US Election - Where Do You Stand?

[Logique]

Hillary might be in trouble.

After scraping home by the barest of margins in Iowa, she'd have expected a much better outcome in New Hampshire.

 

[SirRumpole]

Could the US lurch to the Left ?


Could do a lot worse



10 reasons why voters are turning to Bernie Sanders


http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/...rs-supporters-10-reasons-why-us-election-2016

 

[luutzu]

Pity the people in his own party can't resist sniping at him.

Strange isn't it. For all Americans, and ours, sake I hope he win. Then, even if he can't deliver on all the promises, at least it's a big step towards the right direction (by going Left).

An American city see its (poor) citizens and (poor) children poisoned and killed with drinking water. WTF? It's supposed to be Amerka right? The light on the hill and what not.

Sad thing is it doesn't seem to be just that one city. My wife's cousin live in California's San Bernardino (the latest terrorist shooting we heard about) and they said they can't drink or cook with their tap water, have to buy bottled water for that. And they are not rich at all... poor, working class people who barely make ends meet have to buy bottled water to cook with.


Saw bits of the debate in Milwaukee and man, Clinton is just way too much of a politician it annoys me.

Yea, she won't be influenced by big donation from Wall St at all, she said. Just like how Obama got big donations from Wall St., she said, but when it came doing the right thing by the American people, he stood up to Wall St., pass the toughest laws and financial reforms that saw none of those CEO in prison or charged, all got their bonuses, all got bailed out, and are bigger than ever.

And on foreign policy... heard she was instrumental in the CIA/State Dept... hmm... liberation [?] of the Libyan and Syrian people from their gov't - bringing the people freedom and democracy even if it kill and starve and make them homeless is how it's done.

But I guess she'll be better than Trump.

Glad I'm an Australian where the Masters aren't too bad in comparison.

 

[Knobby22]

Sanders has to fight from behind. The democrats have super delegates that are not elected that represent the establishment. Theu will mostly go Clinton.

 

[So_Cynical]

Could the US lurch to the Left ?

WTF, perhaps you didn't notice the Black guy that's been in the White house for the last 8 years.

 

[Knobby22]

Yes. But the Republicans have blocked nearly everything and the electorate is getting angry. The middle class are being screwed by the rich and they know it.

 

[luutzu]

WTF, perhaps you didn't notice the Black guy that's been in the White house for the last 8 years.

Seems like the Blacks [African Amerians?] have gotten it worst under Obama. Not that it's his fault or he doesn't want to do good by them. Maybe it's just a section of the Americans saying that even a Black president can't help the Blacks and have the power to show that.

As to Obama being a Leftist... maybe he's a nice guy personally but he's no Lefty/Socialist. He's not even an FDR type capitalist. He was presented with a perfect opportunity to change the world for the better but instead did diddly with it.

As Knobby said above, the radical insurgency that is the Republican party and their obstruction play a major part... but by far the business lobby and his advisors got the better of him.

 

[basilio]

I'm in despair about American politics. I can't see it as a democracy but just a plutocracy only interested in the wealth of the millionaires.

Even if Bernie was miraculously nominated and elected I cannot see how he will get legislation through that will gain universal health care, free university education, minimum wage and so on. The Republicans and the plutocracy will simply not allow it.

In the end if Bernie is too successful I think he will have an accident or an incident.

 

[luutzu]

I'm in despair about American politics. I can't see it as a democracy but just a plutocracy only interested in the wealth of the millionaires.

Even if Bernie was miraculously nominated and elected I cannot see how he will get legislation through that will gain universal health care, free university education, minimum wage and so on. The Republicans and the plutocracy will simply not allow it.

In the end if Bernie is too successful I think he will have an accident or an incident.

I guess now that there's no major threat from any other power or political system/ideology, the Fat Cats do what Fat Cats does.

Disenfranchise enough people, and some 50% to 60% not bothering to vote is a good indication... and one day I wouldn't be surprised if a US general sail a US Carrier up to Potomac and just take over with most of the population just shrugging it off or cheering for it.

It has happened in small and big Empires the world over, even democratic ones like Rome with its Senators.

 

[basilio]

This election campaign seems to pointing out that American politics as it is currently played out is broken in many peoples eyes.

On the Left (Democrat) side around 25-30% of the people don't trust traditional Democrat candidates like Hilary Clinton and see her as part of the political establishment and effectively in the pocket of big business.

On the Right (Republican) side again 30-35% of Republicans are supporting the brash ultra violent Ugly American and dumping the conservative Republican candidates.

Overall I see a very disaffected population that is desperate and doesn't believe the current political system offers them any hope. Interestingly that picture is being replicated across Europe (Poland, Hungary, France, Holland + )

Shades of the 1930's

 

[luutzu]

Hillary Clinton earns $20M for 92 paid speeches since 2013.

Wow, at an average of $217K a pop, there must be a lot of wisdom, right?

Can't be legalised bribery or anything of the kind.

See, if you know you're going to run for president, don't take Wall St.'s money, yet.



PRESSURE MOUNTS ON CLINTON TO RELEASE TRANSCRIPTS OF GOLDMAN SACHS SPEECHES

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Hillary Clinton continued to resist calls to release her transcripts of paid speeches she gave to Goldman Sachs and other banks, saying she would hold onto them until Bernie Sanders and other rivals for the U.S. presidency released theirs.

Sanders, her populist rival for the Democratic presidential nomination who has surged in polls with his furious rebukes of Wall Street and its role in the 2008 recession, said on Friday he had none to release because he does not give paid speeches to banks.

http://www.newsweek.com/hillary-clinton-wall-street-goldman-sachs-bernie-sanders-big-banks-2016-428805

 

[basilio]

Came across an original analysis of Bernie Sanders - by a Conservative. Worth a think.

I’m a Conservative Who Supports Bernie Sanders. Here’s Why.
15 Feb 2016

http://brokeassstuart.com/blog/2016/02/15/im-a-conservative-who-supports-bernie-sanders-heres-why/

 

[SirRumpole]

Came across an original analysis of Bernie Sanders - by a Conservative. Worth a think.



http://brokeassstuart.com/blog/2016/02/15/im-a-conservative-who-supports-bernie-sanders-heres-why/

The Republican Party is lurching towards the far Right and disaffecting a lot of people imo.

Even if Trump wins the Republican nomination I can't see the "ordinary" American voting for him.

Is that enough to vote for Sanders ? He may not win the Democrat nomination. If he doesn't it would be interesting to see him run as an Independant, that would be a big shake up and he may have a better chance that way.

 

[luutzu]

Good compliation of Clinton and Sanders stance over the years.

Sanders has been consistent (and consistently noble); Clinton is your typical politician who say whatever is popular.

 

[basilio]

One of the conversations in America is how so many people are calling themselves Socialists and voting for Bernie Sanders. Socialism has not been part of a populist movement.

Came across a comment that nailed it I think.

Why, then, this embrace of a socialist identity by millions of Americans who in earlier times might have been content to call themselves liberal? Sanders’s campaign, for one, has doubtless removed some of socialism’s stigma. The collapse of Soviet communism has allowed younger Americans to identify socialism with the social democratic nations of Western Europe, all of which suffer from less economic inequality and its attendant woes than the United States.

But the prime mover of millions of Americans into the socialist column has been the near complete dysfunctionality of contemporary American capitalism. Where once the regulated, unionized and semi-socialized capitalism of the mid-20th century produced a vibrant middle class majority, the deregulated, deunionized and financialized capitalism of the past 35 years has produced record levels of inequality, a shrinking middle class, and scant economic opportunities (along with record economic burdens) for the young.

http://www.theguardian.com/commenti...re-suddenly-millions-of-socialists-in-america

 

[luutzu]

One of the conversations in America is how so many people are calling themselves Socialists and voting for Bernie Sanders. Socialism has not been part of a populist movement.

Came across a comment that nailed it I think.



http://www.theguardian.com/commenti...re-suddenly-millions-of-socialists-in-america

Was looking up a couple figures to see how wrong Buffett is about his recent talk about lucky Americans and it's hard to believe that when Robert Reich made his Inequality for All documentary he was amazed that 400 Americans have the same wealth as half of the lower US population.

Contrast that to 2016 where, instead of 400, it is now 20, twenty, Americans having the same wealth as half the population.

Australia isn't there, yet, but it's all heading that way.

 

[Uncle Festivus]

Americans must have some cursed propensity for long, drawn out, mind numbingly boring election campaigns. Either that or they have boring lives without a purpose?

The one thing they have in common with us is lack of quality candidates to choose from.

I'm not sure if the financial markets have priced in a Trump win, which would be a disaster for the whole world.

 

[Bill M]

I'm not sure if the financial markets have priced in a Trump win, which would be a disaster for the whole world.

You are spot on with that Uncle.

 

[qldfrog]

But could also be a blessing in disguise:
burst the abscess: create a real crash with no engineered soft landing which end up being the new name for a direct transfer of trillions[trillions!!!!] of dollars worldwide
-from government aka people
- into the pocket of few corporation/individuals,
and we are not talking " the rich cigar smoking " aka class war of the 40's, more like a few thousands at most individuals.
I have the feeling a Trump in power would not only trigger involuntarily, but also let the abcess burst , and that would have ramification everywhere in exploding bubbles: sharemarket indeed, but also RE in Australia and concurrency war/return of real capitalism with real socialism as a backlast.A lot of pain indeed, but some prospect of healing.
Would the pain involve major war conflicts is a question?
Not that warmonging reduced with a black American and so called democrat in the white house so some assumptions always need to be reviewed
Could Trump be the trigger for a cleansing wave?
Inn any case we will not vote sojust have to wait and be ready

 

[Logique]

The selection of running mate Vice-Presidents will matter a lot this time around.

Neither Trump nor Clinton come across as physically resilient.

Hillary is so fragile that travels with a personal physician.