2016 elections - because it's never too early

[Berkut]

As much as you'd like to separate yourself from people who have right-wing views, we're still here

People with insane radical nutcase views are on the left as well.

Indeed.

They don't really seem to get the traction on the left though, for whatever reason.

There are likely a lot of reasons for that, but there is no Fox News equivalent, or equivalent to the crazy right wing media.

[garbon]

I don't understand what that gif has to do with anything.

Trump is celebrating his yuge victory I assume.

I guess. Still that's from the SNL skit mocking Drake regarding his video to his song which is about being frustrated.

[garbon]

As much as you'd like to separate yourself from people who have right-wing views, we're still here

People with insane radical nutcase views are on the left as well.

Indeed.

They don't really seem to get the traction on the left though, for whatever reason.

There are likely a lot of reasons for that, but there is no Fox News equivalent, or equivalent to the crazy right wing media.

HuffPo is pretty crazy & Mother Jones has its moments but yes, not on par with Fox News.

[Barrister]

It's just that my views line up more with Rand Paul Ted Cruz.

Time for Lasik

What exactly is so abhorrent about Ted Cruz's "views"?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_positions_of_Ted_Cruz
https://www.tedcruz.org/issues/

You can certainly argue about how realistic some of them are (like the flat tax), but they're all straight out of the general conservative GOP playbook.  Ted Cruz was probably my least favourite of the normal GOP contenders, but that was more due to his tactics and strategy than policy.  I think he'd be a weak candidate, and probably a weak president, but he's not beyond the pale.

For my all-important foreigner non-vote, if it was between Cruz and Clinton I'd be voting for Cruz.

[derspiess]

I don't understand what that gif has to do with anything.

Trump is celebrating his yuge victory I assume.

I guess. Still that's from the SNL skit mocking Drake regarding his video to his song which is about being frustrated.

And naturally everyone will pick up on that context.

[garbon]

I don't understand what that gif has to do with anything.

Trump is celebrating his yuge victory I assume.

I guess. Still that's from the SNL skit mocking Drake regarding his video to his song which is about being frustrated.

And naturally everyone will pick up on that context.

Just because Trump has lowered the level of international discourse doesn't mean we need to do so here.

[Berkut]

It's just that my views line up more with Rand Paul Ted Cruz.

Time for Lasik

What exactly is so abhorrent about Ted Cruz's "views"?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_positions_of_Ted_Cruz
https://www.tedcruz.org/issues/

You can certainly argue about how realistic some of them are (like the flat tax), but they're all straight out of the general conservative GOP playbook.  Ted Cruz was probably my least favourite of the normal GOP contenders, but that was more due to his tactics and strategy than policy.  I think he'd be a weak candidate, and probably a weak president, but he's not beyond the pale.

For my all-important foreigner non-vote, if it was between Cruz and Clinton I'd be voting for Cruz.

He supports the shutdown of the entire government rather than giving money to Planned Parenthood. Think about that - he isn't just saying he feels we should  not fund Planned Parenthood (which is a perfectly legitimate right wing view) he is saying that we should actually hold the entire government hostage to a minority viewpoint - if you cannot get your way through the normal process of legislation, it is ok to hi-jack the entire system.

Same for Obamacare - if you cannot repeal it via legislation, he feels it is perfectly fine to sabotage it instead, and even go so far as to hold the entire government hostage over it.

That is obviously problematic - if every interest group in the legislature acted in that manner, we would have complete anarchy. So saying you support him, you are saying you support the idea that only your views are valid, and if you lose in the political arena, then it is acceptable to simply refuse to go along with the will of the majority.

As far as his personal views, he is a true blue Tea Party religious zealot. He believes evolution is a lie, climate change is a lie, that God really does hate homosexuals, and that his religious view out to and should inform his public policy decisions. He is endorsed by every wack-a-doodle crazy religious fundy in the land, and he eats it all up. He is a True Believer, and I would take Trump over him any day of the week, and three times on Sunday.

Trump is a clown, Cruz is actually crazy.

[Capetan Mihali]

He supports the shutdown of the entire government rather than giving money to Planned Parenthood. Think about that - he isn't just saying he feels we should  not fund Planned Parenthood (which is a perfectly legitimate right wing view) he is saying that we should actually hold the entire government hostage to a minority viewpoint - if you cannot get your way through the normal process of legislation, it is ok to hi-jack the entire system.

If you really think they provide murder services along with Depo-Provera shots, is it that crazy?

[garbon]

[derspiess]

He supports the shutdown of the entire government rather than giving money to Planned Parenthood. Think about that - he isn't just saying he feels we should  not fund Planned Parenthood (which is a perfectly legitimate right wing view) he is saying that we should actually hold the entire government hostage to a minority viewpoint - if you cannot get your way through the normal process of legislation, it is ok to hi-jack the entire system.

Thing is he can't do it alone.  Chillax.

Same for Obamacare - if you cannot repeal it via legislation, he feels it is perfectly fine to sabotage it instead, and even go so far as to hold the entire government hostage over it.

That's what his constituents wanted him to do.  But again, by himself he's powerless to stop it.

That is obviously problematic - if every interest group in the legislature acted in that manner, we would have complete anarchy. So saying you support him, you are saying you support the idea that only your views are valid, and if you lose in the political arena, then it is acceptable to simply refuse to go along with the will of the majority.

I think you're being overly dramatic here.

As far as his personal views, he is a true blue Tea Party religious zealot. He believes evolution is a lie, climate change is a lie, that God really does hate homosexuals, and that his religious view out to and should inform his public policy decisions. He is endorsed by every wack-a-doodle crazy religious fundy in the land, and he eats it all up. He is a True Believer, and I would take Trump over him any day of the week, and three times on Sunday.

The Tea Party is not a religious movement and I wish you guys would get that through your heads.  I've said before that I wish he'd tone down some of his religious rhetoric (I get it, it's red meat for a lot of his base but it won't help him in the general were he to make it that far), as I don't think it would have much impact on his role as President.

Trump is a clown, Cruz is actually crazy.

Well, you seem to think that every Republican to the right of Olympia Snowe is crazy.

[Berkut]

He supports the shutdown of the entire government rather than giving money to Planned Parenthood. Think about that - he isn't just saying he feels we should  not fund Planned Parenthood (which is a perfectly legitimate right wing view) he is saying that we should actually hold the entire government hostage to a minority viewpoint - if you cannot get your way through the normal process of legislation, it is ok to hi-jack the entire system.

If you really think they provide murder services along with Depo-Provera shots, is it that crazy?

Absolutely.

Arguing that your views are so right that you have the moral right to refuse to govern if you don't get your way is astoundingly immoral. It repudiates every standard of moral and ethical decency in a democracy.

If your personal moral views are so out of line with what the duly elected legislation wants that you feel you cannot participate in that system, then you should resign and work to change the views of the people so that they elect those who will change the laws to align with those views. Or even start an effort to change the Constitution if necessary. That is how democracy works, or ought to work.

Demanding that you have the right to refuse to allow the system to work unless you get your way on some unrelated issue is an attack on democracy itself.

[Razgovory]

Also there is something weird about Ted Cruz.  He has a kind ooze about him.  He's slimy.

[alfred russel]

He is endorsed by every wack-a-doodle crazy religious fundy in the land, and he eats it all up.

That definitely isn't true. Lots have endorsed Trump.

[Barrister]

It's just that my views line up more with Rand Paul Ted Cruz.

Time for Lasik

What exactly is so abhorrent about Ted Cruz's "views"?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_positions_of_Ted_Cruz
https://www.tedcruz.org/issues/

You can certainly argue about how realistic some of them are (like the flat tax), but they're all straight out of the general conservative GOP playbook.  Ted Cruz was probably my least favourite of the normal GOP contenders, but that was more due to his tactics and strategy than policy.  I think he'd be a weak candidate, and probably a weak president, but he's not beyond the pale.

For my all-important foreigner non-vote, if it was between Cruz and Clinton I'd be voting for Cruz.

He supports the shutdown of the entire government rather than giving money to Planned Parenthood. Think about that - he isn't just saying he feels we should  not fund Planned Parenthood (which is a perfectly legitimate right wing view) he is saying that we should actually hold the entire government hostage to a minority viewpoint - if you cannot get your way through the normal process of legislation, it is ok to hi-jack the entire system.

Same for Obamacare - if you cannot repeal it via legislation, he feels it is perfectly fine to sabotage it instead, and even go so far as to hold the entire government hostage over it.

That is obviously problematic - if every interest group in the legislature acted in that manner, we would have complete anarchy. So saying you support him, you are saying you support the idea that only your views are valid, and if you lose in the political arena, then it is acceptable to simply refuse to go along with the will of the majority.

As far as his personal views, he is a true blue Tea Party religious zealot. He believes evolution is a lie, climate change is a lie, that God really does hate homosexuals, and that his religious view out to and should inform his public policy decisions. He is endorsed by every wack-a-doodle crazy religious fundy in the land, and he eats it all up. He is a True Believer, and I would take Trump over him any day of the week, and three times on Sunday.

Trump is a clown, Cruz is actually crazy.

I think I alluded to that very argument - that's a disagreement with Cruz's strategy, not his policies.  I said I didn't care for them.  Though you can make the argument that those sort of strategies might be more effective as an executive, rather than as part of the legislature.

He hasn't been endorsed by every "wack-a-doodle crazy religious fundy" by the way.  Remember who Jerry Falwell Jr endorsed?  Yup - Trump.

More than that though, I think your views on religion are well known, and I suspect your antipathy towards the deeply religious colours your views on Cruz.


And on the other side of the ledger, we have Trump.  He's the one openly advocating for US troops to commit war crimes.  He's the one who wants to start job destroying trade wars with half the planet.  He's the one who wants to ban muslims from entering the US.

[Berkut]

He supports the shutdown of the entire government rather than giving money to Planned Parenthood. Think about that - he isn't just saying he feels we should  not fund Planned Parenthood (which is a perfectly legitimate right wing view) he is saying that we should actually hold the entire government hostage to a minority viewpoint - if you cannot get your way through the normal process of legislation, it is ok to hi-jack the entire system.

Thing is he can't do it alone.  Chillax.

That isn't the point. If he could do it alone, he would - which is why giving him more power is so scary.

You can learn a lot about someone by what they would do if they had the power to do it - and what he would do if given the power is alarming, to say the least.

Same for Obamacare - if you cannot repeal it via legislation, he feels it is perfectly fine to sabotage it instead, and even go so far as to hold the entire government hostage over it.

That's what his constituents wanted him to do.  But again, by himself he's powerless to stop it.

So lets give him more power?

I don't care if his constituents wanted him o flout the Constitution.

What is scary about Cruz is that he is someone who had to move to the center to make himself palatable - not someone who had to move to the right to make himself tolerable to the Tea Party.

He is a True Believer.

That is obviously problematic - if every interest group in the legislature acted in that manner, we would have complete anarchy. So saying you support him, you are saying you support the idea that only your views are valid, and if you lose in the political arena, then it is acceptable to simply refuse to go along with the will of the majority.

I think you're being overly dramatic here.

I notice you aren't actually debating the substance of my point, but simply saying it isn't that big of a deal that he cares nothing about process, the Constitution, or anyone who isn't one of his Tea Party crazy fundy supporters.

As far as his personal views, he is a true blue Tea Party religious zealot. He believes evolution is a lie, climate change is a lie, that God really does hate homosexuals, and that his religious view out to and should inform his public policy decisions. He is endorsed by every wack-a-doodle crazy religious fundy in the land, and he eats it all up. He is a True Believer, and I would take Trump over him any day of the week, and three times on Sunday.

The Tea Party is not a religious movement and I wish you guys would get that through your heads.

The Tea Party is not a religious movement, but the religious crazies in America have flocked to it, and Ted Cruz is a fundy crazy nutjob. His father is a fundy crazy nutjob, and Cruz has his picture mounted behind him and shares his views.

He has said things like the US should move our embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. That evolution is a lie. That climate change is a lie, that science in general is not to be trusted if it conflicts with Christian faith.

He is barking crazy.

I've said before that I wish he'd tone down some of his religious rhetoric (I get it, it's red meat for a lot of his base but it won't help him in the general were he to make it that far), as I don't think it would have much impact on his role as President.

I think he tones down his rhetoric radically, and that is what is so terrifying. This is Cruz-lite, the version he shows to try to convince us that he is NOT a crazy fundy nutjob.

Trump is a clown, Cruz is actually crazy.

Well, you seem to think that every Republican to the right of Olympia Snowe is crazy.

No, just Ted Cruz and Carson. Kasich is fine, Rubio is fine. I don't like Rubio, but he isn't dangerous. He is a perfect example of a Republican who tries to be more right wing as needed to be palatable to the Tea Party.

Cruz has to tack to the left to align himself with the Tea Party.

Trump isn't even a Republican at all.