2016 Presidential Race Thread

[John Wilkes Booth]

Originally Posted by The Batlord

The dude managed to be an effective Republican governor in ****ing Massachusetts. He worked with the Democratic legislature to create a state health care system. He's a Democrat's dream! I'll take him over someone with convictions any day. Let the constituents have the convictions.

Edit: I don't know why the **** we're debating the 2012 presidential election in 2015, but I am amused.

yea but we already have obama for that. plus obama is black and has some actual swag/charisma to him

why would liberals have any interest at all in switching out our dear leader for some awkward white mormon lol

thats the problem with these "moderate republicans," they're designed to appeal to the left when the left isn't going to vote for them either way

at least rubio is young, cuban, attractive and from what i've seen a pretty articulate and decent speaker. but in order to win you have to be able to win the conservative vote of confidence while being charismatic and non-threatening enough to trick some of those perpetually confused "independents" into voting for you as well.

[Chula Vista]

Cottonmouth Marco.

[The Batlord]

Maybe not a liberal, but an independent is sure as hell more likely to vote for a good ol' Rockefeller Republican than a Tea Party nutball.

[John Wilkes Booth]

Originally Posted by Chula Vista

Cottonmouth Marco.

i didn't see whatever it is you're referencing, but it seems like he had some sort of political gaffe. i don't understand why americans are so fickle that if someone slips up or has an awkward moment on tv they're instantly discredited. sort of like what happened to dean howard in 2004. really reinforces our public image as a nation of reality-tv and celebrity obsessed retards, imo.

but in general would you disagree that rubio is a pretty intelligent and articulate speaker? and he's got a sort of youthful energy to him that a lot of republicans seem to be lacking. just from an image perspective i could see him being molded into a formidable candidate. i know very little about his actual politics, tbh. i used to follow this **** more closely but these days it all really seems like such a big cluster**** of pageantry that i can't really be bothered to maintain an active interest in it. don't even know if i'll end up watching any of the debates.

i'm usually into that sort of thing as i love a good argument, but lately i've been finding mainstream american political arguments less and less interesting. i'd be way more interested if we had some more variety to choose from. throw up a fascist and a communist and perhaps a far-right christian theocrat (a legit one, not the republicans watered down version like bachmann & co) and then i'll be tuned in for sure. but democrat vs republican has just gotten to be so... boring.

[Chula Vista]

If I had to choose one R it would be Rubio. But his inexperience (and nerves) shows at times. He's gotten better but this is a hard one to live down under the political microscope. It was amazingly painful to watch in real time.

Marco Rubio’s Water-Bottle Moment - The New Yorker

Us Merican's don't want a guy at the head desk who can't take the heat with a steady hand. Howard Dean's giddy meltdown did him in for that reason.

[John Wilkes Booth]

yea i just watched the speech out of curiosity. he is visibly nervous. but assuming he can calm his nerves and get his **** together, you really think people are gonna say nah can't vote for you cause of that time you needed a sip of water?

it really goes to show what nonsense this whole democracy enterprise is. like our expectations of a president is just to be the ultimate celebrity with a bit of intellectual depth, so we can feel like we're being lead by someone who knows what they're doing. has very little to do with actual policy decisions. the president is like a big paper tiger.

[The Batlord]

Maybe we should just illegalize televised debates. Make people listen to them on the radio or have their positions read as press releases. It's not like anybody really knows what the candidates are about anyways.

[Chula Vista]

Originally Posted by John Wilkes Booth

you really think people are gonna say nah can't vote for you cause of that time you needed a sip of water?

I think he has a solid shot of winning the primary. I just don't see him winning it all.

Originally Posted by The Batlord

Maybe we should just illegalize televised debates.

Nah. I wanna see how they react under stress. Can they maintain control when pushed hard. Are the rolling their eyes or looking angry, etc. Image is a huge part of the job in this day and age. Not saying that's a good thing, but it is what it is.

[The Batlord]

Originally Posted by Chula Vista

Nah. I wanna see how they react under stress. Can they maintain control when pushed hard. Are the rolling their eyes or looking angry, etc.

Do you really think the stress of a televised debate is comparable to the stress of leading a nation? Think what you want about Nixon, but the man was a strong leader, while being **** on his first televised debate.

I imagine it's like standardized testing. Are you gauging how capable/learned someone is, or just how they look on camera/memorize facts. Seems more like the same desire we have to ogle celebrities than any legitimate desire to be informed.

Image is a huge part of the job in this day and age. Not saying that's a good thing, but it is what it is.

Circular argument. If they don't have televised debates, then their image won't matter as much.

[Chula Vista]

Originally Posted by The Batlord

Do you really think the stress of a televised debate is comparable to the stress of leading a nation?

Didn't say that. It's still an opportunity to watch them having to deal with another person trying to tear them down in front of a few million people.

Circular argument. If they don't have televised debates, then their image won't matter as much.

Not at all. We see presidents on television live or on the evening news all the time once the election is over. I want to get as much of a look at them as possible prior to the election to help partially inform my vote.