2016 elections - because it's never too early

[Jacob]

Patton Oswalt rates the GOP debaters in D&D terms: http://www.pajiba.com/celebrities_are_better_than_you/patton-oswalt-ranked-the-gop-debate-by-dd-statistics.php

[Barrister]

Read an article in The Atlantic that talked, among other things, about the rule of 14.  Apparently since around the turn of the century very few people (LBJ might be the sole exception) have been elected president more than 14 years after they were elected as governor, senator, or vice president.  The thinking is after that time they're too stale.

Hillary and J.E.B. both break the rule of 14.

The article was about the trend toward electing presidents with less and less experience in elected office.

Seems like a rather artificial limit.  Bush 41 yes was elected President 8 years after being elected Veep.  Buthe was first elected to Congress in '66 and had a long history on the national scene including being director of the CIA and UN Ambassador.

Reagan, yes, was elected President 14 years after being elected Governor of California.  But that also ignores his long history as an actor and spokesperson which also put him on the national stage.

And it just flat doesn't fit at all for Nixon: elected as Veep in '52, elected as President in '68 (and of course he was a prominent congressman before being Veep).

Yes, it does fit the last few Presidents: Clinton, GWB, Obama.  But as DG points out 3 data points isn't all that meaningful.

[Valmy]

Hillary and J.E.B. both break the rule of 14.

If J.E.B. had just followed the rules the South might not have lost at Gettysburg.

[lustindarkness]

The Republican National Committee (RNC) announced Friday that it is suspending its relationship with NBC News following the third GOP presidential primary debate this week.

I wonder why? I guess they did not like how the last debate was handled for some reason?

[MadImmortalMan]

The Republican National Committee (RNC) announced Friday that it is suspending its relationship with NBC News following the third GOP presidential primary debate this week.

I wonder why? I guess they did not like how the last debate was handled for some reason?

Should have just had a Team Fortress deathmatch against CNBC instead of a debate. Most kills wins.

[Savonarola]

The Republican National Committee (RNC) announced Friday that it is suspending its relationship with NBC News following the third GOP presidential primary debate this week.

I wonder why? I guess they did not like how the last debate was handled for some reason?

It's too bad there won't be a repeat.  The past debate has given the media the opportunity to give an in depth focus on the topic that they care most about; themselves.

[alfred russel]

I read that one of the questions to Trump was, "Are you running a clown campaign?"

[Tonitrus]

How silly is America and Halloween?

Slutty Donald Trump costumes....

[Valmy]

It is shallow, stupid, juvenile, and so forth. The most American of Holidays really.

[Eddie Teach]

Damn, she stole my costume idea.

[MadImmortalMan]

Jim Webb's wife is Vietnamese and 22 years younger than him.

What an opportunity we missed. 

[Eddie Teach]

He is almost 70 though...

[Admiral Yi]

Nice fucking gap.

Party bus of 40 Transamerica employees pulled into my joint tonight, everyone dressed up.

Of the abundant advantages of Halloween, one often overlooked is that wearing a costume gives everyone an automatic conversational in.

[celedhring]

It is shallow, stupid, juvenile, and so forth. The most American of Holidays really.

Those are the reasons why it's becoming popular in Europe too.

[DGuller]

If Fred Thompson were a more energetic campaigner, he could've become the ninth president to die in office.  RIP.