TRUMP 2016

[RandBlade]

I keep reading that the FBI could recommend a prosecution is that not correct?

[LittleFuzzy]

Federal police authorities, when they are finished with their investigation, either dump it entirely as having no basis or give it to a US Attorney's office for referral. This is presumably what you consider a recommendation. It is not one. Complicating this is that A) this investigation is one based on a security referral from the IG and not a criminal referral, and ) that US attorneys are already involved (though it's possible that step was solely to avoid having to involve a grand jury in the investigation end of things). This is an issue where they're trying to determine if a crime even actually occurred.

Now there may be a recommendation made along with the referral but it will not be any kind of formal or official position and it very likely will not be made public (at least not until the autobiographies are being written).

[Aimless]

So, how closely will the next congress reflect Republican voters' apparent preference for people like Trump and Cruz? No change or influx of new politicians more closely aligned with voter attitudes?

[Aimless]

Also, is there any data on how likely a democratic superdelegate is to change his or her preference?

[RandBlade]

A preference is meaningless before the Convention isn't it? Other than giving implications to the media etc

Edit sorry just woke up and misread your post as how does a delegate change their preference.

[Aimless]

This might be relevant:

http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/...llary-clinton/

[LittleFuzzy]

So, how closely will the next congress reflect Republican voters' apparent preference for people like Trump and Cruz? No change or influx of new politicians more closely aligned with voter attitudes?

There typically is a "coat-tail" effect. If they win, they'll have a Congress which has swung more their way than the current one in all likelihood. That doesn't mean the swing will be large, or significant, that's pretty much impossible to predict.

[Khendraja'aro]

Today I learned that Trump actually thinks that committing war crimes is a sound idea to battle terrorism.

I mean, it is as if he watched some movies (or even read a book) where the villain tries to trap the hero by going after the hero's family - and Trump promptly thinks:

"Hey, that's a great idea!"

Nevermind that there's a reason why that particular plot device is never used by the good guys...

[Ominous Gamer]

What Trump says and thinks at this point I hope are still largely unconnected. Cause otherwise...yeah. Still, it says nothing good of the people he is winning over. Really shows what kind of super awesome people America is made up of.


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Google Searches for 'How to Move to Canada' Spike After Super Tuesday Results

[RandBlade]

Federal police authorities, when they are finished with their investigation, either dump it entirely as having no basis or give it to a US Attorney's office for referral. This is presumably what you consider a recommendation. It is not one. Complicating this is that A) this investigation is one based on a security referral from the IG and not a criminal referral, and ) that US attorneys are already involved (though it's possible that step was solely to avoid having to involve a grand jury in the investigation end of things). This is an issue where they're trying to determine if a crime even actually occurred.

Now there may be a recommendation made along with the referral but it will not be any kind of formal or official position and it very likely will not be made public (at least not until the autobiographies are being written).

Thanks I'm not familiar with this part of the US process. I assumed they did make a recommendation and it's what I'd read. Heard a lot of commentators refer to the FBI making a recommendation.

[Ominous Gamer]

[Lewkowski]

So in other words Sanders wants to ban oil. And/or be completely reliant on foreign sources. Gotcha.

[Aimless]

[RandBlade]

2014: Imagine Trump as President. How silly is that?
2015: Trump will never be President
2016: Trump won't really be President, will he?
2017: President Trump can't do that can he?
2018: Are you watching The Hunger Games tonight? I hope my district wins.

[Ominous Gamer]

Saw that on facebook too

[Nessus]

This has been a great thread

Thanks everyone

I can't express how happy reading this has made me

[Nessus]

So far Trump hasn't earned one vote. We'll know within 60 days whether Trump is a paper tiger creation of the media or a self-fulfilling prophesy of the media.

Guess who earned him some votes

Go on, guess

Oh, that's right

[Being]

This has been a great thread

Thanks everyone

I can't express how happy reading this has made me

Because you'd like to see the USA go up in flames?

[Nessus]

Because you'd like to see the USA go up in flames?

That's not flames, son

It's Morning in America

[GGT]

This might be relevant:

http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/...llary-clinton/

Very relevant. And why I said pages ago (to Flixy) that our political processes aren't nearly as 'representative' as we like to think they are, and that our voting processes aren't so simple (as Fuzzy claims).

Caucuses are funded/organized/operated by Political Party while Primaries are elections using state tax dollars....it's amazing those two very different processes are treated as if they're the same/equal, when they're obviously not. The nominating process is a game of delegates, but when the political 'elites' don't like the results, they just change the rules.

NESSUS!

[Nessus]

They came from all quarters, the four Regents of the GOP, come down from Capitol Hill: the Bush Clan advanced, all in gold, mounted on yellow horses, bearing shields that blazed with golden light; Cruz, the Angel of the South came on, followed by his hosts, the Tea Party Delegation, mounted upon blue steeds and bearing shields each with the insignia of a dismembered serpent; from the East rode Little Marco, whose horsemen carried shields bearing an orange tree insignia; and from the Midwest there came Kasich, whose Establishment Delegation were clad all in green and held before them shields each bearing an elaborate dollar sign insignia wrought of silver and gold. Their hooves did not appear to touch the grasses, and the only sound in the air was the music, which grew louder.

"Why do the Regents of the GOP approach?" Trump found himself saying.

"They come to bear my bones away," replied Cruz, still smiling.

The four Regents drew rein, their hordes at their backs, and Trump faced them.

"You come to bear his bones away," said Trump, "but who will come for yours?"

The Regents dismounted.

"You may not have this man, oh Trump," said the Regent of the Bush Clan, "for he belongs to the Party, and we of the Party will defend him."

"Hear me, Regents who dwell upon Capitol Hill," said Trump, taking his Aspect upon him. "Into your hands is given the keeping of the Party, but Trump takes whom he will from out the Party, and whenever he chooses. It is not given to you to dispute my Attributes, or the ways of their working."

The four Regents moved to a position between Trump and Cruz.

"We do dispute your way with this one. Lord Trump. For in his hands he holds the destiny of our Party. You may touch him only after having overthrown the four Powers."

"So be it," said Trump. "Which among you will be first to oppose me?"

"I will," said Jeb!, drawing the Sword of Chang.

Trump, his Aspect upon him, sheared through the soft metal like butter and laid the flat of his scimitar along Jeb!'s head, sending him sprawling upon the ground.

A great cry came up from the ranks of the Bush Clan, and two of the golden horsemen came forward to bear away their leader. Then they turned their mounts and rode back towards Kennebunkport.

"Who is next?"

Little Marco came before him, bearing a straight blade of silver and a net woven of moonbeams. "I," he said, and he cast with the net.
Trump set his foot upon it, caught it in his fingers, jerked the other off balance. As Rubio stumbled forward, he reversed his blade and struck him in the jaw with its pommel.

Two silver warriors glared at him, then dropped their eyes, as they bore their Master away to the East, a discordant music trailing in their wake.

"Next!" said Trump.

Then there came before him the burly Regent of the Midwest, who threw down his weapons and stripped off his tunic, saying, "I will wrestle with you, Trump."

Trump laid his weapons aside and removed his upper garments.

All the while this was happening, Cruz sat in the shade of the great tree, smiling, as though the passage of arms meant nothing to him.

Kasich caught Trump behind the neck with his left hand, pulling his head forward. Trump did the same to him; and the other did then twist his body, casting his right arm over Trump's left shoulder and behind his neck, locking it then tight about his head, which he now drew down hard against his hip, turning his body as he dragged the other forward.

Reaching up behind the Kasich's back, Trump caught his left shoulder in his left hand and then moved his right hand behind the Regent's knees, so that he lifted both his legs off the ground while drawing back upon his shoulder.

For a moment he held this one cradled in his arms like a child, then raised him up to shoulder level and dropped away his arms.
When the Regent struck the ground, Trump fell upon him with his knees and rose again. The other did not.

When the riders of the Midwest had departed, only the Angel of the South, clad all in blue, stood before Trump.

"And you?" asked Trump, raising his weapons again.

"I will not take up weapons of steel or leather or stone, as a child takes up toys, to face you, Trump. Nor will I match the strength of my body against yours, nor will I oppose you with cell phoones and Tweets" said Cruz. "I know I will be bested if I do these things, for none may dispute you with arms or social media."

"Then climb back upon your blue stallion and ride away," said Trump, "if you will not fight."

Cruz did not answer, but cast his blue shield into the air, so that pieces of the serpent spun and became a continuous circle, growing larger and larger as it hung above them.

Then it fell to the ground and began to sink into it, without a sound, still growing as it vanished from sight, the grasses coming together again above the spot where it had struck. A slimy ooze arose at the site. From its center arose a massive and ancient looking tree.

"And what does that signify?" asked Trump.

"I do not actively contest. I merely poach delegates. Mine is the power of passive opposition. Mine is the power of trolling, as yours is the power of destruction. While you can destroy anything I send against you, you cannot destroy everything, oh Trump. Mine is the power of the shield, but not the sword. My slime will oppose you, Lord Trump, to defend your victim."

The Blue One turned then, mounted his blue steed and rode into the South, the Tea Partiers at his back. The sound of the music did not go with him, but remained in the air he had occupied.

Trump shrugged and advanced once more, his blade in his hand. "Their efforts came to naught," he said. "Your time is come."
He struck forward with his blade.

The blow did not land, however, as a slimy tentacle arose from the ooze between them and struck the scimitar from his grasp. He reached for it but the slimy tentacle quickly pulled the weapon beneath the surface of the ooze where it could be seen no more.

Cursing, he reached for his cell phone as to release a mighty and terrible Tweet.

A huge tentacle arose from the ooze, came swaying before his target, and knocked the phone from his grasp. Then it disappeared into the dark pool carrying Trump's phone far into its vasty depths.

Cruz's eyes were closed in meditation and his halo glowed in the shadows.

Trump took a step forward, raising his hands, and ooze rose about his ankles, holding him where he stood.
He struggled for a moment, trying to pull himself free. Then he stopped and raised both hands high, throwing his head far back, death leaping from his eyes.

"Hear me, oh Powers of the RNC!" he cried. "From this moment forward, this Party shall bear the curse of Trump! No living thing shall ever stir again upon this ground! No bird shall sing, nor snake slither here! It shall be barren and stark, a place of rocks and shifting sand! Not a spear of grass shall ever be upraised from here against the sky! I speak this curse and lay this doom upon the defenders of my enemy!"

The dark pool of ooze began to recede, but before it had released him there came a great splintering, cracking noise, as the tree whose roots held together the GOP and in whose branches the delegates were caught, as fish in a net, swayed forward, splitting down its middle, its uppermost limbs tearing apart the sky, its roots opening chasms in the ground, its leaves falling like blue-green rain about him. A massive section of its trunk toppled toward him, casting before it a shadow dark as night.

In the distance, he still saw Cruz, seated in meditation, as though unaware of the chaos that erupted about him.

Then there was only blackness and a sound like the crashing of thunder.

Some of you said nothing could be as crazy as 2008. Nothing, nothing could be as insane as 2012.

Lo, for there was a great Trump upon the lands

This is the greatest time

[RandBlade]

LOL. That sounds familiar but I can't put my finger on what it's originally from, what stories that based on?

2012 was not particularly insane from memory. It was an inevitable incumbent win against a rather boring and mainstream GOP opponent (who would probably have won the general this year if he was the nominee this time around).

[Ominous Gamer]

Its from a Hugo award winner by Roger Zelazny, about death I think. The line "You come to bear his bones away," ... "but who will come for yours?" Is famous and borrowed/referenced often.

[Aimless]

http://www.vox.com/policy-and-politi...gy-of-violence

[RandBlade]

Bit rich for Trump opponents to be complaining about violence after what happened in Chicago

[Khendraja'aro]

Bit rich for Trump opponents to be complaining about violence after what happened in Chicago

Sow the wind and reap the whirlwind.

[Aimless]

What happened in Chicago?

[RandBlade]

Sow the wind and reap the whirlwind.

Trump's supporters have been violent at Sanders rallies have they?

I missed that, can you link some news articles where that happened?

[Khendraja'aro]

Trump's supporters have been violent at Sanders rallies have they?

I missed that, can you link some news articles where that happened?

I'll make it simple for the simple-minded like you who don't seem to grasp the meaning behind this saying:

If you preach violence (which is what Trump did repeatedly) then he does not get to play the Oh-boohoo-I'm-such-a-poor-victim-of-violence card.

I guess that concept is too complicated for an island-ape. From your statements, you'd vote for the moron in a heartbeat.

[Aimless]

So what happened in Chicago?