2016 elections - because it's never too early

[DGuller]

  Well, I'm convinced.

[Tonitrus]

I've watched a few of Trump's stump speeches on youtube...dude gives a consistent, energetic delivery that seems to get good crowd appeal (regardless of what one thinks of the content).  And unlike most pols, he doesn't really ever back down from his gaffes, thus making him look like a vacillating gasbag. 

I don't think he'll have the staying power to beat Hil, but he could definitely ride over the GOP primary.

[HisMajestyBOB]

Guess which GOP candidate wants to create an agency to promote "Judeo-Christian Values"?

If you guessed "moderate" John Kasich, you're right!
http://www.cnn.com/2015/11/17/politics/john-kasich-judeo-christian-agency/index.html

Ohio Gov. John Kasich said Tuesday that he would create an agency to broadcast "Judeo-Christian, Western values" in hostile countries as part of a broader war of ideas that he says the U.S. is losing.

"We must be more forceful in the battle of ideas. U.S. public diplomacy and international broadcasting have lost their focus on the case for Western values and ideals and effectively countering our opponents' propaganda and disinformation," Kasich said in a speech at the National Press Club in Washington.

"I will consolidate them into a new agency that has a clear mandate to promote the core, Judeo-Christian, Western values that we and our friends and allies share -- the values of human rights, the values of democracy, freedom of speech, freedom of religion and freedom of association," Kasich said. "And it should focus on four critical targets: the Middle East, China, Iran and Russia. Sophisticated strategies will be developed to communicate with each of these hard target countries."

Kasich did not detail exactly which religious ideas he would push, nor did he address any concerns about infringing on the First Amendment's Establishment Clause, barring the creation of a state-sponsored religion in the U.S.

Many Republican candidates have talked about pushing Christian values, and former President George W. Bush pioneered faith-based initiatives. But Kasich is the first major party candidate this cycle to suggest creating a special agency dedicated to pushing religious values in other countries.

[celedhring]

the values of human rights, the values of democracy, freedom of speech, freedom of religion and freedom of association,"

Bah, I'll bite.

Several Christian denominations have pursued and curtailed those rights and values through the centuries. Funnily enough, sometimes against *other* Judeo-Christian denominations. How are then those "Judeo-Christian" values? 

Actually, the more we separate liberal values from religion or even culture, the more successful they can be anywhere. Ultimately, those values are there to enable a society where everybody can believe anything they want.

[jimmy olsen]

Sounds like Radio Free Europe with a religious name to please the base.

[Valmy]

the values of human rights, the values of democracy, freedom of speech, freedom of religion and freedom of association,"

Bah, I'll bite.

Several Christian denominations have pursued and curtailed those rights and values through the centuries. Funnily enough, sometimes against *other* Judeo-Christian denominations. How are then those "Judeo-Christian" values? 

Actually, the more we separate liberal values from religion or even culture, the more successful they can be anywhere. Ultimately, those values are there to enable a society where everybody can believe anything they want.

Being from Catholic Europe I can especially see how you would find those associations puzzling

But the Christian right is HUGE on how the good things about Western Civ are all from Christianity. So this is a crowd pleaser.

[jimmy olsen]

The Trump abides

PPP 2016 Republican Presidential Nomination National Poll:

• Donald Trump - 26%
  
• Ben Carson - 19%
  
• Ted Cruz - 14%
  
• Marco Rubio - 13%
  
• Jeb! Bush - 5%
  
• Carly Fiorina - 4%
  
• Mike Huckabee - 4%
  
• Chris Christie - 3%
  
• John Kasich - 3%
  
• Rand Paul - 2%
  
• George Pataki - 1%
  
• Lindsey Graham - 1%
  
• Bobby Jindal - 0% (OUT)
  
• Rick Santorum - 0%
  
• Happy Gilmore - *%
  
  PPP 2016 Democratic Presidential Nomination National Poll:
  
  
• Hillary Clinton - 59%
  
• Bernie Sanders - 26%
  
• Martin O'Malley - 7%

[Valmy]

The media is pushing 'Republicans coalesce around  Rubio" "Rubio SURGING in the polls"

When in reality he is polling less than 15% consistently. 

[celedhring]

I guess it will be up to where the singlepercenters' support heads to once they inevitably drop out of the race.

[HisMajestyBOB]

Not much of a surprise, because the increasingly rampant xenophobia and islamophobia plays directly into his base of support.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2015/11/19/morning-plum-the-paris-attacks-are-making-donald-trump-stronger/

"We're going to have to do things that we never did before. And some people are going to be upset about it, but I think that now everybody is feeling that security is going to rule," Trump said. "And certain things will be done that we never thought would happen in this country in terms of information and learning about the enemy. And so we're going to have to do certain things that were frankly unthinkable a year ago."

Yahoo News asked Trump whether this level of tracking might require registering Muslims in a database or giving them a form of special identification that noted their religion. He wouldn't rule it out.

"We're going to have to — we're going to have to look at a lot of things very closely," Trump said when presented with the idea. "We're going to have to look at the mosques. We're going to have to look very, very carefully."

We're going to have to do things that are "frankly unthinkable," says Trump, while declining to rule out warrantless searches of American Muslims or identifying American Muslims by their religion in some kind of database or national I.D. scheme, however such things might work.

And not only do the GOP candidates and establishment think this is okay, but they're falling over themselves to outdo him in their rhetoric. It's going beyond disgusting and becoming outright scary.

[Valmy]

Hey! We do get the candidates we deserve.

We really have learned nothing.

'Chinese Exclusion Act? Very unfortunate, we are so sorry, never do it again.'

'Intern the Japanese? Very unfortunate, we are so sorry, never do it again.'

And so forth...

[DGuller]

There is always a fascist strain to tap into in our society.  I guess Trump, being a shrewd man that he is, decided that tapping into it directly rather than beating around the bush was his ticket.

[Eddie Teach]

The media is pushing 'Republicans coalesce around  Rubio" "Rubio SURGING in the polls"

You want a surge, check out this guy:

George Pataki - 1%

That's more than a million times what he had been getting.

[Malthus]

Not much of a surprise, because the increasingly rampant xenophobia and islamophobia plays directly into his base of support.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2015/11/19/morning-plum-the-paris-attacks-are-making-donald-trump-stronger/

"We're going to have to do things that we never did before. And some people are going to be upset about it, but I think that now everybody is feeling that security is going to rule," Trump said. "And certain things will be done that we never thought would happen in this country in terms of information and learning about the enemy. And so we're going to have to do certain things that were frankly unthinkable a year ago."

Yahoo News asked Trump whether this level of tracking might require registering Muslims in a database or giving them a form of special identification that noted their religion. He wouldn't rule it out.

"We're going to have to — we're going to have to look at a lot of things very closely," Trump said when presented with the idea. "We're going to have to look at the mosques. We're going to have to look very, very carefully."

We're going to have to do things that are "frankly unthinkable," says Trump, while declining to rule out warrantless searches of American Muslims or identifying American Muslims by their religion in some kind of database or national I.D. scheme, however such things might work.

And not only do the GOP candidates and establishment think this is okay, but they're falling over themselves to outdo him in their rhetoric. It's going beyond disgusting and becoming outright scary.

Can I design their badges? I'd go with an attractive crescent shape. 

But yea - the pandering race to the bottom is scary. It didn't happen with 9/11. Maybe Bush deserves more credit than he got.

[Valmy]

But yea - the pandering race to the bottom is scary. It didn't happen with 9/11. Maybe Bush deserves more credit than he got.

Bush was very careful to not blame Muslims or Islam for any of it. He went with 'terrorists' constantly. I believe it was he who said the whole 'religion of peace' thing that everybody has mocked since.