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estesbob
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I sure would like to like to know what these tax loopholes for the rich are. I have some clients who need them!
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zz912
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The Democrat Party represented by Clinton is a big-business protectionist racket that loves setting up all kinds of regulations, taxes and other costs that protect the large corporations from smaller competitors. They demonize big business publicly, but love their money and actually work to protect them from competition.
They have done such a good job demonizing them, and ruining the education system in America, that now a large segment of their base supports Sanders. He represents the faction that actually hates corporations because they’ve been trained to believe they are the embodiment of evil. They want to destroy any company that they deem “evil” or too big. They will protest evil corporations wearing trendy clothes, holding iphones, while drinking their $8 coffees.
The Sanders crowd is the natural result of the decades of vitriol aimed at businesses by the DNC.
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zz912
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If Bernie Sanders ran in the GOP primary and somehow won, and held all the same positions he has now, except that he was prolife, he would get absolutely ZERO support from DNC voters.
For all the talk about prolifers being one-issue voters, I find those who are pro-abortion are much more one-issue voters on the issue of abortion. It doesn’t matter if the GOP nominee holds every single Bernie Sanders position, if he is pro-life, the DNC base won’t vote for him.
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Lily_Bernans
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I don’t think abortion has anything to do with it. I think a lot of people are just loyal to their party.
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JimG
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Let’s put it this way. If any Democratic nominee were formally pro-life, advocating for the reversal of Roe v Wade, could he or she ever get the nomination regardless of any other issues? Could Bernie or Hillary possibly be nominated if they held all of their current positions except that they agreed with the National Right to Life Committee on abortion?
Never. Abortion is a litmus test issue for Democrats.
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FollowChrist34
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You make a good point here. I agree that Democrats have really been overtaken by militiant ideology on certain issues. Bullying from their lobbying groups. The media narrative is this is the new great enlightened America (politically correct), but polls of the people often do not confirm that narrative. Thus the phenomenon of Trump, a grassroots backlash.
I do fear though that Trump will divide the GOP; he is not the right person to “make America great again.” In this sense, he could well shatter the GOP and its chances to win in November. Republicans are increasingly divided and open on economic and social policy. Ideas that would have never been accepted by the party, Trump gets away with all the time - anti-trade, national health care, Planned Parenthood.
The GOP is much more conflicted and fluent on policy than the Democrats - right now that is creating vulnerability and disorientation. But sooner rather than later, I think the GOP will emerge as the party of the people, the center, the next big thing if you will. I have a hard time seeing us get it together that brilliantly by the fall, but it is coming. There will be a resifting of what the GOP stands for, for better or worse, mostly better I think.
The question is when and who will be the leader who emerges to lead the next wave of conservatism. I say maybe Rubio, 2010. There is a pretty slight chance we get it together in the fall I guess, Cruz/Rubio. The key to doing that is frankly what Trump does with his very limited skills and fanatic troops at the convention. Does he play ball with the party. And he could also win 1237 outright - I think we lose the general there - that would really be a tragedy for the party and the country. The wrong person has momentum…for the right reasons.
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Lily_Bernans
Guest
Of course they could get the nomination and win the presidency.
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Lily_Bernans
Guest
Cruz is just being used to stop Trump.You make a good point here. I agree that Democrats have really been overtaken by militiant ideology on certain issues. Bullying from their lobbying groups. The media narrative is this is the new great enlightened America (politically correct), but polls of the people often do not confirm that narrative. Thus the phenomenon of Trump, a grassroots backlash.
I do fear though that Trump will divide the GOP; he is not the right person to “make America great again.” In this sense, he could well shatter the GOP and its chances to win in November. Republicans are increasingly divided and open on economic and social policy. Ideas that would have never been accepted by the party, Trump gets away with all the time - anti-trade, national health care, Planned Parenthood.
The GOP is much more conflicted and fluent on policy than the Democrats - right now that is creating vulnerability and disorientation. But sooner rather than later, I think the GOP will emerge as the party of the people, the center, the next big thing if you will. I have a hard time seeing us get it together that brilliantly by the fall, but it is coming. There will be a resifting of what the GOP stands for, for better or worse, mostly better I think.
The question is when and who will be the leader who emerges to lead the next wave of conservatism. I say maybe Rubio, 2010. There is a pretty slight chance we get it together in the fall I guess, Cruz/Rubio. The key to doing that is frankly what Trump does with his very limited skills and fanatic troops at the convention. Does he play ball with the party. And he could also win 1237 outright - I think we lose the general there - that would really be a tragedy for the party and the country. The wrong person has momentum…for the right reasons.
A Catholic shouldn’t vote for Cruz anyway. He favors carpet bombing of the Mid-East, and that’s worse than abortion. One would have to tumble through some verbal gymnastics to rationalize voting for a carpet bomber!
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mary_bobo
Guest
That does not seem like a well-reasoned excuse for always voting for one party. But then, if you agree with them, I guess one can rationalize it.
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Lily_Bernans
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I really don’t know what you mean. I happen to agree with the Democrats in almost everything and the Republicans in almost nothing, so I usually vote for a Democrat. I don’t agree with either party, or any candidate, completely.
I was saying neither party is a “one issue” party.
Still, I don’t see how anyone could vote for Cruz knowing he wants to carpet bomb the Middle East and kill thousands of innocents. That’s worse than abortion; it would certainly kill a LOT of pregnant women, plus many newborns and young children, not to mention the innocent adults.
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FollowChrist34
Guest
I don’t want to get into whether carpet bombing or abortion is worse. Either way your victim is dead.
Cruz is not ideal; he has high negatives and in a lot of ways he is a bit of an unknown in terms of what he would do - I think a lot of his platform so far has been just to look as tough as Trump and attract the GOP base. If he is the nominee, I expect him to move to the center. And I think he could have quite a bit of potential if he can overcome his negatives. I think it is ok for a Catholic to support Cruz, as much if not more than supporting Clinton or Sanders. All of the candidates support things a Catholic cannot support, bottom line.
(btw I had a typo in my post, Rubio, 2020 is when I think the GOP will get it together, not 2010…)
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Lily_Bernans
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Personally, I don’t think voting for a candidate who supports carpet bombing is any better at all that voting for a candidate who supports abortion. Are the lives of pregnant Middle Eastern women, Middle Eastern babies, Middle Eastern children, and Middle Eastern adults worth LESS than the life of an American? I don’t think so. Jesus, himself, was a Middle Easterner. If it’s okay to support Cruz, it’s fine to support Sanders and Clinton or any other pro-choice candidate.
If the GOP is to survive, they will have to get it together before 2020, but I think Rubio is finished in politics. I don’t think even he wants to continue.
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FollowChrist34
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We don’t know if Cruz will carpet bomb anybody. We do know that Planned Parenthood will continue its merry way. Frankly this will continue under any candidate. I do believe that Republicans in power create a much more friendly atmosphere for legislation restricting abortions. There is plenty of evidence to support that. As for Cruz’ foreign policy, I think he would defer to his military advisors and would work to build an international coalition in any action in the Middle East. The age of carpet bombing (actually doing it instead of using the image on the campaign trail against ISIS to score points as tough on terror…) is long past. I wish I could say the same of widespread abortion on demand. You are painting a very hysterical left wing image of Cruz, a straw man. I realize this is necessary to justify voting for Hillary though.
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Sy_Noe
Guest
Well it’s historically hard enough for 1 party to win 3 consecutive WH terms. Reagan and Bush did it in the 1980s. 4 consecutive even harder. Although 5 consecutive Democratic terms were achieved by the Democrats over the course of 20 yrs 1933-1953 with FDR and Truman.
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Sy_Noe
Guest
Well said, Lily.
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FollowChrist34
Guest
I am hopeful that the nominee will be Cruz, the VP Rubio and that they win the White House. How realistic is this - not very. Thanks to my good bud Trumpaloo. The Democrats will very likely get their 3rd term. I think that is actually tragic.
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_Abyssinia
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Perhaps it’s not that “unrealistic”? Time will tell.
From the CNN town hall:
Cruz: Rubio “Would Be A Terrific Person To Consider For Vice President”
realclearpolitics.com/video/2016/04/13/cruz_rubio_would_be_a_terrific_person_to_consider_for_vice_president.html
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Sy_Noe
Guest
I think Cruz is being used to stop Trump too. The party really would prefer neither of them. But I did see Rubio delegates are beginning to move to Cruz so I can’t yet count him out. I have no clue if Cruz can take the nomination or not. But I do think it is becoming more likely if Trump is stopped on the first ballot, he won’t survive. But maybe instead of risking the destruction of the Republican Party under one candidate, they might be willing to lose one year with Cruz and at least not self destruct for good. Ryan is now clear he won’t take it. Kasich would jump at the chance. But are they really going to give it to a guy who has only won his home state as a favorite son. Kasich just doesn’t seem to appeal to Republican voters this go round as much as Trump and Cruz. But I have no idea what is going to happen in Cleveland if Trump fails at securing enough delegates by the first ballot. Except high drama.
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JimG
Guest
You think a Democrat could get the nomination while opposing a major plank in the Democratic Party Platform? Not likely. Not even possible. The Dem nominee must favor abortion.
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FollowChrist34
Guest
Right and the high drama/bitterness is what ruins the GOP’s chances. If Trump takes it, the Never Trump people don’t vote and if Cruz wins on a second ballot (which I think is very likely if it goes to an open convention and Trump does not win on the first ballot), then the Trump people walk - actually I saw something about how 68% of Trump supporters would vote for the Republican nominee if it was not Trump. I believe around 80% of the GOP vote would for Trump (NeverTrumpers, social conservatives, etc. walk). Those numbers both spell November defeat for the GOP.
Agree on Kasich. If he is so great and so many people love him, what the hell is going on? No one is voting for the guy, anywhere. His argument for getting the nomination is a joke, and I say this actually personally liking him, in some ways, the best of all.
The GOP’s only hope is a strong, divisive Bernie Sanders challenge all the way to the convention and that Bernie’s supporters don’t come out for Hillary in big numbers, maybe 75% of them show up, the millennials stay home, in spite of all the Dem pressure and anti-Cruz scare tactics. The Dems do downplay the Bernie threat, popularity - it is worrying them. Hillary is old school stuff.
But even best case scenario, with a good chunk of Sanders fringe support not voting for Hillary, will it be enough to push Cruz into the White House? Doubt it. Maybe. (I think enough Dems will come out to vote over the number of GOP voters who unite - Cruz or Trump, same deal.)
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