2016 elections - because it's never too early

[Berkut]

the president's actions and non-actions are much more of a function of his party than they are of his personal qualities and convictions

I don't think that is true at all - much more true for the legislative branch than the executive. The President generally has vastly more freedom to operate as he sees fit than almost any other elected official.

[DGuller]

the president's actions and non-actions are much more of a function of his party than they are of his personal qualities and convictions

I don't think that is true at all - much more true for the legislative branch than the executive. The President generally has vastly more freedom to operate as he sees fit than almost any other elected official.

The president is not an absolute dictator.  Apart from constitutional limits, he also has to contend with political capital, both from his party allies and his voters.  He may have capital to buck the party sometimes to some limited extent, on a few battles of his picking, but he can't ignore it wholesale.

[Berkut]

There might be something in between "absolute dictator" and the president being largely a puppet of the party, as you claim.

[Admiral Yi]

Your description doesn't fit Bubba at all, and for that matter Wubya prior to 9/11.

[DGuller]

There might be something in between "absolute dictator" and the president being largely a puppet of the party, as you claim.

I never said anything about being a puppet, nor did I make any implications to such an effect.  This is a very simplistic simplification of what I said.  I was talking about the realities of maintaining real, not nominal, power, when you're part of a big political coalition (which is what in American system parties are).  Politics is the art of what is possible, and even absolute dictators can't afford to discount the wishes of their political base on a more than selective basis.  That doesn't make them puppets, that just makes them subject to constraints.

But ignoring all that, there is just too much risk in hoping for the best.  I don't want any more Alitos on the bench, the current Supreme Court bench has set us back as a country far enough as it is.  And we can't vote them out after four years.

[derspiess]

Alito rules. The more Jim Rockford lookalikes, the better.

[Eddie Teach]

Bit of a stretch there.

[Berkut]

DG, you make a really good point about the SC, actually. That is the one thing that can't be fixed.

[derspiess]

Bit of a stretch there.

Damn, I was thinking of Scalia.  The other Italian dude.

[derspiess]

Hillary makes another shitty joke:

http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/251413-clinton-pulls-plug-on-testy-presser-over-server-questions

Asked if the server, which has been turned over to the Department of Justice, had been wiped clean, Clinton initially shrugged and later joked: "Like with a cloth or something?"

"I don't know how it works digitally at all," she added.

[Valmy]

Hillary just seems to attract these kinds of things and can never seem to shake them off. If she gets elected her entire Presidency would probably get mired in some minor controversy we will have to obsess about for four years. That sounds fun.

[alfred russel]

Hillary just seems to attract these kinds of things and can never seem to shake them off. If she gets elected her entire Presidency would probably get mired in some minor controversy we will have to obsess about for four years. That sounds fun.

Sounds a lot like the 90s. 

[The Minsky Moment]

Kasich, from what limited stuff I've seen of him so far, looks like a very reasonable human being and a practical pragmatic politician.

Back in the day, Kasich was Newt's chief dynamite thrower.   The furthest thing from reasonable.

Perhaps he's mellowed, or perhaps the GOD has gone so hysterical that he now seems moderate in comparison.

[DGuller]

Kasich, from what limited stuff I've seen of him so far, looks like a very reasonable human being and a practical pragmatic politician.

Back in the day, Kasich was Newt's chief dynamite thrower.   The furthest thing from reasonable.

Perhaps he's mellowed, or perhaps the GOD has gone so hysterical that he now seems moderate in comparison.

Could be both things, and could also be that I'm really not that informed about him.  Huckabee also seems like a mostly reasonable person for a while, until you get to know him more and realize that he's the most despicable politician on a stage full of pretty despicable politicians.

[derspiess]

Oh I'm sure you guys will find plenty of objectionable details on Kasich should he become a likely nominee.  I have no idea what, but you'll find something to magnify and complain about.