***Official Political Discussion Thread***

[whywesteppin]

yup. the party elites likely start freaking out a bit around primary time every 4 years. they want to maintain this image that the party is united with common ideals, but it's a bunch of smoke and mirrors. the concept of "party" is not any more real than the concept of "race." both empty concepts pushed on us and perpetuated by thoughtlessness, agendas, and bias.

 

[slighted]

 
You're right some people in the GOP base do dream of being in the donor class because some voters tend to vote for where they wish they can be instead of voting in their best interest for where they are now.

But their are other voters in the base that don't like the donor class or simply don't care about them but still vote republican because of other things they identify with (small government, tough on crime, views on immigration, boot strap mentality) and I think this is the part of the Republican base Trump is rallying around.

Honestly you could really separate both parties into 4 different parties maybe even more, because their are some people that are socially liberal but economically conservative or vice versa or liberal in both or conservative in both. And depending on which of their values they consider more important they will either vote Democrat or Republican even if the rest of their views don't align with the parties policies tend to be.

Its why I think America could possibly benefit from a plurality system to break up the large voter bases the Democrats and Republicans have under their umbrellas.

Good idea, but it just doesn't fit into the elites' narrative.

Both sides will never work successfully together and that's the whole point.

And let's be serious: both parties want big government.

 

[Armada]

I agree with that as well although I know this country would do a lot better under a plurality system I'm not naive enough to think it would happen anytime soon or at all. The last thing both parties would want is to lose influence that either have by other parties pulling those people away and taking up seats. when it comes to the influence they have over their voter bases they would much rather have the political oligopoly we have running things.

 

[whywesteppin]

a pair of good articles about how the Republican party created the monster known as Donald Trump by appealing to people's fears on immigration, race, guns, etc. apologies if posted already.


https://www.washingtonpost.com/opin...443f28-dbc1-11e5-925f-1d10062cc82d_story.html

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/how-america-made-donald-trump-unstoppable-20160224

the party had a chance a few years ago to redefine themselves as the more modern, intelligent party. they completely blew it.

 

[ccastro02]

It seems like the party itself wants modernize its values, however its the people/ voters who are unwilling to budge. Its like everyone is trying to "out conservative" each other.

 

[jpzx]

.

 

[gwap]

It seems like the party itself wants modernize its values, however its the people/ voters who are unwilling to budge. Its like everyone is trying to "out conservative" each other.

this is exactly what's going on

 

[Belgium]

Breakfast club interview (over the phone) with Bernie  

 

 

[rico x hood]

It seems like the party itself wants modernize its values, however its the people/ voters who are unwilling to budge. Its like everyone is trying to "out conservative" each other.

Because it's the primaries. They're ALWAYS like this. Democrats run to the left, Republicans run to the right because it's usuall the staunchest supporters that vote in primaries. Then in the general election they all come back to the center.

 

[rexanglorum]

It seems like the party itself wants modernize its values, however its the people/ voters who are unwilling to budge. Its like everyone is trying to "out conservative" each other.

Let's not be too kind to the Republican Party itself.

While professional Republicans are probably less racist, sexist and homophobic than the typical voter, the GOP elites are just fine with extremely backward social policy.

The way it works is that the ultimate goal of the GOP establishment is laissez-faire economics (that and subsidies for big business, they love socialism when it goes to rich people). However, most people, even GOP voters really do not care that much about lower capital gains taxes, preserving the carried interest loop hole, gutting social security and cutting the estate tax down to zero. As a result, the GOP establishment must campaign on culture war issues.

So while the GOP establishment is not as racist as Trump and his supporters, they are perfectly fine with indulging the worst instincts of their base all so they can win elections and cut their own taxes and the taxes on their extremely wealthy donors.

 

[gwap]

 

It seems like the party itself wants modernize its values, however its the people/ voters who are unwilling to budge. Its like everyone is trying to "out conservative" each other.

Let's not be too kind to the Republican Party itself.

While professional Republicans are probably less racist, sexist and homophobic than the typical voter, the GOP elites are just fine with extremely backward social policy.

The way it works is that the ultimate goal of the GOP establishment is laissez-faire economics (that and subsidies for big business, they love socialism when it goes to rich people). However, most people, even GOP voters really do not care that much about lower capital gains taxes, preserving the carried interest loop hole, gutting social security and cutting the estate tax down to zero. As a result, the GOP establishment must campaign on culture war issues.

So while the GOP establishment is not as racist as Trump and his supporters, they are perfectly fine with indulging the worst instincts of their base all so they can win elections and cut their own taxes and the taxes on their extremely wealthy donors.

you aren't contradicting anything ccastro02 said tho...

their strategy is becoming less successful the more "liberal" the American population becomes.

Their attempts to "mordernize" (ie accept and incorporate the more "liberal" cultural norms that are becoming prevalant across all demographics) is a faiure and instead their members are in an arms race to try to rally as many of the diminishing number of die hard conservatives there still are.

The goal for any political party is to maintain power... the actual policies, whether good or bad, come second

 

[jpzx]

The goal for any political party is to maintain power... the actual policies, whether good or bad, come second

They have the House and Senate.

 

[gwap]

The goal for any political party is to maintain power... the actual policies, whether good or bad, come second

They have the House and Senate.

......how is this statement relavent to what I said?

 

[jpzx]

.

 

[RustyShackleford]

^^^ Famb, no shade, but what point are you even trying to make?

I'm so lost reading your post

 

[blco02]

Hillary wins the SC primary.

http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/27/politics/south-carolina-primary-highlights/index.html

 

[jpzx]

.

 

[osh kosh bosh]

I guess Killer Mike and Ta-nehisi coates wasn't enough make a dent in the black vote.

 

[cl-1b]

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-brief...wn-protester-wearing-kkk-endorses-trump-shirt

[emoji]128514[/emoji]

 

[RustyShackleford]

I guess Killer Mike and Ta-nehisi coates wasn't enough make a dent in the black vote.

I heard she won one like over 90% of the senior black vote.

 

[osh kosh bosh]

I heard she won one like over 90% of the senior black vote.

dawg

96 to 3 Clinton over Sanders among African Americans over age 65. These are Obama numbers. #SCPrimary

@M_Gelin Clinton winning black voters 84-16, bigger margin than Obama in 2008, when he won 78-19

I mean I knew Bernie was in tough with black folks but danm.

 

[Armada]

Yeah those senior black vote numbers don't  shock me at all lol.

Does anyone know what they young black vote numbers where?

 

[osh kosh bosh]

Welp Bernie's doomed and I guess this should have been obvious from jump.


he is never going to win over black voters.


Black voters might be last voting constituents in American that doesn't map clearly upon left right, plenty of centrist/conservative black folks side eyeing Bernies "Democratic socialism, political revolution" stuff.

 

[RustyShackleford]

I heard she won one like over 90% of the senior black vote.

dawg

96 to 3 Clinton over Sanders among African Americans over age 65. These are Obama numbers. #SCPrimary

@M_Gelin Clinton winning black voters 84-16, bigger margin than Obama in 2008, when he won 78-19

I mean I knew Bernie was in tough with black folks but danm.

I knew she would run him a fade. But I honestly thought he would do Clinton in 2008 numbers

I love Bernie

But famb was asleep as the wheel on this hard.

 

[rexanglorum]

Welp Bernie's doomed and I guess this should have been obvious from jump.


he is never going to win over black voters.


Black voters might be last voting constituents in American that doesn't map clearly upon left right, plenty of centrist/conservative black folks side eyeing Bernies "Democratic socialism, political revolution" stuff.

Thankfully, most of America is not like South Carolina. Bernie needs to do well among hard workers in the northern part of the country. Now, if he does poorly in Minnesota and Massachusetts, then we can start writing the obituary to his campaign.