Miscellaneous And Off Topic Subjects

[Dr. Strangelove]

Perhaps he seems 'not so bad' in comparison to the upcoming choices, but Obama's approval rating turns positive for the first time since Mid-2013

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/other/president_obama_job_approval-1044.html

[drok]

Hodgkal - thanks for the link. That was a really fascinating article. Gives good perspective on the choices of Obama and puts into perspective what someone like Hilary looks like in the same position.

[Dr. Strangelove]

Sure sure...never mind that real conservatives hate him and his favorability ratings are godawful.

He's basically running on the hope that enthusiasm for Hillary will be so low that he can sneak into the White House

[Dr. Strangelove]

As for Tuesday it looks ike Trump is in good shape in NC, Florida, and Illinois. Cruz could put up a fight in Missouri and Kasich could win Ohio.

On the Dems side Hillary has a healthy lead in Florida and NC...a slimmer lead in Missouri and Ohio. And some polls have it close to tied in Illinois. A CBS poll out today showed Sanders ahead there.

[iam416]

I think Kasich will win Ohio. Rubio will be out of the race. And we'll move closer to Cruz v. Trump.

Hillary will lose Illinois because of Rahm. She should win Ohio and the two southern states.

Trump rallies are going to turn into the worst of Trump supporters vs. the detestable "shout down activist left."

And in the end Hillary will win. I've never really thought anyone other than her would be President. And the Rs will continue to gain/consolidate power locally.

[Hannibal]

Trump doesn't necessarily need Ohio to win but it would help. He will sweep the rest of the states tomorrow, including Florida, where he is going to win huge. If my circle of Republican pals is any indication, Kasich will probably win Ohio But it's really hard to tell because this is such an unconventional election. Now that Ohio is coming up, I understand the criticism of "Trump has no ground game". It's all rallies and news coverage for Trump. Beyond that, it's obvious that he's not spending much money. I haven't seen any yard signs and I haven't gotten any Trump robocalls.

The real Conservatives don't hate Trump deep down. They are just terrified of his political incorrectness and they are afraid of being branded a "racist" or a "Nazi". That is why even Ted Cruz is blaming Trump for the violent acts of BLM activists and Marxist loonies. It's cowardice more than anything. Stockhold Syndrome off the charts. Most of them (e.g. everyone at the National Review) have adopted the language of Liberals in their criticisms of Trump. Some of them (Ben Shapiro and Michelle Fields at Breitbart) have even gone full on SJW.

And in the end Hillary will win. I've never really thought anyone other than her would be President. And the Rs will continue to gain/consolidate power locally.

The election was Trump's to win as of a month ago. IMHO he may have blown it with his attitude and comments about the protestors at his rallies. Granted, Trump supporters are still incredibly docile, gentle lambs compared to the Occupy Wall Street crowd and the goony shitheads that were waving the hammer and sickle flag, attacking cops, and blocking ambulances on Friday night -- but he pretty much flushed his chance to exploit that difference down the toilet entirely by not encouraging his supporters to take the peaceful approach at his rallies.

[Ghengis Jon]

If Rubio finishes second in Florida, will he really bail out? I would think he would keep his hat in the ring regardless, just to offer himself up at a brokered convention. I see the same thing for Kasich, but he'll win Ohio. For any of the remaining candidates to have a chance, a brokered convention is their only hope.

Trump vs Cruz for the nomination is a lose/lose for America. Cruz has the intellectual firepower for the presidency (Trump doesn't) but his politics makes him as detestable as Trump, or at least as irresponsible.

If, (a big if), Trump does not win enough delegates and no one wins the nomination after the 2nd vote, then what? Pick someone that wasn't one on the original Sweet Sixteen Clown Show? Who could that be?

At this point, I think Kasich would be the brokered nominee. What happens after that is worth a comfy sofa and a BIG bowl of popcorn.

[iam416]

Hanni:

We disagree almost entirely on Trump. And the conservatives that I know and the ones I read are not fans of Trump for far more than what amounts to "he tells it like it is." I side with, e.g., Jonah Goldberg a billion times out of a billion. I enjoy Trump's anti-PC schtick. I find his "policy" proposals vacuous.

Trump vs Cruz for the nomination is a lose/lose for America. Cruz has the intellectual firepower for the presidency (Trump doesn't) but his politics makes him as detestable as Trump, or at least as irresponsible.

Cruz is conservative. Trump is not. If you're a liberal you're far better off with Trump. He'll "make a deal" on nearly anything. He'll fight the Rs as much as the Ds (contrary to his asstarded suggestions he'll make Ryan play ball). Cruz, on the other hand, will not make deals. And if Cruz wins then the Rs control Congress and the Ds are going to take it up the ass.

However, Hillary will win. The only question is whether the Rs hold the Senate, and I tend to doubt that. Which will make this whole Supreme Court gambit look foolish.

[iam416]

At this point, I think Kasich would be the brokered nominee. What happens after that is worth a comfy sofa and a BIG bowl of popcorn.

There's no way. The only options are Cruz and Trump. They will not pass over two candidates that will win over 80% of the delegates for a guy who won Ohio. If there's a brokered convention, the question is whether Cruz is close enough to Trump in delegate count to make him a real option. If it's 1200 to 800, I don't see how the Rs can take it from Trump. If it's 1000 to 950, then absolutely

[Hannibal]

Hanni:

We disagree almost entirely on Trump. And the conservatives that I know and the ones I read are not fans of Trump for far more than what amounts to "he tells it like it is." I side with, e.g., Jonah Goldberg a billion times out of a billion. I enjoy Trump's anti-PC schtick. I find his "policy" proposals vacuous.

I spent about two alcohol-fueled hours on Saturday night debating with my fellow oil company right wing shitlords about Trump. Their criticisms initially converged to TRUMP=KKKHITLER. But then when we dug deeper, we found that their opposition to Trump was not based on them genuinely believing that TRUMP=KKKHITLER, but that they were worried that everyone else thinks that TRUMP=KKKHITLER. "I don't want Trump to win because he's going to alienate people". I eventually got them to admit this (but I couldn't sway their vote unfortunately). It's Stockholm Syndrome off the charts. Republicans are worried about losing the black, Hispanic, and Muslim vote. What they don't realize is that those folks are absolutely never ever going to vote Republican in any significant amounts, so there is no point in pandering to them. They will always always always always overwhelmingly vote for Democrats and gimmiedats. This is one of those uncomfortable but self evident truths that Political Correctness keeps from seeing the light of day.

And that is why Trump's anti-PC style isn't just style. It's substance. The Republicans are one round of amnesty away from being mathematically unable to ever capture the White House again. Political Correctness is massively crippling to Conservatives, Libertarians, and the Republican party. It keeps facts out of debates to avoid hurt feels. Trump is leading a crusade to destroy political correctness, although I don't know that he realizes it yet. In the meantime, he has a shot at bringing all of the social Liberals who abandoned the party over gay marriage and abortion back into the fold because he doesn't give a shit about those issues. He is giving the Republican party a future. That so many Republicans want so badly to destroy him is utterly baffling to me.

[iam416]

Well, we're at least of similar mind in regard to your PC comments. That's not enough for me to support him, however. And I very much think that sane, rational conservatives articulate plenty of reasons to support, e.g., Ted Cruz.

[Wild Hoss]

And that is why Trump's anti-PC style isn't just style. It's substance.

The conclusion reached after two hours of drinking. Fitting. :-D

[Hannibal]

I have a theory that if Cruz + one other candidate (either Kasich or Rubio) has 1237 delegates, it will go to a Cruz/other guy Pres/VP ticket. Otherwise, it will be Trump. But I could be totally wrong. This election has been an exercise in constantly escalating insanity. I never could have imagined that two of Breitbart's most prominent figures would have destroyed their careers over a phony assault charge, but it just happened.

[Hannibal]

Well, we're at least of similar mind in regard to your PC comments. That's not enough for me to support him, however. And I very much think that sane, rational conservatives articulate plenty of reasons to support, e.g., Ted Cruz.

They certainly do, as with every other candidate who has ever run for office. Good luck finding somebody who is ideologically perfect, electable, and effective enough after getting elected to get things done.

Most Conservatives aren't thinking big picture and long term enough here.

[Ghengis Jon]

“Well, you see, Norm, it’s like this. A herd of buffalo can only move as fast as the slowest buffalo. And when the herd is hunted, it’s the slowest and weakest ones at the back that are killed first. This natural selection is good for the herd as a whole, because the general speed and health of the whole group keeps improving by the regular killing of the weakest members.

In much the same way, the human brain can only operate as fast as the slowest brain cells. Now, as we know, excessive intake of alcohol kills brain cells. But naturally, it attacks the slowest and weakest brain cells first. In this way, regular consumption of beer eliminates the weaker brain cells, making the brain a faster and more efficient machine.

And that, Norm, is why you always feel smarter after a few beers.”