Campaigning: What's the Big Idea?

Has Oregon voted yet?

The "Bern" is very popular with the neo-hippie crowd.

 

If he were a horse, he'd be in a bottle of Elmer's right now.

 

Carson isn't (officially) suspending campaign, but not attending next debate and admits he doesn't see a, "(political) path forward".

I'd give a blind guess that his supporters will split 60/40 for Cruz & Rubio, respectively.

 

I'll congratulate you if he does.

The whole "pledged" or "Super Delegate" thing is the craziest, most anti-democratic thing in the world, has straight killed your guy, and which I would argue, is exactly as it was intended. That simply cannot continue to stand, going forward.

 

Probably right. That explains the first hundred. Where will the other 23 go?

 

Cruz and Rubio need all the help that they can get.

 

http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2016/03/marco-rubio-just-lost-fox-news.html

Dang media pushing agendas......

 

Not trump. He hasn't talked enough about Econ.

 

Eh, not so much an agenda as it's true. Rubio may as well pack it in.

 

A 'news agency' handing out directives to give certain candidates favorable questions/treatment most definitely is pushing an agenda.

 

And frankly, unAmerican. They have the right, but that's not media. I don't mind if they call themselves what they are. Mouthpieces is crap.

 

You're right, I didn't really think of it that way. I thought most had an ideal candidate they supported and ensured had plenty of face time.

 

Doing my best on this without reading other responses or doing outside research.

Sanders
1. What are their single biggest issues of importance or support for any candidate? Poverty
2. What are their biggest wrongs to be righted, or most important things to protect and preserve? Banks/businesses/social institutions using their substantial power to benefit themselves at the expense of the poor.
3. Can these things even be accomplished, at all, and if so, what does the candidate claim makes them uniquely qualified to bring it about? They can be accomplished, but not by one president. Sanders is not uniquely qualified at all, but he is the only one running for president who is willing to fight for the poor against the rich, and he is pushing for political revolution that, when it hits both the presidency and the down-ballot offices, will be able to accomplish something. He is qualified to lead this revolution through no special skills of his own, but because he's the only one out there trying to make it happen.
4. How do they intend to bring it about, and when do they hope to have achieved it? Get more Sanders-style Democrats into office by supporting them in down-ballot primaries, enact legislation to curb cronyism, increase the minimum wage, and make healthcare and education free. Target date TBD

Trump
1. What are their single biggest issues of importance or support for any candidate? Foreign trade
2. What are their biggest wrongs to be righted, or most important things to protect and preserve? We are being taken advantage of by our trade allies
3. Can these things even be accomplished, at all, and if so, what does the candidate claim makes them uniquely qualified to bring it about? He is the only one with a background in business who will bring strength to the negotiating table
4. How do they intend to bring it about, and when do they hope to have achieved it? Be strong at the negotiating table, call out our allies who break their free trade agreements. Specifically: declare China a currency manipulator.

Cruz
1. What are their single biggest issues of importance or support for any candidate? Be a true conservative!
2. What are their biggest wrongs to be righted, or most important things to protect and preserve? We don't have enough true conservatives!
3. Can these things even be accomplished, at all, and if so, what does the candidate claim makes them uniquely qualified to bring it about? He's the only true conservative who won't compromise and make friends with the establishment.
4. How do they intend to bring it about, and when do they hope to have achieved it? I dunno, once you get a true conservative into office, magic happens?

Rubio
1. What are their single biggest issues of importance or support for any candidate? Welding
2. What are their biggest wrongs to be righted, or most important things to protect and preserve? Biggest wrong to be righted: philosophy
3. Can these things even be accomplished, at all, and if so, what does the candidate claim makes them uniquely qualified to bring it about? ???
4. How do they intend to bring it about, and when do they hope to have achieved it? Make trade schools more appealing somehow? Possibly cut money from universities? I dunno

Clinton
1. What are their single biggest issues of importance or support for any candidate? Whatever issue most concerns the voters in the state she's campaigning in today
2. What are their biggest wrongs to be righted, or most important things to protect and preserve? Biggest wrong: take your pick between (1) whatever wrong most bothers the people she's campaigning to today, or (2) a woman not being president
3. Can these things even be accomplished, at all, and if so, what does the candidate claim makes them uniquely qualified to bring it about? She is a woman. Oh yeah, and she'll do some things to help some people
4. How do they intend to bring it about, and when do they hope to have achieved it? Get elected. Oh yeah, and do some things to help some people

Kasich
1. What are their single biggest issues of importance or support for any candidate? Budget
2. What are their biggest wrongs to be righted, or most important things to protect and preserve? Our debt is spiraling out of control
3. Can these things even be accomplished, at all, and if so, what does the candidate claim makes them uniquely qualified to bring it about? Balanced the budget in congress in the 90s, did it again in Ohio. Can work with opponents to make it happen again
4. How do they intend to bring it about, and when do they hope to have achieved it? Some sort of magic. . . but some sort of magic that he has accomplished before and thus will be able to do again

After doing this, it is a really interesting exercise to see who has been throwing out a clear message

 

It hasn't done anything yet, except create a harmful impression. They won't override the elected delegates. It'd be the end of the party.

 

Agreed. I don't care if the organization is pushing one agenda or another, a news agency shouldn't have any agenda other than reporting facts. When they start, they cease being a news organization and become nothing more than an editorial organization with an ax to grind.

 

And whether it's my candidate, your candidate or the Easter Bunny's candidate, that's wrong.

The correlation between the polarization of America and the politicalization of "news agencies" is direct, imo. This fact is worse than the Dems running a socialist or the Repubs running possible xenophobic but most definitely a gross egomaniac for the highest office. There may have never been an completely unbiased press, but I don't remember it being this blatant. The 'press' pushing agendas is even worse than the politicians. We at least know the general ideas espoused by candidates and they are publicly vetted. The biased press simply spoon feeds their audience what they want them to hear. And us Americans are way too lazy/complacent/comfortable to realize that. A biased press is a dire threat to our democracy.

 

Sound from here is the clapping of hands.

 

Do people realize Hillary has yet to win a blue state?

 

The media has always been biased. In the late 1800's, early 1900's it was train companies. Then it was steel, then it was the war then it was media moguls.

 

And what did that give us? The robber barons & Gilded Age.

Still wrong, no matter the era.