US President 2016 - the Great Horse Race

[ZiprHead]

Christie is only in the running in his own mind.

Christie's too fat to run. Oh, you meant run for office.

 

[jonatha]

Texans are toast. Senators are toast. Pennsylvanians are toast. Alaskans are toast. Louisianans are toast. Seems like its down to Rubio and Bush from Florida and to Christi from New Jersey for republicans. Boring.

You forgot Kentuckian Rand Paul.

Should be quite entertaining while it lasts...

(He's convinced the Kentucky GOP leadership to try to switch from a primary to a caucus so he can run both for President and Senate in 2016...)

 

[arkirk]

[

When leftists aren't defending homosexuality, they are accusing conservatives and Christians of being homosexual.
...

It's strange you put it that way. I post on another forum which has a decidedly different cast than TFT. I say that with the knowledge that everyone here could also be there, under a different user name.

The most conservative posters on this particular forum have user names which contain phrases such as "M4M" (man for man), "CD" (cross dresser), and "petcock" (no translation needed).

They each have all the required credits for bashing Obama, global climate change, and Hillary, so there is little doubt about their politics or sexual preferences.

One of my best friends is gay(dead butch, you'd never know unless he told you), but has been bitching about Hillary Clinton since she was a measly first lady. He was the first person I heard utter the catch phrase, "She scares me." That was many years ago, and since then, it's become a common thing.

He who lives in glass closets manufactures his own fears....just sayin' She is a spooky character...a genuine war hawk if I ever saw one with a lot of rich friends and supporters. I'll shovel snow in hell before I vote for the bitch.

 

[angelo]

I'm what you would call a right down the middle swinging voter, and there's not a chance in hell of that woman getting my vote even if I did live in the States and eligible to vote.

 

[bilby]

I'm what you would call a right down the middle swinging voter, and there's not a chance in hell of that woman getting my vote even if I did live in the States and eligible to vote.

What's that? A 'right down the middle swinging voter' who sometimes votes for the Liberals, and sometimes votes for Nationals?

I guess if you were in the US, where their left wing makes Tony Abbott look like Che Guevara, you might be in the middle, but over here, I am guessing it's been a fair while since you put a '1' against a Labor or Green candidate.

 

[angelo]

I would rather have all my nails or all my teeth pulled out with no anaesthetics than to ever vote Green! As for labor. I voted each time for the Hawke/Keating governments, and voted for Kevin Rudd, twice. Wouldn't have voted for Gillard if I was paid a fortune to. Again, I couldn't vote for Labor as it is now, run by the unions! Perhaps, I would have done had Albanese won the leadership. A vote for Labor in 2016 is a vote for the shambolic border/asylum/people smugglers of the Rudd/Gizzard/Rudd policies!

 

[bigfield]

I would rather have all my nails or all my teeth pulled out with no anaesthetics than to ever vote Green! As for labor. I voted each time for the Hawke/Keating governments, and voted for Kevin Rudd, twice. Wouldn't have voted for Gillard if I was paid a fortune to. Again, I couldn't vote for Labor as it is now, run by the unions! Perhaps, I would have done had Albanese won the leadership. A vote for Labor in 2016 is a vote for the shambolic border/asylum/people smugglers of the Rudd/Gizzard/Rudd policies!

Yeah Labor hasn't been the same since the unions got involved in the last few years.

Sorry, my mistake: the unions have been balls-deep in the ALP since its inception, obviously including the Hawke/Keating era and the Rudd era.

It's hard to get less awful than the existing border protection policy. Temporary protection visas and offshore concentration camps are an absolute disgrace, but towing people back to their persecutors is downright evil. It is bizarre that you would choose border protection as the criterion which motivates you to vote against the ALP and presumably in favour of the Coalition.

(This should probably be split into an Australian politics thread.)

 

[angelo]

Send me a link if a new Aussie politics thread is started. Of course you must be aware that our intake of refugees hasn't changed, in fact it has been increased. What's happened is that the evil people smugglers have been put out of action. But Australia is fulfilling it's international obligations in accepting our quota as stipulated by the UN.

You also must be aware that during the Rudd/Gizzard/ Rudd era, every single so called refugee that made their way here through illegal means, meant one less genuine refugee place filled by the illegals?

 

[ZiprHead]

According to the scroll on CNN this morning, Senator Bernie Sanders is officially running for the presidency.

 

[bigfield]

Send me a link if a new Aussie politics thread is started. Of course you must be aware that our intake of refugees hasn't changed, in fact it has been increased.

That doesn't justify the punishment we're inflicting on people who arrived in our waters by boat.

What's happened is that the evil people smugglers have been put out of action.

The cure is worse than the disease: we've put a damper on people smuggling, but in doing so we've inflicted concentration camp conditions on some of the most vulnerable and desperate people in the world, including children.

The government professes concern for the safety of people who might make the voyage on a boat that is not seaworthy, and that this concern underlies their desire to 'stop the boats', but their treatment of detainees puts the lie to that, as does their reaction to the Human Rights Commissioner's report.

But Australia is fulfilling it's international obligations in accepting our quota as stipulated by the UN.

There is no such thing as a refugee quota stipulated by the UN.

You also must be aware that during the Rudd/Gizzard/ Rudd era, every single so called refugee that made their way here through illegal means, meant one less genuine refugee place filled by the illegals?

There are three whopping slabs of bullshit here:

Firstly, it's absolutely disgusting that some people call boat people 'illegal'. They are not criminals; they are asylum seekers: extremely desperate and vulnerable people coming to us for save haven. And yet Australians get their panties in a twist because these people don't have visas, and didn't arrive through the channels we decided they are allowed to use. The UN specifically forbids the punishment of asylum seekers who arrive 'illegally'.

Secondly, it is an outright lie that these boat people are taking the places of genuine refugees. There is no 'queue' to be jumped; that is a fabrication of the minds of scum like Andrew Bolt.

Thirdly, if you take a minute to check the government's stats, you will see that over 90% of the 'illegal maritime arrivals' whose claims are processed are proven to have genuine refugee status.

 

[lpetrich]

I would rather have all my nails or all my teeth pulled out with no anaesthetics than to ever vote Green! As for labor. I voted each time for the Hawke/Keating governments, and voted for Kevin Rudd, twice. Wouldn't have voted for Gillard if I was paid a fortune to. Again, I couldn't vote for Labor as it is now, run by the unions! Perhaps, I would have done had Albanese won the leadership. A vote for Labor in 2016 is a vote for the shambolic border/asylum/people smugglers of the Rudd/Gizzard/Rudd policies!

Gizzard???

Is Julia Gillard really that horrible?

 

[bigfield]

I would rather have all my nails or all my teeth pulled out with no anaesthetics than to ever vote Green! As for labor. I voted each time for the Hawke/Keating governments, and voted for Kevin Rudd, twice. Wouldn't have voted for Gillard if I was paid a fortune to. Again, I couldn't vote for Labor as it is now, run by the unions! Perhaps, I would have done had Albanese won the leadership. A vote for Labor in 2016 is a vote for the shambolic border/asylum/people smugglers of the Rudd/Gizzard/Rudd policies!

Gizzard???

Is Julia Gillard really that horrible?

She bwoke an election promise.

Unlike Tone, who would never break an election promise.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/factcheck/promisetracker/

http://sallymcmanus.net/abbotts-wreckage/

Oops.

 

[bilby]

That doesn't justify the punishment we're inflicting on people who arrived in our waters by boat.

What's happened is that the evil people smugglers have been put out of action.

The cure is worse than the disease: we've put a damper on people smuggling, but in doing so we've inflicted concentration camp conditions on some of the most vulnerable and desperate people in the world, including children.

The government professes concern for the safety of people who might make the voyage on a boat that is not seaworthy, and that this concern underlies their desire to 'stop the boats', but their treatment of detainees puts the lie to that, as does their reaction to the Human Rights Commissioner's report.

But Australia is fulfilling it's international obligations in accepting our quota as stipulated by the UN.

There is no such thing as a refugee quota stipulated by the UN.

You also must be aware that during the Rudd/Gizzard/ Rudd era, every single so called refugee that made their way here through illegal means, meant one less genuine refugee place filled by the illegals?

There are three whopping slabs of bullshit here:

Firstly, it's absolutely disgusting that some people call boat people 'illegal'. They are not criminals; they are asylum seekers: extremely desperate and vulnerable people coming to us for save haven. And yet Australians get their panties in a twist because these people don't have visas, and didn't arrive through the channels we decided they are allowed to use. The UN specifically forbids the punishment of asylum seekers who arrive 'illegally'.

Secondly, it is an outright lie that these boat people are taking the places of genuine refugees. There is no 'queue' to be jumped; that is a fabrication of the minds of scum like Andrew Bolt.

Thirdly, if you take a minute to check the government's stats, you will see that over 90% of the 'illegal maritime arrivals' whose claims are processed are proven to have genuine refugee status.

It is also interesting that the government and media concentrate on the <5% of immigrants arriving by boat without the correct visas; while the >95% of immigrants without valid visas who arrive by plane are considered to be such a small problem as to justifiably be ignored.

You can't throw an organic chia-seed bagel in Byron Bay without hitting an illegal immigrant working with neither visa nor work permit. But as they are mostly white Europeans and North Americans, who arrived by air, apparently they are of concern only to a handful of overworked and underfunded immigration officials.

 

[angelo]

According to the scroll on CNN this morning, Senator Bernie Sanders is officially running for the presidency.

I'm not in any position to vote as I'm not even an American, but I like this guy! I think he's so much better than Clinton.

 

[angelo]

That doesn't justify the punishment we're inflicting on people who arrived in our waters by boat.

What's happened is that the evil people smugglers have been put out of action.

The cure is worse than the disease: we've put a damper on people smuggling, but in doing so we've inflicted concentration camp conditions on some of the most vulnerable and desperate people in the world, including children.

The government professes concern for the safety of people who might make the voyage on a boat that is not seaworthy, and that this concern underlies their desire to 'stop the boats', but their treatment of detainees puts the lie to that, as does their reaction to the Human Rights Commissioner's report.

But Australia is fulfilling it's international obligations in accepting our quota as stipulated by the UN.

There is no such thing as a refugee quota stipulated by the UN.

You also must be aware that during the Rudd/Gizzard/ Rudd era, every single so called refugee that made their way here through illegal means, meant one less genuine refugee place filled by the illegals?

There are three whopping slabs of bullshit here:

Firstly, it's absolutely disgusting that some people call boat people 'illegal'. They are not criminals; they are asylum seekers: extremely desperate and vulnerable people coming to us for save haven. And yet Australians get their panties in a twist because these people don't have visas, and didn't arrive through the channels we decided they are allowed to use. The UN specifically forbids the punishment of asylum seekers who arrive 'illegally'.

Secondly, it is an outright lie that these boat people are taking the places of genuine refugees. There is no 'queue' to be jumped; that is a fabrication of the minds of scum like Andrew Bolt.

Thirdly, if you take a minute to check the government's stats, you will see that over 90% of the 'illegal maritime arrivals' whose claims are processed are proven to have genuine refugee status.

They are illegals no matter how you paint it. Bob Carr himself stated that fact. They are economic asylum seekers. They throw their identification papers over board like they are told to do so by their apologists and people smugglers and throw themselves at whether welcome or not among our midst. 5 years after they have been given asylum, more than 85% of them are still receiving Centrelink benefits. Remove the benefits and you'll remove their seeking refuge here in Australia.

 

[bigfield]

They are illegals no matter how you paint it. Bob Carr himself stated that fact.

Bob Carr's political views are right-wing, so it does not surprise me that he would prefer to label asylum seekers as criminals.

They are economic asylum seekers.

No, they aren't: the vast majority of 'irregular maritime arrivals' are refugees as determined by Immigration. You are perpetuating one of the right-wing's lies.

They throw their identification papers over board like they are told to do so by their apologists and people smugglers and throw themselves at whether welcome or not among our midst.

So what? Presuming that this is actually what asylum seekers do, it isn't evidence that they are economic migrants. There are multiple possible explanations for why they would get rid of their documents. But like a typical social conservative, you assume the most sinister motives.

5 years after they have been given asylum, more than 85% of them are still receiving Centrelink benefits.

The number is less than 85%, definitely not 'more than', but you wouldn't know that because you read that statistic from an Andrew Bolt opinion piece rather than the SONA report. I'm pretty sure Bolt hasn't read it either, as his source is Simon Benson. In other words, you're getting your facts from a right-wing fuckwit's opinion column, and he got his info from another right-wing piece of shit.

And of course, what Bolt doesn't know, and obviously you don't know either, is that those Centrelink payments include Youth Allowance, Austudy and child care rebates. Yet you probably think that 85% of humanitarian settlements are dole bludgers, because like a typical social conservative, you assume the most sinister motives of the people you hate.

Remove the benefits and you'll remove their seeking refuge here in Australia.

Your totally uninformed yet callous opinion.

 

[ZiprHead]

Bob Carr's political views are right-wing, so it does not surprise me that he would prefer to label asylum seekers as criminals.

They are economic asylum seekers.

No, they aren't: the vast majority of 'irregular maritime arrivals' are refugees as determined by Immigration. You are perpetuating one of the right-wing's lies.
...

Why is this discussion in this thread?

 

[Harry Bosch]

According to the scroll on CNN this morning, Senator Bernie Sanders is officially running for the presidency.

I'm not in any position to vote as I'm not even an American, but I like this guy! I think he's so much better than Clinton.

Well of course! His victory in the democratic primary would ensure a republican victory in 2016.

 

[angelo]

Bob Carr's political views are right-wing, so it does not surprise me that he would prefer to label asylum seekers as criminals.

They are economic asylum seekers.

No, they aren't: the vast majority of 'irregular maritime arrivals' are refugees as determined by Immigration. You are perpetuating one of the right-wing's lies.

They throw their identification papers over board like they are told to do so by their apologists and people smugglers and throw themselves at whether welcome or not among our midst.

So what? Presuming that this is actually what asylum seekers do, it isn't evidence that they are economic migrants. There are multiple possible explanations for why they would get rid of their documents. But like a typical social conservative, you assume the most sinister motives.

5 years after they have been given asylum, more than 85% of them are still receiving Centrelink benefits.

The number is less than 85%, definitely not 'more than', but you wouldn't know that because you read that statistic from an Andrew Bolt opinion piece rather than the SONA report. I'm pretty sure Bolt hasn't read it either, as his source is Simon Benson. In other words, you're getting your facts from a right-wing fuckwit's opinion column, and he got his info from another right-wing piece of shit.

And of course, what Bolt doesn't know, and obviously you don't know either, is that those Centrelink payments include Youth Allowance, Austudy and child care rebates. Yet you probably think that 85% of humanitarian settlements are dole bludgers, because like a typical social conservative, you assume the most sinister motives of the people you hate.

Remove the benefits and you'll remove their seeking refuge here in Australia.

Your totally uninformed yet callous opinion.

Callous opinion? You can check it out for yourself, It's right there on record!

 

[angelo]

To get this thread back on topic. If Clinton and what the Republicans have so far put forward as candidates for the Presidency is the best they can do, then the free world is in deep shit!