2020 US Presidential Election Thread

[al Furqaan]

Wow, BC has lacked this intellectual analysis for years now. Kudos to Jadukor and TBF on rekindling REAL discussion.

TBF seems to be a polymath with an insanely deep library of knowledge on so many topics, but I will have to side more with Jadukor here.

However, I think you both are probably reading more into it than there is.

Like him or not, Trump is a political genius because he was the first person to realize that in the modern era the Reagan brand of conservatism that we saw up till 2008 will no longer win elections. He had to take a more overtly white nationalist approach, and it worked like a charm. Provided of course that the Russians did NOT, in fact, tamper with the elections.

Trump's genius got him the Republican nomination over seasoned and career politicians. But ultimately, it was a bit of luck that helped him over the line. Comey's bombshell announcement the week before the election, and Hillary's complacency by not campaigning in the rust belt (MI, PA, WI, etc) probably made the difference. Its akin to a free hit that is hit for 6 in a game decided by 3 runs...dumb luck either way.

In the US right wing populism/Trumpism has been successful mostly due to the unique way in which congressinal districts are drawn and/or weighted. That is the real decider because whoever gets 270 EC votes, wins the game.

An example, California's 37 million people (2010) census has 55 votes, while Wyoming's 500 thousand gets 3. California has 70x more people, but only gets 18x the votes.

This is how Trump won by a fair margin, despite losing the popular vote by 2.8 million votes.

In the US, I believe it is the result of failing to control the southern border for decades and partially due to the Dems playing race politics. In Europe it was triggered by the decision to take in a huge influx of refugees and until that point Merkel was popular. Macron is trying to introduce reforms so obviously his popularity took a hit but no reason to count him out just yet. If the left make sensible policies to curb accelerated migration.. they will win again. This will be proven when Trump gets soundly beaten in the next election. The guy in Brazil got sympathy vote for being stabbed.

Bolsnaro was massively popular BEFORE he was stabbed, so thats not true. He was always expected to crush the opposition.

[Rifat]

Originally Posted by Jadukor
Disagree. Hillary won the popular vote despite being a widely disliked candidate. Trump did not win like Obama did 2008.. Trump scrapped through by razor thin margins in key states which could have gone either way. There is no right wing populism red wave because it cannot explain why Dems annihilated the house Republicans in the mid term. There is an increase in popularity for right wing politics due to broken immigration policies and uncontrolled migration. Most trump voters are also misguided and they think coal jobs and manufacturing jobs will come back without understanding the larger shifts in technology and industry. It is not Obama or Hillary's fault VHS tapes got replaced by Blu Ray and you lost your job at Video Connection. That is where the industry is heading no matter who is in power. Trump voters also cannot differentiate between a good right wing populist leader and a con artist who entered politics to make some quick bucks from Russia. This guy has the general knowledge of a 5th grader and people hail him as the next Messiah. This is absurd.

In the US, I believe it is the result of failing to control the southern border for decades and partially due to the Dems playing race politics. In Europe it was triggered by the decision to take in a huge influx of refugees and until that point Merkel was popular. Macron is trying to introduce reforms so obviously his popularity took a hit but no reason to count him out just yet. If the left make sensible policies to curb accelerated migration.. they will win again. This will be proven when Trump gets soundly beaten in the next election. The guy in Brazil got sympathy vote for being stabbed.

Excellent Post spot on observation.

In America, although Public high schools are "free"(comes out of taxpayer money). For the most part, unless you live in NY, California, Massachussets or Areas surrounded by Prestigious universities, the public education system is broken. Teachers are not as well paid as they should be and most people do not care unless you have a passion for learning, which is culturally shunned upon and people call you stuff like "nerd"/"smarty-pants".

Accelerated migration is a catch 22. In places like Libya, Syria, Yemen most people were very happy with their way of life until it was invaded and destroyed. You can only have one and not both. If you invade/colonize a country, then expect Immigration(why do you think so many desi people in London ).

[Jadukor]

Originally Posted by al Furqaan
Wow, BC has lacked this intellectual analysis for years now. Kudos to Jadukor and TBF on rekindling REAL discussion.

Bolsnaro was massively popular BEFORE he was stabbed, so thats not true. He was always expected to crush the opposition.

Thanks!


Bolsnaro had won 55% of the vote which tells me Brazil is still deeply divided over him just like Americans are over Trump. While the key moment for Trump was the Comey memo of opening an investigation into Hillary days before the election, for Brazil it was the stabbing. My overall point is that it is a case of a lack of alternatives rather than an embrace of right-wing populism.

Regarding Trump being a genius.. I would say he knows how to dumb things down into toddler level messages and sadly that seems to resonate with his base. Otherwise, build the wall or crooked Hillary or lyin Ted wouldn't have gotten so much traction. Obviously, the non-college educated people like his simple vocabulary as opposed to Harvard grads like Obama. The question is whether you want your leader to have the same level of knowledge and intelligence as you or you want them to be exceptional people both in terms of intelligence and character. Trump did not win the Republican primary through his genius, he won by simply promising everything that people wanted to hear while other candidates were hesitant to lie. Everyone else played under the rules of accountability and truth while Trump didn't. He went with whatever resonated like a salesperson. The biggest advantage with Trump is that he is prepared to lie about anything because he controls the news cycle. He knows his next lie will overshadow the previous lie and he can continue this process perpetually. He said he will have healthcare cheaper than Obamacare but will also cover pre-existing conditions. This is yet another false promise alongside Mexicans will pay for the wall.


Sadly the news anchors are also too invested in covering Stormy Daniels rather than pressing Trump on specific details of every policy he champions.

[iDumb]

ToBeFair I don't thik is a member from feb2018 - can't quiet pinpoint who it is from before. He has very unique perspective on things. I even enjoy his religious posts even though I find religious discussions very boring. I think someone mentoned it was shardul but I don't think so.. that kid shardul wasn't this smart. then i thought maybe zobair but he is not banned. who can guess who it is?

Btw Jadukor, Trump also went to an IVY league school. THere are other good school besides harvard.

[Jadukor]

Baap er poisha thakle shob e shomvob.. even skipping Vietnam draft

[bujhee kom]

Originally Posted by iDumb
ToBeFair I don't thik is a member from feb2018 - can't quiet pinpoint who it is from before. He has very unique perspective on things. I even enjoy his religious posts even though I find religious discussions very boring. I think someone mentoned it was shardul but I don't think so.. that kid shardul wasn't this smart. then i thought maybe zobair but he is not banned. who can guess who it is?

...

To BE Frank was once BD-Shardul, Bodrul, Shoybyosachi. I always knew Shardul was a very smart and knowledgeable guy.
This man live (s/ed) in Doha, Qatar. His mom makes very good biriyani and is a very kind person.
This man's parental lineage comes from I believe Noakhali, Feni, Porshuraam or Dagunbhuiyan areas of Bangladesh.
This man is also very well versed in classical Bengali literature. The guy has a very solid education.

[iDumb]

Originally Posted by bujhee kom
To BE Frank was once BD-Shardul, Bodrul, Shoybyosachi

lol, how do u keep track of all this. I am surprised - that kid BD-shardul i guess matured. He was a dumbass back in the days..

[mufi_02]

I noticed a lot of people have extreme negative feelings towards Obama. Yes, he had some mishaps in foreign policies and drone killings. But other than that, he was an excellent president.

That is just my opinion and observation from living under his presidency for 8 years.

[Roey Haque]

^Yeah, I supported Obama. For both the terms. I think he was all right. But he would get crushed right now if he ran against Trump. Trump is like the evolution of the american president. You gotta now beat the man, to be the man.

[ToBeFair]

HIllary Clinton 2.0 aka Kamala Harris announces her per presidential bid with platitudes.

Truth. Justice. Equality. Freedom. Decency. Democracy. What does these words mean? Decency? Leading by values? Give me a break. Politics is a dirty business. Here you have to fight, and fight hard. Flowery words like truth, decency, and democracy mean nothing for those who need healthcare or struggle to pay their bills.

Of course I am biased and massively hate neo-liberal corporatist Kamala Harris, but watch the ad and judge yourself. It feels like someone hastily put some words against the backdrop of that funky beat and voila: a presidential campaign is born. BTW, everytime I play that beat, I am having a good laugh.

Mark my word here: she will be a horrible campaigner.

[aklemalp]

Donald Trump will wipe all of them clean, unless Superman comes from down from Krypton to campaign.

[aklemalp]

Originally Posted by Jadukor
Sadly the news anchors are also too invested in covering Stormy Daniels rather than pressing Trump on specific details of every policy he champions.

I wouldn't mind pressing Stormy Daniels as well

[ToBeFair]

The dark past of Kamala Harris

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/17/o...mentsContainer

Ms. Harris also championed state legislation under which parents whose children were found to be habitually truant in elementary school could be prosecuted, despite concerns that it would disproportionately affect low-income people of color.

In 2015, she opposed a bill requiring her office to investigate shootings involving officers. And she refused to support statewide standards regulating the use of body-worn cameras by police officers.

Ms. Harris also fought to keep Daniel Larsen in prison on a 28-year-to-life sentence for possession of a concealed weapon even though his trial lawyer was incompetent and there was compelling evidence of his innocence. Relying on a technicality again, Ms. Harris argued that Mr. Larsen failed to raise his legal arguments in a timely fashion. (This time, she lost.)

She also defended Johnny Baca’s conviction for murder even though judges found a prosecutor presented false testimony at the trial. She relented only after a video of the oral argument received national attention and embarrassed her office.

And then there’s Kevin Cooper, the death row inmate whose trial was infected by racism and corruption. He sought advanced DNA testing to prove his innocence, but Ms. Harris opposed it. (After The New York Times’s exposé of the case went viral, she reversed her position.)

And the article contains many other examples.

Man child no-ghilu Trump is a better choice than this cold blooded ambitious megalomaniac Kamala Harris. But the good news is, she is not winning the primary.

[ToBeFair]

https://www.politico.com/story/2019/...mpaign-1128623

“But I will always speak with decency and moral clarity and treat all people with dignity and respect. I will lead with integrity and I will speak the truth.”

Great job Kamala Harris. I am now doubtful if you will get even negative 200 votes.

[ToBeFair]

She just won't go away!

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/n...or-white-house

[Yankees]

cant say with certainty but I get the feeling TBF does not like Kamala Harris...hmm...

[ToBeFair]

Originally Posted by Yankees
cant say with certainty but I get the feeling TBF does not like Kamala Harris...hmm...

America has existed for hundreds of years, but after a meme figure was elected to presidency, Kamala Harris finally understood that she must run for president and be the chief executive of USA to answer the most fundamental philosophical question affecting the lives of millions of people. See what she said in her launch rally yesterday.

“And we are here at this moment in time because we must answer a fundamental question: ‘Who are we? Who are we as Americans?’ So, let’s answer that question to the world and each other, right here and right now: ‘America, we are better than this.’’’

[aklemalp]

Schultz, Howard.

Who the **** is that?

Venti, grande, tall

[Yankees]

Originally Posted by ToBeFair
America has existed for hundreds of years, but after a meme figure was elected to presidency, Kamala Harris finally understood that she must run for president and be the chief executive of USA to answer the most fundamental philosophical question affecting the lives of millions of people. See what she said in her launch rally yesterday.

i agree with you and all but what do you really expect her to say? "hey guys vote for me, im just a bland nobody." or 'hey vote for me, because why not pal?'

this is politics 101. every politician tries to overplay this moment in history. THIS. RIGHT. HERE.

AT. THIS. VERY. MOMENT.

THE. MOST. IMPORTANT. ELECTION. OF. OUR. LIFETIME.

WE. SHALL. OVERCOME.

TOGETHER.

YES. WE. CAN.

IM. WITH. HER.

[ToBeFair]

Originally Posted by Yankees
i agree with you and all but what do you really expect her to say? "hey guys vote for me, im just a bland nobody." or 'hey vote for me, because why not pal?'

this is politics 101. every politician tries to overplay this moment in history. THIS. RIGHT. HERE.

AT. THIS. VERY. MOMENT.

THE. MOST. IMPORTANT. ELECTION. OF. OUR. LIFETIME.

WE. SHALL. OVERCOME.

TOGETHER.

YES. WE. CAN.

IM. WITH. HER.

She can keep it simple by saying: Make me POTUS because I will

fight for Medicare for all
ensure free college education
introduce $15 minimum wage
end all wars immediately
stop prison labor
reform criminal justice system
lead the world in sustainable energy

the list can go on.

The job of a CEO primarily is to get things done. Not to answer vapid, vacuous, meaningless philosophical questions like who we are which will not translate into anything substantial or tangible in the life of people. A decent Obama and an indecent Trump - US imperialism is going on. Did Obama's decency make any difference? It did not.

Of course female Obama Kamala is not here to make any difference. She is not here to rock the establishment boat. She is here to preserve it and put a pretty face over it like Obama. That is why she prefers WORD salad. No one liked this salad in 2016. It is even more disliked in 2020.

Good luck Kamala.

[ToBeFair]

Wall Street freaks out about 2020

They know that unless DNC cheats, there is no way a progressive can be denied nomination this time

[aklemalp]

Is Jill Stein gonna jump back in?

[aklemalp]

And Mr. Deeznuts.

What a wonderful candidate he was last time

[mufi_02]

we got Roey on the far right and TBF on the far left.

enjoying the conversation. ami majhkahe asi.

[Jadukor]

Originally Posted by Yankees
cant say with certainty but I get the feeling TBF does not like Kamala Harris...hmm...

I think she is a very good candidate. She can probably differentiate as being a tough prosecutor from the crowd of candidates offering similar policy proposals. She will be great for the fight against climate change also. However that is common with the other Dem candidates as well.