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Political Discussion Thread (With Rules)


Simon

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The fact that the process has been so unconventional this election year has probably led to much greater public scrutiny of it than usual. Looking at the process from outside your country, I have to say it leaves my head spinning. And ye gods, it takes so long! Here in Canada our last federal election campaign was the longest in our history... at 78 days.

Oh how I envy your election cycle. 

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Canada Envy strikes hundreds of Americans every year, and goes up to the thousands  during election cycles. Currently, there is no cure for Canada envy though frequent visits to the Yukon during Winter have been known to suppress symptoms as do reminders that Justin Beiber is from there. Project "No Maple Leaf 4 U!" is a non profit charity trying to help Americans come to grips with the fact that while they may envy Canada, they are very unlikely to get to gain citizenship; whether due to age, lack of needed job skills, or inability to list more than three hockey teams. We help any American we can cope with the ugly facts that if they're being screwed by their country, they're probably not rich enough to escape it.

 

Please donate to our cause.

 

Vancouver Canucks, Edmonton Oilers, Calgary Flames, Winnipeg Jets, Toronto Maple Leafs, Ottawa Senators, and Montreal Canadiens (or Habs). Quebec City is also a frontrunner for an expansion franchise, to replace the Nordiques (who moved to Colorado and won two Stanley Cups as the Avalanche).

 

I can also name all nine teams in the CFL: BC Lions, Edmonton Eskimos, Calgary Stampeders, Saskatchewan Rough Riders, Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Hamilton Tiger Cats, Toronto Argonauts, Ottawa RedBlacks, and Montreal Allouettes.  

 

So, can I come in?

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Australia is in the middle of a federal election campaign.

 

The election was called on the 8th of May, and will be held on the 2nd of July.

 

This is an unusually long campaign. Lots of people seem to be ignoring it.

 

If the opposition wins, we'll have our 6th Prime Minister since 2010, although that includes someone who was deposed and regained the position three years later.

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It seems to me Sanders is pivoting toward a long-term progressive movement, his stated goal all along, that can challenge the status quo.  Having weight at the convention and influencing the platform will help him accomplish this, thus I and many of his supporters believe it is in the long term interests of the country that the struggle continue.

 

I agree about the pivot.  In his speech on Tuesday night, Sanders said, "Next Tuesday we continue the fight,  We are going to fight hard to win the primary in Washington, D.C., and then we take our fight for social, economic, racial and environmental justice to Philadelphia."  You can hear the pivot in that statement as he starts by talking about the primary in DC, but by Philadelphia he isn't talking about the primary and is instead talking about the movement.  Even if he can't be the nominee, he wants his people at the convention, enthusiastic and pushing for progressive goals.  Hopefully his supporters will be as energetic in the name of the cause as they have been in the name of their candidate.

 

I will say 2016 has made me realize how ignorant and uninformed I am about the primary process.  There are open contests, closed contests, semi-closed, caucuses, different requirements in each state, I got hopelessly muddled trying to figure it out.  If all the primaries had been truly open, without the sometimes onerous advance registration requirements, I think the popular vote would've been much closer.  Even LA Mayor Eric Garcetti (Clinton supporter and Superdelegate) was on NPR last night saying the process is confusing and in need of improvement.

I'm not sure I agree with about the open primary thing though.  Sanders did very well in a number of the caucus states, whereas California which has an open primary on the Democrat side* was very kind to Hillary.  There were a bunch of closed polling places in Arizona, but that was probably just Republican shenanigans for the statewide contest since they where in heavily minority counties and Hillary strongest support has been among minority voters.  Had those polling places been open it is likely that her Arizona win would have been even bigger.

 

American's have been taught for generations that socialism is a dirty word. While parts of the population have been moving to the left and are more becoming warmer to it, but I think that it is going to take more than easier primary voting to get the bulk of the population to embrace it.  The enthusiasm so many young people have for Senator Sanders bodes well for socialism future in the US, but I just don't think that as a people we are there yet.  

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Her email scandal is still a serious issue to some, IMO he will stay as long as possible hoping something will break wide open with that.

I just read one of her former staffers was given limited immunity...  That surprises me.   

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/crime/justice-dept-granted-limited-immunity-to-staffer-in-clinton-email-probe/2016/06/07/a1a46d2c-2ce8-11e6-b5db-e9bc84a2c8e4_story.html

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The fact that the process has been so unconventional this election year has probably led to much greater public scrutiny of it than usual. Looking at the process from outside your country, I have to say it leaves my head spinning. And ye gods, it takes so long! Here in Canada our last federal election campaign was the longest in our history... at 78 days.

 

We like dragging things out (see Christmas season-heck it last 78 days)

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Vancouver Canucks, Edmonton Oilers, Calgary Flames, Winnipeg Jets, Toronto Maple Leafs, Ottawa Senators, and Montreal Canadiens (or Habs). Quebec City is also a frontrunner for an expansion franchise, to replace the Nordiques (who moved to Colorado and won two Stanley Cups as the Avalanche).

 

I can also name all nine teams in the CFL: BC Lions, Edmonton Eskimos, Calgary Stampeders, Saskatchewan Rough Riders, Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Hamilton Tiger Cats, Toronto Argonauts, Ottawa RedBlacks, and Montreal Allouettes.  

 

So, can I come in?

 

Why'd you only name the Canadian hockey teams, brownnoser?

 

Pittsburgh Penguins, Boston Bruins, New York Rangers and Islanders, Chicago Black Hawks, St. Louis Blues, used to be a Hartford Whalers (though I think they moved South because the NHL was under some strange impression that Southerners cared about hockey, they were the ones that moved Carolina, right?)  Anaheim Mighty Ducks, Phoenix Coyotes, Cloumbus Bluejackets? DC Capitals, drawing a blank on the LA team (Kings?) Detroit Red Wings, New jersey devils (other than the Canadian ones already mentioned I'm tapped out)

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We like dragging things out (see Christmas season-heck it last 78 days)

 

I don't think many people like our drawn-out political seasons, but I don't know what we could about it. I suspect restrictions on campaigning would fall afoul of the first amendment. "No, you can't go around the country asking people to support your candidacy/raising money/campaigning" sounds pretty anti-free speech to me. And no candidate is going to tie his own hands by subscribing to a shorter campaign period voluntarily when all his rivals are out there running from the get-go.

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