This is tiring. Why do I have to do your homework for you? If you stop watching Fox and CNN, there is a wealth of actual reporting out there. Instead you just say "NUH UH" and call me a liar. As for Hillary? I don't like her, but the alternative is 4 years of fascism and I do not use that term with hyperbole. Walker, "Repeal, replace ACA" with something putting the onus on sick and old people, while increasing Medicare spending by 800 billion: http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/scott-walker-unveil-plan-repeal-replace-obamacare Huckabee won't shut up about gay marriage: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/06/28/mike-huckabee-gay-marriage_n_7681730.html VA republican introduced legislature to ban state funds going to alternative energy: http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-acti...-va-from-spending-money-on-alternative-energy Another 5 states have bans on buying from companies who will install home solar panels: http://www.politifact.com/florida/s...a-one-five-states-ban-certain-solar-sales-pe/ Rubio can't decide if he has or hasn't advocated for abortions for rape or incest (another issue these guys won't shut up about): http://www.politifact.com/florida/s...said-hes-never-advocated-abortion-exceptions/ Senate Leader Mitch McConnell wants to repeal EPA regulations on coal plants: http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/r...pa-regulations-on-coal-plants/article/2536155 72% of Senate republicans are climate deniers: http://www.motherjones.com/blue-marble/2015/01/republican-climate-denial-caucus Congress attempting to cut National Labor Relations Board funding, which could detriment workers' rights “It continues the majority’s assault on the American worker by stopping the National Labor Relations Board from enforcing its own rules facilitating union elections,” added Rep. Rosa DeLauro : http://thehill.com/regulation/labor/246356-gop-battles-to-defund-work-of-obama-labor-board Congress Republicans nix marijuana research: http://www.washingtonpost.com/polit...029cda-262d-11e5-b77f-eb13a215f593_story.html Chris Christie (GOP presidential candidate) vows crack down on legalizing marijuana, only allowing tightly controlled medicinal pot in NJ after public outcry: http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/16/politics/chris-christie-marijuana/ A measure blocking the Justice Department with interfering with states' rights to exercise marijuana liberties was only narrowly upheld, half of Congress still is against it: http://news.yahoo.com/gop-controlle...dical-marijuana-laws-184101798--politics.html Here is the GOP repealing the estate tax, more tax cuts for millionaires to the tune of $269 billion: http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/gop-passes-massive-tax-break-millionaires-billionaires GOP presidential candidate Walker tanked Wisconsin with a 2.2 billion deficit because of tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations: http://www.prwatch.org/news/2015/06/12855/there-no-budget-surplus-wisconsin An article showing how Kansas and GOP gov. Brownback has destroyed the state with deregulation and tax cuts: http://www.salon.com/2015/06/11/sam...ife_under_americas_worst_republican_governor/ Just for fun, here's one more about GOP presidential candidate Kasich cutting public school funding and defunding women's health services. OH, and the all popular: TAX VUTS FOR THE RICH: http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2015/08/18/moderate-john-kasich-myth-column/31917851/ Now YOU show me where I'm wrong.
Sorry but no. That wasn't the interesting part of the conversation. Much more interesting is your saying Hillary should be president when you admit you don't like her. To me Hillary is the worst sort of political hack. No better than someone like John McCain or John Kerry or Bill Clinton or George W. Bush. I don't classify Bernie Sanders that way though I disagree with him on so many things. Why would you put him as the VP? A powerless position where he can basically do nothing except give advice that will be ignored.
"Political hack" is redundant. Politicians have to be hacks to climb in our current system. For Bernie Sanders to be effective as not being a hack, there can only be one Bernie Sanders, if there were 2-3 other people approaching things the way he is now, they'd all be less effective. Bill Clinton was an awesome president. When he was president, the economy was at it's peak (see: surplus), people had jobs and fewer foreign nations were chanting "Death to America". He was also the first unofficial black president. Also, holy shit CJ. I think you made your point.
The problem with any major political figure is visibility in this age. We have footage of Hillary going back damn near thirty years now. It's too easy to cherry pick some of her mistakes as representative of her current stance. Bernie doesn't really have that problem (yet). Hillary has been a republican target since the blowjob days and hasn't gotten better at dealing with them. For a senator, Secretary of State and a former First Lady, she barely gets more respect than the black guy, literally the most disrespected political figure i can think of. Part of the issue is how dirty the game is publicly
The big issue for me this election is campaign finance reform and the election process. I don't have much faith these issues will be addressed. Our current political system doesn't seem to work for the people anymore, if it ever really did, and I feel like a lot of other issues will continually come to a stalemate unless we get our political system working for us again.
Show your work. The DJIA doubled, the S&P nearly doubled. Record profits from all sectors for nearly all major corporations and banks. Made a profit off bailouts. Budget deficit is nearly solvent after it was wrecked at the ass end of you-know-who's term. Health care reform (as dubious as it is). Killed Bin Laden. Didn't embroil us in another ME conflict and held to Bush's timetable for withdrawal. On the multi-national council brokering peace with Iran. Unemployment back down to 6-ish%. Changed his stance on medical and recreational marijuana and decriminalization, AND presided during the gay civil rights win. All this while being historically challenged by an ineffective Congress with a 16% approval rating. Yes, he is better than Bill Clinton. I will gladly jack this guy off in the oval office. Bill does get a bit too much credit; he kind of rode the economy's trajectory and he fucked up Al Queda. The latter was a big issue. Bush and President Cheney deserve every bit of ridicule they get. They tanked this country in the interests of big oil and military contractors. The fact that history might look on either favorably is disgusting to me as an American. Citizens United is possibly the biggest problem right now. We're talking billions from god knows where going into coffers. That is not the backbone of a fair society, especially a fair democracy. It completely taints the pool. However, there has been some blowback from it on all sides, mainly because some true whackadoodles who are just fucking up the party works are getting backed by big money. Even John McCain is against it: http://www.12news.com/story/opinion...s-united-mccain-decision-dark-money/27967529/
It's just another bubble like the last one. Thanks, federal reserve. And it's hilarious that you cite bailouts for giant corporations as a positive thing. No it is not. The projected (meaning it will be more) federal budget deficit for 2015 is $486 billion. He didn't get us involved to the same extent Bush did, which is good, but there have been a lot of overseas shenanigans going on during Obama's presidency. I encourage you to read Dirty Wars by Jeremy Scahill, although it's a few years old now and doesn't cover some more recent events. The picture you posted even mentions toppling Gaddafi so you know this isn't true. This is a very positive development and along with the Cuba agreement are the highlights of Obama's foreign policy achievements. I don't particularly blame Obama for unemployment or employment since he follows basically the same crony-enrichment policies as his predecessors and Congress, but the labor participation rate is something you should look into. Fewer people are classified as unemployed because unemployment numbers do not count those considered to have dropped out of the workforce even though they are of working age and capability. Super, but I don't credit him much with this because it was just following the political winds like Hillary does. Also, the Holder/Obama Justice Department has a very poor record regarding state marijuana legalization/decriminalization. I agree with you that it would be disgusting for historians of the future to look on Bush and Cheney favorably. As long as there are people or companies with a lot of money and politicians with a lot of power, they will work together to trade those things with each other. Your laws will only enrich lawyers.
This is not "serious" discussion... it's the typical, bullshit, "Fuck Obama" political stuff that we don't want around here... so let's knock it off.
Illegal immigrants. I know, I know...I'm supposed to call them undocumented because they find the other term offensive. I don't care. I have a feeling the only reason Trump is doing so well in polls right now is his tough stance on that one issue.
For me, in no particular order, the following issues are of paramount importance (in both Presidential and Congressional Elections): Campaign Finance Reform Economy - specifically our model of job creation and employment Defense Spending - specifically intervention overseas Infrastructure - specifically electrical and transportation grids/upkeep
Income inequality. Campaign Finance Reform. Education. Marijuana sentencing. Health care. Defense spending. Energy. Honestly, the shit Trump is talking about is so far down the list, it feels like I'm time traveling back to 2004.
In order. Military spending/war/military industrial complex. The war on drugs. The Federal Reserve. Economic interventionism. Public education.
Income inequality and by extension the tax code. Infrastructure Education Campaign finance reform Social inequality (ex. the War on Drugs, militarization of police, gerrymandering, cutting of benefits, etc.)
I'm not arguing either way against anybody's choices, they're obviously all your own opinions, but I find it odd that on an internet-based messageboard, nobody seems to have a high concern for net neutrality and/or making America truly competitive in the high speed sector.
1. The debt - How is no one putting this? How is this not a huge issue to pretty much anyone? 2. Income inequality. 3. The economy in general/financial reform. 4. Healthcare. 5. The environment. What our country has done up to this point basically amounts to fuck all. I'd also be less concerned if there wasn't so many idiots trying to deny that this is a problem. 6. Foreign policy. I left this a bit low because minus a few exceptions that won't get elected I really can't see the next president pulling a George Bush and starting another stupid pointless war. I only care so much about America's image in the world because Europe is going to cry about us and tell themselves everyone who lives here is stupid until we aren't a super power. 7. Social rights. Keeping Jesus out of politics and the like. We have people in the national science committee who are global warming deniers and don't believe in evolution. Let me reiterate. They are the highest ranked people in the field in the entire country and they think evolution is a hoax. That's terrible. That's downright embarrassing for this country. The republican currently second in the polls is supposed to be a neurosurgeon, and yet is one of those 'I don't have enough faith to believe in mountains of evidence' clowns. Fuck him and fuck all of them. I don't get the infrastructure issue or why people complain about it so much. I never see any of these alleged problems people bitch about incessantly. How often does a bridge or a building actually collapse? By and large the infrastructure in the United States is actually really good. For people who think Europe and first world Asia are so much better across the board, I'm seriously doubting you've actually spent much time traveling. Education. Meh, I care about my state, which does quite well, but as for the others... the bible belt is full of politicians/citizens more interested in religion than learning. That's why they're always in the shitter whenever you look at rankings. If we could dump Kentucky, Mississippi and states like that the US educational system suddenly isn't anywhere near as bad as it's made out to be. It's up to them to unfuck all the problems they create for themselves. I'd rather not be bothered. Social inequality, racism, rape culture, woman's rights, blah blah blah. 90% of this stuff is bullshit and the legitimate stuff gets drowned out as a result. For that reason I just can't get behind it.
You realize that you can Google what you just wrote and come up with information that answers your question, right? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_bridge_failures From 2000 until now, I count 18 failures in the United States. And to answer your other accusation, amongst other travels I spent 4 months living in Germany. I even got stuck behind a farm tractor on the autobahn. Northern Europe has the advantage of a mild climate which helps to keep their roads in great shape, and generally speaking have a higher population density which makes having good infrastructure more feasible as well as more necessary, but yeah, I'd say that German and Dutch transportation infrastructure was better than what I've seen in North America.