US Presidential Elections

[Guard Dog]

For you reading enjoyment. This is one of the best, clearest, most concise, and intelligent articles on the evolution of executive power in the US I have ever read. This is exactly what I would have written if I had the brains and ability to articulate. It is not light reading but I highly recommend all US boardies of voting age with a higher than room temperature IQ to give it a look.

 

The Cult of the Presidency

 

 

[Pidesco]

It is not light reading but I highly recommend all US boardies of voting age with a higher than room temperature IQ to give it a look.

 

 

You know, in Celsius that's really keeping the IQ standards low.

[Guard Dog]

It is not light reading but I highly recommend all US boardies of voting age with a higher than room temperature IQ to give it a look.

 

 

You know, in Celsius that's really keeping the IQ standards low.

 

Doh! Typical American arrogance (or is it ignorance?) forgetting that we are the only country still using the farenhiet scale. Don't even get me started on us not using ther metric system. Sorry everyone, I hang my head in shame!

[Sand]

It would be nice if we used the Metric System.

 

The reasons why I don't like Hilary CLinton...

 

1. Bill Clinton: I don't want him anywhere near the White House in any shape or form.

2. NAFTA.

3. Hilary is easily duped. Bush persuaded her to vote for the Iraqi War while Obama was against it from the get go, even though he wasn't in COngress when it started.

4. Hilary represents the status quo of Democrats, add to the fact it would become some sort of dynasty thing with Bush, then Clinton, then Bush, then back to Clinton. No thank you.

5. Hilary is also very divisive. Republicans largely do not like her, and even some conservative Democrats don't like her. She doesn't play well with others.

6. Bosnian "sniper."

 

I could go on but these are the main reasons why I don't like her. I am not against a woman president but I am against Hilary CLinton being president. Nancy Pelosi would be nice and could be a good running mate for Obama. She or Richardson.

[Enoch]

It is not light reading but I highly recommend all US boardies of voting age with a higher than room temperature IQ to give it a look.

 

 

You know, in Celsius that's really keeping the IQ standards low.

 

Doh! Typical American arrogance (or is it ignorance?) forgetting that we are the only country still using the farenhiet scale. Don't even get me started on us not using ther metric system. Sorry everyone, I hang my head in shame!

Wow. I think that we may have found a topic where you agree with Jimmy Carter!

 

As to your Reason link, I'll criticize it in that it is overly alarmist and incorrectly conflates federal power with presidential power in many instances. It is certainly true that both have increased over the course of the 20th century, but one does not necessarily include the other. Just because decisions are being made by bureaucrats, legislators, courts, and agency experts, in Washington instead of by bureaucrats, legislators, courts, and agency experts in State Capitol, USA does not necessarily mean that the presidency is a step closer to totalitarianism. Things like the Federal Reserve Act, the wartime nationalization of railroads, and large parts of the New Deal-- all of which are cited as part of the growth of presidential power-- didn't give much, if any, new and lasting power to the presidency. It's a huge stretch to imply, as that essay does, that these reforms led directly to abuses of power like Watergate, the Church Committee findings, and Guantanamo Bay.

[Guard Dog]

Bob Barr Announces Presidential Bid

 

(CNN)

Edited May 13, 2008 by Guard Dog

[walkerguy]

Can we assassinate the libertarian and independent candidates? They hurt the democrats. {sad face}

[Guard Dog]

Can we assassinate the libertarian and independent candidates? They hurt the democrats. {sad face}

 

First off that really isn't funny even as a joke. Second, no offense meant but it's also a little uninformed. I'm curious. What do you even know about Ralph Nader? Bob Barr? The Libertarian Party? You might want to spend a little quality time with google before responding.

[walkerguy]

They thwart the democratic party's votes and never win elections. Why do they run? I'm only talking about their arrogance of trying to run for president.

[Zoma]

That's democracy for you.

[Laozi]

I think "blackballed" is a pretty apt description to what happens to emerging political parties in America's Dweedle Dee/Dweedle Dum party system. Really the important thing for the Libertarian party is to keep fielding worthy presidential candidates and just wait for Americans to become more and more disenfranchised with our current system. As is a parties only real motivation is to reign the wealthiest constituency it can. Unfortunately it will probably take another depression or some other type of breakdown for Americans to force change in the political system the puppets on the left and right have so cleverly orchestrated.

 

I'm sure most of you have seen this, but if you haven't its insanely funny, stay to the end.....

 

http://www.theonion.com/content/video/dieb...identally_leaks

[Musopticon?]

^

[Meshugger]

While the link that Guard Dog posted was thought-provoking, i can't help thinking that it would require an American President to declare himself Skeletor for a lifetime until there's an actual nationwide surge for less presidential power.

[Pidesco]

McCain could do that, seeing as he is, like, 102.

[thepixiesrock]

Which is really old when you convert it to the ferenhiet scale.

[Walsingham]

Never mind dog years.

[walkerguy]

And what if he lived on the mars?

[Guard Dog]

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/05/20/pri...wrap/index.html

 

Clinton wins Kentucky by 35 points, Obama wins Oregon by 18 points. They split the delegates between both races so no ground is gained. But one thing to note: Obama has now clinched the mathematical majority of pledged delegates. Clinton cannot overtake him even if she runs the table in the next three primaries. However, if Clinton wins Montana and Puerto Rico ,as seems likely, she will win the majority of the popular vote, if you counted all the votes she received in FL and MI. Makes quite a conundrum for the super delegates doesn't it. Hold on to to your seats folks, this one is not over yet.

 

It is no secret that I do not like Hillary Clinton. I did not like Bill Clinton either. They are the picture of arrogance and narcissism. They are abusive of power and place and have no values or core beliefs beyond political expediency. They are disdainful of all things traditionally American and have no regard for the prestige or safety of this nation or the sanctity of it's laws. I believe she would make a terrible President. That said I have come to genuinely admire her tenacity in this election. The more hopeless her situation the harder she fights. I guess you can find virtues in anyone if you look hard enough.

[walkerguy]

Primaries and Caucuses Results from the CNN 2008 Election Center

 

Democrats

[Enoch]

Clinton wins Kentucky by 35 points, Obama wins Oregon by 18 points. They split the delegates between both races so no ground is gained. But one thing to note: Obama has now clinched the mathematical majority of pledged delegates. Clinton cannot overtake him even if she runs the table in the next three primaries. However, if Clinton wins Montana and Puerto Rico ,as seems likely, she will win the majority of the popular vote, if you counted all the votes she received in FL and MI. Makes quite a conundrum for the super delegates doesn't it. Hold on to to your seats folks, this one is not over yet.

As I've said before, counting Michigan's Soviet-style primary would be insane. With just Florida in, Obama's lead is somewhere in the area of 250,000 votes. Link. MT & SD are small enough (both under 1M residents, a pretty small minority of whom will bother to vote in the Dem primary) that they won't matter much. Puerto Rico has almost 4M people, though, so it could move things if the turnout is decent.

 

But even if Clinton takes the popular vote by a slim margin, Obama only needs about one-quarter of the remaining uncommitted superdelegates on his side to give him the nomination. And some of them have already promised to support whoever has the delegate lead (Nancy Pelosi is among this group). It's not over mathematically over yet, but it's close enough. If Obama is anywhere outside of prison when the Dems have their convention, he'll be the nominee.

 

It is no secret that I do not like Hillary Clinton. I did not like Bill Clinton either. They are the picture of arrogance and narcissism. They are abusive of power and place and have no values or core beliefs beyond political expediency. They are disdainful of all things traditionally American and have no regard for the prestige or safety of this nation or the sanctity of it's laws. I believe she would make a terrible President. That said I have come to genuinely admire her tenacity in this election. The more hopeless her situation the harder she fights. I guess you can find virtues in anyone if you look hard enough.

Are you saying that arrogance and narcissism aren't "traditionally American"??!

 

Seriously, though, the "no regard for the prestige or safety of this nation" bit is taking it a little far. Partisan rancor has gotten pretty bad in this country if people seriously believe that politicians of their least-favorite party don't care about the safety of their countrymen. Heck, I think that many of the actions of the current administration have put Americans in unnecessary danger and dramatically damaged the nation's prestige, but I don't for a minute doubt that, when they made those decisions, they earnestly believed that they were acting in the best interests of the country as a whole.

[Guard Dog]

Seriously, though, the "no regard for the prestige or safety of this nation" bit is taking it a little far.

 

Think so? Remember Clinton turning a blind eye to Chinese espionage at the same time accepting almost $4M in soft money campaign donation from Chinese operatives? How about all the changes in FBI and CIA operations that contributed to 9-11? Granted there was no way for them to know how badly they were damaging the intelligence abilities of the nation but the end result can hardly be denied. Remember Clintons invervention in Haiti in 1994? He was so deterined to avoid bloodshed he sent the 3rd Marines in with no ammunition. How would you like to land on a hostile beach carrying a rifle with no ammo? Granted no resistance was offered but it might have gone otherwise. How about all the terroist attacks Clinton took little to no action on? Granted they did catch everyone on the World Trade Center but after Khobar Towers, the Air Force barracks in Ridyah, the USS Cole, and the embassies in Narobi and Der an Salaam, his administrations responses were, and I'll be kind, tepid at best.

 

If saying "no regard" is taking it a little too far I'll amend my post to say "small regard".

[Gorgon]

Clinton was much more aware of the threat posed by Bin Laden than Bush. Trying to put it all on him is surely selective amnesia.

[Guard Dog]

Clinton was much more aware of the threat posed by Bin Laden than Bush. Trying to put it all on him is surely selective amnesia.

Knew about him and did nothing :

[Meshugger]

Clinton was much more aware of the threat posed by Bin Laden than Bush. Trying to put it all on him is surely selective amnesia.

Knew about him and did nothing :

 

According to that tape, yeah. But that is in 1996, when he actually haven't done anything to american interests. He hadn't even issued his fatwa against every american, christian and jew on the planet yet. Even if he knew that the guy was a potential threat to the states, but on what basis would've Clinton got him arrested/kidnapped/assassinated? Given the atmosphere back in the 90's with all the complaints about presidential powers, it probably was seen as political suicide to issue assassination here and there.

[Hildegard]

O Hillary won't you drop dead already....

 

metaphorically in the contest of the presidential race of course