US Presidential Contenders

[Buster's Uncle]

If she has any fans here they've never spoken up, you know.

[Rusty Edge]

It’s make or break time for Jeb Bush  from The Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/its-make-or-break-time-for-jeb-bush/2015/09/27/73d5f6fa-63c0-11e5-b38e-06883aacba64_story.html

"Jeb Bush is entering a critical phase of his Republican presidential campaign, with top donors warning that the former Florida governor needs to demonstrate growth in the polls over the next month or face serious defections among supporters.

The warnings, expressed by numerous senior GOP fund­raisers in recent days, come as Bush and an allied super PAC are in the early stages of an aggressive television ad campaign they say will help erase doubts about his viability.

But Bush continues to battle against a steady decline in the polls, sinking to fifth place at just 7 percent in a national NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll released Sunday and similarly languishing in the early-voting states of Iowa and New Hampshire."

The Walker people are breaking toward Rubio. Bush is struggling to get his message out, because people think they already know him. Likewise, in an anti-establishment year, he's The Republican establishment candidate. His campaign has planned for the long run, but with threatened defections, he may not be able to play the long game. They are making an all-out fundraising effort.

The thing is, every time Jeb makes some statement on the stump that has to be clarified by his campaign, it cements the impression that he's another "W".

[Unorthodox]

If she has any fans here they've never spoken up, you know.

While I won't go so far as to say 'fan'.  Indifferent either way is more like it.  I don't believe she's any dirtier than any of the others and can see myself get behind a 'better the evil you know than the one you don't' type support. 

Largely because I haven't forgotten the year of unemployment that followed the last government shutdown, nor the idiots and party that brought that about and are threatening to again, even if I would be more insulated from such actions this time. 

[Buster's Uncle]

...I agree that she'd probably be better at handling that than the President is...

WHY don't they LEARN that they get a bloody nose every single time?  It's a pure loser of a stunt.

[vonbach]

I could do a better job than Obama.

[Unorthodox]

Love to know how any of you would manage to do much of anything with the present congress policy of block everything, hold up everything, do nothing. 

[Buster's Uncle]

I'm probably being politically naïve, but make speeches calling them what they are, raise heck, fight - they're the ones who declared war.  He's an appeaser, a let's-make-a-deal guy -for all of their fantasies otherwise- which would probably work real well with an opposition more interested in governing than winning.  -But that's not what he got, and he was looking like a very slow learner six years ago.

[Unorthodox]

 

I'm probably being politically naïve

I'm sure we ALL are guilty of that.  I KNOW I am. 

[Buster's Uncle]

There's no doubt whatsoever that Bakrama is better informed than I am on the factors going into his decisions and tactics/strategy.  Some of my frustration with him is that his mellow Hawaiian attitude is not what the current climate needs -appeasement in the face of fanaticism running even FURTHER out of control- and that he had enormous potential as the most inspirational President since Kennedy -and don't get me started on Kennedy, but he was good with the speeches and inspiration- but instead, he's trying to be Eisenhower.

We needed Eisenhower when we got him, same as with Ford, I think; they were boring stay-at-home presidents when that was probably indeputably for the best at the time.  We needed a fighter after the excess of the Cheney Bund, and he ain't it.  -This is also why my head wants to explode when the right talks -exclusively- about their imaginary Obama, instead of the collaborator they actually have on hand and won't let collaborate.

[Unorthodox]

I disagree to a point.  I don't think the attitude became a problem till the second term when the congress shifted to the idiots attempting to blockade everything.  In fact, I'll say it was likely an asset during the first term with a majority house in his favor. 

Personally, I especially appreciated his attempt to clean up govt procurement.  Ultimately it has practically no teeth with all the loopholes, but SOMETHING needed to be done and he at least tried.  Yet, this is not one of the things people talk about for whatever reason, but I get to see it more personally than most. 

hEt has similar feelings on the health care, I believe.  Might not be "right" but at least it was trying to do something that was NEEDED. 

(both first term, coincidentally) 

There could be plenty to say about the recession lack thereof bailouts, etc but people come down on whichever side they want when the truth is probably somewhere in the middle on that too. 

Basically, i don't think he's anywhere near as bad as people make him out to be, and certainly nowhere near as bad as the talking radio heads would have us believe. 

 

[t_ras]

Just stepped in to remind every one that sharing ideas is better than shouting them.
Please be polite and patient with each other and refrain from expressing racist or other discriminating messages.
Remeber you all post here because you care and want to make things better.
Thank you all.

[Buster's Uncle]

Thanks, t - he's someone to appeal to about me if you can't raise sisko; he's also good at talking me down calmly.


Uno, that's pretty much my position on Obamacare (it's 4,000 kinds of wrong in execution and I hated it when it was Hilarycare, too, and the right-wing think-tank that came up with it, but) I do discern the admirable intention, and appreciate that.

[Rusty Edge]

I'm probably being politically naïve

I'm sure we ALL are guilty of that.  I KNOW I am.

Yes, one way or another. Me, too.
********************
Legislating is a messy business.  Obama did fight one fall.

One year, Harry Reid wouldn't even let a budget come to a vote in the senate. That allows a lot of posturing and speechifying without anybody actually doing anything  for  which they can be held accountable. Even then a bill can be amended to death, until it's hard to tell what it stands for.

 To me passing a budget is the primary job. Voting for or against a declaration of war or a treaty is about the only thing that should take precedence.


If I were president I would try to do build consensus for the basics, and keep the government operating. Surely adequate inspectors for the VA hospitals isn't controversial.  I know that even that would be difficult with the Republicans eager to shut the government down, and Democrats blocking everything from coming to a vote.

Which is why we see fringe candidates doing so well this year compared to professional politicians who are considered part of the problem.

[Unorthodox]

For the record, I don't think Bush was as bad as HE is made out to be, either.  He had a similar blockade everything do nothing congress. 

I get tired of the "blame the president" from either side when they aren't even half the problem in most cases.  Why the president always becomes the fall guy is beyond me a bit, and I think the continued demonizing of WHOEVER the president is by radical media personalities is not good for anyone. 

[vonbach]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LO2eh6f5Go0

The Government Can. I've wanted to post this for awhile.