2016 US Presidential Election

[Kong Wen]

On one hand I almost hate to do this, but on the other hand it almost has to be done. While the next US election is still over a year away, the campaigning is already ramping up. There are a lot of candidates actively seeking the nomination for either major party, and debates are underway. This is something that's going to saturate the news, at least in North America, for the next year or so, so it makes sense to have a nice general discussion thread for any topics that come up.

[Spore]

I will be incredibly excited if it turns out to be Trump v. Sanders. That would be the biggest possible fuck you to the standard presidential election system. I'll also admit I'm starting to feel the Bern. We'll see if he can really topple Hilary who has all the name recognition. At least he's been drawing the largest crowds by a large margin, so hopefully that translates into primary votes.

[The Shoemaker]

I'd love to see Trump as a final canidate just for the hilarity of it all. I cannot see him actually making it to presidency.

[Spore]

Alright maybe Bernie has a small problem with not being recognizable enough like some of the other candidates.

[Jordan]

I really want to believe in Bernie Sanders, but I just don't think he's going to have a chance. I feel like we're just going to end up with another political dynasty battle of Bush vs. Clinton. Trump vs. Sanders would be the most hilarious end result ever, though. I really hope it happens.

[TheGreatNads]

Well, it seems all but one reply in this thread expresses the same exact idea I would have. Only thing I can add is that a Trump vs. Sanders battle really would emphasize a bit of a shift in agendas in the U.S. and would be exactly what the political establishment would not have expected or wanted to have happen. Whether any of that would be a good thing I won't say. But I expect that hilarious scenario isn't going to come to fruition.

[Kong Wen]

If Sanders is elected people are going to start being thrown into FEMA camps, or the U.S. will become the next Greece.

[Jordan]

One thing I like about Trump versus Sanders is that it would be a gigantic middle finger to all the superPACs and other moneyed interests who backed other candidates. All of the bucks they wasted would be like money tossed out the window. It would be glorious. Trump is getting some PAC money, but I think he's mostly self-financed in contrast to many of the other Republican contenders. Bernie Sanders gets almost all of his political warchest from individual donations, and the overwhelming majority comes from smaller donations. Compare that to Hillary Clinton who gets most of her campaign cash from larger donations. If you go to opensecrets.org and compare Trump/Sanders to other politicians, you can see what I am talking about.

I like the idea of all these mega corporations, interest groups and big backers having to deal with the fact that their attempt to gamble on the highest office of the land did not produce expected dividends.

[Kong Wen]

I like the idea of all these mega corporations, interest groups and big backers having to deal with the fact that their attempt to gamble on the highest office of the land did not produce expected dividends.

Eh, it's still an investment. They don't need their man or woman to win in order to benefit, since most of the candidates are on the same page re: stuff that affects mega-corporations. It's the ideological lobby groups who have more at stake from candidate to candidate. Of course, they're probably huge spenders too, for all I know.

[Spore]

I like the idea of all these mega corporations, interest groups and big backers having to deal with the fact that their attempt to gamble on the highest office of the land did not produce expected dividends.

Eh, it's still an investment. They don't need their man or woman to win in order to benefit, since most of the candidates are on the same page re: stuff that affects mega-corporations. It's the ideological lobby groups who have more at stake from candidate to candidate. Of course, they're probably huge spenders too, for all I know.

Given the next president is expected to appoint two or three Supreme Court Justices, paying a lot of money to push an agenda and having it not work out would be particularly devastating during this election. This president's actions are going to be felt for the next couple of decades because of the timing.

I really want to believe in Bernie Sanders, but I just don't think he's going to have a chance.

The only thing that can hurt him is voter apathy and name recognition, so if you're a US voter then instead of "liking to believe in him" just believe in him and be sure to cast your vote for the democratic nomination. I hope I'm not making too many assumptions about your party affiliation. I also don't want to become too overbearing in my Sanders zealotry, but try watching this video aimed at those who like Bernie, but don't know if they should support him as opposed to Hillary. It makes his campaign make a bit more sense and presents a clear case that his election is not a pipe dream.