US Election 2016

[Dangles]

I'm beginning to wonder why we're getting so worked up over the things Trump is saying in this campaign. Since when has the word of a politician meant anything anyway? If he got in he'd be just as frustrated in implementing his crazy agenda as Obama has been with tackling gun control and climate change.

[David]

[Mugwump]

[Dangles]

@David: probably. However it just occurred to me that given all of Trumps anti China talk it wouldn't be surprising if he said that if he was president he wouldn't repay America's dept to China.

[Pies4shaw]

[Mugwump]

[David]

Trump on the difference between Hamas and Hezbollah.

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/sep/04/donald-trump-difference-between-hamas-hezbollah-quds-kurds

Good god, he makes Abbott sound like a Rhodes Scholar.

[Jezza]

[Dangles]

There was a story on the ABC's Foreign Corepondent about Trump last night. If you take him at face value it looks like his plan is to take office and just act like a bully. His views on climate change are misguided and dangerous too. A few weeks ago I heard say that climate change was a Chinese beat up to make America less competative. He's no good.

[Wokko]

Hillary's balloon goes *pop*

http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/09/06/hillary-clinton-campaign-in-free-fall/

Looks like it'll be the old school socialist running.

As for Trump not knowing that stuff (and pretty much admitting it), here's the take from Sarah Palin that you can take to the bank is the same outlook as a lot of Americans.

http://www.breitbart.com/video/2015/09/06/palin-on-trump-i-would-rather-have-a-tough-president-than-a-trivial-pursuit-expert/

I'm right there with her on that, there's nothing I hate more than stupid 'gotcha' questions to politicians. Like knowing every small detail within their policy area (that they could look up in 5 seconds while doing their actual job) then creating a 24 hour story about them not knowing it. Ridiculous journalism and unworthy for our 'leaders' to have to face. Instead of looking at the bigger picture they have to rote learn bullshit so they're not embarrassed by a journo who knows two bits of fuckall as well but has googled a couple of factoids in advance.

[David]

Love it, Jezza.

Wokko, a basic understanding of middle eastern dynamics is not a 'factoid', and asking someone about it is hardly a 'gotcha' question. That conservative radio host may not have been the sharpest tool in the shed himself, but he was spot on: Americans should expect their president to have a basic understanding of world affairs. It's barely even a qualification - honestly, I don't know why you'd even bother to run if you didn't have the capacity to pick up a newspaper once in a while.

As for Palin, well, it takes one to know one. Personally, as a current member of the human race, and thus someone whose life is affected by US elections, I'd far prefer the "trivial pursuit expert" (read: educated person) over the bull in the china shop.

As for Clinton, I'd be happy to see her drop out, but worry about the absence of high-profile alternatives. Could take or leave Biden, too. Sanders is great, but he's too progressive for most Americans (he's also pushing 70, which doesn't help). I hope it's not too late for someone like Elizabeth Warren to change her mind and run. But all of the above would be preferable to anyone from the Republican side.

[Tannin]

Part of me hates ‘gotcha’ questions – even when the person being got is Donald Trump http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/sep/04/gotcha-question-donald-trump

[Tannin]

^ WARNING! Wokko is not to read the above. Not under any circumstances. It would seriously endanger Wokko's health to find himself agreeing with something published in a crummy left-wing greenie conspiracy rag.

[Wokko]

Not a bad article, but I see she managed to get in her allocated quota of Bush bashing (I'm sure Cameron, Abbott and Harper are up for it in her next few articles).

The tough guy with little to no foreign policy experience that we should look at however isn't Bush 2 but Reagan. While I'm sure Nick's Comrades wont be able to see past their loathing, he led a highly successful presidency in regards to foreign policy and left the world a much better place, and he did it by stopping the policy of detente with the Soviet Union and working towards and succeeding in bringing it down.

Of course he had his failures as well (Lebanon and Iran-Contra come to mind), but ending the Cold War without an exchange of ICBMs came down to balls more than brains. Guys like Trump have their place, and the mess of an emasculated American foreign policy of the last 7 years needs to be fixed.

[Tannin]

^ He took mind-bogglingly stupid, terrifying risks. Thank god that the Soviets were better men than him and had the moral courage to back down and surrender rather than plunge the world into the nuclear war Regan wanted. The credit for the ending of the Cold War is entirely theirs.