Four More Years - a 2016 Election Timeline (user search)
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Poll
Question: Who should Obama choose as his Running Mate?
#1
Tim Kaine
#2
Julian Castro
#3
Tom Vilsack
#4
Amy Klobucher
#5
Kirsten Gillibrand
#6
Al Franken
#7
Jeff Merkley
#8
John Hickenlooper
#9
Martin Heinrich
#10
WHO SHOULD TRUMP CHOOSE?
#11
Newt Gingrich
#12
Ben Carson
#13
Chris Christie
#14
Mary Fallin
#15
Scott Brown
#16
Marsha Blackburn
#17
Mike Flynn
#18
Jeff Sessions
#19
Jim Webb
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Partisan results


Author Topic: Four More Years - a 2016 Election Timeline  (Read 56310 times)
America Needs R'hllor
Parrotguy
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Political Matrix
E: -4.13, S: -3.48

« Reply #100 on: December 28, 2017, 04:33:12 PM »

I hope William Kreml (Stein's main opponent) runs an independent campaign for those who were going to support Stein before the leak.

Well, most Stein supporters still support her. The others either stay at home, or vote for various small parties, or support Obama. Remember, she got 0.36% of the vote in 2012, the 1% she got in 2016 wasn't the natural Green Party base but mainly due to Clinton's unpopularity. So while the photo harmed her, its impact isn't that huge, and a Kreml candidacy will probably fail to get much support or ballot access.
Also: Thanks for the interest, everyone! Governors post coming soon, and then the fall campaign- I anticipate reaching election night in a few weeks! Smiley
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America Needs R'hllor
Parrotguy
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*****
Posts: 11,420
Israel


Political Matrix
E: -4.13, S: -3.48

« Reply #101 on: December 29, 2017, 10:10:02 AM »
« Edited: April 28, 2018, 03:05:28 PM by Parrotguy »

September 1st, 2016

DOWNBALLOT RACES: The Struggle for the Mansions (PART 1)



WASHINGTON, D.C. - While the battle for Congress occupies much of the attention of pundits, politicians and political observers, another important issue will be on the ballot in a dozen states come Nobember 8th- the election of their governors for the next four years. Here, the races seem more local than nationalized, and Trump's effect on the Republican candidates for office is less obvious, and depends on their willingness to embrace him. Let's observe the various races:

Delaware
John Carney (D) vs Colin Bonni (R)
The race to succeed term-limited Governor Jack Markell (D) was initially thought to be dominated by Delaware's then-Attorney General and son of the Vice President, Beau Biden. However, when tragedy struck and Biden died of brain cancer, U.S. Representative and former Lieutenant Governor John Carney ran for, and won, the Democratic nomination instead. The Republican running against him, State Senator Colin Bonini, isn't running a very strong campaign and is considered likely to be swept away by Representative Carney, especially in a polarized election year.
RATING: Safe D

Indiana
Mike Pence (R) vs Pete Buttigieg (D)
After declining to take the job of Republican nominee Donald Trump's running mate, Governor Mike Pence of Indiana is running for reelection. Against him stands a surprising candidate- South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, a young and charismatic politician who was able to excite the Democratic base and defeat former Speaker of the Indiana House of Representatives, John Gregg, 52%-47% in the primary. Pence's approval ratings are under the water and Democrats are excited at the possibility of a gay man defeating the conservative Governor who once expressed support for "conversion therapy", but Indiana is still a conservative state, leading many to believe that Buttigieg is just too off-putting for Hoosier voters.
RATING: Lean R

Missouri
Chris Koster (D) vs Peter Kinder (R)
While the Democratic primary in Missouri's Gubernatorial race was nearly uncontested, and Attorney General Chris Koster easily won it, the Republican primary was different. Initially considered a battle between Lieutenant Governor Peter Kinder, State Auditor Tom Schweich and former Speaker of the Missouri House Catherine Hanaway. However, after Schweich's tragic suicide, various other candidates entered the race including former Navy SEAL Eric Greitens, State Senator Bob Dixon and conservative businessman John Brunner. The race was tight and nasty, with no candidate really gaining an edge- Hanaway was initiallly the frontrunner but her campaign took much of the blame for the alleged "bullying" that lead to Schweich's suicide, and then Greitens became the front-runner but crushed after allegations of an affair surfaced. In the end, the result gave an edge to the candidate with the most statewide name recognition, Lieutenant Governor Kinder, who won 27% of the vote over 26% for Hanaway, 22% for Brunner, 17% for Greitens and 6% for Dixon. Now, in the general election to succeed Governor Jay Nixon (D), a bruised Kinder is facing a strong Democat, Koster, in a Republican-leaning state, and the race is expected to be tight.
RATING: Tossup

Montana
Steve Bullock (D) vs Greg Gianforte (R)
Governor Steve Bullock (D) is running for reelection in Montana, facing conservative businessman Greg Gianforte. Despite the state's conservative lean, Bullock is considered a popular governor and an able campaigner, while Gianforte's campaign has been lacking and some voters consider him too extreme, leading many to believe that the Governor will win reelection.
RATING: Lean D

New Hampshire
Colin Van Ostern (D) vs Chris Sununu (R)
In the race to succeed New Hampshire's Governor, Maggie Hassan, two popular politicians are running against each other, both members of the state's Executive Council advising and providing a check on the Governor. Republicans nominated Chris Sununu, son of former Governor John H. Sununu and brother of former Senator John E. Sununu, a son of one of the state's most influential political dynasties. Meanwhile, Democrats nominated Colin Van Ostern with the support of another Granite State political dynasty, the Shaheen family, setting up another Sununu vs Shaheen proxy war. The race is considered very tight, just like the Senate race in the same state, and could go either way.
RATING: Tossup

North Carolina
Pat McRory (R) vs Roy Cooper (D)
Runnin under the shadow of national outrage over an anti-transgender law and low approval ratings, Governor Pat McRory (R) is fighting for his political life over the Democratic nominee, Attorney General Roy Cooper. This is considered a tight race, but Democrats have started leading more and more in the polls, causing worries in the McRory campaign that he's the underdog in the race.
RATING: Lean D
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America Needs R'hllor
Parrotguy
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*****
Posts: 11,420
Israel


Political Matrix
E: -4.13, S: -3.48

« Reply #102 on: December 29, 2017, 10:10:48 AM »
« Edited: December 29, 2017, 10:21:47 AM by Parrotguy »

Please read the first post in the end of the previous page. It contains the more interesting races anyway Tongue

September 1st, 2016

DOWNBALLOT RACES: The Struggle for the Mansions (PART 2)

North Dakota
Doug Burgum (R) vs George Sinner (D)
While Democrats were initially ready to give up on the race, Tom Daschle's entrance to the Senate race eventually convinced them to run a semi-credible candidate in the race to succeed retiring Govenor Jack Darlymple (R), and they convinced former State Senator George B. Sinner to run as a sort of a sacrifical lamb against Republican nominee, businessman Doug Burgum. Still, the race is unlikely to get competitive.
RATING: Safe R

Oregon
Kate Brown (D) vs Bud Pierce (R)
In Oregon, Governor Kate Brown, the former Secretary of State who was sworn in after former Governor John Kitzhaber's resignation amidst scandal, is running for reelection in a special election. Despite the circumstances of her rise, Oregon's liberal lean and her effective campaign lead her to lead the Republican nominee, physician Bud Pierce, and she's likely to be the first elected openly LGBTQ Governor in the history of the nation.
RATING: Likely D

Utah
Gary Herbert (R) vs Mike Weinholtz (D)

In Utah, Governor Gary Herbert is running strong and considered almost certain to defeat the Democratic nominee, businessman Mike Weinholtz. However, with former Governor Jon Huntsman, under whom he served as Lieutenant Governor, running as an independent, Herbert is facing a tough choice over who to endorse in the Presidential race, a choice that could have some impact on his reelection race.
RATING: Safe R

Vermont
Sue Minter (D) vs Phil Scott (R)
The race to succeed retiring Democratic Governor Peter Shmulin in one of the most leftist states in the union is shaping up to be surprisingly close. The Democratic nominee, former State Representative and Transportation Secretary under Shmulin, Sue Minter, is disliked by many Sanders supporters in his state and the man himself didn't even campaign for her yet, while the Republican nominee, Lieutenant Governor Phil Scott, is a fairly popular moderate Republican who already managed to win statewide. The little polling done there suggests a close race, but most observers predict that a Presidential election environment and polarization will hand the race to the Democrats.
RATING: Lean D

West Virginia
Carte Goodwin (D) vs Bill Cole (R)
In one of the most conservative states in the nation, the race to succeed Democratic Governor Jay Rockfeller also appears to be tight. While President of the State Senate Bill Cole easily won the Republican nomination, the Democratic primary was a bloody battle between businessman, and Republican until 2015, Jim Justice, State Senate Minority Leader Jeff Kessler and Carte Goodwin, who briefly served as Senator in 2010 and was strongly supported by Senator Joe Manchin. In the end, after reminding voters of Justice's very recent party switch, Goodwin won the nomination 41% to 39% for Justice and 20% for Kessler. Now, pundits believe that Trump's popularity in the state and the fact that Goodwin was accused of being too liberal would hand the race to the Republicans.
RATING: Lean R

Washington
Jay Inslee (D) vs Bill Bryant (R)
Incumbent Governor Jay Inslee and Republican former Port of Seatle Commissioner Bill Bryant advanced to the general election out of Washington's jungle primary. While Republicans were hoping to present a credible challenge to Inslee, their hopes crumbled as soon as they were forced to diverge resources to other races and face an uphill climb in the general election.
RATING: Safe D
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America Needs R'hllor
Parrotguy
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Posts: 11,420
Israel


Political Matrix
E: -4.13, S: -3.48

« Reply #103 on: December 29, 2017, 05:53:03 PM »
« Edited: December 30, 2017, 02:48:21 PM by Parrotguy »


Herbert is a Republican. Huntsman is running on an independent ticket in the Presidential election.
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America Needs R'hllor
Parrotguy
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*****
Posts: 11,420
Israel


Political Matrix
E: -4.13, S: -3.48

« Reply #104 on: December 30, 2017, 03:45:54 PM »

September 11th, 2016

Candidates suspend campaigning to attend 9\11 memorials



NEW YORK CITY - Suspending their campaign efforts for the day, Republican nominee Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Barack Obama attended the customary September 11 memorials. The President attended the memorial outside the Pentagon and gave heartfelt remarks, mourning the "3000 beautiful lives" lost in the attack and promising to do everything in his power to make sure "a tragedy like that will never happen again".

Meanwhile, Trump attended the anniversary ceremony itself in the memorial plaza in New York City, an apolitical ceremony attended by many politicians. Also in attendance were Trump's running mate, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, and two former candidates for the 2016 Democratic nomination, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, as well as local politicians like New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, Former Mayors Rudy Giuliani and Michael Bloomberg, New York Senators Chuck Schumer and Kristen Gillibrand, and Representatives of the state including Peter King and Hakeem Jeffries. Another noteable attendee was Wisconsin Senator Tammy Baldwin, Obama's running mate. Her appearance received some backlash, and the Obama campaign was criticized for "politicizing" the ceremony.

But with the somber remembrance day done, the campaign was back in full force. Trump immediately jumped on the criticism against the President's campaign, calling Senator Baldwin's attendance of the memorial "disgusting" in an interview to "Fox and Friends", and saying that it shows "President Obama has zero respect for anything". Governor Christie joined the chorus and lambasted the Democrats as "cynical people who make politics out of anything and have no shame." Democrats tried to deflect the outrage, employing New York politicians to the task. Senator Chuck Schumer called the criticism "a pile of nonsense". "Since when," he said in an interview, "the attendance of a U.S. Senator to such an important ceremony can be called 'disgusting'?" Fellow Senator Kirsten Gillibrand joined him, saying that "Trump is the one who has no shame."

Meanwhile, Independent candidate Jon Huntsman framed the exchange of fire between the two sides as "shameful mudslinging" which "shows very well how polarization is corrupting our political system." He claimed that both sides tried to exploit 9\11 for political gain, and that a third choice was needed. Retired Admiral James Starvidis, his running mate, added that "the major parties have no respect for our armed forces."
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America Needs R'hllor
Parrotguy
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*****
Posts: 11,420
Israel


Political Matrix
E: -4.13, S: -3.48

« Reply #105 on: December 30, 2017, 04:23:11 PM »
« Edited: December 31, 2017, 06:15:36 AM by Parrotguy »

September 16th, 2016

Trump attempts to put birther controversy to rest, admits Obama was born in the U.S.



WASHINGTON, D.C. - Attempting to put to rest a very controversial issue, which was used by Democrats as a way to ram the Republican nominee and label him as a racist, Donald Trump announced today in a press conference that he believes President Obama was born in the United States: "President Barack Obama was born in the United States. Period."

Since 2011, Trump was a leader and prepertuer of a movement that doubted the President was born in the U.S., and thus was ineligible to serve. He continuesely claimed that Obama could've been born in Kenya and demanded a birth certificate. Even when the certificate was released, Trump claimed that it might've been a fraud, citing "an extremely credible source" and repeating that "many people are saying" Obama was not born in the U.S. The birther movement was accused of inherent racism by many Democrats and moderates, and the President laughed it off as ridiculous. Many pundits and political observers speculate that it might've been the start of Trump's rise as the leader of the populist right.

In the 2016 election, running against Obama himself, the birther movement continued to be a major issue and fodder for attack by DNC ads. And so, Trump finally succumbed to the pressure and said that he believes Obama was born in the country. Republican leaders approved of the move, with Speaker Ryan saying that Trump displayed "good judgement" by putting the issue to rest. But Democratic surrogates were having none of it- Senator Tammy Baldwin said that she "doesn't believe for a second" Trump actually had a change of mind, and labeled it as "a move done under pressure by campaign staffers and Republican leaders." Former Massachusets Governor Deval Patrick said that the announcemnet "changes nothing," and that "Trump is still a racist, his birther movement is still racist."

Following that, Republican running mate Chris Christie and Vice President Joe Biden, two big personalities and opinionated men, got into a public feud. It started when Biden lambasted Trump's announcement as "a bunch of malarkey" on live TV, adding that "Barack was always calm, but when I heard what that man kept saying about my friend, I just wanted to punch him in the face." Christie responded that Biden is "a foolish, violent bully who has no accomplishments and still sees fit to viciously attack a much more successful man." The Vice President, on his part, retorted in an MSNBC interview: "it's very rich of Governor Christie to call me a bully. Last time I checked, closing down an entire well-trafficked bridge because of your petty grudges is bullying. In fact, I believe that is actually a federal crime." This statement set off Christie, who blasted Biden and called him "a loser who accomplished nothing in his entire political career." President Obama, defending his friend, tweeted a long list of accomplishments and major roles played by Biden in law, the New Castle Council, the Senate and the Vice Presidency, and it became one of the most retweeted tweets that month.

Meanwhile, polling numbers show Trump steadily improving, following a fairly calm and relatively controversy-free September:

Barack Obama vs Donald Trump (General)
Barack Obama- 49%  (-1)
Donald Trump- 45%  (+2)
Undecided- 6%  (-1)
OBAMA +4

Barack Obama vs Donald Trump vs Jon Huntsman vs Gary Johnson vs Jill Stein (General)
Barack Obama- 45%  (-1)
Donald Trump- 38%  (+3)
Jon Huntsman- 10%  (-1)
Gary Johnson- 3%  (+-0)
Jill Stein- 0%  (+-0)
Other/Undecided- 4%  (-1)
OBAMA +7
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America Needs R'hllor
Parrotguy
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*****
Posts: 11,420
Israel


Political Matrix
E: -4.13, S: -3.48

« Reply #106 on: December 31, 2017, 06:06:29 AM »
« Edited: December 31, 2017, 06:16:51 AM by Parrotguy »

September 21st, 2016

Fmr. Sec. Rice, Former Mayor Bloomberg endorse Jon Huntsman, giving him a boost ahead of 1st debate

 (+-0)
OBAMA +7
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America Needs R'hllor
Parrotguy
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*****
Posts: 11,420
Israel


Political Matrix
E: -4.13, S: -3.48

« Reply #107 on: December 31, 2017, 07:17:16 AM »

September 25th, 2016

POLLING UPDATE: Swing state map before the 1st debate



WASHINGTON, D.C. - with the first Presidential debate of the season just around the corner, polling is getting intense for the many swingstates that will decide the identity of the next President of the United States. Right now, it seems, incumbent Barack Obama has a good chance to win a historic third term in the office, but Republican Donald Trump does have a path if he manages to topple enough of the swingstates. Noteably, most pundits agree that Florida, Ohio, Iowa and North Carolina, the swingstates he's currently closest to winning, are almost must-wins for Trump, but he also likely to win Nevada, New Hampshire and Utah, or improve his numbers in states like Colorado, Virginia, Michigan or Wisconsin (the latter two being heavy targets of his campaign), making his path difficult. Let's look at the current numbers in the close states:

Barack Obama vs Donald Trump vs Jon Huntsman vs Gary Johnson vs Jill Stein (Arizona)
Donald Trump- 40%
Barack Obama- 36%
Jon Huntsman- 15%
Gary Johnson- 3%
Jill Stein- 0%
Undecided/other- 6%
TRUMP +4

Barack Obama vs Donald Trump vs Jon Huntsman vs Gary Johnson vs Jill Stein (Colorado)
Barack Obama- 42%
Donald Trump- 36%
Jon Huntsman- 14%
Gary Johnson- 4%
Jill Stein- 0%
Undecided/other- 4%
OBAMA +6

Barack Obama vs Donald Trump vs Jon Huntsman vs Gary Johnson vs Jill Stein (Florida)
Barack Obama- 43%
Donald Trump- 41%
Jon Huntsman- 9%
Gary Johnson- 2%
Jill Stein- 0%
Undecided/other- 5%
OBAMA +2

Barack Obama vs Donald Trump vs Jon Huntsman vs Gary Johnson vs Jill Stein (Georgia)
Donald Trump- 43%
Barack Obama- 38%
Jon Huntsman- 12%
Gary Johnson- 2%
Jill Stein- 0%
Undecided/other- 5%
TRUMP +5

Barack Obama vs Donald Trump vs Jon Huntsman vs Gary Johnson vs Jill Stein (Indiana)
Donald Trump- 44%
Barack Obama- 38%
Jon Huntsman- 9%
Gary Johnson- 3%
Jill Stein- 0%
Undecided/other- 6%
TRUMP +6

Barack Obama vs Donald Trump vs Jon Huntsman vs Gary Johnson vs Jill Stein (Iowa)
Donald Trump- 42%
Barack Obama- 41%
Jon Huntsman- 9%
Gary Johnson- 2%
Jill Stein- 1%
Undecided/other- 5%
TRUMP +1

Barack Obama vs Donald Trump vs Jon Huntsman vs Gary Johnson vs Jill Stein (Maine)
Barack Obama- 43%
Donald Trump- 36%
Jon Huntsman- 12%
Gary Johnson- 2%
Jill Stein- 1%
Undecided/other- 6%
OBAMA +7

Barack Obama vs Donald Trump vs Jon Huntsman vs Gary Johnson vs Jill Stein (Maine CD2)
Donald Trump- 42%
Barack Obama- 40%
Jon Huntsman- 8%
Gary Johnson- 2%
Jill Stein- 0%
Undecided/other- 8%
TRUMP +2

Barack Obama vs Donald Trump vs Jon Huntsman vs Gary Johnson vs Jill Stein (Michigan)
Barack Obama- 43%
Donald Trump- 38%
Jon Huntsman- 11%
Gary Johnson- 1%
Jill Stein- 1%
Undecided/other- 6%
OBAMA +6

Barack Obama vs Donald Trump vs Jon Huntsman vs Gary Johnson vs Jill Stein (Minnesota)
Barack Obama- 45%
Donald Trump- 37%
Jon Huntsman- 12%
Gary Johnson- 2%
Jill Stein- 0%
Undecided/other- 4%
OBAMA +8

Barack Obama vs Donald Trump vs Jon Huntsman vs Gary Johnson vs Jill Stein (Nevada)
Barack Obama- 40%
Donald Trump- 37%
Jon Huntsman- 10%
Gary Johnson- 3%
Jill Stein- 0%
Undecided/other- 10%
OBAMA +3

Barack Obama vs Donald Trump vs Jon Huntsman vs Gary Johnson vs Jill Stein (New Hampshire)
Barack Obama- 41%
Donald Trump- 37%
Jon Huntsman- 13%
Gary Johnson- 4%
Jill Stein- 1%
Undecided/other- 4%
OBAMA +4

Barack Obama vs Donald Trump vs Jon Huntsman vs Gary Johnson vs Jill Stein (North Carolina)
Barack Obama- 42%
Donald Trump- 42%
Jon Huntsman- 11%
Gary Johnson- 1%
Jill Stein- 0%
Undecided/other- 4%
TIE

Barack Obama vs Donald Trump vs Jon Huntsman vs Gary Johnson vs Jill Stein (Ohio)
Barack Obama- 43%
Donald Trump- 43%
Jon Huntsman- 8%
Gary Johnson- 2%
Jill Stein- 0%
Undecided/other- 4%
TIE

Barack Obama vs Donald Trump vs Jon Huntsman vs Gary Johnson vs Jill Stein (Pennsylvania)
Barack Obama- 43%
Donald Trump- 38%
Jon Huntsman- 12%
Gary Johnson- 3%
Jill Stein- 0%
Undecided/other- 4%
OBAMA +5

Barack Obama vs Donald Trump vs Jon Huntsman vs Gary Johnson vs Jill Stein (Utah)
Jon Huntsman- 30%
Donald Trump- 29%
Barack Obama- 25%
Gary Johnson- 6%
Jill Stein- 0%
Undecided/other- 10%
HUNTSMAN +1

Barack Obama vs Donald Trump vs Jon Huntsman vs Gary Johnson vs Jill Stein (Virginia)
Barack Obama- 42%
Donald Trump- 35%
Jon Huntsman- 16%
Gary Johnson- 2%
Jill Stein- 0%
Undecided/other- 5%
OBAMA +7

Barack Obama vs Donald Trump vs Jon Huntsman vs Gary Johnson vs Jill Stein (Wisconsin)
Barack Obama- 41%
Donald Trump- 37%
Jon Huntsman- 13%
Gary Johnson- 2%
Jill Stein- 1%
Undecided/other- 6%
OBAMA +5
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America Needs R'hllor
Parrotguy
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*****
Posts: 11,420
Israel


Political Matrix
E: -4.13, S: -3.48

« Reply #108 on: January 05, 2018, 05:44:02 PM »

September 26th, 2016

Obama, Trump spar in 1st Presidential debate; incumbent President dubbed clear victor



HEMPSTEAD - The nominees of the two major parties, incumbent President Barack Obama and business mogul Donald Trump, gathered at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York for their first Presidential debate of the season, moderated by NBC anchor Lester Holt. It was a heated affair from the start, pitting the charismatic President who attempted to stay calm and 'no-drama' throughout the debate, against an aggressive, brash Trump who was eager to trample his opponent and climb back up in the polls, often even interrupting Obama and Holt.

While none of the other contenders, Libertarian Gary Johnson, Green Jill Stein and, most noteably, Independent Jon Huntsman, could qualify for the debate, they all protested against the rules requiring more than 15% in polling averages for the qualification. Johnson and Stein, polling at 3% and 0% respectively, didn't get much attention, but Huntsman's campaign managed to stage a large protest in Hempstead. The former Utah Governor called the decision not to include him "silencing" and claimed that "this is just another sign that our political system is broken with polarization, allowing only two extreme voices to be heard." However, while Johnson and Stein protested the third-party system, Huntsman barely touched on the subject and merely called it "problematic".

Let us look at a few key moments from the debate:


Lester Holt: Mr. President, despite many in your own party declining to support it, you've continuesly defended the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a trade agreement you've helped negotiate. They say it'll cause unemployment and even more outsourcing of jobs. Why are you still supporting it?
Barack Obama: Well, look, the answer is pretty simple. This is a deal I've been working on for quite some time, I believe in it, I support it. I won't stop supporting it just because some people said some things. You see, trade is one of our nation's most vital interests. It helps our economy, it boosts our growth, it decreases prices on many products, and it helps us retain our role as a world leader. Mr. Trump's rhetoric about the TPP is mere populism, and often blatant lies."
Donald Trump: "This is wrong on many, many levels, Mr. President. This President lies to you in your face, folks. This deal is a disaster, it's an absolute disaster. We're getting ripped off, absolutely ripped off, by all these nations, by Vietnam, by Mexoci, by China. They're taking all our job, all our jobs, and leaving our workers without employment. We need to put America first again, and President Obama is not going to do that. Only I will."
Barack Obama: "First of all, Mr. Trump, China is not part of this deal. In fact, by signing this deal we're tightening our strength in the pacific area. If we withdraw from the deal, we'll actually let China gain dominance. As for the..."
Donald Trump: "No, you've let China rip us off for years, you're just helping it gain dominance..."
Barack Obama: Excuse me, let me finish. As I was saying, the issue of jobs is much more complex than Mr. Trump is making it out to seem. Outsourcing is not the only cause of lost factory jobs, it's also automatation and modernization. Unfourtunately, this is just a trend we're seeing in history, where some jobs become less and less relevant, and I have a very detailed plan of trying to offset this. We need the state governments in West Virginia, in Ohio, in Kentucky and other states with lost jobs, like in the coal sector, to help us help them- pass job training bills, help other industries, like tourism and high tech, there are many things that can be done. In fact, we're already working on opening new jobs in the clean energy sector, which will also help us combat climate change- something that Mr. Trump claimed is a Chinese hoax, by the way..."
Donald Trump: "Wrong. That's wrong. Absolutely wrong. I did not say that."
Barack Obama: "...You did, Donald, that's documented. In the last eight years, we've managed to create many jobs and a strong economy, we've drastically decreased unemployment..."
Donald Trump: "This is a lie, you've lost many, many jobs, Mr. President, you're the greatest job loser ever."
Lester Holt: "Please, Mr. Trump, this is President Obama's 2 minutes."
Barack Obama: "...We've drastically decreased unemployment from a high of 10% during the 2008 recession to a low of below 5%. I intend to continue all this success during my third term."


Barack Obama: "Look, economists examined this Trump tax plan again and again. They examined it, and they concluded that it would increase the debt by 5 trillion dollars. I'm planning on combatting the debts, not by letting rich corporations and businessmen pay less in taxes, but by asking them to pay more, by creating jobs in high tech, in clean energy, and..."
Donald Trump: "You are going to approve one of the biggest tax cuts in history. You are going to approve one of the biggest tax increases in history. And you've just increased the debt. You've more than doubled it. Your regulations are a disaster, an absolute disaster, and they'll drive businesses out. Your EPA is killing so many jobs in the energy sectors, it's a disaster."
Barack Obama: "Mr. Trump, my EPA is working to help combat pollution, to help combat what an overwhelming majority of the scientific community believes is one of the biggest threats today. I know you don't believe in science and climbate change, but..."
Donald Trump: "Wrong. Wrong. Stop lying."
Barack Obama: "...But we cannot just let the current climate trends continue, or the sealevels will rise to levels which will wipe out entire cities. You want to get us out of the Paris Agreement I'm negotiating right now, which would not only hurt our global efforts to combat this impending disaster but hurt American credibility in the world..."
Donald Trump: "Wrong. You're hurting American credibility in the world. You're hurting it, your foreign policy has been a disaster..."
Lester Holt: "Mr. Trump, please let the President finish. Then you will be able to to..."
Donald Trump: "...An absolute disaster. You've botched Iraq, you're in fact the cause ISIS is rising right now. You've botched Ukraine, and Syria, and Lybia, and..."
Lester Holt: "Mr Trump, this is..."
Donald Trump: "...And now you're botching the war on ISIS."
Barack Obama: "Done ranting, Donald? Good. Folks, as you can see..."
Donald Trump: "I'm not ranting. I'm not ranting. I'm telling the American people the truth."
Barack Obama: "Now, folks, as you can see, Donald Trump doesn't have the temprament to be President. This is a man who can be provoked to an angry response by a tweet, who gets over an internet dispute over the smallest issue. I definitely will not sleep calmly knowing that he has his finger on the button. And let me just add, it's not only a matter ot temperament, it's a matter of respect for the American people. Donald called the people of Iowa stupid..."
Donald Trump: "Wrong. I never said that."
Barack Obama: "He called Mexican immigrants rapists and drug-dealers. Just one small example is how he called a woman in a beauty contest 'Miss Piggy' and 'Miss Housekeeping' just because she's a latina. This woman actually does have a name, Mr. Trump..."
Donald Trump: "Where did you find this? Where did you find this?"
Barack Obama: "Her name is Alicia Machado, and this is a well-documented and well-reported event. She actually became a U.S. citizen, and is going to vote against you this November."
Donald Trump: "Really? I don't care. Let me just tell you, you're attacking me with tremendously bad adveristments, but you're lying to the American people. When I say something... you know, somebody who's been very vicious to me, Rosie O'Donnell, I said very tough things to her, and I think everybody would agree that she deserves it and nobody feels sorry for her. I was going to say something very rough to President Obama, and I told myself, 'no, I can't do that'..."
Barack Obama: "Thank you so much, Donald, I'm overwhelmed with gratitude."
Donald Trump: "...Stop interrupting me. I told myself, 'it's inappropriate, it's not nice'. So you know, I'm not a bad person. As for my temperament, I actually think this is one of my best qualities, I have by far a better temprament than President Obama, who's shown himself to have a tremendously bad judgement. I have a winning temprament, I know how to win, so this is a great asset of mine, maybe the best."


Post-debate analysis and polls showed a bad picture for the Republican nominee. Pundits called his performance "disastrous" and "unhinged", while President Obama was praised for remaining calm and collected throughout the event, with a few jabs at Trump proving more effective than the businessman's own attacks. After a fairly calm September, the debate seems likely to inflict another blow on the Trump campaign, and probably relieved the Obama campaign which was getting extremely anxious about testy polling numbers.

Who do you think won the first Presidential debate?
Barack Obama- 57%
Donald Trump- 28%
Unsure- 15%
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« Reply #109 on: January 06, 2018, 06:34:48 AM »

October 2nd, 2016

REPORT: Obama administration "let Hezbollah off the hook" to reach Iran Deal



WASHINGTON, D.C. - Just two days before the Vice Presidential debate between Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Governor Chris Christie (R-NJ), a potential bombshell report was released by Politico. According to the article, the Obama administration obstructed efforts by a task force combatting Hezbollah's criminal, drug-dealing global enterprise in order to reach the nuclear deal with Iran. Hezbollah, a terrorist organization often targeting innocents in Israel and now embroiled in supporting the Assad regime in the Syrian civil war, is heavily supported by the Ayatollah regime with which the Obama administration worked hard to reach a deal to stall their nuclear program. Pundits called it "the potential October surprise".

In order to stem the firestorm, Press Secretary Josh Earnest quickly responded, saying that "President Obama believes Hezbollah is an illegitimate terrorist organization," however, the Iran Deal's importance for the security of the U.S. and its allies warranted "a temporary slowing of some efforts in order to reach a compromise", adding that the efforts are now continuing at full force. Senator Chuck Schumer, a pro-Israeli politician and the likely Senate Democratic leader after 2016, commented that the reports were "worrying" and that anything other than full opposition to Hezbollah is "a grave mistake".

Republicans were quick to jump on the wagon. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell attacked the Obama administration for its "incompetent and irresponsible foreign policy, failing to handle foreign crises one after the other", while Senator John McCain, a noteable politician who refused to endorse Trump and is reportedly leaning towards supporting Independent Jon Huntsman, added that "this is just another event where the Obama administration showed its dangerously naive outlook on the world". Huntsman himself called the reports "alarming", adding that they showed how "little respect" the Obama administration has for U.S. allies. Meanwhile, Republican nominee Donald Trump responded, of course, with a tweet:



But despite the scandal, polling numbers following a successful first debate show President Obama rising again, and widening the gap against Donald Trump:

Barack Obama vs Donald Trump (General)
Barack Obama- 51%  (+2)
Donald Trump- 44%  (-2)
Undecided- 5%  (+-0)
OBAMA +7

Barack Obama vs Donald Trump vs Jon Huntsman vs Gary Johnson vs Jill Stein (General)
Barack Obama- 45%  (+1)
Donald Trump- 35%  (-2)
Jon Huntsman- 12%  (+-0)
Gary Johnson- 3%  (+-0)
Jill Stein- 0%  (+-0)
Other/Undecided- 5%  (+1)
OBAMA +10
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« Reply #110 on: January 13, 2018, 06:31:59 AM »
« Edited: January 13, 2018, 06:34:54 AM by Parrotguy »

October 4th, 2016

Christie, Baldwin participate in VP debate;



FARMVILLE - The running mates of the two major party nominees gathered today for their first and only debate of the election season at Longwood University in Farmville, Virginia. With a bombastic, brash Governor like Chris Christie facing a fiery progressive figure like Senator Tammy Baldwin, it was bound to be a fiery affair, and the bombshell report about the Obama administration's treatment of Hazbollah, coupled with the many controversies of Republican nominee Donald Trump, only added fire to the fuel, forcing both Chris Christie and Senator Baldwin to go on the defensive for their running mates. Thus, the clash had more ratings than any Vice Presidential debate before it, perhaps increasing the name recognition of the two Vice Presidential nominees ahead of possible White House bids in the future. Like in the previous debates, the nominees of the third parties, independent Retired Admiral James Stavridis, Libertarian businessman Austin Petersen and Green activist Ajamu Baraka couldn't qualify for the debate.

Here are a few highlights from the debate:


Chris Christie: "This administration has not only failed in foreign policy like, for example, the Carter administration. No, President Obama administered a nasty failure of a foreign policy- no real achievements, constant concessions to our enemies and rivals, and now we know that he also tried to actively obstruct Americans from combatting a terrorist organization! This administration was a disaster, folks, and if we reelect it, it will continue embarrassing us in the world stage and letting anti-American forces reign free."
Elaine Quijano: "Hold on a minute, Governor. You've just touched upon the subject of my next question: Senator Baldwin, a recent report from Politico details how the Obama administration slowed down efforts of a U.S. taskforce combatting Hezbollah's drug-dealing crime enterprise in order to reach a deal with Iran. Can you confirm this, and would you support such actions as Vice President?"
Tammy Baldwin: Thank you for the question. I certainly believe that we should combat Hezbollah and any other criminal or terrorist organization. We can do it by cooperating with other countries and allies on a global level, and making sure we don't let these terrorists take root in our own country. With that said, I am not sure any of us can objectively comment on such an issue when it comes to the intricacies of foreign policy without having being there. So..."
Chris Christie: "I'm sorry, Senator, but this is a load of phony statements. This President basically..."
Tammy Baldwin: "...So with that said, I believe that while we should combat Hezbollah with all our strength, we should also..."
Chris Christie: "...Basically colluded with a terror-supporting state and let it have free reign. It's disqualifying, absolutely unthinkable that we..."
Tammy Baldwin: "...Work for a solution to stop Iran from developing nuclear weapon, and this solution is not..."
Chris Christie: "...That we let this slip, we must not let a President who's fine with terrorists reigning free receive a third term!"
Elaine Quijano: "Governor Christie! Governor Christie! I will ask you to let the Senator speak. Let us restore order and civility to this debate!"
Tammy Baldwin: "Thank you, Elaine. What I was saying is, that while it's important that we combat Hezbollah with all our strength, it was also an issue of great importance that we stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons. The solution was not going to another costly, unnecessary war. The solution was diplomatic efforts and economic sanctions, and it worked. The Iran Deal stopped this imminent threat, and was a tremendous diplomatic achievement, which both UN officials and Israeli military leaders agree upon. So if the Hezbollah efforts were renewed, and they were, I cannot judge such a hard decision which lead to such a successful result."
Chris Christie: "There we go. There we go. Once again, we hear a robot of a politician repeating vague talking points. The fact of the matter is, the Iran Deal was a disaster, and the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, agrees. It will lead to Iran obtaining nuclear weapons in a few years, and gives them the economic measures to keep funding terror. Barack Obama did all he could to reach it because he and Secretary Kerry wanted to look successful, and trampled our allies in the process."


Elaine Quijano: "Governor, until recent years, you were considered a popular, moderate politician. But this year, you were amongst the first to endorse a candidate with some very conservative views on issues like immigration. Why?"
Chris Christie: "I've endorsed Donald Trump, and I support him today with such enthusiasm, precisely because he's not extreme. He's a smart man, a man who understands the problems so many Americans have today. We're being ripped off by the entire world, and it's hurting our workers. Donald Trump is a very succeessful businessman, a man with great ideas. He's the only one who can fix it, and Make America Great Again."
Tammy Baldwin: "Saying Donald Trump is not extreme would be inaccurate, and accurate, at the same time. You want to know why? It's because he doesn't have an ideology, he doesn't have a plan. He keeps erratically changing his position without any coherence. This is a man who said that he's pro-choice, then that women should be punished for getting an abortion...."
Chris Christie: "There you go, you're repeating talking points again... This is just false, Donald Trump never said that. A Trump-Christie administration would never punish women..."
Tammy Baldwin: "But he did, in a CNN townhall. I'm not the one repeating talking points, Mr. Make America Great Again. Donald Trump attacked Mexican immigrants and called them rapists, he attacked Senator John McCain and said he's not a war hero because he was captured. For years, he doubted the fact that President Obama's an American just because he's African American. He took days to disavow the endorsement of David Duke, former Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan."
Chris Christie: "Look... These are just the personal attacks used by the Obama camapign, these are the only things they have because they can't explain the failure of this administration..."
Tammy Baldwin: "But why did Donald Trump said all that? You're avoiding the question. Why did he say that women should be punished, that Mexicans are rapists, that John McCain is not a war hero? Can you defend that?"*Slow, tragic airhorn in a Super Deluxe video*



Generally, the Vice Presidential debate was considered very contentious. While many pundits agreed that Chris Christie appeared like a brash bully and could not properly answer questions about Donald Trump's controversies, they also said that Senator Baldwin was clearly struggling with Christie's aggressive attacks, especially on the Hezbollah issue. This lead to polls showing many watchers undecided about the victor in the debate.

Who do you think won the Vice Presidential debate?
Tammy Baldwin- 38%
Chris Christie- 35%
Unsure- 27%
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« Reply #111 on: January 19, 2018, 09:40:14 AM »
« Edited: January 19, 2018, 01:01:18 PM by Parrotguy »

October 7th, 2016

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« Reply #112 on: January 20, 2018, 06:10:27 AM »

October 8th, 2016

Leaked Access Hollywood tapes cause tsunami of bipartisan condemnations; Trump campaign in crisis mode



NEW YORK CITY - Following a bombshell leak to the Washington Post of a 2005 tape recorded in an "Access Hollywood Bus", the Trump campaign is scrambling to find its footing. In the tape, Trump is recorded having a conversation with host Billy Bush, in which he said extremely lewed comments about women while being married to current wife, Melannia Trump. Among other things, Trump admitted to making moves on a woman while "she was married", and bragged about sexually assaulting women, claiming that "when you're a star, they let you do that. You can do anything. Grab 'em by the pu**y".

The leak caused in uproar in the political world. Demoratic and independent politicians, of course, attacked Trump immediatel. President Barack Obama, the Democratic nominee, was the first major political figure to respond, issuing a statement where he called the comments "disgusting" and "completely disqualifying for any man who wishes to be President". Former contender for the party's nomination, Hillary Clinton, launched a seething Tweeter attack on the "horrific" comments, calling Trump "utterly unfit of any man who wishes to represent the American people, about a half of which are women". Vice President Joe Biden said that the comments made him "sick in the stomach" and that he "couldn't imagine such a man becoming a President today". One of the more noteable comments came from Obama's running mate, Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), who stated that "one does not need to be a woman, or a father, , or a husband, or a brother, or a son, to understand why Donald Trump's words are sickening, disrespectful and a perfect symbol of what is still rotten in our society's treatment of women. This man cannot become President."

Meanwhile, Independent Conservative Jon Huntsman launched a fiery attack on Trump, saying that "the comments we've heared disgust me beyond words. As a father, a husband and a son, I feel sick imagining someone like Trump talking in that manner about the women I love so much. These are the words of an immoral man we cannot elect as President." Running mate James Stavridis agreed with Huntsman's sentiment, saying that "I felt boiling anger just listening to these comments. Trump can never be our President."

But backlash for the comments came from fellow Republicans too. Anti-Trump Republicans responded harshly, with former nominee Mitt Romney "hitting on married women and condoning assault shows an utter lack of a moral compass and corrupts our face to the world", Senator John McCain attacked Trump for his "deranged and disqualifying comments", Ohio Governor John Kasich called Trump's words "indefensible and sickening", and former Florida Governor Jeb Bush called them "reprehensible", stating that he will "not vote for Donald Trump in November".

The party itself entered damage-control mode, with Republican operatives treating the comments as the possible end of the Trump campaign and scrambling to try and save their downballot seats. RNC Chairman Reince Priebus said that "No woman should ever be described in these terms or talked about in this manner. Ever." and announced that the national party will henceforth "suspend all support of Trump's campaign". House Speaker Paul Ryan shockingly rescinded his endorsement of Trump, stating that "I can no longer support, endorse or defend a Presidential campaign by a man who dares speaking about women in such terms. I urge House candidates to use their own judgement and do what's best for them." He also disinvited Trump from a campaign rally. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, while not explicitly disendorsing Trump, said that he can "no longer defend a man who can utter such comments".

Other Republican figures who announced that they no longer support Trump include Senators Kelly Ayotte, Jeff Flake, Bob Corker, Lisa Murkowski, Dan Sullivan, Deb Fischer, Roy Blunt, John Boozman, Cory Gardener, Marco Rubio, Johnny Isakson, Mike Crapo, Mark Kirk, Joni Ernst, Jerry Moran, Rand Paul, Bill Cassidy, Dean Heller, Rob Portman, Pat Toomey, Tim Scott, Shelley Moore Capito, Lamar Alexander and Mike Lee, Governors Bill Haslam, Doug Ducey, Bruce Rauner, Rick Snyder, Brian Sandoval, Susana Martinez and Dennis Daugaard, Congressmen Joe Heck, Mia Love, Ann Wagner, Martha Roby, Bradley Byrne, Jason Chaffetz and others.

Quick polls conducted following the leak show a grim picture for Republicans, and good news for both Obama and Huntsman.

Barack Obama vs Donald Trump (General)
Barack Obama- 53%  (+2)
Donald Trump- 39%  (-5)
Undecided- 8%   (+3)
OBAMA +14

Barack Obama vs Donald Trump vs Jon Huntsman vs Gary Johnson vs Jill Stein (General)
Barack Obama- 46%  (+1)
Donald Trump- 31%  (-4)
Jon Huntsman- 14%  (+2)
Gary Johnson- 3%  (+-0)
Jill Stein- 0%  (+-0)
Other/Undecided- 6%  (+1)
OBAMA +15

Amongst calls for him to drop out and let Governor Chris Christie (who remained mum) replace him on the ticket, Donald Trump was defiant:

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« Reply #113 on: January 25, 2018, 10:57:50 AM »

On temporary hiatus due to exams and personal issues (well, a breakup). I'll return to this Soon™.
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« Reply #114 on: February 16, 2018, 09:25:32 AM »

I hope this continues soon. One of the best TLs here. Smiley

Once I'm done with the exams, it definitely will! Smiley Thanks!
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« Reply #115 on: February 25, 2018, 05:06:47 PM »
« Edited: March 09, 2018, 08:23:08 AM by Parrotguy »

October 9th, 2016

Obama, Trump compete in 2nd Presidential debate in the shadow of leaked tapes



ST. LOUIS - The second Presidential debate of the season, a town-hall style event in Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri, was considered likely to be very contentious, even outright hostile, from the start. After all, it pitted Donald Trump, the larger-than-life businessman and reality TV star nominated by the Republican party, in the same arena as the charismatic President Barack Obama, who has a long history with Trump, who famously questioned the fact of his birth in the U.S. and thus the very legitimacy of his Presidency.

But when the tapes leaked where Trump says women allow you to "gram 'em by the pu**y" when you're a star, and a firestorm of condemnations from accross the political spectrum ensued, the debate became that much more fateful for the Trump campaign. At first, sources in the RNC claimed that Trump will announce he's not attending, but Trump denied that in a tweet and promised he will "show all the haters and establishment losers that we're going to #MAGA despite their attempts to overthrow me!"

Let's look at several key debate moments:


Andersoon Cooper: "...The question from Patrice was about ‘Are you both modeling positive and appropriate behaviors for today's youth?’ We received a lot of questions online, Mr. Trump, about the tape that was released on Friday, as you can imagine. You called what you said ‘locker room banter’. You described kissing women without consent, grabbing their genitals. That is sexual assault. You bragged that you have sexually assaulted women. Do you understand that?"
Donald Trump: "No, I didn't say that at all. I don't think you undrstood what I said. This was locker room talk, I'm not proud of it and I apologized to my family, but this was locker room talk. You know, you can see carnage and, frankly, horrible things happening all over the world, with ISIS chopping off people's heads. Terrible things. The world is a mess- the world is an angry place- and I'm going to keep America safe. I'm going to beat the hell out of ISIS."
Andersoon Cooper: "Mr. Trump, the question was about..."
Donald Trump: "...So I'm not proud of it, I'm not happy about it, but this was locker room talk."
Andersoon Cooper: "So what you said on that bus 11 years ago does not describe the way you treated women? You never actually tried to grope or kiss women without their consent?
Donald Trump: "No. No, I never did that. This was locker room talk, I have great respect for women. No one has more repsect for women than I do, certainly not this President. There are people pouring into our country from the Middle East, some of them bad people, and we need to keep out nation safe. We’re gonna make America safe again, we’re gonna make America great again but we’re gonna make America safe again and we’re gonna make America wealthy again. Because we need to rebuild our wealth."
Andersoon Cooper: "Thank you. President Obama, do you want to respond?"
Barack Obama: "You know, like everyone else, I've listened to these tapes and thought about them in the last 48 hours. I've listened to Republican officials, from the party's congressial leaders to Governors and former officeholders. I think, from all this, we can only reach one conclusion, which was frankly apparent for a while now. Donald Trump is not fit to serve as President. His morales, his values, aren't American. He speaks about Mexican immigrants in derogatory terms. He insults Muslims, disabled Americans, veterans like John McCain, my former opponent who I have great respect and admiration for. You know, with former Republican nominees, we disagreed on principals, on policy, but now... now, it's more than that. After this tape was leaked... well, it should be the last straw, you know? Speaking about women in these foul terms, making light of sexual assault- it's not someone I'd want in my President. Not at all. I wouldn't want my daughters to grow up in a country governed by such a man. So I think that this election is about more than policy- it's about values. It's about our spirit as an American nation, a united, proud nation that treats its citizens respectfully, regardless of gender, religion, race or sexual orientation."
Martha Raddatz: "Please hold the applause.
Donald Trump: "Can I respond to that? You speak about morale, Mr. President? About values? Your Secretary of State, she endangered our country's secrets with her use of a private email server, her husband was very abusive to women and she protected him and hurt these women..."
Barack Obama: "Last I checked, Donald, I'm not Hillary Clinton, but you are Donald Trump. The same one who bragged about grabbing and kissing women without their consent."
Donald Trump: "This was locker room talk. I told you this was locker room talk. And you let Hezbollah off the hook, you let ISIS rampage in the Middle East... You basically supported terrorists. Only I'll make America safe again."
Barack Obama: "There you go again, Donald. There you go, dodging the big question, dodging your shameful behaviour and deflecting by tactics of fear. These tacticsof fear, Donald, are tactics used by authoritatian despots, not leaders in a democratic country. But you're not a leader, and shouldn't be a leader."


Anderson Cooper: "We have one more question from Ken Bone about energy policy."
Ken Bone: "What steps will your energy policy take to meet our energy needs, while at the same time remaining environmentally-friendly and minimizing job loss for fossil power plant workers?"
Donald Trump: "Such a great question.Such a great question because energy is under siege by the Obama administration. Under absolute siege. The EPA, Environmental Protection Agency, is killing these energy companies. It's killing coal, it's killing energy, and foreign companies are coming in and buying our plants. Not good. We will remove restrictions and revive the coal industry, so that great places like West Virginia, or places like Ohio, which is phenomenal, or places like Pennsylvania, can start getting jobs again. Believe me, under a Trump administration we'll see coal mines popping up everywhere. It'll be tremendous. Right now, the EPA is so restrictive that they are putting our energy companies out of business. It's a disgrace. It’s an absolute disgrace."
Barack Obama: "Look, this is a real problem. It's something we've seen throughout history again and again- industries are dying as technology advances, and right now we're seeing coal being replaced by other, more effective resources, jobs being harmed by automation. My administration has done our best to help these places, to combat unemployment- and look at the numbers, it's been working. We've revived the auto industry in Detroit, for example, and restored thousands of jobs. But it's not enough. I'm aware that it's not enough. And know that- under Trump, it'll only grow worse. What we need to do is not to cling to dying hopes, we need to go forawrd, and not leave anyone behind. We will implement job training programs in West Virginia, in Ohio, in Pennsylvania. We will raise new industries like clean, alternative energies that help our environment, like tourism- West Virginia is such a beautiful place, for example. So we can help, and we will. We just need to work with the people."
Martha Raddatz: "We sneak in one more question from Karl Becker."
Karl Becker: "My question to both of you is, regardless of the current rhetoric, would either of you name one positive thing that you respect in one another?"
Barack Obama: "That's a very important question, Karl, thank you. Well, I think that one thing I admire about Donald is that he fights hard. He does not quit, as we've seen in the last few days. He decided that he wants to be President, and he ran for President, and he beat more than a dozen opponents who are experienced politicians, and now he keeps fighting. I can respect that, though I do not agree with anything he's fighting for."
Donald Trump: "Well, what I can say about the President... he doesn't let people control him. He's very independent- he ran in 2008 despite being a one-term Senator and despite the establishment supporting Hillary Clinton... now he's running again, despite many people telling him to step aside for her. He also has beautiful, accomplished children. I respect that too."


Overall, the debate was considered yet another solid victory for President Obama. Its first half was dominated by the Access Hollywood tapes and Trump tried to deflect them and talk about other issues like terror or immigration, but Obama's labeling of "fear tactics", as well as the insistence of the moderators, made it harder for him, and it looked like Trump was losing his balance several times. Like in the previous debate, the President was able to articulate his policy positions and defend them effectively, though was seen by some viewers as snide.

Who do you think won the second Presidential debate?
Barack Obama- 54%
Donald Trump- 35%
Unsure- 11%
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« Reply #116 on: March 03, 2018, 05:53:52 AM »
« Edited: March 03, 2018, 06:39:31 AM by Parrotguy »

October 16th, 2016

Wave of endorsements for Huntsman as Trump campaign spirals; CPD: 'Third Debate will have three participants'



WASHINGTON, D.C. - As the tape scandal continues to haunt the Trump campaign, and following another bad debate for them, Jon Huntsman's independent bid seems to be gaining more and more traction. In the last week, a wave of endorsements from important Republican officeholders and former officeholders washed over the former Utah Governor, and it's starting to look like this might be the most successful third party run since, at the very least, Ross Perot in 1992.

Other endorsements trickled in first, namely from moderate politicians like Senators Susan Collins, Cory Gardener and Lisa Murkowski. But it really started last week, a day after the 2nd debate, when Ohio Governor and former Trump primary rival John Kasich announced, in a joint Cleveland rally with Huntsman, that he's endorsing the independent bid. Also announcing their support for Huntsman were other Ohio politicians, namely Senator Rob Portman and Lt. Gov. Mary Taylor. A day later, he was joined by Fmr. Massachusetts Governor and 2012 Republican nominee Mitt Romney, who announced the endorsement in a joint campaign event in Salt Lake City, Utah, a state where both Romney and Huntsman are very popular. It came as a relative surprise to many pundits, since the two men were known rivals.

In the same day, Arizona Senator and 2008 nominee John McCain announced that he, too, was supporting Huntsman, and then the two living former Presidents from the Republican Party, George W. Bush and his father, George H.W. Bush, released a joint message where they announced that the Bush family would be voting for the Huntsman\Stavridis ticket in November. On the letter were also signed Fmr. Florida Governor and Presidential hopeful Jeb Bush, former First Ladies Laura and Barbara Bush and Texas General Land Office Commissioner George P. Bush.

In light of the endorsements and polling surge for Huntsman, putting him above the 15% required of a candidate to participate in general election debates, the Commission on Presidential Debates has announced that "a third contender will join in the last debate", meaning that, in all likeliness, Jon Huntsman will join Republican nominee Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Barack Obama in the final Presidential debate. It will be the first time since Ross Perot participated in Presidential debates back in 1992, and will serve as a major test for the survivability of the independent bid. The Huntsman\Stavridis campaign confirmed the reports, saying that they were "looking forward to bring our message to the American people". As expected, the Libertarian and Green party tickets have both protested the fact that they weren't included in the debate, too.

For the comfort of readers, we have prepared a list tracking the major politicians who endorsed the Huntsman\Stavridis ticket:

Senators:
Susan Collins (R-ME)
Lisa Murkowski (R-AK)
Lindsey Graham (R-SC)
Mark Kirk (R-IL)
Kelly Ayotte (R-NH)
Ben Sasse (R-NE)
Mike Lee (R-UT)
Mike Crapo (R-ID)
Jerry Moran (R-KS)
Deb Fischer (R-NE)
Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV)
Pat Toomey (R-PA)
Tim Scott (R-SC)
Bob Corker (R-TN)
Dean Heller (R-NV)
Jeff Flake (R-AZ)
Cory Gardener (R-CO)
Dan Sullivan (R-AK)
Rob Portman (R-OH)
John McCain (R-AZ)

Governors:
Gary Herbert (R-UT)
Charlie Baker (R-MA)
Larry Hogan (R-MD)
Bill Walker (I-AK)
Susana Martinez (R-NM)
John Kasich (R-OH)
Brian Sandoval (R-NV)
Robert Bentley (R-AL)
Bruce Rauner (R-IL)
Bill Haslam (R-TN)
Doug Ducey (R-AZ)
Nikki Haley (R-SC)
Dennis Daugaard (R-SD)
Rick Snyder (R-MI)

Other Notable Figures:
Fmr. Gov. John Huntsman (R-UT)
Ret. Admiral James Stavridis (I-FL)
Fmr. Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT)
Fmr. Sen. John Warner (R-VA)
Fmr. Sec. William Cohen (R-ME)
Fmr. Sec. Colin Powell (R-NY)
Fmr. Mayor Michael Bloomberg (I-NY)
Fmr. Sec. Condoleezza Rice (R-CA)
Fmr. Gov. William Weld (R-MA)
Fmr. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R-CA)
Rep. Mia Love (R-UT)
Bussinesswoman Meg Whitman (R-CA)
Fmr. Gov. George Pataki (R-NY)
Rep. Joe Heck (R-NV)
Lt. Gov. Phil Scott (R-VT)
Fmr. Sen. Norm Coleman (R-MN)
Fmr. Gov. Mitt Romney (R-MA)
Fmr. President George H.W. Bush (R-TX)
Fmr. President George W. Bush (R-TX)
Fmr. First Lady Barbara Bush (R-TX)
Fmr. First Lady Laura Bush (R-TX)
Fmr. Gov. Jeb Bush (R-FL)
Fmr. CEO Carly Fiorina (R-CA)
Fmr. Gov. Christine Todd Whitman (R-NJ)
Fmr. Sec. Tom Ridge (R-PA)
Fmr. Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R-MN)

Meanwhile, the polls look increasingly bad for Trump.

Barack Obama vs Donald Trump (General)
Barack Obama- 54%  (+1)
Donald Trump- 38%  (-1)
Undecided- 8%  (+-0)
OBAMA +16

Barack Obama vs Donald Trump vs Jon Huntsman vs Gary Johnson vs Jill Stein (General)
Barack Obama- 47%  (+1)
Donald Trump- 30%  (-1)
Jon Huntsman- 17%  (+3)
Gary Johnson- 2%  (-1)
Jill Stein- 0%  (+-0)
Other/Undecided- 4%  (-2)
OBAMA +17
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E: -4.13, S: -3.48

« Reply #117 on: March 03, 2018, 06:46:24 AM »

October 18th, 2016

POLLING UPDATE: Swing state map before the 3rd debate

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Following a chaotic election season where both major candidates were harmed- President Obama by the Hezbollah bombshell and Donald Trump by two bad debates and, of course, the Access Hollywood Tape, the electoral map looks quite different from a few weeks ago. Right now, Barack Obama looks poised to win overwhelmingly, but of course, there's still some time until election day. For the first time in decades, a third party candidate is polling above 15% and seems poised to win at least one state.



As we can see, several competitive states have moved to the "likely Obama" territory- namely, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Minnesota and New Hampshire. We can also classify Maine as safely Democratic and its 2nd District as likely Democratic. The key swing states of Florida and Ohio, meanwhile, are now leaning towards the President, as do the usually Republican states of Arizona and North Carolina. Surprisingly, recent polling shows a few safely Republican states being very competitive- Missouri, Indiana and Texas- and thus, we've moved them into the tossup territory. And lastly, Jon Huntsman's independent ticket is leading in his homestate of Utah, and is polling highly throughout the Mountain West, especially in Idaho and Wyoming, who have high Mormon populations, and in elastic states like Montana, Nebraska and Alaska. This is looking like a potentially transformative election.


Note: I've decided not to include state-by-state polling, since it seems pretty pointless to me. If someone disagrees, do tell. Also, I've changed Huntsman's colour to orange since I couldn't manage to make the mock electoral map with many colours properly display districts in Maine and Nebraska.
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Parrotguy
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Political Matrix
E: -4.13, S: -3.48

« Reply #118 on: March 03, 2018, 10:42:52 AM »

Oh great to see this is back! The Trump answers in the debate made me laugh. But they're written very realistically. I think this will end similar to 1912, with a divided Republican Party that runs two candidates and the Democrat winning an Electoral College blowout.

Thanks! Fun fact: many of the Trump answers are his actual answers from the debates, but edited to add stuff about Obama and account for the change in his debate opponent Tongue
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Parrotguy
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Political Matrix
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« Reply #119 on: March 04, 2018, 10:18:50 AM »

Here's an interesting story:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/days-before-the-election-stormy-daniels-threatened-to-cancel-deal-to-keep-alleged-affair-with-trump-secret/2018/03/02/770a446a-1d9b-11e8-8a2c-1a6665f59e95_story.html?utm_term=.2d64e587c9fb

Apparently, Stormy Daniels was planning to go public about the affair just before Election Day because she hadn't been paid her hush money yet.  The payment did come through, but it would have been interesting to see what happened if it didn't.

Parrotguy, if you wish, here's a little extra something you might want to use...Cheesy


This is interesting... thanks, might be useful  Wink
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America Needs R'hllor
Parrotguy
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Israel


Political Matrix
E: -4.13, S: -3.48

« Reply #120 on: March 09, 2018, 08:24:46 AM »

October 19th, 2016

Final debate sees three Presidential nominees spar for the first and last time; Obama narrowly considered victor, Huntsman regarded well by watchers



LAS VEGAS - For the first time since Ross Perot's participation in debates back in 2016, the third and final Presidential debate of the 2016 election included a third candidate, as Democratic nominee Barack Obama, Republican nominee Donald Trump and independent Jon Huntsman sparred in Nevada University, Las Vegas. With voter participation increasing as election day comes closer, and because of the historical occassion, the third debate surpassed the highest viewership ratings to date, garnering 88 million viewers and breaking a high point of 84 million set by the first debate of the same season.

With this debate done, the campaign season is now expected to be filled with rallies and appearances of the candidates and their surrogates. The Obama campaign is hoping to ride debate victories, Trump scandals and Republican vote-splitting to an electoral landslide, and is, indeed, looking favoured to do so at the moment. Let's look at a few key moments from the debate, as always:


Chris Wallace: "Alright, let's move on to the next topic, one that probably divides the three of you more than anything else- immigration. Mr. Trump, you want to build a wall and called for mass deportations. Governor Huntsman, you want more border security mixed with reform to give a pathway to legalization for immigrants already here. President Obama, you didn't offer a specific plan for securing our southern border, but offered an immigration reform which will give a path to citizenship. So, let's go in this order- please tell the American people why is your immigration plan the correct one. Mr. Trump?"
Donald Trump: "I'm so glad you asked that. I'm so glad, because both of my opponents are absolutely disastrous on immigration. Both of them. They want to give amnesty, which is very unfair to people waiting in lines for many, many years. In the audience tonight we have mothers of, you know, unbelieveable Americans who were killed brutally by people who came here illegaly. And they want to give them amnesty? We need strong borders, and President Obama doesn't stand for it, Governor Huntsman doesn't stand for it. The border - as you know, the Border Patrol agents, 16,500 - plus ICE last week, endorsed me. First time they've ever endorsed a candidate. It means their job is tougher. But they know what's going on. They know it better than anybody. They want strong borders. They feel we have to have strong borders. There's also the - you know, I've been to New Hampshire last week, I've been to Ohio, and the biggest complaint they have are the horrible, horrible drugs, the heroin pouring in from our southern border and poisoning our youth, killing them. We need to stop this, and President Obama has done nothing to stop it. And to do this, we need to build the wall. Now, I want to build the wall. We need the wall. And Mexico is going to pay for the wall. The Border Patrol, ICE, they all want the wall. We stop the drugs. We shore up the border. One of my first acts will be to get all of the drug lords, all of the bad ones -- we have some bad, bad people in this country that have to go out. We're going to get them out; we're going to secure the border. And once the border is secured, at a later date, we'll make a determination as to the rest. But we have some bad hombres here, and we're going to get them out."
Jon Huntsman: "You know, I'm hearing my party's nominee speaking here, and I'm speechless. I want to tell everyone- the Republican party doesn't stand for these values. We don't stand for mass deportations, we don't stand for tearing families apart, we don't stand for insulting millions of Americans like Mr. Trump just did with his last sentence. That's why I'm running in this election- to give the American people a choice, a sane, compassionate conservative choice. Now, there is something me and Mr. Trump agree about- we need more border security, we need to stop illegal immigration, and by god, we need to stop this horrible opioid epidemic ravaging our country. President Obama has not done enough to counter these problems, and it caused many problems. Now, Donald Trump's plan will simply not work- building a wall might sound nice, but it literally doesn't work. You have a huge border to the south, spanning many of our states, and a wall is going to be simply too impractical, too costly, and very much ineffective. As someone who has background in business without... without, you know, constantly filing for bankruptcy, I can tell you that this is something which is very inefficient and unproductive. What I suggest is more funding for our border security, more people at the border, more effectiv ways to spot illegal immigrants trying to cross over and turn them back, or arrest them if they're trying to transport drugs. This is how we will secure our border, not some magical wall, which, by the way, Mexico will never pay for. But we also need to be compassionate- you know, we're all humans. We all love our family, we all want them to have a better life. So for the immigrants already in our country, who already have families and lives here- we must find ways to slowly integrate them into the American way of life and yes, in the end, find a way for them to be citizens. We do need to deport people who just came here, or people who cause problems and don't obey the law, but we can't have mass deportations in America. This is simply not our way. I mean, gosh, there are children who spent practically their entire life here. If Mr. Trump wants to deport these children, these teenagers... this is not being conservative. This is being cruel."
Barack Obama: "Look, there is something simple we all need to remember. What Donald Trump wants to do here, these mass deportations of every single undocumented immigrant-"
Donald Trump: "I don't want that. Don't lie."
Barack Obama: "You didn't? Well, let's see the fact-checkers getting to work. Donald Trump said, as recently as a few weeks ago in Phoenix, that every undocumented person would be subject to deportation. Now, here's what that means. We have 11 million undocumented people. They have 4 million American citizen children, 15 million people. It means you would have to have a massive law enforcement presence, where law enforcement officers would be going school to school, home to home, business to business, rounding up people who are undocumented. And we would then have to put them on trains, on buses to get them out of our country. Do you understand how this sounds? It's a disaster. This is not who we are as a nation, this is not America, which was founded as a nation for refugees and immigrants seeking a better life: 'Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.' Donald Trump's reactionary idea would rip our country apart. Now, we need to enforce security in our border too, that is correct, and I have suggested a comprehensive immigration reform already, which increases funding for border security to combat drug trafficking and illegal immigration, and at the same time, finally gives thousands of families which work hard and live hard, striving for the American dream, a path to become a productive part of this country. The Republican majority in congress, which Governor Huntsman doesn't seem to have any problem with, refused this time and again. In my next term, with a Democratic majority, we're going to get this done. In fact, this will be on the top of my agenda in the first 100 days. It's time to finally have immigration reform."


Chris Wallace: "This is the final time, probably to both of your delight, Mr. Trump and Mr. President, and to your disappointment, Mr. Huntsman, that you're going to be on a stage together in this campaign. I would like to end it on a positive note. You had not agreed to closing statements, but it seems to me in a funny way that might make it more interesting because you haven't prepared closing statements. So I'd like you each to take - and we're going to put a clock up - a minute, as the final question in the final debate, to tell the American people why they should elect you to be the next president. This is another new mini-segment. President Obama, it's your turn to go first, followed by Governor Huntsman and Mr. Trump."
Barack Obama: "Thank you very much for this question, Chris. I want to talk to the American people tonight- all of them, men and women, white or black, heterosexual or LGBTQ, Democratc, Republicans and Independents. For the last eight years, we've made tremendous progress- we've restored our economy, brought unemployment to a historic low which is just getting lower, we've finally secured healthcare for hundreds of thousands of Americans who simply couldn't afford it. But we still have a lot left to do. We need to get healthcare coverage for everyone, we need to help students with their huge debts, we need to secure equal rights and opportunity for everyone, we need to reform our immigration system, we need to protect our environment, we need to save our industrial areas and bring new jobs to them, and so much more. I want to work with you- all of you, even those who don't intend to vote for me- to make our country the best place to live in the world. So all I ask you today is this- no matter who are you voting for, come out and vote in November 8th. We need you to participate in our democracy. Thank you, and god bless the United States of America."
Jon Huntsman: "Thank you for this question, Chris. Now, today was the first time the American people see me debating, and I hope I left a good impression. I want to tell all of you, Americans from all stripes and colours and party affiliations, that they have a sane choice in this election. A choice for sensible progress and reform, for responsible fiscal policy which will finally stop the bloating of our national debt, a choice for a strong but careful foreign policy that we've been lacking for the last sixteen years. The Republican party nominated an extremist, a man who has shown himself as morally and temprementally unfit to be President, and the Democratic party nominated a President who already served two terms, and now wants to set a dangerous precedent and serve three. We need change, folks, and not just in our leadership, but in our very system- the two-party system, which failed us again and again with bad choices that didn't give voice to the majority of Americans. I am that voice. Thank you, and may god bless America."
Donald Trump: "Folks, for the last decades, we've been run by the political establishment, people who want the status quo and don't want change. I'm going to bring change, and they don't like it. They don't. You've seen how all these people, Romney and Kasicha and McCain and their ilk, run to the first candidate who offers to keep them in power, Huntsman, who doesn't stand for the American people. With the help of this establishment, we've been ripped off for years by China and Mexico, our jobs and money have been taken from us. No more, folks, no more. When I started this campaign, I started it very strongly. It's called 'Make America Great Again'. We're going to make America great. We have a depleted military. It has to be helped, has to be fixed. We have the greatest people on Earth in our military. We don't take care of our veterans. We take care of illegal immigrants, people that come into the country illegally, better than we take care of our vets. That can't happen. Our policemen are disrespected. We need law and order, but we need justice, too. Our inner cities are a disaster. You get shot walking to the store. They have no education. They have no jobs. I will do more for African-Americans and Latinos than President Obama can ever do in 10 lifetimes. All he's done is talk to the African-Americans and to the Latinos, but they get the vote, and then they come back, they say, we'll see you in four years. We are going to make America strong again, and we are going to make America great again, and it has to start now. We cannot take four more years of Barack Obama, who's been one of the worst Presidents, and that's what you'll get if you elect either of these men."


In the final debate, all three candidates had their good moments. While Barack Obama performed solidly once again, Jon Huntsman was very successful in introducing himself to Americans while getting in jabs on both of his opponents. Even Trump performed better than before, managing to refain from gaffes and from unnecessary attacks, and presenting himself as the outsider in front of two insiders. The polls showed a narrow win for the President:

Who do you think won the third Presidential debate?
Barack Obama- 34%
Jon Huntsman- 31%
Donald Trump- 29%
Unsure\Tie- 6%
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America Needs R'hllor
Parrotguy
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Posts: 11,420
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Political Matrix
E: -4.13, S: -3.48

« Reply #121 on: March 14, 2018, 11:25:04 AM »
« Edited: March 16, 2018, 06:49:14 AM by Parrotguy »

October 23rd, 2016

Candidates, surrogates swoop into swing states as election day comes near



TAMPA - Election day is a day over two weeks from now, and after getting out of the debate season the major candidates in the 2016 Presidential Election are now devoting all their time to rallies, campaign events and media appearances. All of them, in the recent days, have swooped into as many swing states as possible, holding as many campaign events as they could, and working hard to get the biggest crowds and traction they could manage. The candidates also campaigned with their best surrogates- in varying degrees. The nature of the surrogates and their involvements showed, in a way, the nature of the candidates, as did the swing states where the candidates visited.

Barack Obama campaigned with a wide array of surrogates, in a large and diverse number of states. The Obama campaign, which announced a 50-state strategy back in August, is encouraged by strong polling numbers and attempts to win as big a victory as possible, campaigning in swing states like Florida, Pennsylvania, Ohio, North Carolina, New Hampshire, Nevada, Colorado and even making a few stops in traditionally Democratic states such as Wisconsin and Michigan. However, they also made stops in states which are usually Republican and are now close in the polls, such as Georgia, Arizona, Texas, Missouri and Indiana, where they hope not only to expand their electoral victory, but also push downballot Democrats over the edge. Along with President Obama campaigned popular surrogates such as First Lady Michelle Obama, Vice President Joe Biden (D-DE), Running Mate Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), former 2016 Primary rivals Hillary Clinton (D-NY) and Bernie Sanders (I-VT), and other popular politicians such as Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Senator Ben Nelson (D-FL), Fmr. Gov. Howard Dean (D-VT), Fmr. Vice President Al Gore and Fmr. President Bill Clinton.

Meanwhile, the Trump campaign focused on a narrower array of states, mostly ones they absolutely need to win the election. Most of all, Donald Trump campaigned heavily in Florida, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Arizona, Michigan, Wisconsin, New Hampshire, Ohio, Iowa, Indiana and Missouri. This is contrary to a promise he made to Republican voters, to expand the map to "places like New York and Rhode Island". And contrary to Obama's many surrogates, Trump prefers to do most of his rallies alone, with some involvement from local politicians. However, there are some Trump supporters who often campaign with him or for him, such as Running Mate Chris Christie, Fmr (R-NJ), Mayor Rudy Giuliani (R-NY), Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL) and Governor Mike Pence (R-IN), who's facing Southbend Mayor Pete Buttigiege in a tight race for reelection, a race which was dubbed by Joe Biden, in a famous moment, some would say gaffe, when campaigning with Buttigieg in Indiana, as "the homosexual vs the homophobe".

Lastly, Jon Huntsman concentrates heavily on a few states where he's believed likely to win or get close- noteably, Utah, Idaho, Arizona and Wyoming- but also made stops in other states considered positive for his message such as Virginia, California, Florida, Minnesota, New Hampshire and Connecticut. He campaigned with running mate James Stavridis and with supporters who agreed to campaign with him like Mitt Romney (R-MA), Governor John Kasich (R-OH), Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Governor Brian Sandoval (R-NV) and others.

Barack Obama vs Donald Trump vs Jon Huntsman vs Gary Johnson vs Jill Stein (General)
Barack Obama- 46%  (-1)
Donald Trump- 31%  (+1)
Jon Huntsman- 19%  (+2)
Gary Johnson- 1%  (-1)
Jill Stein- 0%  (+-0)
Other/Undecided- 3%  (-1)
OBAMA +15
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America Needs R'hllor
Parrotguy
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« Reply #122 on: March 15, 2018, 04:34:11 AM »
« Edited: March 17, 2018, 03:43:36 PM by Parrotguy »

October 25th, 2016

Director Comey: 'FBI investigating newly-found Clinton emails'



WASHINGTON, D.C. - FBI Director James Comey announced today that a batch of new Clinton emails were found while agents were investigating a laptop belonging to Fmr. Rep. Anthony Weiner, who's investigated for sexting with a minor. According to a letter sent by Comey to Congress, the FBI will be investigating these emails in relation to the investigation into Hillary Clinton's use of a private email service, and thus the case was, for the moment, re-opened.

President Barack Obama, whose reelection campaign was endorsed by Clinton and who campaigned with her yesterday in New Hampshire, said in an official statement that "I respect the FBI investigation and will let it run its course before commenting officially." However, according to an Obama campaign insider, Clinton's campaign appearances will be "severely reduced" in the coming days, to the point of completely removing her from the campaign trail until "things get clearer". That is considered a safety measure as President Obama works to distance himself from Clinton's legal woes.

Republican nominee Donald Trump torched "crooked Hillary" on Twitter, calling her "the worse Secretary of State ever", and attacking Barack Obama in several media appearances for "very, very bad judgement". He also raised the possibility that Obama is "complicit", claiming that "either he doesn't know what the hell his people are doing or he knew and ignored Hillary's illegal bevaviour." Independent candidate Jon Huntsman wasn't as severe with his words, but called Clinton's behaviour "wrong", adding that "President Obama should've exercised better judgement." However, Trump running mate Chris Christie pointed out Huntsman's "hypocrisity" for campaigning with Former Secretary of State Colin Powell in the same day the news broke, "a man who acted exactly the same as Clinton."

Hillary Clinton's office refused a request for comment on the story.
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America Needs R'hllor
Parrotguy
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Political Matrix
E: -4.13, S: -3.48

« Reply #123 on: March 20, 2018, 03:31:48 PM »

November 1st, 2016

Adult movie star Stormy Daniels: 'I had an affair with Donald Trump'



NEW YORK CITY - In yet another bizarre turn of events in a unique election season, former adult movie star Stormy Daniels has revealed yesterday night that she, allededly had an affair with Republican nominee Donald Trump in the early 2000s. The reason for the sudden revelation? She signed an indisclousure agreement with Trump and his legal team, and they neglected to pay her the money in time.

The Trump campaign has firmly denied the allegations, with the candidate himself calling it a "COMPLETE LIE" in a recent tweet. Campaign Manager Kellyanne Conway said in a recent interview that the Daniels story was "just another lie, another attempt by a panicking establishment to disparage and discredit someone who's going to bring real change." Chief Campaign Strategist Steve Bannon went even further, calling it "a plot to undermine the victorious Trump campaign by the establishment and deep-state."

President Obama, the Democratic nominee, and Fmr. Ambassador Huntsman, the Independent Conservative candidate, have both refused to address the story, but supporters of both have not been so silent: Rep. Adam Schiffe (D-CA) called the Daniels story "another proof of the utterly terrible moral character of the Republican nominee", while Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said that he's "sorry for Ms. Trump" and that the story "reflects very poorly on Trump."

With mess than a week to go until election day, the story isn't expected to harm Donald Trump too much, however, it certainly fouls a fairly good news week for him, in which the Clinton Email scandal got back in the headlines and indirectly harmed the Democratic Party's campaign.

Barack Obama vs Donald Trump vs Jon Huntsman vs Gary Johnson vs Jill Stein (General)
Barack Obama- 46%  (+-0)
Donald Trump- 30%  (-1)
Jon Huntsman- 20%  (+1)
Gary Johnson- 1%  (+-0)
Jill Stein- 0%  (+-0)
Other/Undecided- 3%  (+-0)
OBAMA +16
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America Needs R'hllor
Parrotguy
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*****
Posts: 11,420
Israel


Political Matrix
E: -4.13, S: -3.48

« Reply #124 on: March 23, 2018, 09:34:39 AM »
« Edited: March 23, 2018, 11:31:53 AM by Parrotguy »

November 6th, 2016

Final days before election: Trump rushed offstage in Nevada, Murkowski and Huntsman sweep through Alaska, Biden embarks on Midwestern trip, Comey closes Clinton case



ANCHORAGE - The final few days of the 2016 general election campaign were extremely eventful, a fitting end to an exciting and tumultous campaign season. All three candidates continued a spree of campaign events and rallies to try and fire up their voters and convince a few more undecided ones.

Republican Donald Trump, whose campaign suffered blow after blow in October and who seems very unlikely to win the election, continued holding large rallies with enthusiastic crowds everywhere he went. He paid heavy attention to the midwest and rustbelt, where he visited Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, Ohio, Indiana and Missouri in the span of three days, while also holding rallies in several other competitive states such as Arizona, Nevada, New Hampshire and Florida. One rally that went a bit wrong occured yesterday in Reno, Nevada- shouts of “he’s got a gun” prompted panic in the rally crowd and forced several secret service agents to rush the Republican nominee offstage, sparking further chaos. Three people were lightly injured by trampling. The man in question, who was wrestled down by several Trump supporters, did not in fact have a gun. Trump later thanked the secret service and used the occassion to promise that he will "MAKE AMERICA SAFE AND GREAT AGAIN".


Mr. Trump being rushed offstage in Reno, Nevada

Meanwhile, independent candidate Jon Huntsman employed a very different strategy. He held several events in Montana, Utah and Idaho, and then, for two days, from November 4th to November 5th, he spent all his time in one state- Alaska. He held more than a dozen rallies and events across the state, mostly with enthusiastic supporter Senator Lisa Murkowski, who's running for reelection against a pro-Trump Libertarian, but also with the state's independent Governor Bill Walker and with a more lukewarm supporter, Senator Dan Sullivan. At the same time, running mate James Stavridis held rallies in Arizona with Senator John McCain and in Colorado with Senator Cory Gardner. This underlines the strategy employed by Huntsman's campaign- he isn't going just for an impressive popular vote showing, but also for actually winning states, unlike Ross Perot's strong 3rd party bids in 1992 and 1996. The top targets are Utah, where Huntsman is considered heavily favoured, and other states where he's considered strong like Alaska, Montana, Arizona, New Hampshire, Idaho, Wyoming and Colorado.


Sen. Murkowski (R-AK) holding a rally with Fmr. Amb. Huntsman in Anchorage, Alaska

President Obama's campaign did not rest despite their strong polling. The President held events and rallies across the nation with surrogates and supporters- there was a clear attempt to expand the map, with more than five rallies in Texas and others in Indiana, Missouri, North Carolina and Arizona, while also paying frequent visite to the more traditional swing states. The President was also clearly trying to aid downballot Democrats, as campaign events in swing districts in California, New York, Pennsylvania, Florida, Maine, Minnesota and other states indicated. And in a surprise move, Vice President Joe Biden was sent on a long, three-day trip in the Midwest, coinciding with Trump's own trip, and held events in Iowa, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin (along with Obama's running mate, Senator Tammy Baldwin), Minnesota, Missouri and Indiana. The Biden trip, which included rallies with downballot candidates and an emotional visit to his birthtown of Scranton, Pennsylvania was considered a success and prompted many to believe that the Vice President should've stayed on the ticket.


Vice President Biden holding giving a speech in St. Louis, MO with Senate canddiate Jason Kander

Finally, today, the Democratic Party received good news, when FBI Director James Comey announced that the latest probe into newfound Clinton emails didn't discover anything new, and that the case was officially closed. The former Secretary of State said that she was "not surprised", and was even herded by the Obama campaign to a few victorious rallies in Pittsburgh, Miami and St. Louis. The speeches garnered large crowds of Clinton primary supporters who seemingly felt energized to vote by her support for the President. The former Secretary of State sees her formerly dismal approvals beginning to rise, and is currently standing at 41% approval and 53% disapproval.


Hillary Clinton giving a victorious speech in favour of President Obama after her vindication

Indeed, after these exciting few days, one thing is clear- the 2016 election is going to see very high turnout, with so many parts of the voting population feeling energized and enthusiastic to vote- progressives, minorities and liberals for Obama, moderates and independents for Huntsman and, indeed, many conservatives, immigration hawks and white working-class voters for Trump. The only ones who appear without a candidate to represent them are evangelicals and the Christian right, who dislike all three candidates, and are mostly considered likely to hold their noses for Trump.

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