Prelude to the Apocalypse

[BulletMagnet]

Before I get back into the individual items, I feel I ought to highlight this:

I'm pretty certain all he means by this is that the policies qualify under state's individual mandate healthcare.

Still, I kind of doubt Trump of all people would want states using Medicaid money for other expenses, and would likely have some strings attached to prevent as much.

It could be that he's sending the Republican party on a crash course to self destruction. It could be that he's strikingly not conservative on a number of issues and causes his party to react in crazy ways as a result (they recently defended the Iraq war, years after they jettisoned Bush over it). It could be a number of things he's done to piss off the GOP establishment.

As you take it upon yourself to make these repeated assumptions about Trump's intentions and end goals even as the latter, as you yourself acknowledge, has remained intentionally vague about most of them, has the thought occurred to you that you might, to at least some degree, be the "entrenched" one here? Could you be the one who, when confronted with Trump's proposals, which, when he even bothers to spell them out, frequently fly directly in the face of everything we know about economics, history, foreign policy, sociology, and so forth, think to himself "no, no, they couldn't possibly be that utterly asinine; the guy must be onto something nobody else knows, he must have it all figured out, and just hasn't told us yet!"

Would you at least consider that possibility, or am I just that much of a lost cause to even think along those lines?

[quash]

I mean, it's no mystery at this point that I'll be voting for him, so you can consider that to be a source of bias. At the same time, I've listened to what everyone has had to say so far (even the GOP clowns I never seriously considered voting for such as Cruz and Rubio) and the only one I find even remotely agreeable is Trump. While I don't necessarily think Sanders would be the worst choice either, he is off base on a number of issues and frankly does not have the resolve to stand up to his party beyond the minimal grandstanding he's done at the debates. When he continues to throw underhanded pitches at Hillary, his only opponent in the primary, how are you supposed to take the guy seriously?

Here's the thing about Trump: for all of his unclear or changed positions on things, you can sill find a common theme among his views, which is keeping America at the top of international trade. If you go back and watch his old interviews, he says many of the same things he says today in regards to America taking the short end of the stick when it comes to trade. He first hinted at running for president in the late 80's, but basically said he wasn't going to do it until things get bad to a certain point. He had a short lived run with the Reform Party back in 2000 and decided it wasn't worth running outside of the two main parties. After biding some time and figuring out how he was going to run his campaign, he came along and completely disregarded the rules of modern politics.

I definitely don't agree with his policies flying in the face of "what we know" (as if there is any consensus on the fundamentals) about economics or anything else. While he may not be the most well versed in foreign policy (as if Hillary or Sanders are, lol), I have a strong hunch that a certain general will be his VP. Not Powell, though that is a guy I would've committed voter fraud for, especially if he ran in 2004.

I would only consider people like you as much of a lost cause as you want to be. Basically all of your posts so far have been along the lines of "Fuck all Republicans!", while you either ignore or don't care that the Democrats have been just as bad, if not worse, in a number of arenas, and have in fact been corroborating with the GOP for at least the past 15 or so years on the issues that matter most.

As for my hunches on what Trump is planning, I won't say anything beyond that I do happen to know some very well informed people who have been speaking with other very well informed people. I can assure you that there is far more organization within his campaign than most people probably think, and that he's holding some of his cards for good reason. This guy provides some good analysis on what Trump is doing as far as his campaign is concerned.

[Ed Oscuro]

I'm just going to cherish this moment.

[quash]

What is it with you guys and one liner responses? I can humor most of you with honest responses but many of you don't care to do the same.

I don't necessarily think I'm going to convert people to voting for Trump. Some of you may get what I'm saying but still dislike how he's running his campaign, and that's fine. I think it's ridiculous too, but it's effective and to me it's not worth trashing a guy who is bringing some much needed nationalist sentiment to the forefront of domestic polititcs. For that same reason I can also somewhat forgive Sanders, even if his campaigning skills are abysmal and he gives in to hard left rhetoric at times.

It's funny how we do all seem to agree that Hillary is basically the worst electable candidate, yet some of you still couldn't bring yourself to vote for Trump or any other GOP candidate in the event she does get the nomination (which is looking pretty likely, I'm afraid).

Honestly, it isn't looking good for Trump at the moment, either. GOP is staging a brokered convention and is preparing to get the party behind Mitt Romney. If that fails (basically a crap shoot as of right now), they've gone on record as saying that they will support Hillary and fight her later on during the midterm election. If we can give the finger to either party establishment, I'm satisfied. If we get the nationalist showdown we've all been waiting for, I'm ecstatic.

[austere]

Honestly, it isn't looking good for Trump at the moment, either. GOP is staging a brokered convention and is preparing to get the party behind Mitt Romney

This would be a big mistake for them. It will be the end of the party and he can just run independent. It may lower the probability of him winning the election, but it will actually raise the overall risk for the establishment, because if he wins then it will be the end of the two-party election-by-media system. Also, should he and real team backing him come into power, they won't have any mercy for the globalists backing the two other parties. Let's cut the bullshit, all but the most blinded fools can see that the two parties work together on almost all issues. That's the reason why this election has been the only interesting one in memory, none of the previous ones mattered.

I can assure you that there is far more organization within his campaign than most people probably think, and that he's holding some of his cards for good reason.

This is what I heard as well, but I'd wait to see support from that side of town (wink wink) before being sure of it.

[BryanM]

Yeah, the Clintons are thoroughly wretched people. Yeah yeah yeah, we all remember when they threw people off welfare and threw them in jail; nobody remembers what they did to Haiti since we're not Haitian:

* Bill overthrew Haiti's rice tariff, so he could flood the country with cheap subsidized Arkansas rice.

* Hillary blocked their attempt to double their minimum wage from $0.33 a day to $0.66 on behest of companies like Levi jeans.

* Haiti is a country so poor they eat dirt.

And that time Hillary laughed about getting her client who was accused of rape, who she knew to be guilty, off with a plea deal. After she slandered the 12 year victim as a slut that "was asking for it". Things like this are easy to forget because there's TOO DAMN MANY OF THEM TO REMEMBER.

Donald Trump is a terrible man. He was born privileged and doesn't give a damn about peons. It is a far more neutral, almost indifferent, kind of hate than Hillary has exhibited - she was born into privilege and got even more privilege by selling out the weak and defenseless. Trump, at least has screwed other rich people out of their money. That's something a Clinton would never ever do - you never hurt one of your own. That's any rich person on the planet - from Bill Gates to Saudi Princes. You only ever hurt the peasants.

Trump deserves to be president far more than Clinton does. Anyone thinking about voting for her in November please reconsider and embrace apathetic nihilism instead. Trump may be accelerationism for socialists. But Clinton is accelerationism for fascists.

[trap15]

Trump deserves to be president far more than Clinton does. Anyone thinking about voting for her in November please reconsider and embrace apathetic nihilism instead. Trump may be accelerationism for socialists. But Clinton is accelerationism for fascists.

Damn right.

[Mischief Maker]

Trump deserves to be president far more than Clinton does. Anyone thinking about voting for her in November please reconsider and embrace apathetic nihilism instead. Trump may be accelerationism for socialists. But Clinton is accelerationism for fascists.

Trump has screwed over many, many middle class and poor people in his day as well. "Deserves." Even Bernie has some blood on his hands.

Bill Clinton appointed Ruth Bader Ginsburg to the Supreme Court. Donald Trump's favorite justice is Clarence Thomas (See? He has black friends!) Do you want to see Citizens United overturned or not?

Jesus christ, sometimes I wonder even if Bernie threaded the needle and got the nomination whether any liberals would take time off from their busy schedule of cutting to show up and vote.

[Rob]

Even Bernie has some blood on his hands.

This is why my number 1 is pie in the sky candidate Jill Stein.

[BryanM]

Please do not infer from my compliment of His admirable quality of being willing to fuck over his class peers as some kind of attempt to portray him as a hero of the common man. <(o_o< Of course he is a ruthless parasite upon us all, as all the bourgeois must be.

Fear mongering about the supreme court, whatever. Voting based on fear is how we got here. We're all gonna be extinct soon either way Trump v Clinton. Better we explode in a blaze of ignorance than a whimper of ignorance.

[Jonathan Ingram]

We're all gonna be extinct soon either way Trump v Clinton. Better we explode in a blaze of ignorance than a whimper of ignorance.

Look on the bright side. There's a chance that Trump's presidency(and the inevitably disastrous results of it) will move the political discourse so far to the left that anyone holding a position on socioeconomic issues that's close to his will be hunted down and hanged on the nearest lamp post. The worse, the better may be too extreme a maxim and not really one that I subscribe to, but it's not completely without merit.

[quash]

Do you want to see Citizens United overturned or not?

Maybe you should be asking yourself the same thing. If CU gets overturned, do you really think we're going to keep having career politicians running for president? If anything, we'll have more billionaires who don't need the support of PACs to run a campaign. It's cheaper than bribing politicians and you get more control.

[BryanM]

Citizen's United doesn't change jack shit. It just streamlines the money ships into one vessel instead of a dozen.

Notice how guys like Obama and Biden are perfectly happy to rail against it but not rage against how the entire congress is bought and paid for. Fighting CU is just a way to pacify the progressive wing of the party, so when it's gone Democrats can say "There we fixed it. Now shuddup."

This campaign has made their real positions crystal clear. Pelosi, Reid, Obama etc don't want things like universal medicare and never did. If they did, we'd have it already.

[Mischief Maker]

We're all gonna be extinct soon either way Trump v Clinton. Better we explode in a blaze of ignorance than a whimper of ignorance.

Look on the bright side. There's a chance that Trump's presidency(and the inevitably disastrous results of it) will move the political discourse so far to the left that anyone holding a position on socioeconomic issues that's close to his will be hunted down and hanged on the nearest lamp post. The worse, the better may be too extreme a maxim and not really one that I subscribe to, but it's not completely without merit.

Part of the reason BryanM's attitude frustrates me so much in this thread is because it's nothing new. I ran into several people with that exact same idea in 2004 when I was canvassing for Kerry against Bush jr. "Maybe if Bush jr. gets a second term things will get so bad it will energize and invigorate the left and cause a revolution!" Well they got the first part of their prediction right.

Fear mongering about the supreme court, whatever. Voting based on fear is how we got here.

Why do you keep calling it "Fear Mongering?" Getting a left-leaning majority in the Supreme Court is a tremendous opportunity for progressive gains. Were we ever going to successfully legislate legalization of abortion in this country? Probably not? Roe vs. Wade to the rescue! Winning the Supreme Court is of greater potential significance than the presidency. I'm a Bernie supporter all the way and yeah, Hillary's an awful human being, but if she's the only tool available for fixing SCOTUS, I'm not going to squander the opportunity, and neither should you.

That the consequences of squandering that opportunity are dire is just a fact, not fear-mongering.

Democracy brings good and bad things and one of the bad things is you can't leave the Machiavellian decisions to big daddy while letting your ignorance keep your hands sparkly clean.

[BryanM]

Maybe I wouldn't be so upbeat in my deadsetedness in it if I lived in a swing state. Oklahoma isn't going blue until the democrats start running populists again.

I voted for the new kingfish in order to make the democrats stop losing. You can see the fine result of my labors on the election map. If this all goes south you can't blame me - I voted for Kodos.

[Mischief Maker]

Jesus what a nailbiter in MI right now... Sanders has a 2 point lead with 52% reporting. It would be so wonderful not to have to settle for the lesser evil just once in my fucking life.

Trump's solid lead makes me both angry at and jealous of the Republican base.

Edit: Chug some Pepto Bismol and Join in the fun!

[BryanM]

Yeah, either way it goes he's gonna need either a miracle landslide in California or a Clinton indictment to pull this out. Illinois, Florida, Maryland and New York aren't gonna swing his way due to race demographics.

Speaking of supreme court justices, is Obama going to be a grown up and make a recess appointment already or is he literally going to give them a republican justice nominee for the republican senate to filibuster for a year.

[BryanM]

haahahAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHA, oh, what a hearty laugh

Decisiondeskhq had called it for Hillary with 30% of the precincts reporting. Checkmark by her name. We mocked them as being this poor schlup.



An hour later.... her checkmark mysteriously disappeared. What happen?

[Mischief Maker]

Sanders has won Michigan, according to A.P.

[austere]

Well, looks like Sanders win one. I still think he's still a long shot, he doesn't have the super delegates on his side, doesn't have the media on his side and doesn't have any magic coins around.

Hillary's an awful human being, but if she's the only tool available for fixing SCOTUS, I'm not going to squander the opportunity, and neither should you.

Hahahaha, yes perfect. You've captured the exactly line of thinking that the establishment wants you to commit to, argue over petty social issues and ignore the big picture. Vote in Clinton! The woman who cackles after murdering a leader of a country, that thinks Libya is now a model country even as the failed (now non-existent) state floods all of Africa into Europe. The woman with enough skeletons in her closet to open a horror-ride in a theme park. The woman who would gladly release rapists from their judgement and then mock their victims. The woman who has already pledged to kick off a very hot war around the world similar to her performance from 2011-2012. The woman who "wins" 6 coin flips in a row to screw over the popular candidate.

No, forget all that. Vote Hillary because... muh court-approved abortions. The most PRESSING issue in the west with youth true unemployment figures so high they don't publish them anymore without fudging the numbers. With no affordable housing, with bankrupting college loans or military service being the only way to start life outside the establishment. With interest on loans with marginal approval rising, while they speak of negative interest rates for those living off their savings. With people being forced to move back in with their parents and put their entire lives on hold while the richest 80 people now control 50% of the world's wealth. In reality they control it all, because they control the decision making and will spend as much money as they need to bring in their stooge. And the stooge they chosen my friend, is Hillary Clinton. They love it, once she comes into power you will not be able to criticise the decisions they will take through her to ensure their ill-gotten wealth remains theirs for perpetuity. You don't want to be a misogynist now, do you? I can hear them laughing all the way to your bank (which they will be looting -- sorry, "bailing in").

If none to that matters to you, or you perhaps deny any are issues at all, instead insisting that some obscure social issue is your #1 priority then you are the very embodiment of that left-winged original sin, "privilege".

[BryanM]

[Ed Oscuro]

"The people's candidate" Trump is asking the good voters to support their Republican Senators and Representatives. So much for the American Hero Dude eviscerating the party from inside.

As far as Important Syrian Issue goes, Trump (and Cruz) both promise to do worse than we could expect from Clinton - unless your "best case" scenario is that Trump just follows Putin's instructions, or something similar. SCOTUS is yet another check against this wannabe Mussolini, and in any case a fair number of Americans are going to be a lot more concerned with getting Citizens United off the books. Another check on Trump would be the military, quite possibly.

In the overall delegate count, much of Clinton's lead comes from the superdelegates. Now that we've got the old Clinton bastion of support, the South, out of the way, I think it's quite possible Sanders gets the nod; I think MI state is potentially the bellweather here. On the other hand, if Sanders doesn't get the nod, Clinton's support in places like that would help push her past Trump or Cruz, two truly scary individuals (though Cruz's recent soundbites increasingly make him look almost compassionate in comparison to Trump).

Also of note: The total number of primary votes for Republicans in MI seemed somewhat higher than the Democratic race, but each one of those candidates got substantially fewer votes than Clinton or Sanders (though the people who turned out today to vote are just a small portion of the number who will turn out on the general election, so that should trend even more strongly Democratic). Even though the state has a lot of Republicans who tend to lock up the off-season elections, the Democrats will likely come out in force for a Democrat once again.

[BryanM]

Please note my "destroying the GOP" comments were from the perspective of Mexicans in Texas actually registering and fucking voting and flipping the state of Texas into the Democrat column for a generation. Angry white people being tapped out and voting republican already - a futile song of impotent fury, signifying not birth but death.

Texas was projected to be in Swing State Status by around 2020 for a decade now. I thought with Sanders vs Trump we'd have the perfect alignment necessary to pull it into play.

I was far more optimistic about the 2016 black democrat vote back then. In my callow naive youth.

[Ed Oscuro]

Oh, it was reasonable to think that back then. The comment is more directed towards those Tramp supporters who contradict themselves and describe double standards for behavior - at length! - and then ask "why are you guys not taking me seriously ._."

[Opus131]

Please note my "destroying the GOP" comments were from the perspective of Mexicans in Texas actually registering and fucking voting and flipping the state of Texas into the Democrat column for a generation. Angry white people being tapped out and voting republican already - a futile song of impotent fury, signifying not birth but death.

Those angry white people, so desperately trying to avoid their country becoming a third world shit hole. But alas, it is too late now.

BTW, anyone feeling the Bern? Can't wait to get my free shit, paid for by the people i'm so desperately trying to genocide.

[Opus131]

Why do you keep calling it "Fear Mongering?" Getting a left-leaning majority in the Supreme Court is a tremendous opportunity for progressive gains.

It would certainly speed up the process of turning America into an Orwellian nightmare.

[Jonathan Ingram]

If the Orwellian Nightmare brings along a better funding of mental institutions, then it can't happen soon enough. Someone's troubled mind is in a desperate need of medical attention.

[BryanM]

A new day and Decision Desk still refusing to admit he won it.

Makes you kind of wanna say hurrrrrm. It's not like he's not gonna get blasted out of the game next week in Super Duper Tuesday. That's not a good enough margin for the oligarchs I guess.

Can't wait to get my free shit, paid for by the people i'm so desperately trying to genocide.

Why do you think we need to get rid of public roads?

Public roads are great, my good paranoid white supremacist SJW chum.

[Squire Grooktook]

Is that a Super Metroid map

[Opus131]

Why do you think we need to get rid of public roads?

Public roads are great, my good paranoid white supremacist SJW chum.

Was wondering when the racist card was going to show up.

It is of course interesting to be called "paranoid" for pointing out that whites are being disfranchised in their own country from a person who was gloating over that very fact just a few posts before. Angry white people, aren't they the worst? Says the totally well adjusted individual who just wants white America to simply disappear into the abyss (and good riddance!)

As for roads. I hope you do realize that welfare policies and unregulated immigration are mutually exclusive things, right?