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USA Presidential Election 2016: Hard to Scandal
Sterica
YesRegistered User, Moderator mod
YesRegistered User, Moderator mod
Debate Info
When: Wednesday, October 19th at 9pm EDT
Where: Las Vegas, Nevada
How: Fox News, although most major stations should be airing it. YouTube should also be streaming it.
The country that brought you K'nex is having an election! For president! It's the head of the USA's executive branch, and arguably the most powerful position that any one person on the planet can hold. This kind of election only happens once every four years, so you gotta enjoy it while it lasts! Let's have a good time and talk about all the hilarious ups and downs of this election season. Warning: sometimes it may be less hilarious, and more soul-crushing!
Things to Consider Before Posting
Previously in the POTUS Thread...
The Trump campaign is officially off the rails as things continue to go from bad to worse. After the infamous "pussy" tape, Trump near self-destructed in the debate, threatening to imprison Clinton if he's elected, and picking fights with the moderators. He managed to compose himself towards the end, which apparently is all he needed to win in the eyes of conservatives. In reality, however, this has been a devastating two weeks for Trump, with Hillary polling at the same numbers she had when she was at the PEAK of her post-convention bounce. According to 538's number-crunching, if today were election day, Trump would have only a 10% chance of winning. And the actual election day forecast ain't much better.There is still four weeks left, but this is October. This is when people pay attention to the election and, as I've said before, the undecideds are rapidly becoming decideds. At this point, it may already be too late, and Trump's best hope is to just eat into Clinton's lead in order to diminish her mandate come January.
...not that it'll be easy. As alluded to, the campaign has officially jumped the shark, with Republicans entering a damage control mode as they remove support from Trump in order to protect their own seats in Congress and other offices. Paul Ryan seems to have washed his hands of Trump, and he's quickly maneuvering to prevent Democrats from retaking either house of Congress. This is not the actions of a party that is confident they're going to win the White House in November. The SS Trump (emphasis on the SS) is rapidly sinking, and it's every Republican for themselves.
Also Wikileaks,, dropped more documents. Newsweek has confirmed that some documents have been doctored, and considering how one-sided the leaks have been...well, it throws a lot of doubt on how unbiased Wikileaks has been. For what it's worth, the leaks involve Clinton's speeches to Wall Street, emails between media and her campaign, and so forth. Some of it is not surprising (Hillary...duplicitous when talking to bankers? Le shock!) and some of it has already been denied from the supposed original senders of the emails (Donna Brazile claims she did not send the Clinton campaign debate questions in advance during the primary). Combined with the timing of the leaks (weird how it always happens when Trump is in trouble) and the whole thing is just a mess. There may be a whole death by volume when it comes to these leaks, where so much shit of dubious veracity keeps coming in that the public can't keep track and just kinda ignores it.
Would you like to know more? Read the previous threads...
In the Blue Corner...
Hillary "Locked Up" Clinton
68 Years Old
Former Secretary of State and Senator
Strengths: There really isn't much to say about Clinton's campaign. Ever since the debate, Trump's been self-destructing left and right (but mostly right). All she has to do is maintain momentum and this election is more or less hers. She has a nice lead now, and with only a few weeks left until election day, it's a lead that will be difficult to lose.
Weaknesses: But that doesn't mean you get overconfident. Twice now she's dipped low enough to make this a legitimate horse race, and just because the nation hates Trump doesn't mean they like you. Give the people a reason to turn on you, and they will do so very quickly.
Timothy "Who's Your Buddy?" Kaine
58 Years Old
Senator, Former Governor of Virginia and DNC Chair
Strengths: At this point in the campaign, Kaine is a charismatic and personable enough guy to be an asset at rallies and on the campaign trail. He also seems to have accomplished what he was primarily tapped to do: secure Virginia for Clinton. The state is leaning for Clinton so hard that I think it's time to take it off the table as a battleground. Virginia as solidly blue...what a time to be alive.
Weaknesses: The role of the veeps at this point is greatly diminished. Their debate has come and gone, and both candidates take up enough of the limelight to keep the running mates largely in the background. Kaine's impact on the campaign is likely to be small, but that's just fine for a campaign doing this well.
In the Red Corner...
Donald Trump, "The Unshackled"
70 Years Old
he's allowed to run
Strengths: He has not been accused of rape yet.
Weaknesses: Aw, shit.
Michael "Trump, Please Talk to Me" Pence
57 Years Old
Governor of Indiana
Strengths: His job is more or less over this campaign. He avoided having to talk about his deplorable record involving LGBT citizenry, women, people with HIV, and the list goes on. He's also managed to trick people into thinking that he's a reasonable politician. I guess next to Trump everyone looks presidential.
Weaknesses: Running mate is a giant manchild, and Pence continues to get eyes upon him as rumors about dropping out swirl around him. Seriously, it looks embarrassing as shit when your running mate says at a debate that he never talked with you about major foreign policy. It suggests that Pence is mere window dressing to get the NeverTrumpers on board.
FAQ
Who are our tragic third-party candidates?
Jill Stein (with running mate Ajamu Baraka) is running on the Green Party ticket, and Gary Johnson (with running mate Bill Weld) is the Libertarian candidate. There's other perennial candidates, such as Vermin Supreme, but I'd be here all day rattling off those.
What's a battleground?
A state that is polling more or less in the middle is considered a battleground. Because solidly Republican or Democratic states would require too much time and money to make even a dent in polls, candidates focus on the handful of states that are feasible to turn. Now, this doesn't mean that voting in a "stronghold" state is pointless. After all, many battleground states were at one point or another considered reliable votes for one party or the other, and people do pay attention to shifts in polls even if the overall outcome hasn't quite changed yet.
States "in play" this election include Nevada, Utah, Arizona, Iowa, Wisconsin, Ohio, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Florida, and apparently Georgia.
When are the debates?
September 26, 2016
October 4, 2016 (VP)
October 9, 2016
October 19, 2016
Could Trump drop/be removed/etc. from the Republican candidacy?
This will not happen for a variety of reasons. First, Trump has too much ego both in general and tied up in this election to run away from Clinton. It would ruin him, and the Trump legacy would forever be tarnished as a historical footnote that the first female president's opponent had to back out. So forget that. Second, the RNC rules alone forbid this except in cases of death or incapacitated, and even if there weren't a rule it would still hurt voter turnout as conservatives would feel spurned that their primary choice was removed by the accursed establishment. Third, Trump is already on the ballot in many states, and the rules for changing that at this point in the campaign are strict and many states simply wouldn't have the new candidate. Couple this with the trouble of campaigning a wholly new person less than 30 days prior to the election, and...it's not going to happen.
Well if things get worse, what will happen?
Leadership may offer token support or just lip service, but then throw him to the wolves. A candidate that flames out in the home stretch is nothing new to politics, and there are contingency plans to deal with such issues. That mostly just consists of withdrawing most of the support you have for Trump, and then throwing it all into congressional and local elections. At that point it's about damage control, and you're basically conceding the presidency to make sure you don't lose more than that. Paul Ryan seems to have already shifted to this strategy.
Could Pence drop out?
Possible? Yes. Likely? No. If things get worse, then it's not unimaginable that Pence could abandon ship to save his own reputation. I don't think he's at that point yet because, if you DO drop as VP, then you're fucking your party over in a few pointed ways. It shows disarray in the party, a lack of confidence in the candidate that even the party can't hide, a need to find a new running mate and having to waste time/resources on that, and puts a giant negative spotlight on your party when we're at a point in the election where every day counts. It's the closest thing we could get to the Trump campaign losing prior to election day, and the party would never forgive him for that. That's the kind of thing kills your career unless you plan on crossing the aisle to the other party, and hahaha Pence is not becoming a democrat. So it's a matter of what will hurt him more: sticking with Trump or abandoning him? If Trump got REALLY unpopular, like proven murderer unpopular, then the GOP would understand if he got while the getting was good. Otherwise, this rat has to stay on the sinking ship.
When is Election Day?
November 8th, 2016
How long do I have to register to vote?
It varies by state
Time is running on voter registration. Most states have closed registration, but a decent chunk are still taking them. The absolute latest I've seen a state open for registration is the Wednesday prior to Election Day (about six days), and that's like two states so get off your ass and register.
November 8th is kinda busy for me. Can I vote early?
It varies by state, although some states don't allow for early voting at all.
I want to vote from a safe distance. What are my options for citizens abroad?
This should help you out.
Note that this should also be useful for people who are still in the States but will be in another state/city/etc from wherever they're registered come election day.
When: Wednesday, October 19th at 9pm EDT
Where: Las Vegas, Nevada
How: Fox News, although most major stations should be airing it. YouTube should also be streaming it.
The country that brought you K'nex is having an election! For president! It's the head of the USA's executive branch, and arguably the most powerful position that any one person on the planet can hold. This kind of election only happens once every four years, so you gotta enjoy it while it lasts! Let's have a good time and talk about all the hilarious ups and downs of this election season. Warning: sometimes it may be less hilarious, and more soul-crushing!
Things to Consider Before Posting
- Resist the urge to dogpile unpopular sentiments. If it's really inflammatory then report it.
- Just because somebody is/isn't voting doesn't mean they are personally responsible for the downfall of democracy.
- This is SE++ so don't get hung up on derails.
Previously in the POTUS Thread...
The Trump campaign is officially off the rails as things continue to go from bad to worse. After the infamous "pussy" tape, Trump near self-destructed in the debate, threatening to imprison Clinton if he's elected, and picking fights with the moderators. He managed to compose himself towards the end, which apparently is all he needed to win in the eyes of conservatives. In reality, however, this has been a devastating two weeks for Trump, with Hillary polling at the same numbers she had when she was at the PEAK of her post-convention bounce. According to 538's number-crunching, if today were election day, Trump would have only a 10% chance of winning. And the actual election day forecast ain't much better.There is still four weeks left, but this is October. This is when people pay attention to the election and, as I've said before, the undecideds are rapidly becoming decideds. At this point, it may already be too late, and Trump's best hope is to just eat into Clinton's lead in order to diminish her mandate come January.
...not that it'll be easy. As alluded to, the campaign has officially jumped the shark, with Republicans entering a damage control mode as they remove support from Trump in order to protect their own seats in Congress and other offices. Paul Ryan seems to have washed his hands of Trump, and he's quickly maneuvering to prevent Democrats from retaking either house of Congress. This is not the actions of a party that is confident they're going to win the White House in November. The SS Trump (emphasis on the SS) is rapidly sinking, and it's every Republican for themselves.
Also Wikileaks,, dropped more documents. Newsweek has confirmed that some documents have been doctored, and considering how one-sided the leaks have been...well, it throws a lot of doubt on how unbiased Wikileaks has been. For what it's worth, the leaks involve Clinton's speeches to Wall Street, emails between media and her campaign, and so forth. Some of it is not surprising (Hillary...duplicitous when talking to bankers? Le shock!) and some of it has already been denied from the supposed original senders of the emails (Donna Brazile claims she did not send the Clinton campaign debate questions in advance during the primary). Combined with the timing of the leaks (weird how it always happens when Trump is in trouble) and the whole thing is just a mess. There may be a whole death by volume when it comes to these leaks, where so much shit of dubious veracity keeps coming in that the public can't keep track and just kinda ignores it.
Would you like to know more? Read the previous threads...
- Bad Hair Day
- Over the Hegemony
- Screams from My Father
- Vice Vice Baby
- A Ring of Liar
- A Day at the Racist
- Straight Outta Breitbart
- A Hard Day's Right
- Galoot Debate
- The Kids Are All White
- Mr. Trump in the Iron Lung
In the Blue Corner...
Hillary "Locked Up" Clinton
68 Years Old
Former Secretary of State and Senator
Strengths: There really isn't much to say about Clinton's campaign. Ever since the debate, Trump's been self-destructing left and right (but mostly right). All she has to do is maintain momentum and this election is more or less hers. She has a nice lead now, and with only a few weeks left until election day, it's a lead that will be difficult to lose.
Weaknesses: But that doesn't mean you get overconfident. Twice now she's dipped low enough to make this a legitimate horse race, and just because the nation hates Trump doesn't mean they like you. Give the people a reason to turn on you, and they will do so very quickly.
Timothy "Who's Your Buddy?" Kaine
58 Years Old
Senator, Former Governor of Virginia and DNC Chair
Strengths: At this point in the campaign, Kaine is a charismatic and personable enough guy to be an asset at rallies and on the campaign trail. He also seems to have accomplished what he was primarily tapped to do: secure Virginia for Clinton. The state is leaning for Clinton so hard that I think it's time to take it off the table as a battleground. Virginia as solidly blue...what a time to be alive.
Weaknesses: The role of the veeps at this point is greatly diminished. Their debate has come and gone, and both candidates take up enough of the limelight to keep the running mates largely in the background. Kaine's impact on the campaign is likely to be small, but that's just fine for a campaign doing this well.
In the Red Corner...
Donald Trump, "The Unshackled"
70 Years Old
he's allowed to run
Strengths: He has not been accused of rape yet.
Weaknesses: Aw, shit.
Michael "Trump, Please Talk to Me" Pence
57 Years Old
Governor of Indiana
Strengths: His job is more or less over this campaign. He avoided having to talk about his deplorable record involving LGBT citizenry, women, people with HIV, and the list goes on. He's also managed to trick people into thinking that he's a reasonable politician. I guess next to Trump everyone looks presidential.
Weaknesses: Running mate is a giant manchild, and Pence continues to get eyes upon him as rumors about dropping out swirl around him. Seriously, it looks embarrassing as shit when your running mate says at a debate that he never talked with you about major foreign policy. It suggests that Pence is mere window dressing to get the NeverTrumpers on board.
FAQ
Who are our tragic third-party candidates?
Jill Stein (with running mate Ajamu Baraka) is running on the Green Party ticket, and Gary Johnson (with running mate Bill Weld) is the Libertarian candidate. There's other perennial candidates, such as Vermin Supreme, but I'd be here all day rattling off those.
What's a battleground?
A state that is polling more or less in the middle is considered a battleground. Because solidly Republican or Democratic states would require too much time and money to make even a dent in polls, candidates focus on the handful of states that are feasible to turn. Now, this doesn't mean that voting in a "stronghold" state is pointless. After all, many battleground states were at one point or another considered reliable votes for one party or the other, and people do pay attention to shifts in polls even if the overall outcome hasn't quite changed yet.
States "in play" this election include Nevada, Utah, Arizona, Iowa, Wisconsin, Ohio, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Florida, and apparently Georgia.
When are the debates?
September 26, 2016
October 4, 2016 (VP)
October 9, 2016
October 19, 2016
Could Trump drop/be removed/etc. from the Republican candidacy?
This will not happen for a variety of reasons. First, Trump has too much ego both in general and tied up in this election to run away from Clinton. It would ruin him, and the Trump legacy would forever be tarnished as a historical footnote that the first female president's opponent had to back out. So forget that. Second, the RNC rules alone forbid this except in cases of death or incapacitated, and even if there weren't a rule it would still hurt voter turnout as conservatives would feel spurned that their primary choice was removed by the accursed establishment. Third, Trump is already on the ballot in many states, and the rules for changing that at this point in the campaign are strict and many states simply wouldn't have the new candidate. Couple this with the trouble of campaigning a wholly new person less than 30 days prior to the election, and...it's not going to happen.
Well if things get worse, what will happen?
Leadership may offer token support or just lip service, but then throw him to the wolves. A candidate that flames out in the home stretch is nothing new to politics, and there are contingency plans to deal with such issues. That mostly just consists of withdrawing most of the support you have for Trump, and then throwing it all into congressional and local elections. At that point it's about damage control, and you're basically conceding the presidency to make sure you don't lose more than that. Paul Ryan seems to have already shifted to this strategy.
Could Pence drop out?
Possible? Yes. Likely? No. If things get worse, then it's not unimaginable that Pence could abandon ship to save his own reputation. I don't think he's at that point yet because, if you DO drop as VP, then you're fucking your party over in a few pointed ways. It shows disarray in the party, a lack of confidence in the candidate that even the party can't hide, a need to find a new running mate and having to waste time/resources on that, and puts a giant negative spotlight on your party when we're at a point in the election where every day counts. It's the closest thing we could get to the Trump campaign losing prior to election day, and the party would never forgive him for that. That's the kind of thing kills your career unless you plan on crossing the aisle to the other party, and hahaha Pence is not becoming a democrat. So it's a matter of what will hurt him more: sticking with Trump or abandoning him? If Trump got REALLY unpopular, like proven murderer unpopular, then the GOP would understand if he got while the getting was good. Otherwise, this rat has to stay on the sinking ship.
When is Election Day?
November 8th, 2016
How long do I have to register to vote?
It varies by state
Time is running on voter registration. Most states have closed registration, but a decent chunk are still taking them. The absolute latest I've seen a state open for registration is the Wednesday prior to Election Day (about six days), and that's like two states so get off your ass and register.
November 8th is kinda busy for me. Can I vote early?
It varies by state, although some states don't allow for early voting at all.
I want to vote from a safe distance. What are my options for citizens abroad?
This should help you out.
Note that this should also be useful for people who are still in the States but will be in another state/city/etc from wherever they're registered come election day.
Sterica on
+5
This discussion has been closed.
Posts
Jundi has a point.
I don't buy it, Gedoc
Hoist by my own petard. :x
All of that said, Ivanka and Melania are actually a lot better than many of the women in Trump's employ as his campaign advisers or "surrogates" (a word I will continue to find disturbing in this context and usage). Those women are 100% at fault for willing to step on the necks of other women to get ahead. They're absolutely no different than the black journalists working at Fox News saying "Blue Lives Matter". Fuck all of those people. They're shitheads.
https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/57dw9a/im_american_citizen_undecided_voter_loving/
steam | Dokkan: 868846562
I'd say I feel bad for the youngest boy but he appears to be Trump's cyber advisor.
3DS: 2981-5304-3227
PSN ID : DetectiveOlivaw | TWITTER | STEAM ID | NEVER FORGET
Trump needs to have an adviser on the best overwatch composition, otherwise ISIS will stack reapers
http://www.audioentropy.com/
I
feel like it is important to remember Ken Bone was pretty sure he was voting for trump at that debate
http://www.audioentropy.com/
People can still be all right, even likable, and vote in ways that one might not agree with
i don't remember that ever being said?
steam | Dokkan: 868846562
Uh-oh I accidentally deleted my signature. Uh-oh!!
Ya have any problems with my prefered style of posting mate
This will be here until I receive an apology or Weedlordvegeta get any consequences for being a bully
Uh-oh I accidentally deleted my signature. Uh-oh!!
BuzzFeed: The Guy Caught Glaring At Trump Said He Found Trump’s Debate Demeanor “Creepy”
[–]Here_Comes_The_King 7709 points 51 minutes agox2
KBone !! When you coming thru tha doggy den 4 a little chit chat ?? I got something special at tha crib for u !
[–]StanGibson18 5624 points 44 minutes ago
I'm in LA late next week, maybe we can hook up. Big fan here. My dad wants to roll wit da Dogg big time, you me and him could do some tight stuff.
That didn't sound cool at all, did it?
Here_Comes_The_King is Snoop Dogg's reddit account, in case that wasn't abundantly clear from context.
Gosh, so far the dude seems to be handling all of this with the right amount of good naturedness and humility. I really hope the internet lets him just fade out of the limelight gracefully and doesn't turn on him savagely like it usually does.
I feel calm and giggly when reading about Ken Bone. It's like watching a puppy tangle with a scrap of newspaper.
Dude wakes up to find that he has been turned into Pepe
This will be here until I receive an apology or Weedlordvegeta get any consequences for being a bully
Seems like a fitting conclusion, giving the Dogg a Bone and all that.
http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2016/10/the-branding-of-ken-bone/503999/
twitch.tv/Taramoor
@TaramoorPlays
Taramoor on Youtube
like, yeah he's branding himself and making money but he's still doing it in a pretty self-aware, friendly manner as far as I can tell
dude is making the best he can with an unexpected rise to fame. I do not fault him for making as much money as he can before his star fades, I would do the same exact thing.
a self-aware person
who is still, unaccountably, undecided re: the presidential race between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton
in this
the year of our lord, 2016
I had to double check that this wasn't Chico...
Democrats Abroad! || Vote From Abroad
As he was a former elected official he already has a title, but I'm curious what the precedent is for titles. If "First X" is considered a higher title than his current one "The Honorable".
If he thinks Clinton isn't going to do jack for him and he's not going to vote for Trump that would still make him undecided. I think he might be waiting for a better assurance on that question he asked.
Since h e seems savvy enough to take advantage of being thrust into the spotlight, I think he's savvy enough to know that being "undecided" will maximize his time there as well.
Origin ID: Discgolfer27
Untappd ID: Discgolfer1981
I would guess that her thinking is that if she can discredit them ever having had a conversation then the rest of it somehow becomes discredited too.