The Repub Debate

[Danny Bateman]

I think campaign finance reform would be one of the most prescient things for Bernie to ask for Clinton to adopt onto her platform if he does end up conceding to her. I don't think she'd be opposed to overturning Citizens United since it was originally about a hatchet job on her. And I think that campaign finance reform would hurt the GOP much more than the Dems, so it wouldn't necessarily hamper her in a hypothetical 2020 reelection bid.

[knapplc]

dudeguyy, in regards to Trump's delegating ability you have to take into account that this is the first time he has ever run for any political office so he's bound not to know as much about how that all works as lifetime politician Ted Cruz. With that you simply have to look at his body of work in running his businesses over his lifetime because essentially being the president of the United States is like being the CEO of one of the largest businesses in the world.

 

Donald Trump for President - 2000

 

This is not the first time he has showed interest in running for President outside the two major parties. In 2000 he ran in a few Reform Party presidential primaries. He won the California Reform Party presidential primary, polling 15,311 votes; others who ran in that primary were George Weber with 9,390 votes; Robert Bowman, 4,879; John B. Anderson, 3,158; and Charles Collins, 1,837.

 

 

LINK

[Moiraine]

Here's a gem I found on accident.

 

He lost the popular vote by a lot and won the election. We should have a revolution in this country!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) Nov 7, 2012

 

The phoney electoral college made a laughing stock out of our nation. The loser one!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) Nov 7, 2012

 

 

He seems bad at numbers.

[HuskerShark]

 

dudeguyy, in regards to Trump's delegating ability you have to take into account that this is the first time he has ever run for any political office so he's bound not to know as much about how that all works as lifetime politician Ted Cruz. With that you simply have to look at his body of work in running his businesses over his lifetime because essentially being the president of the United States is like being the CEO of one of the largest businesses in the world.

 

Donald Trump for President - 2000

 

"...he never expanded the campaign beyond the exploratory phase..."

[zoogs]

Anyone not born yesterday knows you need a good campaign organization to mount a run for office. If Trump isn't competent enough to see this as important, that's on him. And it portends more of the same should he ever have to run an administration in a political office.

 

How a candidate conducts their campaign is a good window into what kind of a manager they are. What kind of people they draw to them, what kind of people they listen to, how much savvy they have.

 

Of course, it's a common tack to loudly trumpet 'outsider' status as some sort of credential, or to fan the flames of the disaffected.

 

Regarding the parties' nomination process: parties set their own rules. It's not meant to be a democratic process. We could do without the charade, save the airtime, and have them just put out their own candidates after some internal squabbling. Of course, they find popular feedback helpful, too, and that's what all this is for. Don't like a party's choice? Perhaps consider supporting a party that makes better choices, then.

[BigRedBuster]

Soooooo.....because he has never been this far in an election, we are supposed to make excuses for his bad campaign organization.

 

What will we have to do when he is President and he's never been that before?

[teachercd]

Soooooo.....because he has never been this far in an election, we are supposed to make excuses for his bad campaign organization.

What will we have to do when he is President and he's never been that before?

I agree with this...the ignorance/accident excuse can only be used for so long...

 

Like...let's say that I had about 40,000 classified emails that were not supposed to be on my phone...but I still went and used my phone to read them...well that seems like it starts to no longer be an "accident" and just simply "ignorance"...it starts to seem like it was done on purpose.

 

Trump seems to want to use the old "well this is my first time running" excuse but you can only use that for so long...eventually when you do something, the same thing, over and over...well it starts to become a pattern of who you are and how you will do things.

[BigRedBuster]

 

[zoogs]

Great point, BRB. There were primaries that weren't winner take all where Trump still won a disproportionate delegate share to his vote totals.

[cornographic]

Great point, BRB. There were primaries that weren't winner take all where Trump still won a disproportionate delegate share to his vote totals.

I think the winner take all thing is b.s./undemocratic, especially when it's close.

[zoogs]

I don't think primaries need to be a democratic process, but I do like it when delegates are allocated more proportionally.

[cornographic]

I don't think primaries need to be a democratic process, but I do like it when delegates are allocated more proportionally.

Yeah, the more democracy the better, IMO. To m,e it's a rip off to spend all the time and resources to campaign in a state, get, say, 49% of the vote and get nothing out of it because the other guy got 51%. Why should my vote go to someone I voted against?

[zoogs]

Well, I look at it as a Party should get to define itself however it wants to. They can conduct polls, or whatever, but ultimately the candidates they put out should roughly be party choice. If they choose terrible candidates that's a reflection on them, and voters in a democracy can respond by abandoning the party at the polls. The extended primary campaigning is a weird deal. I think 'political season' seems to dominate too much of the process. Candidates are always out campaigning, fundraising, etc.

[cornographic]

Well, I look at it as a Party should get to define itself however it wants to. They can conduct polls, or whatever, but ultimately the candidates they put out should roughly be party choice. If they choose terrible candidates that's a reflection on them, and voters in a democracy can respond by abandoning the party at the polls. The extended primary campaigning is a weird deal. I think 'political season' seems to dominate too much of the process. Candidates are always out campaigning, fundraising, etc.

I'm not in favor of Parties being private entities making up their own rules to slant things in favor of Establishment power structures rather than reflecting the People's choice all along the way. That's a roundabout way of saying I don't like rigged systems. Sure, voters could abandon the 2 Parties, except it's never happened mainly because the 2 Parties have made it near impossible for other Party infiltration into the process.

 

I agree, the thing has been dragging on for far too long and I feel all this day to day polling impacts the process by influencing weaker minded, lesser informed voters to pick the guy/gal thats "winning"(in the polls. The UK chooses their PM in about 6 months, why not do the same timeline here? Oh wait, the media makes beaucoup $ off this whole thing, so me thinks that's a big part of drawing it out forever.

[teachercd]

 

Well, I look at it as a Party should get to define itself however it wants to. They can conduct polls, or whatever, but ultimately the candidates they put out should roughly be party choice. If they choose terrible candidates that's a reflection on them, and voters in a democracy can respond by abandoning the party at the polls. The extended primary campaigning is a weird deal. I think 'political season' seems to dominate too much of the process. Candidates are always out campaigning, fundraising, etc.

I'm not in favor of Parties being private entities making up their own rules to slant things in favor of Establishment power structures rather than reflecting the People's choice all along the way. That's a roundabout way of saying I don't like rigged systems. Sure, voters could abandon the 2 Parties, except it's never happened mainly because the 2 Parties have made it near impossible for other Party infiltration into the process.

 

I agree, the thing has been dragging on for far too long and I feel all this day to day polling impacts the process by influencing weaker minded, lesser informed voters to pick the guy/gal thats "winning"(in the polls. The UK chooses their PM in about 6 months, why not do the same timeline here? Oh wait, the media makes beaucoup $ off this whole thing, so me thinks that's a big part of drawing it out forever.

 

Cause we beat their asses down! 'Merica!