Nov 2023 Mod notice:
There may be other, more specific, threads about some aspects of US politics, but this one tends to act as a hub for all sorts of related news and information, so it's usually one of the busiest OTC threads.
If you're new to OTC, it's worth reading the Introduction to On-Topic Conversations
and the On-Topic Conversations debate guidelines
before posting here.
Rumor-based, fear-mongering and/or inflammatory statements that damage the quality of the thread will be thumped. Off-topic posts will also be thumped. Repeat offenders may be suspended.
If time spent moderating this thread remains a distraction from moderation of the wiki itself, the thread will need to be locked. We want to avoid that, so please follow the forum rules
when posting here.
In line with the general forum rules, 'gravedancing' is prohibited here. If you're celebrating someone's death or hoping that they die, your post will get thumped. This rule applies regardless of what the person you're discussing has said or done.
Edited by Mrph1 on Nov 30th 2023 at 11:03:59 AM
I dunno if thats bad for the Dems. Cruz is hated enough in his own party, that if he gets the nod and Hil is the opponent, they'll cross party lines. If it's sanders, they'll stay home instead.
I for one (as much as I hate the guy and everything he stands for) like that Cruz one. It stops Trump from getting coronated, NH becomes a madhouse that matters, and Rubio will make a full scale push in SC. Trump takes Nevada.
Cruz has no steam. He just has Iowa. He's this cycle's Huckabee.
edited 1st Feb '16 7:59:48 PM by FFShinra
On the other hand, a lot of Trump supporters might go for Sanders when they would not go for Clinton.
"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"Trump is only a single point ahead of Rubio, so it's theoretically possible for him to fall to third. Either way Cruz has first and Trump gave a short speech, no explosion sadly.
edited 1st Feb '16 8:02:32 PM by Silasw
“And the Bunny nails it!” ~ Gabrael “If the UN can get through a day without everyone strangling everyone else so can we.” ~ CyranSo Hillary won two delegates by a fucking coin flip.
The caucus system is fucking disgraceful. At least Sanders and Hillary are neck and neck, so Iowa means very little now.
![]()
Not quite yet. 9% of the precincts are unreported, and she leads Sanders by .2%
Boiling seas, green fire, dead earth, and the arrival of the Saoshyant to duel the newly appointed representative of Ahriman.
edited 1st Feb '16 8:12:31 PM by Artificius
"I have no fear, for fear is the little death that kills me over and over. Without fear, I die but once."
X7 Coin flips aren't a caucus thing, that's how ties are broken, I once almost saw a local authority council seat come down to a coin flip, I think we've had actual parliamentary elections go to a coin flip a fe times.
X3 Democrat in the White House.
edited 1st Feb '16 8:13:59 PM by Silasw
“And the Bunny nails it!” ~ Gabrael “If the UN can get through a day without everyone strangling everyone else so can we.” ~ CyranIt's not just that, Cruz isn't just bad electorally, he's bad personally, like they can't even get on with him on a personal level.
Oh and just by the by, Rand Paul has confirmed that he's sticking around at least for now.
edited 1st Feb '16 8:18:16 PM by Silasw
“And the Bunny nails it!” ~ Gabrael “If the UN can get through a day without everyone strangling everyone else so can we.” ~ CyranChristie will stay in at least until NH. That's partly out of hope that a moderate will play better there, partly due to a small surge he had there a few weeks ago before starting to drop in the polls again, and partly in the hope that someone will pledge him a cabinet seat or such. This goes double since it's only about a week away, and Christie has spent a ridiculous amount of time in NH during this primary. (As in about 100 separate town hall appearances, public Q&A sessions, speeches, etc.)
Looking over the numbers from CNN on the vote I'm a little surprised by how well Rand Paul did. Back before Trump entered the race I thought Paul would have a small but dedicated slice of the electorate, but I thought he was so totally overshadowed and irrelevant throughout much of the primary that I thought he'd wind up completely out the picture, but he held his own decently well and seems like he'll be holding onto 5th place.
Carson did better than he had any right to due to the evangelical population, but he's just about certain to be a non-factor from here on out. I do wonder what percentage of those votes, (I think a majority) would have gone to Cruz without Carson being present.
Rubio almost equaling Trump in votes and getting as many delegates as he did is a win for his campaign, he knew he wasn't the favorite in Iowa but performed better than expected. I don't think his strategy of "sit back and wait until everyone else has battered themselves to bits and then swoop in" is going to work in the long run, but we'll see. If the Donald gets frustrated enough to go independent while the primary is still on and it comes down to Rubio vs Cruz, he may have a chance of pulling it off.
Anyone want to guess who will be next to fall? Santorum is obvious, but he's also a non-factor at this point. I'm guessing that we'll see a big culling after New Hampshire, with Kasich, Christie, and Fiorina all dropping out. By that point Carson is likely to be heading out the door. I think Bush may stick around out of sheer obstinance and an inability to read the writing on the wall, unless his donors leave him and throw their efforts behind someone else. (Likely Rubio.)
edited 1st Feb '16 8:24:01 PM by TheWanderer
| Wandering, but not lost. | If people bring so much courage to this world...◊ |From what I've heard, the Republican party has been running attack ads against Cruz in Iowa. Not Trump, but Cruz. They must really hate him.
On the Democrat side, it really doesn't matter who gets more delegates. The fact that it's even close means Sanders has no hope nationally since Iowa has favorable demographics for him.
edited 1st Feb '16 8:20:45 PM by storyyeller
Blind Final Fantasy 6 Let's Play

Am I seeing those numbers correctly, and less than 1,300 Democrat voters caucused in Iowa? #sadforamerica #deathofdemocracy
edited 1st Feb '16 7:58:01 PM by Fighteer
"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"