Presidential race 2016

[Duchess]

Seriously. Did you just put Hillary in the same category as Putin?

[Carsman]

Seriously. Did you just put Hillary in the same category as Putin?

Of course he is worse, that goes with out saying, but they both are untrust worthy, IMO.

[Maggot]

He is ex-KGB Its the same as making John O Brennan president. or any CIA operative. Putin is not a nice guy that's for sure but I would have to say that China is worse. The U.S. would be better in bed with Russia than Iran that's for sure.

[Duchess]

Putin kills journalists. Those that oppose him wind up dead or imprisoned. I think that comparing him to America's CIA is a stretch.

[Maggot]

Putin kills journalists. Those that oppose him wind up dead or imprisoned. I think that comparing him to America's CIA is a stretch.

I have no problem believing that the CIA plays by the rules of truth, justice and the American way The CIA uses assassins just as much if not more than the Russians.

[cannongal]

Supposedly Trump just admitted Obama was born in the U.S........

Hopefully this means I won't have to listen to every single news station reporting "the Birther issue" again... 3 hours of that bullshit this afternoon.

[Maggot]

Great.............now Obama will become his bestest buddy and start campaigning for him. That's a surefire way to get him to lose the election.........geez!

[ZEROSPHERES]

Putin kills journalists. Those that oppose him wind up dead or imprisoned. I think that comparing him to America's CIA is a stretch.

If the CIA's files were ever exposed to the light of day, you would see they were every bit as sinister as the KGB.

[Blindgreed1]

Putin kills journalists. Those that oppose him wind up dead or imprisoned. I think that comparing him to America's CIA is a stretch.

I have no problem believing that the CIA plays by the rules of truth, justice and the American way The CIA uses assassins just as much if not more than the Russians.

Yeah, my father knew a former CIA agent. Extremely dangerous man.

[Duchess]

HotD, you've paid attention to way more elections than I have, there's probably a few in here that have so feel free to answer as well. Does this mean anything - I just saw it reported that Carl Bernstein told a CNN reporter that Bill Weld will drop the Johnson/Weld ticket if they think it is helping to elect Trump.

[HairOfTheDog]

I've had a house full of guests since Thursday night, so I haven't read or seen the latest developments.

I like Bill Weld, he really helps elevate the Johnson ticket, in my opinion. I don't know if Weld dropping out would be an advantage or disadvantage to Trump.

I thought Johnson/Weld would mostly attract never-Trump Republicans, along with Independents who couldn't stomach Clinton or Trump and would just stay home if there weren't a viable third party candidacy. If that had happened, the Johnson/Weld ticket would have helped Hillary and hurt Trump.

But, if the current polls are showing that Clinton is losing never-Trump voters and high numbers of Independents to Johnson/Weld and Trump is attracting more moderate Republicans and Independents than originally forecast, then I can see where Weld leaving the ticket might help Clinton, assuming those Johnson/Weld supporters migrate to Clinton or stay home on election day.

I know you don't like this and may not agree, but I don't think Trump is enticing Independents with his recent more mainstream and scripted appearances. I think Clinton let them get away. I think she played her cards badly when she had a good solid lead across the board last month by spending her time at fundraisers rather than in front of potential voters and the press. At the same time, Trump's change in campaign management kicked into gear and helped him avoid shooting himself in the foot every day and get on script. He was speaking more effectively to to potential voters while she was behind closed doors collecting money.

Let's hope all that fucking money she raised for television ads is used effectively and Trump isn't better at debating the issues than many expect. She needs to kick ass in the debates and annihilate Trump to win back and win over thinking Independents. Making this election a referendum on Donald Trump cannot be the primary strategy of the Clinton campaign, in my view. She also needs to be better at telling us and showing us, specifically and frequently, why she's so much better. I still think she'll be the next President, but I'm not as confident about that as I was last month and that's because of Clinton's shortsightedness, not Trump's savvy.

[Duchess]

I know you don't like this and may not agree, but I don't think Trump is enticing Independents with his recent more mainstream and scripted appearances. I think Clinton let them get away. I think she played her cards badly when she had a good solid lead across the board last month by spending her time at fundraisers rather than in front of potential voters and the press. At the same time, Trump's change in campaign management kicked into gear and helped him avoid shooting himself in the foot every day and get on script. He was speaking more effectively to to potential voters while she was behind closed doors collecting money.

I'm not oblivious to Hillary's faults and I agree with that assessment. At the time, I thought it was a good idea for her to just lay low and do her fundraising. It seemed better to let Trump have the floor, I knew he'd shoot himself in the face at some point. I hope she has seen the error of her ways.

[Duchess]

Life after the campaign.

[cannongal]

While flipping through the channels, I saw a news clip about Hillary outspending Trump 5 to 1.......

Sigh, if true, I think it's wasteful and just shows desperation.

[Duchess]

He doesn't have the kind of money she does. Those who have traditionally donated the big bucks to the Republican party are either not doing so or are concentrating their money down ballot and they are focusing on the House & Senate races.

[HairOfTheDog]

The Washington Post's piece today on Trump's supposed 'charitable' foundation and donations is very damning (but not really surprising, it's long been speculated that's part of the reason he keeps promising then refusing to release his tax returns).

'Self-dealing' is a violation of federal tax law whereby people use non-profit charitable foundations and donations for personal or business financial gain.

What Trump has reportedly done is to establish a non-profit charity, the Trump Foundation, to which he barely donates (which is extremely rare for a self-named/branded charity). He got a couple of big donations from professional wrestling honchos several years back when he was involved in those reality shows. He used the charity's money not to help others, but to pay off law suit settlements and fines against his for-profit businesses, to buy a large portrait of himself, etc... Big no-no.

Trump is already being investigated for possible financial illegalities by the New York Attorney General following his donation to Florida AG Pam Bondi (she then declined to prosecute a Trump University class action lawsuit in the state).

Trump and his campaign did not respond to requests for comments and rebuttals from the WP investigative reporter. They instead released a statement today claiming that the piece is "peppered with inaccuracies and omissions", but didn't provide any details.

The Clinton Foundation's full financial reports and tax docs have been audited and posted publicly for years. Based on his his pattern of pointing at Clinton when he's questioned about potential misdeeds or improprieties, I'd expect Trump to claim some kind of charity tax impropriety on Clinton's part. But, I think he'll be shooting blanks in this case if he tries such deflection. Clinton Foundation records have been reviewed by experts and political rivals with a fine-toothed comb and gotten an A-rating from charity rating organizations.

WP piece: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/...ge%2Fstory

[Maggot]

What happened in Haiti? I've heard Clinton really screwed the pooch on that one. And I'm sure Trump has done the same thing, the difference is the lying. Clinton lies, Trump deflects. And that's what people see and hear. Now the media is against Clinton when a few months ago it was against Trump. I tell ya, it does not matter one iota, and that's my opinion wrapped in bacon and dipped in honey mustard sauce.

[HairOfTheDog]

Well, Mags, if you are SERIOUSLY contending that Trump doesn't lie, even when most of his lies are obvious and his massive number of lies have been pointed out to you as documented fact, you simply don't have the ability to be objective and don't want to see it.

It's a false statement that Donald Trump doesn't lie and only deflects. He does both in his public addresses, far more than any candidate who's ever run in the time since fact-checking has been done.

Anyway, a few of us have already posted the quantifiable fact check numbers, charts, and the qualified specifics from various credible sources for you, more than once. So, I won't do it again. And, I love you no matter how blind you are and who you vote for.

[cannongal]

He doesn't have the kind of money she does. Those who have traditionally donated the big bucks to the Republican party are either not doing so or are concentrating their money down ballot and they are focusing on the House & Senate races.

I know she has way more campaign funds than Trump. I just don't think the ads are getting her anywhere. IMO she should be putting a lot more feet on the ground. When Bernie was still in it, there were people at my door every other day asking me to support Bernie. In the past, I've had Cruz people, Trump people and even someone for Johnson, but not one Hillary person has shown up in my area. Meh....

[Duchess]

she should be putting a lot more feet on the ground.

I agree that the ground game is important and from everything I've heard & read she has a pretty good one. I can't be sure of this of course but she may feel your state is already in the bag.