General News Thread

[Five_X]

All this talk reminds me that we have an election coming up this fall too. Too bad Jack Layton's dead, he'd probably make out like a bandit in this one, after what happened in Alberta last week.

The only reason Harper is running in this election is because he knows the Tories would drown without him. Voters like a familiar face, so even though he said he wasn't going to run in this one, he's got to or else his little dynasty is dead.

[Mattias]

So, he might be pulling a Chretien. Running as leader for an election stepping down between terms so that his successor can run things for a while. Who would be his Martin though? Peter McKay? It's hard to say since he never had a Deputy PM appointed his entire run.

[Strange_One]

Tbh, the letters look like he got fobbed off with empty Blair platitudes as if he really were anyone else.

Would not the fact that they were even read put him above common rabble?

[mewarmo990]

"So here's the deal," Bush told an audience in Arizona. "If we're all supposed to answer hypothetical questions, knowing what we know now, I would not have engaged. I would not have gone into Iraq.

Referencing the opposite thing he said yesterday.

Sounds like someone got his head chewed off by his brother and/or campaign staff.

[GhostDIGIT]

Well there was the matter of a college student calling his brother out on his shit.

[mewarmo990]

Well there was the matter of a college student calling his brother out on his shit.

No one cares about that. As if this is the first time a college student called out any politician.

This is more about the implications of what he said earlier this week. That knowing what we know today (that there were no WMDs in Iraq, which was the primary justification) he would still have authorized the invasion.

Even former President Bush has not outright made such a statement. One can argue that some positive effects were salvaged from the whole mess since Saddam Hussein really was horrible. But a unilateral, illegal invasion of a sovereign country took place, and the intelligence that justified it was found to be fabricated. This was extremely humiliating for anyone with integrity that supported the initial premise, like Colin Powell. And they just had to keep going because of sunk cost reasoning. And probably pride or something. It was after all this evidence came out that the war became extremely unpopular and that's why Bush 2 finished as one of the most unpopular presidents in history.

Basically Jeb said something really, really stupid no matter what side of the spectrum you stand on.

[GhostDIGIT]

....The sad thing is I know some people would still be willing to vote for him..

[SeiKeo]

I mean if you have to pick between the person whose brother mishandled one of the greatest opportunities in US history and who brought on said brother's foreign policy team, or the lady whose foundation and husband, while she was Secretary of State, happily took millions upon millions in dollars in donations from foreign governments, y'know there's a point where the differences don't seem to matter as much.

[mewarmo990]

I mean if you have to pick between the person whose brother mishandled one of the greatest opportunities in US history and who brought on said brother's foreign policy team, or the lady whose foundation and husband, while she was Secretary of State, happily took millions upon millions in dollars in donations from foreign governments, y'know there's a point where the differences don't seem to matter as much.

It comes down to your values, of course.

[2Bad]

No Jeb is still way worse than Hillary in that comparison.

[Kirby]

Can someone just give me a breakdown of the candidates for this election because I don't really know shit about any of this

[GhostDIGIT]

Leo kinda just did that.

[mewarmo990]

No Jeb is still way worse than Hillary in that comparison.

agreed.

I will take corrupt but competent over plain stupid. Not that I like​ having to make that choice.

Can someone just give me a breakdown of the candidates for this election because I don't really know shit about any of this

Hillary's probably gonna win. No strong candidates other than her yet.

[Kirby]

Except that's just talking about their family and shit they did, and I'm pretty sure that's not all the candidates.

[mewarmo990]

Except that's just talking about their family and shit they did, and I'm pretty sure that's not all the candidates.

It's still early enough that candidates are still emerging so it's hard to give you a full list. Easier to Google it.

Really it is the Republican field that there are candidates for. Jeb Bush, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, Chris Christie, etc. Hillary has no serious challengers at this time.

[Kirby]

Oh, welp. So at this point they're just deciding who's representing which party, right?

[SeiKeo]

Here don't worry Kirby I got you gimme a sec.

[GhostDIGIT]

There's this but I don't know if the info is reliable.

[mewarmo990]

Oh, welp. So at this point they're just deciding who's representing which party, right?

yeah, pretty much.

Republican candidates: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republi...ndidates,_2016

Democratic candidates: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democra...ndidates,_2016

- - - Updated - - -

Expanded list of primary candidates:

R: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republi...016#Candidates

D: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democra...016#Candidates

[2Bad]

I will take corrupt but competent over plain stupid. Not that I like​ having to make that choice.

Except that's the only real choice that exists. You don't actually want an incorruptible politician because past a certain electoral level the only ones you're going to find are insane ideologues.