Cruz More Dangerous Than Trump

[notyou2]

To my American friends.

Isis is full of fanatics. So is Al-Queda. They are found everywhere and in all religious and political affiliations. Fanaticism is DANGEROUS and results in extremism, no matter the religion.

This video is worth watching.

http://www.salon.com/2016/02/23/robert_reich_4_reasons_ted_cruz_is_even_more_dangerous_than_donald_trump_partner/

[mrswdk]

I read something the other day about how the GOP Establishment would prefer to see Trump nominated than Cruz, because while both are way extreme Trump has at least signaled that he would be open to a change of tone and to striking deals were he to become president (whereas Ayatollah Cruz has a dogma and he plans on sticking to it no matter what).

[Bernie Sanders]

Cruz is not liked by the Republican establishment. He's done!

With that said, the Republican establishment aka RNC don't like Trump either, but there's not a snowball chance in Hell for any Republican candidate that can stand against Trump. What a sad day that a large political party can't kick a pompous rich asshole like Trump from the top spot.




Republicans deserve the mess they are in, as they have consistently moved more and more into crazy bat shit country the last 30 years.

[notyou2]

Cruz is not liked by the Republican establishment. He's done!

With that said, the Republican establishment aka RNC don't like Trump either, but there's not a snowball chance in Hell for any Republican candidate that can stand against Trump. What a sad day that a large political party can't kick a pompous rich asshole like Trump from the top spot.




Republicans deserve the mess they are in, as they have consistently moved more and more into crazy bat shit country the last 30 years.

Like!!!!

I first read that book around '81-'82. Love it. Have read all Hunter's books.

Depp's version was better than Murray's even though I love Bill Murray (great Canadian and invented at McGill in 1952).

[Bernie Sanders]

Hunter the Gonzo writer had an originality to his writing that has been copied by others, especially some of the writers at Rolling Stones magazine.

I've been to bat country several times in my lifetime, not for decades though. It's one of the reasons I fear that the Republican Party is now stuck in bat country and they can't find a way out.

[notyou2]

Hunter the Gonzo writer had an originality to his writing that has been copied by others, especially some of the writers at Rolling Stones magazine.

I've been to bat country several times in my lifetime, not for decades though. It's one of the reasons I fear that the Republican Party is now stuck in bat country and they can't find a way out.

So sometimes you write like you really are Bernie, and other times you have indicated you are not him. We know you aren't, but do you have an identity crisis?

Who is the real CC Bernie Sanders?

[mrswdk]

What a sad day that a large political party can't kick a pompous rich asshole like Trump from the top spot.

You mean, what a reassuring sign for democracy that a bunch of party cronies can't gang up and stomp all over the candidate who is most popular with the electorate.

[riskllama]

a fair point, mrs...

[jgordon1111]

Lol Don't worry about either of those 2, it's Rubio you should pray doesn't get the office

[notyou2]

Lol Don't worry about either of those 2, it's Rubio you should pray doesn't get the office

Why?

[jgordon1111]

Lol Don't worry about either of those 2, it's Rubio you should pray doesn't get the office

Why?

First the gang of eight
Second he is being described now in his own ads as a disciple of Ronald Reagan, if you don't know why that is bad go ahead and vote for him

[notyou2]

None of the current crop of Republican contenders are half what Reagan was. He was a good president, even though I did not agree with all his policies. If I was living in the US I would have voted for Reagan in his second term as I was of age then, and Bush Sr too, even though I lean to the Democrats. The Republican party is now run by ideological zealots and base emotion, not reason and sanity.

If I was living in the US currently, I would definitely support Bernie Sanders. I honestly believe he is best for America, Canada, and the world.

I googled "group of eight" and it came up as democrats and republicans working together on immigration reform. Not sure what is so bad about that or their bill. I see McCain there and he is a Republican I respect. I cannot respect Cruz or Trump. I don't know enough about Rubio to form an opinion.

[Bernie Sanders]

None of the current crop of Republican contenders are half what Reagan was. He was a good president, even though I did not agree with all his policies. If I was living in the US I would have voted for Reagan in his second term as I was of age then, and Bush Sr too, even though I lean to the Democrats. The Republican party is now run by ideological zealots and base emotion, not reason and sanity.

If I was living in the US currently, I would definitely support Bernie Sanders. I honestly believe he is best for America, Canada, and the world.

President Reagan would not be able to get elected by Republicans nowadays. He would be considered a LIBERAL!

[tzor]

This video is worth watching.

This is one of the best pro Cruz arguments ever made by a Democrat.

[notyou2]

None of the current crop of Republican contenders are half what Reagan was. He was a good president, even though I did not agree with all his policies. If I was living in the US I would have voted for Reagan in his second term as I was of age then, and Bush Sr too, even though I lean to the Democrats. The Republican party is now run by ideological zealots and base emotion, not reason and sanity.

If I was living in the US currently, I would definitely support Bernie Sanders. I honestly believe he is best for America, Canada, and the world.

President Reagan would not be able to get elected by Republicans nowadays. He would be considered a LIBERAL!

That is the problem. The Republican party has been hijacked by right wing extremists. The party should throw them out and let them create their own fringe party that would end up with little to no power. I am surprised this hasn't already occurred. It would have by now in Canada.

[mrswdk]

The Republican party has been hijacked by right wing extremists. The party should throw them out and let them create their own fringe party that would end up with little to no power. I am surprised this hasn't already occurred. It would have by now in Canada.

There are enough of those extremists that chucking them out would split the party, at which point you can kiss goodbye to there being any substantial opposition to the Democrats for the next few decades.

Funny that parties will try to paper over even the biggest of internal rifts in the name of 'united we stand' while they are happy to shut down the national government while playing partisan political games, but ya know.

[Symmetry]

The Republican party has been hijacked by right wing extremists. The party should throw them out and let them create their own fringe party that would end up with little to no power. I am surprised this hasn't already occurred. It would have by now in Canada.

There are enough of those extremists that chucking them out would split the party, at which point you can kiss goodbye to there being any substantial opposition to the Democrats for the next few decades.

Funny that parties will try to paper over even the biggest of internal rifts in the name of 'united we stand' while they are happy to shut down the national government while playing partisan political games, but ya know.

I think you underestimate the strength of the Republican party at a state and local level, and how that filters up to senate and congress. The presidency is not the be all and end all of governance.

[mrswdk]

The Republican party has been hijacked by right wing extremists. The party should throw them out and let them create their own fringe party that would end up with little to no power. I am surprised this hasn't already occurred. It would have by now in Canada.

There are enough of those extremists that chucking them out would split the party, at which point you can kiss goodbye to there being any substantial opposition to the Democrats for the next few decades.

Funny that parties will try to paper over even the biggest of internal rifts in the name of 'united we stand' while they are happy to shut down the national government while playing partisan political games, but ya know.

I think you underestimate the strength of the Republican party at a state and local level, and how that filters up to senate and congress. The presidency is not the be all and end all of governance.

Trump has so far gotten 33% of the vote in the primaries he's contested so far, and looks reasonably likely to end up finishing with something similar to that as his share of the overall vote. Cruz has about 20%. If the leaders of the Republican party kick them out then they've just effectively said that they stand in heavy opposition to two men who more than half of Republican voters support.

Are you suggesting that even though Trump and Cruz have such enormous support from Republican voters, if they were expelled they would just disappear and pretty much all Republican voters would choose brand loyalty to the Republican party over ideological loyalty to Trump and Cruz? Because that is the only way that the expulsion of Trump and Cruz would fail to split the Republican party.

[notyou2]

The Republican party has been hijacked by right wing extremists. The party should throw them out and let them create their own fringe party that would end up with little to no power. I am surprised this hasn't already occurred. It would have by now in Canada.

There are enough of those extremists that chucking them out would split the party, at which point you can kiss goodbye to there being any substantial opposition to the Democrats for the next few decades.

Funny that parties will try to paper over even the biggest of internal rifts in the name of 'united we stand' while they are happy to shut down the national government while playing partisan political games, but ya know.

The Republican party is fucked now. They are driving away the moderates and main stream support. That was proven during the 2012 election. The party has acknowledged it, yet the extreme right continues to hijack the party, simply because they are the loudest element and appealing to the loudest supporters within the party.

THE TAIL IS WAGGING THE DOG!!!!

[Symmetry]

The Republican party has been hijacked by right wing extremists. The party should throw them out and let them create their own fringe party that would end up with little to no power. I am surprised this hasn't already occurred. It would have by now in Canada.

There are enough of those extremists that chucking them out would split the party, at which point you can kiss goodbye to there being any substantial opposition to the Democrats for the next few decades.

Funny that parties will try to paper over even the biggest of internal rifts in the name of 'united we stand' while they are happy to shut down the national government while playing partisan political games, but ya know.

I think you underestimate the strength of the Republican party at a state and local level, and how that filters up to senate and congress. The presidency is not the be all and end all of governance.

Trump has so far gotten 33% of the vote in the primaries he's contested so far, and looks reasonably likely to end up finishing with something similar to that as his share of the overall vote. Cruz has about 20%. If the leaders of the Republican party kick them out then they've just effectively said that they stand in heavy opposition to two men who more than half of Republican voters support.

Are you suggesting that even though Trump and Cruz have such enormous support from Republican voters, if they were expelled they would just disappear and pretty much all Republican voters would choose brand loyalty to the Republican party over ideological loyalty to Trump and Cruz? Because that is the only way that the expulsion of Trump and Cruz would fail to split the Republican party.

Ah, I see where I was unclear. I was talking about your point that there would be no "substantive" opposition. Republicans will still have power as a party in the senate, congress, and at state levels of governance. A Democrat becoming President again won't cripple a party that operates at lot of other levels.

As for a failed presidential bid, I can only give a casual observation- when candidates get to the actual level of running against the opposing party, party faithful are pretty unforgiving of failures.

[tzor]

That is the problem. The Republican party has been hijacked by right wing extremists.

NO, the problem is that it has been hijacked by establishment incumbents. These are people who want to be reelected for life. Why do you think McCain ran for president? Because the scraps that came from his presidential race were enough to guarantee he could blow away any opposition in a primary or general election. (Which he did the next time he was up for reelection.) The Republican establishment incumbents are dominated by the chamber of crony capitalism and the defense industry,

If the Republican party had been hijacked by right wing extremists, Obamacare would have already been repealed (especially since the party has control of both houses of the legislature, the lack of continuing spending resolutions would have resulted in a major shutdown of government and the eventual cave in of the president. (Fact check, the election after every major shutdown of government by Republicans has resulted in Republican gains, no matter how strongly the establishment incumbents insist otherwise.) Instead the president got everything he wanted and more.

[Symmetry]

That is the problem. The Republican party has been hijacked by right wing extremists.

NO, the problem is that it has been hijacked by establishment incumbents. These are people who want to be reelected for life. Why do you think McCain ran for president? Because the scraps that came from his presidential race were enough to guarantee he could blow away any opposition in a primary or general election. (Which he did the next time he was up for reelection.) The Republican establishment incumbents are dominated by the chamber of crony capitalism and the defense industry,

If the Republican party had been hijacked by right wing extremists, Obamacare would have already been repealed (especially since the party has control of both houses of the legislature, the lack of continuing spending resolutions would have resulted in a major shutdown of government and the eventual cave in of the president. (Fact check, the election after every major shutdown of government by Republicans has resulted in Republican gains, no matter how strongly the establishment incumbents insist otherwise.) Instead the president got everything he wanted and more.

How much Republican control of the house would you attribute to gerrymandering?

[mrswdk]

Ah, I see where I was unclear. I was talking about your point that there would be no "substantive" opposition. Republicans will still have power as a party in the senate, congress, and at state levels of governance. A Democrat becoming President again won't cripple a party that operates at lot of other levels.

Americans vote for Senators/Congressmen (I forget which one) at the same time as they vote for president. Were Trump and/or Cruz to be expelled and run as independents or as a new party, they could probably drag a significant amount of votes out of the Republican party with them. At that point, how are either they or the diminished Republican party going to stand a chance of preventing a Democrat president and Democrat majority house being elected?

It's the same as 'why was growing UKIP support a threat to the Conservatives in 2015?'

[tzor]

How much Republican control of the house would you attribute to gerrymandering?

I would have to really study hard the old election results. NYCD1 switched from D to R without any change whatsoever in the district boundaries.

I'm tended to think there was a greater case for off presidential year turnout results than anything else.

[tzor]

Americans vote for Senators/Congressmen (I forget which one) at the same time as they vote for president. Were Trump and/or Cruz to be expelled and run as independents or as a new party, they could probably drag a significant amount of votes out of the Republican party with them. At that point, how are either they or the diminished Republican party going to stand a chance of preventing a Democrat president and Democrat majority house being elected?

Individual offices all get their own columns on the ballots and as the old saying goes "all politics is local." It is very common for people to not always "vote across the line" especially when the line only has one office (President/Vice President who are selected as a pair) on it. Likewise if you had Democrats voting for (as an example) Republican Trump, it doesn't mean they will continue on that line for Congress or Senate.

The biggest third party question involves New York. In theory, Trump could take New York. But Bloomberg might run as third party. He could take enough votes from Trump to put New York back to Clinton.