The Political Junkie™ Thread - USA Edition

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**Do_I_Not_Like_That**

So, when's the next round of voting?

Seriously, I wish you guys would do what we do in the UK, and just have an intense, 4 week campaign every 5 years. It's easier on the mind

**Kilkrazy**

We've got four months of the EU referendum to go.

**Nostromodamus**

Do_I_Not_Like_That wrote:

Seriously, I wish you guys would do what we do in the UK, and just have an intense, 4 week campaign every 5 years. It's easier on the mind

That's one of the things I miss about the UK

Politicians here seem to spend most of their term of service campaigning to be elected again...

**Do_I_Not_Like_That**

Kilkrazy wrote:
We've got four months of the EU referendum to go.

And up here in Scotland, we have the Scottish Parliament elections, which I will be doing campaign work for, and of course, the EU campaign, and then I will be bombarded with American Presidential elections until November...

Democracy sucks sometimes - time to bring back absolute monarchy

Automatically Appended Next Post:

Nostromodamus wrote:
Do_I_Not_Like_That wrote:

Seriously, I wish you guys would do what we do in the UK, and just have an intense, 4 week campaign every 5 years. It's easier on the mind

That's one of the things I miss about the UK

Politicians here seem to spend most of their term of service campaigning to be elected again...

The 4 year cycle, whilst good for democracy, is not good for long term planning, which is why I believe that ultimately, North Korea will win

**curran12**

Can someone more knowledgeable tell me what a brokered convention is?

**Co'tor Shas**

If any of you guys are on reddit at all have you looked at r/The_Donald ? It's kind of terrifying the blind devotion they have.

**whembly**

curran12 wrote:
Can someone more knowledgeable tell me what a brokered convention is?

Technically, it's a "Contested Convention".

Look at the Primary voting as something like "the first round" of voting, and whomever reaches the 1237 delegate totals, automatically becomes the nominee.

That's why Cruz/Rubio are playing the "lets' take this to the convention" strategry to prevent Trump from reaching the 1237 total.

If that truly does happen... then, it's "round 2" and all previous bounded delegates from round 1 essentially becomes a "free agent" and could vote whomever they want.

In July, the Convention Rules Committee, made up of two delegates from each state, will decide upon the rules governing the gathering. Then it has to go through several rounds of approval. So, even now, we really don't know what the rules would look like.

Very complex... but, you can imagine the amount of horsetrading that'll happen in the back room.

Just check the delegate counts now:
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2016/president/republican_delegate_count.html

At this time, McCain and Romney were well over 400 delegates... and Trump is trending downwards.

If Trump's going to win... he's going to HAVE to win both Florida AND Ohio... otherwise, we may indeed get that 'Contested Convention' that every political junkies dreams about.

**Do_I_Not_Like_That**

Whembley, would I be correct in saying that a contested convention sounds like the elites trying to stich up ordinary voters?

I'm no fan of Donald Trump, but I'd hate to see him lose the nomination because of shady backroom deals that spit in the face of ordinary Republican voters.

**whembly**

Do_I_Not_Like_That wrote:
Whembley, would I be correct in saying that a contested convention sounds like the elites trying to stich up ordinary voters?

I'm no fan of Donald Trump, but I'd hate to see him lose the nomination because of shady backroom deals that spit in the face of ordinary Republican voters.

eh... not really.

That's the *rule*. If you cannot get the 1237 delegates votes, then the 2nd round is essentially a "mulligan".

Every candidate knows this.

Don't get me wrong, it'll *look* like that and Trump will throw a big hissy fit if he doesn't get the nomination, even though he has the highest delegate counts.

EDIT: I mean... if we do get a "contested convention"...and Trump loses. What does that say to his "The Art of a Deal" mojo?

**CptJake**

Do_I_Not_Like_That wrote:
Whembley, would I be correct in saying that a contested convention sounds like the elites trying to stich up ordinary voters?

I'm no fan of Donald Trump, but I'd hate to see him lose the nomination because of shady backroom deals that spit in the face of ordinary Republican voters.

That backroom dealing is looking more and more like their only chance to maintain control and get a Rubio into office.

**whembly**

CptJake wrote:
Do_I_Not_Like_That wrote:
Whembley, would I be correct in saying that a contested convention sounds like the elites trying to stich up ordinary voters?

I'm no fan of Donald Trump, but I'd hate to see him lose the nomination because of shady backroom deals that spit in the face of ordinary Republican voters.

That backroom dealing is looking more and more like their only chance to maintain control and get a Rubio into office.

Actually, I could see a unity ticket of Cruz/Rubio or Rubio/Cruz....

I like Rubio... but, I don't see how Cruz accepts a VP slot as he wouldn't be able to do jack gak. (you only have to look at Biden... what did he do?).

Maybe a Cruz for POTUS, and Rubio as VP so that Rubio can continue is "happy warrior" attacks and Cruz works on being more 'Presidential'. (lol... good luck dude).

**jasper76**

CptJake wrote:
Do_I_Not_Like_That wrote:
Whembley, would I be correct in saying that a contested convention sounds like the elites trying to stich up ordinary voters?

I'm no fan of Donald Trump, but I'd hate to see him lose the nomination because of shady backroom deals that spit in the face of ordinary Republican voters.

That backroom dealing is looking more and more like their only chance to maintain control and get a Rubio into office.

Alot of GOP politicians and talking heads are starting to get behind Cruz, rather than Rubio. I think if the GOP goes this direction, they really shouldn't totally abandon Republican voters by throwing support behind a guy who has only won a single state. In any case, it'll never happen. Drumpf is going to get the requisite delegates.

Probably the best hope for the future of the GOP is a Clinton presidency, and it wouldn't surprise me in the least if many influential Republicans of the David Brooks variety end up endorsing Clinton should Drumpf get the nomination.

**Kilkrazy**

Maybe Rubio or Cruz will do a deal and given his delegates to Trump in return for the vice-presidency.

**whembly**

Kilkrazy wrote:
Maybe Rubio or Cruz will do a deal and given his delegates to Trump in return for the vice-presidency.

I can't see either Cruz nor Rubio ever doing that...

Kasich? I think that's in play, and could be kingmaker if Kasich does win Ohio.

Automatically Appended Next Post:
Speaking of Cruz,
Illinois judge dismisses Cruz eligibility complaint.

An Illinois voter's lawsuit challenging Ted Cruz's eligibility to run for president of the United States because he was born in Canada was dismissed on a technicality on Tuesday by a state judge.

Cook County Circuit Court Judge Maureen Ward Kirby in Chicago ruled that she did not have jurisdiction in the lawsuit - which had sought to have Cruz removed from the state's primary election ballot - because it had not been properly served on the state Board of Elections.

She found that the plaintiff, Lawrence Joyce, had not properly filed his petition for judicial review.

Joyce, a lawyer and a pharmacist from the Chicago suburb of Poplar Grove who supports Cruz rival Ben Carson, initially filed a complaint in January with the elections board. When the board rejected the complaint, he filed the lawsuit seeking judicial review in Cook County.

Kirby's ruling came as voters in 12 other states were taking part in the Super Tuesday Republican and Democratic nominating contests, a milestone in the selection of candidates for the Nov. 8 election.

Illinois' primary is on March 15, but early voting has already begun.

Republican front-runner Donald Trump has repeatedly questioned Cruz's eligibility because of his Canadian birth.

Joyce's lawsuit argued that Cruz cannot run for president under the U.S. Constitution because the U.S. senator from Texas is not a "natural-born" citizen. Cruz gained citizenship at birth because his mother was an American citizen, but Joyce contends that was a form of naturalization. Cruz's father is from Cuba.

Cruz, himself an attorney, has maintained he is a natural-born American due to his mother's citizenship.

Kirby ruled that Joyce should have served the complaint directly to Cruz and the election board members, not to their lawyers, citing requirements in the Illinois election code.

"I recognize that election decisions are of great importance to the public," the judge said. "But it's a matter of strict compliance." She said she could not look at the issues presented in the case because it was not properly before her.

Joyce said he has not yet decided whether he will appeal the ruling. He said it depended on whether Trump, as expected, dominates in the Super Tuesday contests and becomes the most likely Republican nominee.

"My main concern all along has been keeping Senator Cruz from being the nominee of the party. Depending on what happens today on Super Tuesday, that whole point might become a moot point," Joyce told reporters.

Joyce said he did not want Cruz to win the nomination because he believes Democrats would then seek to have the Texan disqualified because he was born abroad.

An attorney who represented Cruz in court, Sharee Langenstein, called the lawsuit "a misguided attempt to distract the voters away from the most qualified candidate we have for president, and that's Senator Ted Cruz."

"There's no issue here," she said. "It's very clear that Senator Cruz is a natural-born citizen."

Voters in New York, Alabama, Pennsylvania and Texas have also filed legal challenges to Cruz's eligibility. Some legal experts do not expect any court to invalidate a presidential candidate on the issue.

**dogma**

whembly wrote:

Based on that tool... doesn't that point out that Rubio/Cruz need to form a unity ticket to take down Trump? I wonder how that works... *could* one guy throw his assigned delegates to the other?

It depends on the State, whether or not the national GOP decides to break precedent by overturning State Party rules, and actual delegate behavior.

But none of that is important, what is important is that the amount of chicanery the GOP would need to engage in to make it happen would probably doom a Cruz/Rubio ticket in the General.

**whembly**

dogma wrote:
whembly wrote:

Based on that tool... doesn't that point out that Rubio/Cruz need to form a unity ticket to take down Trump? I wonder how that works... *could* one guy throw his assigned delegates to the other?

It depends on the State, whether or not the national GOP decides to break precedent by overturning State Party rules, and actual delegate behavior.

But none of that is important, what is important is that the amount of chicanery the GOP would need to engage in to make it happen would probably doom a Cruz/Rubio ticket in the General.

Yeah... that's a fair point. If this would happen, they'd be behind the 8-ball early on.

Especially if Cruz is on the top of that unity ticket. The Clinton Machine can easily take on Cruz.

However, if Rubio is on that top ticket... I feel he can combat that easily.

Interesting times... no?

**BrotherGecko**

jasper76 wrote:
CptJake wrote:
Do_I_Not_Like_That wrote:
Whembley, would I be correct in saying that a contested convention sounds like the elites trying to stich up ordinary voters?

I'm no fan of Donald Trump, but I'd hate to see him lose the nomination because of shady backroom deals that spit in the face of ordinary Republican voters.

That backroom dealing is looking more and more like their only chance to maintain control and get a Rubio into office.

Alot of GOP politicians and talking heads are starting to get behind Cruz, rather than Rubio. I think if the GOP goes this direction, they really shouldn't totally abandon Republican voters by throwing support behind a guy who has only won a single state. In any case, it'll never happen. Drumpf is going to get the requisite delegates.

Probably the best hope for the future of the GOP is a Clinton presidency, and it wouldn't surprise me in the least if many influential Republicans of the David Brooks variety end up endorsing Clinton should Drumpf get the nomination.

Don't let Clinton know she could potentially gain GOP endorsements. Her message and policues are schizophrenic enough without her pretending to become an evangelical.

Or maybe she would give up the charade and cast off her mask of liberalism when she realizes she doesn't need minorities to become president if she can get conservative whites lol. Hilary is definitely more Republican than Trump at this point lol.

**dogma**

whembly wrote:

I like Rubio... but, I don't see how Cruz accepts a VP slot as he wouldn't be able to do jack gak. (you only have to look at Biden... what did he do?).

What do you think Cruz would accomplish even if he were to become President? The legislature isn't going to suddenly become less combative because the guy who checked every single conservative box got elected to the big chair.

whembly wrote:

Especially if Cruz is on the top of that unity ticket. The Clinton Machine can easily take on Cruz.

However, if Rubio is on that top ticket... I feel he can combat that easily.

No, he probably couldn't. He is struggling to stay relevant in the GOP Primary. He might win the General if nominated, but it wouldn't be easy.

**Jihadin**

I see a Caesar rising.......
Trump

If Julius can form a triumvirate with Crassus and Pompeii then I can see these three doing it....

I doubt Trump going to get stabbed multiple times in the Senate though

**Grey Templar**

Silly, he got stabbed on the steps of the senate

**Nostromodamus**

For a moment there I thought there might be a legitimate reason to watch CSPAN.

**infinite_array**

Jihadin wrote:
I see a Caesar rising.......

I honestly been wondering if the Romans had the same feeling when Marius and Sulla started fighting each other compared to Americans and 2016's election.

"Well, that Republic was pretty nice while it lasted."

**Do_I_Not_Like_That**

Jihadin wrote:
I see a Caesar rising.......
Trump

If Julius can form a triumvirate with Crassus and Pompeii then I can see these three doing it....

I doubt Trump going to get stabbed multiple times in the Senate though

Yeah, but who's going to be Crassus and invade the Middle East for some personal glory?

The last thing America needs is more troops in the Middle East.

**Nostromodamus**

Do_I_Not_Like_That wrote:

The last thing America needs is more troops in the Middle East.

It could always send in it's auxiliaries from Germania, Gaul and Britannia.

**Spinner**

Ah, yes, that famous Caesar saying when crossing the Rubicon...

"I know words, I have the best words!"

**Do_I_Not_Like_That**

Nostromodamus wrote:
Do_I_Not_Like_That wrote:

The last thing America needs is more troops in the Middle East.

It could always send in it's auxiliaries from Germania, Gaul and Britannia.

Britannia has more Admirals than fighting ships, so no chance of that happening

**whembly**

And... Carson is now out:
Ben Carson plans to exit 2016 race

Ben Carson has told supporters he sees "no path forward" in the Republican presidential race and is planning to exit.

In an email to supporters, Carson said that he plans to skip Thursday's GOP debate in Detroit and ultimately exit from the GOP primary contest, arguing that there is no "political path forward" after a poor showing on Super Tuesday.

Longtime advisor Armstrong Williams confirmed to the Washington Examiner that Carson will officially suspend his campaign Friday in a speech to CPAC.

"I have decided not to attend the Fox News GOP Presidential Debate tomorrow night in Detroit," Carson said in the statement. "Even though I will not be in my hometown of Detroit on Thursday, I remain deeply committed to my home nation, America. I do not see a political path forward in light of last evening's Super Tuesday primary results."

"However, this grassroots movement on behalf of 'We the People' will continue. Along with millions of patriots who have supported my campaign for President, I remain committed to Saving America for Future Generations," Carson said. "We must not depart from our goals to restore what God and our Founders intended for this exceptional nation."

The famed neurosurgeon also told supporters that his call to exit the race is not a financial decision, but rather one to best benefit "the American people."

"I will discuss more about the future of this movement during my speech on Friday at CPAC in Washington, D.C.," Carson said closing out his statement.

And now, the GOP has four:
Trump/Cruz/Rubio/Kasich

Next debate is tomorrow night!

**jasper76**

Well, of all the crazies in the mix, Carson was the most bat-gak. Still, where will the Seveth Day Adventist Insomniac community now turn for political leadership?

**ScootyPuffJunior**

Ben Carson has told supporters he sees "no path forward" in the Republican presidential race and is planning to exit.

I'm glad he finally realized what the rest of us have known for months.

In other news, I'm pretty disappointing that Trump won Virginia, with his 34% barely beating Rubio's 32% (Trump got 17 delegates and Rubio got 16).

**whembly**

ScootyPuffJunior wrote:
Ben Carson has told supporters he sees "no path forward" in the Republican presidential race and is planning to exit.

I'm glad he finally realized what the rest of us have known for months.

In other news, I'm pretty disappointing that Trump won Virginia, with his 34% barely beating Rubio's 32% (Trump got 17 delegates and Rubio got 16).

:holds up a fist:

... to the #NeverTrump crowd.