***Official Political Discussion Thread***

[deleted]

Sanders condemns the negative aspects within his own constituency yet he's still treated as if he's complicit in their actions

 

[Nike Jordan]

 

[RustyShackleford]

David Brooks, a conservative writer, penned this article that appear in the NYT today

As this primary season has gone along, a strange sensation has come over me: I miss Barack Obama. Now, obviously I disagree with a lot of Obama’s policy decisions. I’ve been disappointed by aspects of his presidency. I hope the next presidency is a philosophic departure.

But over the course of this campaign it feels as if there’s been a decline in behavioral standards across the board. Many of the traits of character and leadership that Obama possesses, and that maybe we have taken too much for granted, have suddenly gone missing or are in short supply.

The first and most important of these is basic integrity. The Obama administration has been remarkably scandal-free. Think of the way Iran-contra or the Lewinsky scandals swallowed years from Reagan and Clinton.

We’ve had very little of that from Obama. He and his staff have generally behaved with basic rectitude. Hillary Clinton is constantly having to hold these defensive press conferences when she’s trying to explain away some vaguely shady shortcut she’s taken, or decision she has made, but Obama has not had to do that.

He and his wife have not only displayed superior integrity themselves, they have mostly attracted and hired people with high personal standards. There are all sorts of unsightly characters floating around politics, including in the Clinton camp and in Gov. Chris Christie’s administration. This sort has been blocked from team Obama.

Second, a sense of basic humanity. Donald Trump has spent much of this campaign vowing to block Muslim immigration. You can only say that if you treat Muslim Americans as an abstraction. President Obama, meanwhile, went to a mosque, looked into people’s eyes and gave a wonderful speech reasserting their place as Americans.

He’s exuded this basic care and respect for the dignity of others time and time again. Let’s put it this way: Imagine if Barack and Michelle Obama joined the board of a charity you’re involved in. You’d be happy to have such people in your community. Could you say that comfortably about Ted Cruz? The quality of a president’s humanity flows out in the unexpected but important moments.

Third, a soundness in his decision-making process. Over the years I have spoken to many members of this administration who were disappointed that the president didn’t take their advice. But those disappointed staffers almost always felt that their views had been considered in depth.

Obama’s basic approach is to promote his values as much as he can within the limits of the situation. Bernie Sanders, by contrast, has been so blinded by his values that the reality of the situation does not seem to penetrate his mind.

Take health care. Passing Obamacare was a mighty lift that led to two gigantic midterm election defeats. As Megan McArdle pointed out in her Bloomberg View column, Obamacare took coverage away from only a small minority of Americans. Sanderscare would take employer coverage away from tens of millions of satisfied customers, destroy the health insurance business and levy massive new tax hikes. This is epic social disruption.

To think you could pass Sanderscare through a polarized Washington and in a country deeply suspicious of government is to live in intellectual fairyland. President Obama may have been too cautious, especially in the Middle East, but at least he’s able to grasp the reality of the situation.

Fourth, grace under pressure. I happen to find it charming that Marco Rubio gets nervous on the big occasions — that he grabs for the bottle of water, breaks out in a sweat and went robotic in the last debate. It shows Rubio is a normal person. And I happen to think overconfidence is one of Obama’s great flaws. But a president has to maintain equipoise under enormous pressure. Obama has done that, especially amid the financial crisis. After Saturday night, this is now an open question about Rubio.


Fifth, a resilient sense of optimism. To hear Sanders or Trump, Cruz and Ben Carson campaign is to wallow in the pornography of pessimism, to conclude that this country is on the verge of complete collapse. That’s simply not true. We have problems, but they are less serious than those faced by just about any other nation on earth.

People are motivated to make wise choices more by hope and opportunity than by fear, cynicism, hatred and despair. Unlike many current candidates, Obama has not appealed to those passions.

No, Obama has not been temperamentally perfect. Too often he’s been disdainful, aloof, resentful and insular. But there is a tone of ugliness creeping across the world, as democracies retreat, as tribalism mounts, as suspiciousness and authoritarianism take center stage.

Obama radiates an ethos of integrity, humanity, good manners and elegance that I’m beginning to miss, and that I suspect we will all miss a bit, regardless of who replaces him.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/09/opinion/i-miss-barack-obama.html?_r=1

Dude hit on a lot of my feelings about Obama. Even though I have been disappointed with some of the things he has done, dude has been amazing with how he acted in office.

-But lawdddd!!!, I could only imagine what famb could have done with a cooperative Congress.

 

[thekickkid12]

Bernie taking this W

 

[rook]

Bernie taking this W

 

[duba169]

David brooks is a conservative like hillary clinton is a progressive. In name only. Not even a shot, he just really isn't very conservative. He is hated by conservatives lol

http://www.dailywire.com/news/3252/how-david-brooks-fake-conservatism-created-donald-ben-shapiro


http://www.forbes.com/sites/henrymi...cience-of-a-pseudo-conservative/#527427032768



Also you guys have your head in the sand if you don't think Hill supporters aren't out here saying stupid ****. It's even worse because it's not on the internet.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...hillary-clinton-flap-has-much-to-be-proud-of/

 

[RustyShackleford]

David brooks is a conservative like hillary clinton is a progressive. In name only. Not even a shot, he just really isn't very conservative. He is hated by conservatives lol

http://www.dailywire.com/news/3252/how-david-brooks-fake-conservatism-created-donald-ben-shapiro


http://www.forbes.com/sites/henrymi...cience-of-a-pseudo-conservative/#527427032768



Also you guys have your head in the sand if you don't think Hill supporters aren't out here saying stupid ****. It's even worse because it's not on the internet.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...hillary-clinton-flap-has-much-to-be-proud-of/

-Who claimed Hillary to be a progressive? Even Hillary said her "policies" her progressive. Democrats are not arguing this.

They was an argument over her being a liberal, or a moderate. She is liberal, her husband was a moderate, she is not a progressive.

-And Brooks is a conservative, he is just not a far right Conservative. And he doesn't believe not hating Barrack Obama is some violation of the conservative badge of honor.

I mean, what should I expect, we got Tea Party folk saying nonsense like Jon Boehner wasn't conservative because he had the guts not to hate Obama, and think that maybe bipartisanship should be explored. And these are the same folk that be calling Milton Freidman's policies "socialism"

It is just that the American concept of a Conservative has got so warped, that if you're far right, you somehow a liberal.

Brooks a traditional moderate conservative, the type you would find all over Europe. His ideas no different than what you would read in the Economist.

-And who the hell claimed some Hillary's supporters weren't saying or doing stupid ****, quote the person that said that. I'll wait............

-And one of your article is by Ben Shapiro , and far right dude that spew white supremacy and bigotry any chance he gets. For the 82946598498459865th time, that is not a good look for you papi.

I want to save you from having to cry foul the next time someone calls you out on this type of stuff

 

[duba169]

I don't quite understand why you think me posting a link from a conservative who hates brooks means that I personally agree with the person who wrote the article. When you post something an SWS wrote does that mean you like the author or the content?

Like if i posted an article about how communists view bernie sanders it wouldn't mean i like communists ir sanders.

Highlighting brooks as a conservative who likes obama just doesn't hold much weight.

It's like someone on the right parading around something nice jim webb said about a republican candidate or policy. This is essentially my point

 

[IATT]

Whelp so much for the dream of having bill as the first 'first man'..


Can't help but think of the line from one of the SNL sketch on the debate: "I'm not losing, am I? I mean, in 2008 of course I lost, but I was running against a cool black guy. But this year, I thought I got to be the cool black guy."

 

[MVP]

Y'all think Hillary is losing forreal?

 

[superblytrife]

Let's not get ahead of ourselves here. Bernie was expected to take NH. Still A LOT of time and votes to go.

His real test will come down South. If he starts taking those primaries, then yeah, Clinton is finished.

 

[IATT]

Y'all think Hillary is losing forreal?

Mehhhh.. Still a lot left to go..

But these first two showings are going give him a lot of legs going forward.. Cause for a ton of people this was a forgone conclusion

 

[aepps20]

Y'all think Hillary is losing forreal?

I guess so

 

[RustyShackleford]

I don't quite understand why you think me posting a link from a conservative who hates brooks means that I personally agree with the person who wrote the article. When you post something an SWS wrote does that mean you like the author or the content?

Like if i posted an article about how communists view bernie sanders it wouldn't mean i like communists ir sanders.

Highlighting brooks as a conservative who likes obama just doesn't hold much weight.

It's like someone on the right parading around something nice jim webb said about a republican candidate or policy. This is essentially my point

-I'm saying that you have done that a good number times that whenever someone calls you out for posting these far right articles, especially me, you cry foul about being "labelled". This is not the first time you have done that, I'm just pointing it out to you.

At least I own my progressive label, you cry foul about someone pointing out your ideology falls on the right

-Highlighting Brooks as a conservative is important because the conservative platform in this country currently is that Barrack Obama is the enemy, and Brooks is breaking from that. I was not only posting the article because I agree with what he said, but to show that their are some conservatives in this country that doesn't indulge in the blind Obama hate.

You even further proving my point because instant you start with "David Brooks is not a Conservative" not because is ideology, but because other far right pundits say he isn't one.

Like really? That is who gets to decide. If you even read the articles you can see that the authors fail to make an argument that Brooks is not a conservative, they only succeed in pointing out that he is not a far right one.

-So you're basically saying "Do dare you imply that I might agree with stuff these people say.................even though my first sentence of my post is me agreeing with something they had to say"

Ok pa

 

[Nike Jordan]

David Brooks was on the Rubio train for at least a year now. I wonder if he's jumped ship on Marco Roboto.

 

[rolaholic]

This dude Bernie would be smart to call up Elizabeth Warren tonight in private and offer her a possible VP ticket...

Definitely a little presumptuous at this point in time but she's still taking her sweet time before endorsing anyone and it makes too much sense having 2 of the most historically progressive members of congress on the same team. That kind of ticket would energize a lot of younger voters even more and I feel like they'd lap any GOP candidate in a general election.

Didn't realize he was the first non-Christian to win a primary in US history though...

 

[RustyShackleford]

^^^^ No he ain't, you forgot Obeezy is a secret Muslim

-btw, Who the ****** voted for O'Malley in NH

Like why

 

[rolaholic]

Speaking of Tea party related things....not a good night for them AT ALL

Also,Christie's just about done like O'Malley was after Iowa

 

[deleted]

O'Malley can win this!

 

[651akathepaul]

O'Malley can win this!

He done, bro.

No surprises tonight...Who bows out next?

Carson.

 

[RustyShackleford]

O'Malley can win this!

He done, bro.

No surprises tonight...Who bows out next?

Carson.

Dude is just joking

He is just mimicking the post he makes all the time about Bernie

 

[rolaholic]

I hope Christie at least stays long enough for another debate ,need to see him emasculate the Rubi.O 3000 one more time

 

[651akathepaul]

 

[Rootin4EverybodyBlack]

Time for Uncle Ben to fade off into the sunset. Next is Carly Purina then Jeb Shrub.

 

[RustyShackleford]

I hope Christie at least stays long enough for another debate ,need to see him emasculate the Rubi.O 3000 one more time

Doubt that it will happen again, heard the GOP establishment hired programmers to update Rubio's firmware