Re: Politics and Current Events

[WJMorris3]

Presented without comment.

[Guest]

You know, after reading this and this and watching this, I hate to say it, but I really want Trump to win the GOP nomination. I hate his guts, but you know what, the man is all show no substance as per John Oliver's video. And if you read that Vox article, holy shit are Rubio, Cruz and Trump the holy trinity of the worst of the 'Murican bourgeoisie in addition to spouting fairy tales about how they're gonna cut back on spending by cutting programs and the military who's budget they want to increase. How does that work? It doesn't.

[Wondering]

Does the military include the VA? Because that definitely needs more spending.

[Guest]

Does the military include the VA? Because that definitely needs more spending.

I want to say yes and no. Yes, that Cruz may want to cut off funding for VA offices and departments which accounts for $715 billion of the $7.8 trillion Ted Cruz may want to cut. And most likely no, that $2.4 trillion he wants to spend on the military will probably not include vets. Cuz screw helping people who put their lives and mental health on the line in the name of Murican democracy, right?

(just an FYI, I'm a patriot and staunch supporter of our military service members and it makes me sad they get the short end of the stick all the time. You're completely right, Wondering, there needs to be more spending on our vets to help them transition back to civilian life and less red tape.)

[Wondering]

Yeah, daughter, granddaughter, and great-granddaughter of war vets, so I'm VERY pro spending on the VA.

It angers me that my dad uses his civilian federal employee medical benefits instead of his VA benefits, even though they cost him more, because he can actually get care that way. The way vets are treated is shameful.

[WJMorris3]

Don't get me wrong, I think the military budget could use some cutting, but it had better not be at the VA. (Part of the reason I want to cut the military budget is because when generals say we don't need certain pieces of equipment like big bulky tanks and yet Congress insists on building them, it's not a wise course of spending. Also, the best way I can think of to honor our veterans is to not make more of them!)

[Wondering]

It's a sticky issue, though, because that type of military spending -- building vehicles, ships, and planes -- create lots of civilian jobs.

[eselle28]

I really wish people on the two Democratic sides could take the rhetoric directed toward the other camp and particularly that camp's supporters down a notch. Broad assumptions about what sorts of people do and should support either one isn't helpful, nor is suggesting that people have some sort of suspect reason for choosing one candidate over another. We're getting to the point where we'll need to unite behind a nominee if we don't want Trump to win, and it isn't exactly helpful if people go into it feeling personally insulted or as if their support is unwanted. The candidates themselves have run fairly clean, fair campaigns. It would be nice if people arguing on the internet about them could follow their examples.

[Wondering]

Rubio...won a state. Gasp!

[WJMorris3]

Rubio...won a state. Gasp!

It gives him an excuse to stay in, that is for sure.

[Wondering]

He has to win Florida, though. If he can't win his home state, he's hopeless. And then we're left with Trump or Cruz. Or Kasich, I suppose. If Rubio goes, more might vote for Kasich if he stays in long enough.

[WJMorris3]

He has to win Florida, though. If he can't win his home state, he's hopeless. And then we're left with Trump or Cruz. Or Kasich, I suppose. If Rubio goes, more might vote for Kasich if he stays in long enough.

Kasich needs to win Ohio. And what I've been hearing is that the decision might not be made until Cleveland.

[WJMorris3]

Meanwhile, six New Jersey newspapers have called on Governor Christie to resign.

[eselle28]

Meanwhile, six New Jersey newspapers have called on Governor Christie to resign.

As they maybe should. I will admit that coming from North Dakota, where our governors and senators are mostly trying hard to be remembered for being governors and senators, it's hard for me to understand states that have to put up with wannabe presidents who spend six months ignoring everything they're supposed to be doing to campaign for another job. (Isn't Christie kind of a lousy governor, anyway? maybe I just haven't met his base supporters, but no one I know in New Jersey likes him at all.)

[Wondering]

I've always thought about that, too. Like when Hillary Clinton was a senator in 2008 and running for president. WTH, you know?

Looks like Carson is dropping out.

[Wondering]

An article on what the Supreme Court is like on the most deeply gendered issue now that Scalia is gone.

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/supreme_court_dispatches/2016/03/in_oral_arguments_for_the_texas_abortion_case_the_three_female_justices.2.html

[Wondering]

Romney is taking on Trump.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/03/03/politics/mitt-romney-presidential-race-speech/index.html?sr=fbCNN030316mitt-romney-presidential-race-speech1223PMStoryLink&linkId=21867327

Romeny might get himself sued considering how Trump has a history of trying to sue people who question his net worth.

I don't think it will do any good, though. It doesn't really seem to be establishment Republicans voting for Trump. And while Romney will carry weight with the establishment, traditional Republican types, he's not going to carry weight with the people voting for Trump.

I don't think the Republicans realize what they've done. They've created this racist, religious-ist, misogynist faction of their party. They're reaping what they've sown, and they can't control it, and have no idea what to do with it.

They seem to realize their party is blowing up. The problem is, there's a danger of it taking all of us with it.

[eselle28]

A major political candidate and likely nominee is talking about the size of his dick on television.

What have we come to?

[WJMorris3]

A major political candidate and likely nominee is talking about the size of his dick on television.

What have we come to?

Obviously, you forgot about Anthony Weiner.

[Wondering]

I am not surprised by this. Appalled, but not surprised.

[WJMorris3]

I think John Kasich won the debate. If not Bernie... I can live with John Kasich.

[eselle28]

Kasich is actually virulently conservative and is particularly bad about women's rights. He just manages to look reasonable because he's standing on a stage with three utter nightmares.

I will sigh and say that I think Trump probably won that one, if only because he didn't get shaken by anything thrown at him. His shrugging and saying, "Yeah, I learned more and then I changed my mind," when confronted about inconsistencies was a pretty good way of handling those charges. Rubio also did pretty well, and I think people who are already not fond of Trump responded to his arguments. I don't think Cruz did very well. I sort of forgot he was there for long periods of time, and I don't think he made any really interesting points.

[Wondering]

Yeah, Kasich just signed a bill in Ohio gutting Planned Parenthood.

But if we have to have a Republican, I could live with him for the simple, selfish reason that I (and my daughter) live in a state that is staunchly for women's health and reproductive rights and would mitigate all the damage from Kasich they could.

[eselle28]

He is the closest thing to a rational person of that bunch. It's just that it's a pretty low bar.

On another note, I have no idea how Ted Cruz managed to get into politics. Aside from having a law degree, he seems to lack every attribute people typically value in politicians. It's not as if Americans have historically loved smug know it alls.

[WJMorris3]

You know, I don't think this debate is really what they meant when they refer to a dick-measuring contest.

[Sponsored content]