Presidential race 2016

[HairOfTheDog]

Sally doesn't trip my trigger, Biggie. She just doesn't need coddling or fake agreement.

If I'm lucky, she'll disagree or pretend to disagree and pick a fight with me.

Anyway, I don't see where my spelling is off, but I'm sure it's not so bad that my meaning is lost or misconstrued.

[Duchess]

I also thought it was funny when he joked about Melania ripping off Michelle Obama at that charity dinner a few days ago, though I understand that some people saw it as throwing his wife under the bus.

I might be the only one who felt that way. I was gobsmacked that he would draw attention to that. I would have felt differently had he been the one who had plagiarized and then stood there and made fun of himself but it wasn't him, it was his wife. I thought he put her in a horrible position for his own benefit.

[Carsman]

Well, I'm not tempted to grab your pussy because you're not a cry baby, sal. However, you're sometimes a bully crier (in defense of other people, not yourself) and I often think you're off-base in that regard, but don't really care.

I thought it was stupid when people acted like Trump was serious about throwing a baby out of a rally. He was obviously joking, in my opinion. I also thought it was funny when he joked about Melania ripping off Michelle Obama at that charity dinner a few days ago, though I understand that some people saw it as throwing his wife under the bus. The Alicia Machado 'fat shaming' deal was a big 'so what?' to me because she entered a beauty pageant and played along with the whole thing for publicity. Clinton was smart and got a lot of mileage out of it, however, because she correctly assessed Trump's inability to refrain from getting obsessed and not being able to let it go when she tossed out the bait. Trump showed his lack of discipline and pettiness in how he handled it, in my view.

Here's what I think does matter. Trump stiffed so many small businesses like your's and mine, knowing he was gonna stiff them before they even started work on his projects (by his own admission). That's not smart business, that's a fucking scheister with no professional integrity. Why some people admire or excuse that shit is beyond me.

Trump also uses cheap foreign labor instead of American workers, which I personally understand as a business owner. However, I also understand that he's a hypocrite and full of shit when he chastises other people/businesses who use foreign labor.

In addition, Trump proudly declared himself the king of debt and, again, displayed his hypocrisy by later lambasting the government for being in debt.

Plus, the "Obama is a Kenyan Muslim" birther idiocy Trump floated for years (even after Obama's short and long birth certificates were released) in order to gather a certain type of base for his entry into politics tells me a lot about who Trump is and how he operates.

The whole "I'll release my tax returns if Obama supplies his birth certificate", then "I'll release my tax returns if I run for President", then "I'll release my tax returns when the audit is complete".... game Trump continues to play is also indicative, to me, of the fact that Trump is full of shit and not "authentic" or transparent at all. He keeps changing his excuses. He can release his tax returns despite being under audit. And, there's nothing preventing him from releasing already-audited tax returns from earlier this decade. I can see how the fact that he has legally chosen not to pay any personal income tax wouldn't be a deal-breaker for many, but the broken promises and changing excuses should be hard for anyone to swallow, in my view.

And, I think you stating that Trump doesn't objectify women is asinine; but we often disagree on such issues. I listen and understand where you're coming from, I just don't agree with you. Trump proudly objectified women on Howard Stern year after year, including his own daughter. He said outright and proudly that he can't say he respects women. He said that women should be treated like shit. He admitted to barging in on contestants in beauty pageants because he wanted to see naked young women with great bodies and he liked that he could get away with it. And, that hot mic tape where he brags about groping and kissing women without consent says a whole lot about how he regards women in relation to himself, regardless as to whether he did those things or not (I believe he did in some cases, but just thinking it's cool to claim he did as a 59-year-old husband and father is some concerning juvenile misogynistic bullshit on its own, to me).

I think Clinton is very deliberate, cautious, not very transparent, paranoid about attacks from 'the right', and sometimes lies and misleads when it's to her advantage. Plus, she is too hawkish and interventionist for my taste and plays the political game like a motherfucker. I'm not a Clinton lover. However, she's smart, she doesn't appear to objectify women or men, she isn't looking to limit rights and choices for large groups of people, she has helped millions of people in her public service and through her family's foundation, she's been praised for her commitment and ability to work bi-partisan by both Democratic and Republican politicians, and she doesn't whine like a cry baby bitch whenever things don't go her way.

So, for me, it's not a hard choice. Then again, I don't have it in my mind that Clinton is the devil incarnate, like a lot of Trump supporters do. And, as an American with a lot of freedom at a time when the economy and most other issues are as good or better than they've been in a long time here or anywhere else in the world, I'm not convinced that we're at the end of days or on the ledge, as a lot of Trump fans are.

So, I'll vote for Clinton and others who view the world, the U.S., and our two presidential candidates way differently than I do will vote for Trump. Even if Trump wins, and I sincerely hope he doesn't, I'll be grateful that his victory was decided by free and fair elections and won't cry like a bitch because my preference didn't come to fruition.

[HairOfTheDog]

^ Damn it. That seems derogatory. Bullied by Carsman, once again!

[HairOfTheDog]

I also thought it was funny when he joked about Melania ripping off Michelle Obama at that charity dinner a few days ago, though I understand that some people saw it as throwing his wife under the bus.

I might be the only one who felt that way. I was gobsmacked that he would draw attention to that. I would have felt differently had he been the one who had plagiarized and then stood there and made fun of himself but it wasn't him, it was his wife. I thought he put her in a horrible position for his own benefit.

I saw that a bunch of people on Twitter had the same reaction as you did. But, I found the 'pardon me' line targeting Hillary and the plagiarism line targeting Melania to be pretty funny. Both women seemed to be sincerely amused at the jokes (unlike Rudy Guiliani who sure wasn't laughing when Clinton poked fun at him).

[Carsman]

^ Damn it. That seems derogatory. Bullied by Carsman, once again!

[Duchess]

I found the 'pardon me' line targeting Hillary and the plagiarism line targeting Melania to be pretty funny. Both women seemed to be sincerely amused at the jokes (unlike Rudy Guiliani who sure wasn't laughing when Clinton poked fun at him).

It looked like Hillary guffawed at the "pardon me" line. I don't know how I even know that word or the definition but I was moved to use it.

Did you see the guy to our right, Trump's left when Trump started in on the corruption stuff? The look on his face, his eyes? Ahahaha. I laugh every time I recall it, it was hilarious.

[Duchess]

The guy I'm talking about does his thing around the 48 second mark.

[HairOfTheDog]

The guy I'm talking about does his thing around the 48 second mark.

That guy's expression was hilarious. The gasp by the woman in the red dress behind Trump was pretty funny too.

[HairOfTheDog]

^ Damn it. That seems derogatory. Bullied by Carsman, once again!

Wow, Cars, you're really taking it to the limit now.

Trying to bully and intimidate me using a gang of colored people, one brandishing a stick even?!?

Sad!

[Donovan]

Fuck off you self righteous asshole.

Keep trying, your opinion almost mattered that time. Useless twat.

[Carsman]

^ Damn it. That seems derogatory. Bullied by Carsman, once again!

Wow, Cars, you're really taking it to the limit now.

Trying to bully and intimidate me using a gang of colored people, one brandishing a stick even?!?

Sad!

[Duchess]

This is the best graphic I've seen showing the path to 270. It's a bit old as PA has now crossed the center line and is firmly into Trump territory.

[HairOfTheDog]

At this point the down ticket is whats important to me now.

It's been interesting watching the down ticket odds the last couple of weeks.

The prediction market chances of Democrats taking the majority in the Senate has risen from about 20% to 76%. http://predictwise.com/politics/2016-congress-senate

The Democrats need to win at least 5 out of the 9 competitive races to take majority if Clinton wins the Presidency (Kaine as VP would be the tie-breaker voice).

Right now, the market favors Democrats winning senate races in Wisconsin, Nevada, Illinois, Indiana, New Hampshire, and Pennsylvania. Missouri could go either way. Republican incumbents are still favored in Florida and North Carolina, but Rubio and Burr are not beating their Democratic challengers by much at this point.

The House still looks like a long shot though. Democratic challengers would need to unseat 30 Republican Representatives to take majority, the prediction market chances of which are currently under 20%.

Then again, it really surprised me when the Republicans took majority of the Senate in 2014 so I won't be too shocked if they hold onto it...

[Maggot]

Please.............not while I'm eating.

[HairOfTheDog]

Okay, I gave you some time to finish your Pop Tart and coffee, Mags.

I hope the Republicans lose the Senate. I think they deserve to lose the majority for refusing to consider a centrist Supreme Court Justice nominee and doing a whole lot of nothing for the last two years.

Anyway, no matter which party wins the Presidency, I'd like to see one branch of Congress be Republican and one be Democrat. I think that's the best chance for some bi-partisan compromise and action, rather than total obstruction by a single-party majority Congress vs. an opposing party President or a blank check for a President whose party rules both Congressional branches.

[BigMark]

Pop tarts are for dessert, Dave's buttermilk bars are for breakfast.

[Blindgreed1]

Okay, I gave you some time to finish your Pop Tart and coffee, Mags.

I hope the Republicans lose the Senate. I think they deserve to lose the majority for refusing to consider a centrist Supreme Court Justice nominee and doing a whole lot of nothing for the last two years.

Anyway, no matter which party wins the Presidency, I'd like to see one branch of Congress be Republican and one be Democrat. I think that's the best chance for some bi-partisan compromise and action, rather than total obstruction by a single-party majority Congress vs. an opposing party President or a blank check for a President whose party rules both Congressional branches.

I disagree, I think that whoever wins the election the opposition should control the house. It's the only way to make it through the next 4 years. If either candidate was honest or trustworthy I may tend to agree with you but for this election we're pretty much screwed 10 ways from Sunday.

[HairOfTheDog]

I understand, Gunnar. We can just agree to disagree then.

[Maggot]