USA election 2016

[Ruin]

Seriously though, fuck people who think this current system is somehow okay. Why the fuck does some hick farmer asshole in Iowa's vote mean more than mine?

The electoral college is shit and anyone who defends it is an idiot.

 

[Reddit Avenger]

As a Brit from what I've seen of the coverage of your networks seem to never show third party candidates as an option. In all the interviews I seen reporters do they never ask if people are voting for someone other then Clinton or Trump.

Because they're an option in the same way that you might have the option at a car dealership to either buy the red car, the blue car, or to simply throw all your money into a garbage disposal.

The first two options are more or less the same shit with a different color, while the last one is a complete waste that accomplishes literally nothing.

 

[Joan Nyan]

That's because it is almost always irrelevant to do so.

I am pushing for Johnson because despite his utter foreign policy ignorance, his quaint mid-west sentimentalism, and his ultra-capitalist economic "reform" policies that are basically crackpot conspiracy theories, I feel like he strikes a good balance of domestic and social policy. U.S. non-interventionism, increased power to the states, what I call the "gays and guns" platform, and commitment to a secular government are enough of a sell for me. Trump and Clinton bring literally nothing to the table. Johnson is sometimes exceptional, but only in the way that your lovable pot-smoking grandfather is sometimes exceptional. He's like a 66% net gain for the U.S.

I have never hidden it. I am foremost a monarchist- constitutional and parliamentarian leanings notwithstanding- so libertarian is about as far away as you can get most days (on the right-wing spectrum), but unfortunately my EU citizenship isn't looking as good it used to. Carlism is more about radical Catholicism and abortion rights these days.

Johnson is the best candidate stateside in a long time, because he at least maintains a veneer of "leave you in fucking peace" policies I can get behind while the U.S. establishment continues to fuck itself like it has since the War of Northern Aggression (not taking it back loltrolled). Smaller government and states rights are more significant to me than literally any other issue, followed by property rights.

Tear me apart @*Asterisk* @Jon-Kacho @Legatus Lanius

Johnson supports taking in Syrian refugees. A vote for anyone except Trump is a vote for Sharia law.

 

[Spudnik]

I'm seriously considering voting Vermin Supreme, just so I don't get that "you didn't vote, so you can't complain" bullshit.

My state is going to be red no matter what, and I don't want any of these clowns to have my vote.

 

[Reddit Avenger]

I'm seriously considering voting Vermin Supreme, just so I don't get that "you didn't vote, so you can't complain" bullshit.

My state is going to be red no matter what, and I don't want any of these clowns to have my vote.

>Vermin Supreme

If you're gonna vote for a literal meme, at least be current about it. #votesoutforharambe

 

[DZ 305]

That's because it is almost always irrelevant to do so.

I am pushing for Johnson because despite his utter foreign policy ignorance, his quaint mid-west sentimentalism, and his ultra-capitalist economic "reform" policies that are basically crackpot conspiracy theories, I feel like he strikes a good balance of domestic and social policy. U.S. non-interventionism, increased power to the states, what I call the "gays and guns" platform, and commitment to a secular government are enough of a sell for me. Trump and Clinton bring literally nothing to the table. Johnson is sometimes exceptional, but only in the way that your lovable pot-smoking grandfather is sometimes exceptional. He's like a 66% net gain for the U.S.

I have never hidden it. I am foremost a monarchist- constitutional and parliamentarian leanings notwithstanding- so libertarian is about as far away as you can get most days (on the right-wing spectrum), but unfortunately my EU citizenship isn't looking as good it used to. Carlism is more about radical Catholicism and abortion rights these days.

Johnson is the best candidate stateside in a long time, because he at least maintains a veneer of "leave you in fucking peace" policies I can get behind while the U.S. establishment continues to fuck itself like it has since the War of Northern Aggression (not taking it back loltrolled). Smaller government and states rights are more significant to me than literally any other issue, followed by property rights.

Tear me apart @*Asterisk* @Jon-Kacho @Legatus Lanius

I don't judge you

Johnson supports taking in Syrian refugees. A vote for anyone except Trump is a vote for Sharia law.

 

[Shokew]

Do you actually want to explain what the problem is or is it not your job to educate shitlords like us?

People getting denied the right to vote over BS like gerrymandering of crucial districts in most states. It's a key factor in what allows assholes in power at the state and local levels to be assholes and fuck their constituents over - and yet, everyone blames & ridicules (albeit, it is somewhat justified.) the feds, instead of those who truly deserve it on those levels for pulling such BS.

 

[Spudnik]

I'm not sure if it 100% fits with this topic, but it's been on my mind;

Bernie Sanders can fuck off. Don't get me wrong, he was my hopeful for the democratic nominee, but Back in April Sanders stated:

we are not a movement where I can snap my fingers and say to you or to anybody else what you should do, because you won't listen to me. You shouldn't. Uh, you'll make these decisions yourself.

However, in the last month or so, we've gotten:
"If my supporters 'take a hard look' at what Gary Johnson stands for, they won't vote for him"
"It is imperative we elect Hillary"
"This is not the time for a protest vote"

I believe that Bernie's integrity was at least one aspect both sides could appreciate. But something changed after he lost the nomination. I don't know if it's just a threat of a trump presidency, or if Hillary has something to do with it (probably still begging for "bernie bros" votes). Either way, I can't stand him running around helping Clinton out, it goes against what he was running for.

Then again, this is the same man who said "Americans are sick and tired of hearing about your damn emails", which was an unbelievably stupid move in the primaries. He had a silver bullet that could have prevented this mess (maybe), and he threw it away, and for what? to play nice with Hillary? that worked great, considering she told his campaign to "watch their tone" shortly after.

Edit: Also, I think if Trump wins the presidency, the DNC only has themselves to blame, it won't be Bernie Bros fault, it won't be Johnsons fault, it won't be Steins fault. It will ONLY be because Hillary is an abysmally weak candidate who couldn't beat a reality tv host.

This whole election has been a real eye-opener through-and-through

 

[SailingtheSaltySeas]

It doesn't matter who we vote for, either way we're fucked.

 

[Abethedemon]

You know it's dark times when Vermin Supreme is more promising than the two mainstream candidates.

 

[Joan Nyan]

I'm not sure if it 100% fits with this topic, but it's been on my mind;

Bernie Sanders can fuck off. Don't get me wrong, he was my hopeful for the democratic nominee, but Back in April Sanders stated:

However, in the last month or so, we've gotten:
"If my supporters 'take a hard look' at what Gary Johnson stands for, they won't vote for him"
"It is imperative we elect Hillary"
"This is not the time for a protest vote"

I believe that Bernie's integrity was at least one aspect both sides could appreciate. But something changed after he lost the nomination. I don't know if it's just a threat of a trump presidency, or if Hillary has something to do with it (probably still begging for "bernie bros" votes). Either way, I can't stand him running around helping Clinton out, it goes against what he was running for.

Then again, this is the same man who said "Americans are sick and tired of hearing about your damn emails", which was an unbelievably stupid move in the primaries. He had a silver bullet that could have prevented this mess (maybe), and he threw it away, and for what? to play nice with Hillary? that worked great, considering she told his campaign to "watch their tone" shortly after.

Edit: Also, I think if Trump wins the presidency, the DNC only has themselves to blame, it won't be Bernie Bros fault, it won't be Johnsons fault, it won't be Steins fault. It will ONLY be because Hillary is an abysmally weak candidate who couldn't beat a reality tv host.

This whole election has been a real eye-opener through-and-through

Give Bernie a break, he's only endorsing Hillary so he doesn't have an accident at the gym.

 

[Xarpho]

I'm not sure if it 100% fits with this topic, but it's been on my mind;

Bernie Sanders can fuck off. Don't get me wrong, he was my hopeful for the democratic nominee, but Back in April Sanders stated:

However, in the last month or so, we've gotten:
"If my supporters 'take a hard look' at what Gary Johnson stands for, they won't vote for him"
"It is imperative we elect Hillary"
"This is not the time for a protest vote"

I believe that Bernie's integrity was at least one aspect both sides could appreciate. But something changed after he lost the nomination. I don't know if it's just a threat of a trump presidency, or if Hillary has something to do with it (probably still begging for "bernie bros" votes). Either way, I can't stand him running around helping Clinton out, it goes against what he was running for.

Then again, this is the same man who said "Americans are sick and tired of hearing about your damn emails", which was an unbelievably stupid move in the primaries. He had a silver bullet that could have prevented this mess (maybe), and he threw it away, and for what? to play nice with Hillary? that worked great, considering she told his campaign to "watch their tone" shortly after.

Edit: Also, I think if Trump wins the presidency, the DNC only has themselves to blame, it won't be Bernie Bros fault, it won't be Johnsons fault, it won't be Steins fault. It will ONLY be because Hillary is an abysmally weak candidate who couldn't beat a reality tv host.

This whole election has been a real eye-opener through-and-through

A Hillary win would only illustrate how far she had to go to beat Donald Trump. But you're right, I felt that Bernie's best traits were honesty and integrity, and I might've considered voted for him if things had gone differently, but seeing Bernie turn into a Hillary shill, that's disheartening.

 

[UtopiaGuy]

A Hillary win would only illustrate how far she had to go to beat Donald Trump. But you're right, I felt that Bernie's best traits were honesty and integrity, and I might've considered voted for him if things had gone differently, but seeing Bernie turn into a Hillary shill, that's disheartening.

I think Bernie is still the Bernie people came to love. But he's facing the fact a Bizarro like Trump could win it, and it's only practical for him to promote the only viable alternative in the field. He's also probably thinking Hillary could swing some of his policy points later on and get some of it passed. Trump, Johnson and Stein won't, since one is on the GOP side and the other two won't come within a light-year of winning. He's doing the lemons-into-lemonade thing.

 

[Shokew]

You know it's dark times when Vermin Supreme is more promising than the two mainstream candidates.

Vermin Supreme represents what we're gonna end up like, unless we fight back, truly and eventually. Why not vote for him. His very figure speaks a truth we cannot ignore any further. Even if he does come off like a comedy act to many.

 

[Cheap Sandals]

No matter who wins, the American democracy looks like a shitshow. It seems (to an outsider) like many people on both sides of the political spectrum are disengaging from the concept of "working with the Other", and are instead forming ideological camps where purity wins out over pragmatism. It looks, to a non-American, like there's no pan-American 'dream' anymore.

If H-Dog wins, a lot of right wingers will say "fuck this place" and if Trump wins, the same thing from the other side. It doesn't look like either candidate winning will actually help the country unify. It seems, to me, like no matter who wins, the divides only deepen.

I think the only winner in this election are voyeuristic aliens, because they get to watch everything from a safe distance.

 

[Enclave Supremacy]

I've got a question as a non-American. In the UK, yeah it's not a duopoly like the US is but after the election the leader of the opposition still plays a large role in Parliament as the Leader of HM Loyal Opposition.

What happens in America? What happens to the presidential candidate who looses the election. Where do they stand in their party and do they still hold a position?

 

[Optimus Prime]

I've got a question as a non-American. In the UK, yeah it's not a duopoly like the US is but after the election the leader of the opposition still plays a large role in Parliament as the Leader of HM Loyal Opposition.

What happens in America? What happens to the presidential candidate who looses the election. Where do they stand in their party and do they still hold a position?

AFAIK the losing candidate generally gets nothing and goes back to being a prominent name in their respective party to run for senator or something. Just look at Al Gore after he lost the election - still relevant enough that South Park dedicated an entire side mission exclusively to him in Stick of Truth.

 

[Null]

I've got a question as a non-American. In the UK, yeah it's not a duopoly like the US is but after the election the leader of the opposition still plays a large role in Parliament as the Leader of HM Loyal Opposition.

What happens in America? What happens to the presidential candidate who looses the election. Where do they stand in their party and do they still hold a position?

We do not have party-based elections and we do not have opposition offices. As I understand in the Commonwealth, at least Australia, there are "Shadow Ministers" which are somehow juxtaposing the Minister (which humorously has resulted in Australia's Minister of Defense being a former Shadow Minister of Justice from Batman, Australia). For the Prime Minister, you actually vote for the party and then the party picks their Prime Minister. The PM can then be fired or resign (like David Cameron did) and the Party can replace them without new elections.

In the US there's none of that shit. Our parties are basically private clubs. In the primary elections, our party (which we belong to symbolically, basically) decides their nominee for President. The primary vote is really misunderstood and are not comparable to our general election. They are not regulated like the GE, are basically like a private club's counting of votes, and frequently the parties smudge the rules to get the establishment favorite they want anyways regardless of the popular vote and each party has had different rules for how they select their nominee. The nominee then creates a ticket with a vice presidential pick of their choosing and they make their bid for the presidency.

The only reason parties hold these primary elections is it gives people an illusion that their vote is considered. Many high-ranking officials within the GOP wanted to block Trump from being the nominee, but the voter base was so enthused about Trump at the time they knew honoring the votes was the only way to keep the Republican party together. Not doing so would have resulted in an independent Trump party stealing half of the GOP's votes, or more, and cost the election for the conservatives. Nothing legally kept them from doing this however.

In our House of Representatives and Senate, collectively referred to as the Congress, we have two groups. The Senate is precisely 100 people -- 2 from each state, Washington D.C. not included. Congress is based on population and are elected from small, arbitrarily drawn districts within each state, determined by state government. There currently are over 400 people in Congress. In order for a bill to become law, it must be approved by the Senate and the House and then be signed into law by the President. If the President refuses to sign it, it is called a Veto. Senate may vote with a 2/3rds majority to override the veto and force a bill into law. This has happened precisely once in President Obama's two terms. Congress people are up for election every 2 years, and the Senate is up for election every 6 years. This year, at the same time, both congress and senate will appear on the ballot alongside the president.

What frequently happens in American politics is that, because of the varied lengths of terms, the house / congress / president will be of different party affiliations at different times. This usually results in a lame duck where nothing gets passed. Because of Bush Jr's failures, Obama was elected into office with a democratic congress and senate, and is frequently criticized for getting relatively little done with that opportunity.

A lot of the reason the 2016 election is so contentious is not only that Trump and Clinton stand to win both the White House, the Senate, and the Congress at the same time, but our federal Supreme Court has at least 2 people coming up for immediate replacement and up to 5 people within the next 8 years. The Supreme Court is 9-member life-long appointment that must be nominated by the President and approved by the Senate. They are the single most powerful entity in our country's legal system and are responsible for upholding the constitution. A law that is passed and signed, if against our constitution, can be thrown out by the Supreme Court. They are responsible for passing de facto laws via court precedent which dictate how all lower courts will react to similar cases.

So basically, this election is super fucking important because it's winner takes all and if the wrong decisions are made the entire country might be a mad house for the next 50 years. Since we're already on the very precipice of total global war and economic collapse, most Americans are conscious that poor choices resulting from this election may be a real mortal wound to our very livelihood and existence.

 

[Mrs Paul]

I'll hold my nose and vote for Hillary. She really doesn't impress me all that much, but Trump so disgusts me that I just want to make sure he doesn't win. The guy reminds me of Richard Nixon. He's too thin-skinned, he's creepy, and his bromance with Putin disturbs me. And the less said about Pence, the better.

 

[Shokew]

I'll hold my nose and vote for Hillary. She really doesn't impress me all that much, but Trump so disgusts me that I just want to make sure he doesn't win. The guy reminds me of Richard Nixon. He's too thin-skinned, he's creepy, and his bromance with Putin disturbs me. And the less said about Pence, the better.

I said before I wanna see Trump continue and carry on, not that I was voting for him. I still feel bad everyone else, save for da lizard woman is less sane.