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Edited by Mrph1 on Nov 30th 2023 at 11:03:59 AM

Kostya (Unlucky Thirteen)
#139326: Sep 20th 2016 at 5:02:26 PM

The thing about the super delegate hate that annoys me is the fact that the people speaking out against them were cheering Sanders on when he was trying to use them to hand himself the nomination. It amazes me that these people whined about Hillary stealing the nomination and not representing the will of the people only to turn around and try to pressure them into actually subverting democracy.

edited 20th Sep '16 5:02:48 PM by Kostya

Parable Since: Aug, 2009
#139327: Sep 20th 2016 at 5:21:45 PM

Approval ratings of the state governors.

The top three governors, Dennis Daugaard of South Dakota, Charlie Baker of Massachusetts, and Larry Hogan of Maryland are all Republicans. Two are anti-Trump, while another has been appointed to Trump's agricultural committee. That's only after he voted for Kasich in the primaries though. After Kasich had already dropped out.

Of the remaining top ten, only two - Gary Herbert of Utah, and Greg Abbott of Texas - have explicitly supported Trump.

In the bottom ten there are eight Republicans and two Democrats. Tea Party darling and Trump supporter Governor Brownback is at the very bottom. Chris Christie is 48th. Scott Walker is 41st.

Trump's VP pick, Mike Pence of Indiana is 38th, with an approval rating of 45%.

Rationalinsanity from Halifax, Canada Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: It's complicated
#139328: Sep 20th 2016 at 5:34:03 PM

Le Page has a 39% approval rating? I figured it would be lower.

Politics is the skilled use of blunt objects.
TacticalFox88 from USA Since: Nov, 2010 Relationship Status: Dating the Doctor
#139329: Sep 20th 2016 at 5:47:29 PM

The Hell did Malloy do to have the ire of the electorate?

New Survey coming this weekend!
Bat178 Since: May, 2011
NativeJovian Jupiterian Local from Orlando, FL Since: Mar, 2014 Relationship Status: Maxing my social links
Jupiterian Local
#139332: Sep 20th 2016 at 6:32:07 PM

The real problem with the Republican primary was the crowded field. Superdelegates would not have fixed that, and using them to supplant Trump would give the Democrats free ammo to use against the hypothetical Republican candidate chosen by the party and Trump a free shoot to run a Republican ruining third party ticket. It really would not have been worth it.
On the contrary, superdelegates become more powerful the more divided the field is. If one candidate has 80% of the delegates and another 5%, then the superdelegates' 15% isn't going to make a difference. But if you have four candidates at 35%, 25%, 20%, and 5%, then the 15% control the superdelegates have can pick which of the top three candidates win. Plus, if candidates know that superdelegates can make or break their candidacy, then they're less likely to drop out before the end of primary season (which is good, because otherwise any votes for that candidate are wasted), so they're likely to continue splitting the vote (and thus increase the superdelegates' power).

As far as whether it's "worth it" or not — that's a judgement call, but I'd say almost anything would be worth keeping Trump from the nomination. Not just for the country, but for the GOP as well. The Trump nomination makes it clear that the inmates are well and truly running the asylum, and the GOP is tearing itself apart over it. A significant number of big names in the GOP are voting for Clinton — and what's more, admitting so publically. Blocking Trump might cost them the election, but just nominating Trump is costing the party much of its legitimacy with moderates and liberals, which will do incalculable damage to the party in the long run. (Note that "legitimacy" is distinct from "agreement". One can disagree with someone else's political positions but still agree that they are legitimate positions to hold. By running Trump as their presidential candidate, the GOP makes it harder for anyone but Trump supporters to take them seriously as a political alternative to the Democrats.) Plus the fact that a Trump presidency seems like a long shot in any case, so they make themselves look like fools and get nothing in return.

Literally the only people a Trump candidacy is good for is Trump and the hardcore fringe right crowd that he's dragging into the mainstream.

Really from Jupiter, but not an alien.
Lennik (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#139333: Sep 20th 2016 at 6:32:54 PM

[up][up]I'm guessing he thinks those nations are going to pay for it after he seduces them with his tremendous negotiation skills.

edited 20th Sep '16 6:33:39 PM by Lennik

That's right, boys. Mondo cool.
Bat178 Since: May, 2011
#139334: Sep 20th 2016 at 6:37:13 PM

[up] By that you mean he'll nuke them if they don't.

Zendervai Since: Oct, 2009
#139335: Sep 20th 2016 at 6:43:33 PM

I can just imagine him trying that with Saudi Arabia. AKA, the people who can crash the oil market whenever they want.

TacticalFox88 from USA Since: Nov, 2010 Relationship Status: Dating the Doctor
#139336: Sep 20th 2016 at 6:47:19 PM

Well, Russian aggression meaning what, exactly? (References Crimea and Ukraine.) These are highly questionable situations. Why are we — Russia used to own Ukraine. Ukraine was historically a part of Russia for quite some period of time, and we all know there was this conversation with Victoria Nuland about planning the coup and who was going to take over.

Not that the other guy was some model of democracy. But the one they put in — with the support of the US and the CIA in this coup in Ukraine — that has not been a solution. Regime change is something we need to be very careful about. And this is a highly inflammatory regime change with a nuclear armed power next door.

So I’m saying: Let’s just stop pretending there are good guys here and bad guys here. These are complicated situations. Yeah, Russia is doing lots of human rights abuse, but you know what? So are we.

We need to enter into this like human beings and have a conversation about a situation that’s very threatening to us all and sit down and find principled ways to move forward with dialogue and diplomacy that makes us all more stable, more secure, and creates a world for the future that’s not going to go up in flames.

Jill Stein's position on Russia....

Not so different from Trump.

LMFAO

New Survey coming this weekend!
Lennik (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#139337: Sep 20th 2016 at 6:50:16 PM

[up][up][up]No, what I really think is they'll laugh in his face so he'll use taxpayer money instead.

edited 20th Sep '16 6:50:35 PM by Lennik

That's right, boys. Mondo cool.
smokeycut Since: Mar, 2013
#139338: Sep 20th 2016 at 6:51:14 PM

Stein is the most spineless politician I've ever seen.

Kostya (Unlucky Thirteen)
#139339: Sep 20th 2016 at 6:52:19 PM

I don't know if I'd call her spineless. She seems like one of those types that thinks intervention is wrong no matter what reasoning you have behind it. I don't think she's a Putin fanboy like Trump at the very least.

edited 20th Sep '16 6:52:59 PM by Kostya

TacticalFox88 from USA Since: Nov, 2010 Relationship Status: Dating the Doctor
#139340: Sep 20th 2016 at 6:53:55 PM

[up] I wouldn't be so sure. She went to Russia and attended a dinner with a Russian media propaganda outlet

New Survey coming this weekend!
KarkatTheDalek Not as angry as the name would suggest. from Somwhere in Time/Space Since: Mar, 2012 Relationship Status: You're a beautiful woman, probably
Not as angry as the name would suggest.
#139341: Sep 20th 2016 at 6:54:56 PM

In fairness, I have a hard time believing that Trump would cop to the U.S. having committed human rights violations (at least, if he was President).

That said...is she saying that Russia ought to be allowed to annex Ukraine? Because she doesn't really seem to care what Ukraine thinks.

Oh God! Natural light!
smokeycut Since: Mar, 2013
#139342: Sep 20th 2016 at 6:55:32 PM

She shifted her opinion on Brexit the moment she realized her supporters were against it, she won't tell off the anti-vaxxers, and now she wants to hand everything back to the Russians. Jill Stein is a spineless worm.

TacticalFox88 from USA Since: Nov, 2010 Relationship Status: Dating the Doctor
#139343: Sep 20th 2016 at 6:56:36 PM

Jill Stein is literally everything her supporters claim Hillary is, in spades by a landslide.

New Survey coming this weekend!
Kostya (Unlucky Thirteen)
#139344: Sep 20th 2016 at 6:57:12 PM

I'd go for naive over spineless but whatever.

carbon-mantis Collector Of Fine Oddities from Trumpland Since: Mar, 2010 Relationship Status: Married to my murderer
Collector Of Fine Oddities
#139345: Sep 20th 2016 at 6:58:22 PM

When she first took the reins of the Greens she tried to distance them from the antivaxxers with her MD creds. Guess that didn't win her any popularity among them.

Silasw A procrastination in of itself from A handcart to hell (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: And they all lived happily ever after <3
A procrastination in of itself
#139346: Sep 20th 2016 at 7:05:08 PM

She's a hipster, it's realy that simple, she see supporting the US as mainstream so she's against it, she sees vaccinations as mainstream so she's against them, she sees the EU as mainstream so she was pro-Brexit.

“And the Bunny nails it!” ~ Gabrael “If the UN can get through a day without everyone strangling everyone else so can we.” ~ Cyran
KarkatTheDalek Not as angry as the name would suggest. from Somwhere in Time/Space Since: Mar, 2012 Relationship Status: You're a beautiful woman, probably
Not as angry as the name would suggest.
#139347: Sep 20th 2016 at 7:11:49 PM

Okay, from what I understand, her stance on vaccines is more nuanced than just plain anti-vaxxer - she has stated that she believes vaccines work. She does, however, seem to believe that the FDA is in the pockets of drug companies, even if there's no real reason to believe that.

Also, she apparently hates GM Os, because EVIL or something.

edited 20th Sep '16 7:12:07 PM by KarkatTheDalek

Oh God! Natural light!
Kostya (Unlucky Thirteen)
#139348: Sep 20th 2016 at 7:16:34 PM

[up]That's a bit of a no, except yes situation in my mind. Her reasons might be a bit less idiotic but she's still effectively anti-vaccine. Climate deniers are idiots even if they try to weasel out by admitting that it's happening for reasons unrelated to humans. This is pretty much the liberal equivalent of that.

Silasw A procrastination in of itself from A handcart to hell (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: And they all lived happily ever after <3
A procrastination in of itself
#139349: Sep 20th 2016 at 7:17:14 PM

No she's a strait up anti-vacer now, as in she's suggesting that it's unclear if vaccinations cause autism.

GM Os is going to be both her being anti-science and probably a partial racism thing, there's a lot of racism in the anti-GMO movement, as shockingly enough if we go 100% organic it's not people in the US and Europe who will starve but people in India and the rest of the developing world.

“And the Bunny nails it!” ~ Gabrael “If the UN can get through a day without everyone strangling everyone else so can we.” ~ Cyran
TacticalFox88 from USA Since: Nov, 2010 Relationship Status: Dating the Doctor
#139350: Sep 20th 2016 at 7:17:24 PM

[up][up][up]

Funny you say that, considering,

The Steins have anywhere from $50,000-100,000 in Merck. A...Pharmaceutical Giant.

edited 20th Sep '16 7:19:02 PM by TacticalFox88

New Survey coming this weekend!

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