News 2016 U.S. Presidential election - the highs and lows

Indian Summer said:
Honest politicians don't have paid shills on cable news programs, or hold "completely off-record" cocktail parties with big numbers of mainstream journalists. Do you believe that perhaps Johnson or Stein also employ such methods?
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I was taking a drink when I read this and just about drown.... If you believe in honest politicians (that win?), does that mean you also believe in unicorns and fairies too? That's just how the game is played, and I can't say I can blame politicians for playing the game hard to win, and that applies to virtually anyone of any party affiliation. Politicians that refuse play the game don't deserve to win, as simple as that. Take off the rose colored glasses maybe?
 
beancounter said:
That's a very interesting spin on then issue.

So from your perspective, such things as having "paid shills on cable news programs, or holding "completely off-record" cocktail parties with big numbers of mainstream journalists." is just a matter of compromise and negotiation?

I get the feeling that you are more than just an enthusiastic Clinton supporter...
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Having off the record cocktail parties with journalists is building relationships. If the journalists can't report fairly after they've had drinks with someone, that's THEIR ethical issue, and they should stay at home. Good grief. For instance, lawyers socialize all the time, and that doesn't stop them from going in for the kill when they are on opposite sides of a case, or a transaction. Because, you know, they are grownups, and they are professionals.

Every election cycle, as far back as I can remember, and I can remember to way back before cable news, cable news has had "paid shills" from the various campaigns on their news programs. If you don't like it, take it up with the cable stations.
 
beancounter said:
If honesty and integrity are non-issues for politicians, then why do we spend so much time here getting hot and bothered about Trump's issues?

But for Clinton, the majority of people here are willing to hand wave them.
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Has anyone on here complained about the fact that Trump has paid shills on the cable news programs? Or that he has extended various perks to various journalists? Please point it out.

What I (and I believe the others, although they can speak for themselves) object to are his policies and positions. The racial/ethnic/religious fear and hate mongering. The blatant misogyny. The even more blatant lack of basic human decency. The temperament that takes major offense at every perceived slight and nurses it for decades. The ignorance about so many issues, and the total lack of interest in actually learning what a world leader needs to know to be able to function at even a basic level.

If you haven't gotten that that's what I/we object to, then you haven't been listening.
 
beancounter said:
If honesty and integrity are non-issues for politicians, then why do we spend so much time here getting hot and bothered about Trump's issues?

But for Clinton, the majority of people here are willing to hand wave them.
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Because it's apples and oranges... Trump isn't a politician, but if by chance he does get elected I suspect he will learn to play the game pretty quickly or sink :) But you have to admit that Trump and Clinton's issues are vastly different issues. The majority of Clinton's issues happen to be fairly mundane of career politicians. They're issues none the less, if like I said, you wear rose colored glasses. Typical... Career.... Politician.... Who yes, plays hard and presumably dirty. Some of it is nonsense, but no arguments for me; guilty as charged on a fair few things I'm sure. And that's what Trump is running against her on, the fact that he is not a career politician that hasn't done any of those things.

The end of the day, who is going to stand for what in terms of policy? I can't ******* stand Donald Trump, or Gary Johnson... Not because of who they are as human beings, Johnson at least is probably a pretty decent guy, and part of the crap we see of Trump is probably an act... But because their platforms are intolerable.
 
Personally, I think it's pretty horrible that someone vandalized his star. It certainly shouldn't go unpunished.
 
beancounter said:
Yep, a non-issue, but if someone,say, defaced a plaque at the Clinton library (to keep it apples to apples:rolleyes:), I have a feeling that the there would be a completely different reaction from some of you.
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It's good to be in touch with your feelings, as long as you recognize that they're just that - your feelings, and have zero relationship to how others may actually think.
 
Jeremy said:
Personally, I think it's pretty horrible that someone vandalized his star. It certainly shouldn't go unpunished.
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Yup. It's property damage.

In addition, it does more harm than good to whatever cause the idiot thinks he's supporting, just like mass releases of minks from fur farms.
 
Jeremy said:
I admitted that Clinton is a dirty politician... What the **** more do you ****ing want?
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He wants us to admit that we simultaneously believe that she can do no wrong while acknowledging that we are only voting for her because she is merely the lesser of two evils. Nothing else will do.
 
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