deskthority

seebart wrote: Hillary: same shit as usual.
Trump: unknown crazy shit.

Yeah. We already have had examples of narcissist business men in power, I think Trump matches the Berlusconi type. So you get all the petty introvert corruption aimed at personal gain or pleasure, but in the end no Hitler or puppy killer, just a weak president.

Right, I mean the guy has already managed to piss off everyone before the race is even half way over. If he goes to the WH he better get some good people and even then congress will block the shit out of him so there might be a worse situation then what Obama had. With Hillary it will just be "business as ususal", except she'll be the first woman to hold that office. I still don't see how the GOP is going to deal with the trumpet come July. I guess he can run as an independent, not that it would make any difference.

seebart wrote: Right, I mean the guy has already managed to piss off everyone before the race is even half way over. If he goes to the WH he better get some good people and even then congress will block the shit out of him so there might be a worse situation then what Obama had. With Hillary it will just be "business as ususal", except she'll be the first woman to hold that office. I still don't see how the GOP is going to deal with the trumpet come July. I guess he can run as an independent, not that it would make any difference.

With Cruz dropping out, though, do they have any choice of candidate at this point?

Someone was telling me about the West Wing, and a situation where the negotiated candidate wasn't anyone that was running. Is that a real possibility?

Not any more.

That has happened a few times, pre-1945 as I recall, back before primaries and caucuses across the nation and the conventions were brokered. There was a chance while Cruz was still running that this could happen again, but once he and the other guy threw in the towel, it was mathematically game over. Trump will be coronated at the convention, as is tradition.

seebart wrote:
I still don't see how the GOP is going to deal with the trumpet come July. I guess he can run as an independent, not that it would make any difference.

It would make a huge difference.

What I am looking for is the maximum amount of damage that can be inflicted on the entrenched Republican plutocracy.

Although Trump is doing a great job single-handedly, if there were a 3rd-party end run, either by him or someone else, it would further divide the party and ensure even more substantial gains for the Progressives.

Yup. Just imagine Bloomberg finally running as an independent instead of merely talking about it. A choice of two Manhattan billionaires for the trailer hicks to ponder! Spoiled for choice.

Trump's a fantastic test for the electoral system and for the Republican Party. A stress test and potentially a car crash simulator…

So can the GOP refuse to nominate Trump in July? Has something like that ever happened?

I predict now it's over, the Republicans will stand behind Trump and try to make the best of him, because otherwise the other guy (Clinton) will get in.

seebart wrote:
So can the GOP refuse to nominate Trump in July? Has something like that ever happened?

Approximately, yes.

The parties are not governmental organizations and can make their own rules. They can also meet and immediately change their rules and by-laws whenever they wish.

The Republicans, for example, fabricated a rule that says that you have to have carried at least 8 states outright in order to be nominated. But they could vote to repeal that rule in the first 2 minutes of the convention, if they wanted to.

Read the story of Lincoln's nomination. There were 3 very strong candidates, 1 didn't really want it but the other 2 were as passionate as Hillary for their day in the sun. Lincoln was an unknown hick from the backwoods, but he recognized that if he could set himself up as everyone's 2nd choice, he could win the nomination by stealth.

PS - he brought them all into his cabinet and won their respect

Not sure about Clinton though. She might kill a puppy if it would gain her the presidency. But then again she would not, as it would technically harm her reputation in the electorate. Maybe if the puppy would be in a remote country and it could be classified as collateral damage.

Hmm OK, so basically anything can happen. But as of now there is no other Republican candidate left. This in itself must be a joy for you fohat. It's like a having to choose dennis the menace as your role model.

Nah, Trump *is* the candidate. The convention's a mere formality now. The voters slammed shut the daydream about cheating him out of it via a floor fight. Game over. Trump's in the red corner. Game on: Hillary's in blue!

Muirium wrote:
Game over. Trump's in the red corner. Game on: Hillary's in blue!

There are a lot of Trump-haters in the Republican party.

Republicans are mostly all assholes but some of them are not stupid and/or insane.

Some, who have "principles" will refuse to vote for Trump because he is dogshit on a stick. The subset of those, who are idealistic and willing to flush their precious vote down the toilet to make a statement, would vote for an independent (Cruz? Carson? Fiorno? (the ones like Ryan and Rubio have enough sense to run fast and run far)) and this would be excellent because anything that divides the party and dilutes the power of the plutocracy is a good thing.

I'm afraid that's a fantasy because those people will not run as Trump already defeated them and they won't gain Clinton camp's vote. Even if they want to, they won't get the financing.

webwit wrote: I predict now it's over, the Republicans will stand behind Trump and try to make the best of him, because otherwise the other guy (Clinton) will get in.

As much as that sucks; will probably go that way. If the Repubs, Libertarians an Indepedents don't rally behind Trump - we'll end up with Hitlery.

Muirium wrote: Yup. Just imagine Bloomberg finally running as an independent instead of merely talking about it. A choice of two Manhattan billionaires for the trailer hicks to ponder! Spoiled for choice.

Trump's a fantastic test for the electoral system and for the Republican Party. A stress test and potentially a car crash simulator…

That's the only good scenario for a Trump victory. It might reboot the system (or crash it) and bring it back to rationality. Other than that... I only see Cons.

webwit wrote: I'm afraid that's a fantasy because those people will not run as Trump already defeated them and they won't gain Clinton camp's vote. Even if they want to, they won't get the financing.

What about Romney?

What do you think the fact that Sanders is still running? Shouldn't he drop out at this point and actively support Clinton in order to help make sure that voters supporting him will go and vote for her instead of just staying home or even voting for Trump, who is the seemingly more "anti-establishment" candidate?

I have a bad feeling that Trump could win this in the end just because no one really likes Hillary.

Halvar wrote: What do you think the fact that Sanders is still running? Shouldn't he drop out at this point and actively support Clinton in order to help make sure that voters supporting him will go and vote for her instead of just staying home or even voting for Trump, who is the seemingly more "anti-establishment" candidate?

I have a bad feeling that Trump could win this in the end just because no one really likes Hillary.

I wouldn't say no one. If that was the case, Sanders would have a better showing. Hillary has a rabid core that really do think she is the presumptive winner and it is her time, for varying reasons. I personally don't think that Sanders should drop out. He's been the only rational choice for a while, and if there's any chance of having Sanders vs. Trump, I'd hope he'd go for it, personally. I don't like a lot of his proposed policies. But in this dark time of candidates, a candle shines brighter than the sun. (I sort of mangled that analogy, but you get the idea)

chuckdee wrote:
But in this dark time of candidates, a candle shines brighter than the sun.
(I sort of mangled that analogy, but you get the idea)

I agree completely.

Bernie could devastate Trump on his own turf on every level (except that Bernie would be crippled by having the albatross of truth and honesty around his neck while in the ring with the Emperor of Obfuscation).

ob·fus·cate (ˈäbfəˌskāt/)
verb: obfuscate

render obscure, unclear, or unintelligible.
synonyms: obscure, confuse, make unclear, blur, muddle, complicate, overcomplicate, muddy, cloud, befog

All of Hillary's weaknesses play directly into Trump's strengths, and her skill, knowledge, and experience will be swept into the corner.

"In the land of the blind, the 1-eyed man is king."

What about everybody's nose? Oh wait.

If I had suffrage in the USA, I would vote for Clinton.

The Great Wall of America is just too stupid for me to put down "Trump" on the ballot.

y11971alex wrote:
The Great Wall of America is just too stupid for me to put down "Trump" on the ballot.

You are just jealous because you want Canada to build one, also.

fohat wrote:

y11971alex wrote:
The Great Wall of America is just too stupid for me to put down "Trump" on the ballot.

You are just jealous because you want Canada to build one, also.

How did you know that I'm from Canada?

I oppose the wall because I know intimately the costs of building and maintaining of another wall: the one in China. And that one doesn't actually sit on the current borders.

y11971alex wrote:

fohat wrote:

y11971alex wrote:
The Great Wall of America is just too stupid for me to put down "Trump" on the ballot.

You are just jealous because you want Canada to build one, also.

How did you know that I'm from Canada?

From your profile:

Location: Toronto, ON, Canada

derp

I wasn't gonna post anymore in this thread, but thanks for that davkol I love south park

y11971alex wrote:
How did you know that I'm from Canada?

I oppose the wall because I know intimately the costs of building and maintaining of another wall: the one in China.
And that one doesn't actually sit on the current borders.

Haven't you complained about US-Canada shipping costs on Geekhack?

The wall thing is completely ludicrous and one of the more splendid examples of the insanity of this year's campaign.

Elizabeth Warren doesn't like the trumpet guy much and this is a fun read...

http://gawker.com/elizabeth-warren-fina ... 1775261717

derp