some legitimate noise.

 

[Amaris]

But, he began the WOT in Afghanistan against Al Qaeda and the Taliban. I was just curious what direction Davros was going in with that comment.

His point, if I may speak for him on that matter, was that these same Republicans (and they are Republicans) crying out about Benghazi are also the people who didn't have much to say about Bush's war of false pretense and how many soldiers died due to that war of false pretense, and that it was far, far more than 4 soldiers. Not a peep out of the GOP other than excuses.

I can't really argue with that. It is subjective.

No, it's really not subjective in this case. 8 investigations. 8. Do you honestly think 8 investigations are about the deaths of 4 people? Are the moderates pushing for these extra investigations? Think about it.

 

[fonzob1]

No, it's really not subjective in this case. 8 investigations. 8. Do you honestly think 8 investigations are about the deaths of 4 people? Are the moderates pushing for these extra investigations? Think about it.

I believe it is over pride more than politics. The fact that it happened at an American embassy, and it may have been preventable. Ronald Reagan bombed Gaddafi's family for less than that, so the crowd that "cares" saw the inaction as weak. Although, I am sure you're right that there are some for which the sentiment is politically motivated.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

No, it's really not subjective in this case. 8 investigations. 8. Do you honestly think 8 investigations are about the deaths of 4 people? Are the moderates pushing for these extra investigations? Think about it.

I believe it is over pride more than politics. The fact that it happened at an American embassy, and it may have been preventable. Ronald Reagan bombed Gaddafi's family for less than that, so the crowd that "cares" saw the inaction as weak. Although, I am sure you're right that there are some for which the sentiment is politically motivated.

It happened at a consulate, not an embassy. Almost anything is "preventable" if you know about it in advance, but that's kinda the tricky part. I don't see much use in such Monday morning quarterbacking. 9/11 was "preventable," too, under the right circumstances--but that's not what happened.

 

[Squiggy]

Christopher Stevens was sodomized and tortured to death, and two Navy Seals were killed at an American embassy. Somebody certainly cared. The investigation is still ongoing, so I don't know that you're right that information released during the campaign couldn't have impact on some middle ground voters.

Then have fun voting for the evil fucks using it for political gain.

The people who think that 8 investigations aren't enough to know what really happened in Benghazi are the same people who think the jury is still out on climate change so I guess they'll never be happy.

 

[urbandefault]

A few thoughts:

The left of center populace, like the Republican National Committee, does not understand the conservative voter. Regular everyday conservatives want small government, low taxes, fair immigration laws balanced with tight border security, truth in sentencing, and the list could go on for pages.

"Teabagger" is a derogatory and insulting term that, if reversed toward the left, would be called hate speech and cries for justice would be all over the airwaves, not to mention this BBS. But you won't see it happen. Regular everyday conservatives don't care what names they're called, and respect others enough to not throw that crap back.

This early field of GOP candidates will dwindle quickly once things get rolling.

Party politics has become a game of "your turn, my turn" and the difference between the two is negligible. It doesn't matter which party is in the majority in Congress if they both push the same agenda. The Congressional leadership has been in place far too long, on both sides. It's time for new blood.

I don't want another Bush in the White House. I don't want another Clinton in the White House. No royal families here, please. We had enough of that with the Kennedys.

And that's all I have to say about that.

 

[Squiggy]

Regular everyday conservatives want small government, low taxes, fair immigration laws balanced with tight border security, truth in sentencing, and the list could go on for pages.

Regular conservatives want small government unless more government intrusion suits them and their social causes (marriage, abortion, etc). They also want tighter border security to magically appear from the ether because they don't want to pay for anything ever.

"Teabagger" is a derogatory and insulting term that, if reversed toward the left, would be called hate speech and cries for justice would be all over the airwaves, not to mention this BBS. But you won't see it happen. Regular everyday conservatives don't care what names they're called, and respect others enough to not throw that crap back..

1. After all the vile thrown at Obama since before he was elected, I'm calling bullshit on the "respect" angle.

2. "Teabagger" is a term coined by teabaggers before they knew what it already meant. Blame them.

3. Insulting someone else's political leanings is not "hate speech". Hannity, Limbaugh, O'Reilly et all made "liberal" a dirty word decades ago. Liberals have learned to deal with it.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

Yeah, Squiggy covered it.

I'm not buying the "boo-hoo poor conservatives" story.

 

[fonzob1]

It happened at a consulate, not an embassy. Almost anything is "preventable" if you know about it in advance, but that's kinda the tricky part. I don't see much use in such Monday morning quarterbacking. 9/11 was "preventable," too, under the right circumstances--but that's not what happened.

To this day, I still wonder what classified documents Sandy Berger tried to remove from archives by stuffing them in his socks.