(02-17-2016 12:49 PM)GoodOwl Wrote:  I think a lot of Bernie's and Trump's appeal is many people just saying "Screw it. At least these two are authentic about who they are and don't try to hide it."

Watched the GOP debate online last night. And watched most of the Dims debate as well (it was just too hard to sit and listen to two full hours of their fantasy bs nonsense.)

It is amazing how different both the questions from the moderators are and the comportment of the two panels of contenders. I'll say that the Dims have been able to keep a more collegial tone so for as compared to the Reps, mostly due to only two viable candidates, of which only two are left, along with mostly softball, friendly questions from biased moderators. They don't seem to go after Hiliary for her numerous duplicities, or her transparent insincerities in wanting to do or say anything to become the first woman president at any cost. They don't require Sanders to explain more fully exactly how he will be a commander in chief against enemies that hate us, or how he intends to pay for anything he has proposed (he cannot, and I find myslef ironically agreeing with Hilliary that his plans are ridiculous and unworkable).

I'll say one thing for Sanders, he knows who he is and where the meat of his outreach in his arguments are. He may be crazy, but he knows how to appeal to fellow unrealistic crazy voters on the left, and he's kicking butt in making that work for him.

Hilliary is so calculated, she is a plastic mannequin. I know she will be a formidable opponent to any of the Republicans. The only thing she wants is to be President. She has no other real vision or agenda, and is willing to ruin millions of lives to feed her power-mad hunger. It's pretty revolting to watch. Her foreign policy answers reflect her gross naivety, and how she would also foolishly play right into our enemies' hands as they lie to her and she trusts them to "keep" each new "agreement" that they make with her. Maybe because she's such a liar herself, she believes agreements don't really mean anything anyway, so she doesn't care. That would at least explain it.

On the GOP side, it was the most embarrassing thing to watch these six bicker and especially Trump and Cruz act like schoolchildren attacking each other on nothing. The moderators on their debates are hell-bent on attacking and making gotcha media moments, rather than shooting for a thoughtful discussion of positions on the issues. They certainly are biased against the Republicans in general, with the exception of Kasich, who's a Dimocrat, and seldom toss the Reps the softballs they do in the Dim debate love fests.

Trump is too thin-skinned and would do well to just shut up and listen without interrupting almost every single time, and look more Presidential. His biggest problem is I can't imagine him with his finger on the button. I can't imagine him not getting us into a bigger foreign policy mess. And his record as any kind of conservative is highly suspect.

Trump is like Bernie in that he just keeps saying 'We'll win;' he gives almost no specifics, and he thinks he will just hire people to tell him what to do. Maybe he's right, and he will hire the best and brightest, but I just think he's too hot-headed to handle the multiple crises that are sure to come his way. It's hard to be confident in him for four years. Maybe one, but not for four.

Cruz comes across like a slimy evangelical too much for me to believe he'll beat Hilliary in a general. I have no doubt he's a conservative, and that he could handle the job and mostly get it right. I do not like his tax plan, and I do not trust or like him personally, but he could do the job.

Rubio has his moments, but he just can't get over the hump of inexperience with me, and I vacillate between thinking he'd give Hilliary the most problems in the general, to seeing how she'd take him apart piece by piece. I like his personal vision for the country and what it is supposed to be. Other than Carson, he is the strongest in this area.

It's not a fair fight-- all Hilliary has to do is enough damage to her opponent to gain a few extra votes. The Republicans have the tougher job to try to gain back a block of voters they lost to win the general election. They have to be more on-target, tested and capable. I'm just not seeing that.

Jeb! had his best debate performance, but I can't see another Bush winning, and especially against Hilliary, there's just no way to have confidence he could beat her, scum though she is. His name and family would be too much baggage, and he's not the crafty debater and liar as she is. Plus, I don't think he's in touch with the working class "Reagan Democrats" he'd absolutely need to swing the general election his way. I don't see right now where he could actually beat Hilliary, so he's still a non-starter.

Kasich should be running for the Dims nomination. I don't know what he's doing on that stage. It'd be funny if it wasn't so important. If he somehow won the nomination just because he's kind of a Republican Jimmy Carter, Hilliary would win the general in a landslide because so many Rep voters would sit out another election.

Carson, I actually like much (not all) of what his written plans on his website are. I have been to all their websites now, and Carson's is miles ahead as far as depth, especially on domestic issues and agendas. I'm still not convinced Carson could remotely handle the foreign policy or stand up to our enemies. Then again, if he hires good advisers, I think he can make generally good decisions. I can't imagine him actually being the President because he personally comes across as the weakest by far of either side, and that is a shame, because he clearly has thought through all the domestic issues at least and knows the right thing to do for the most part. He's just not got the balls you need in someone to be a strong President, which is what we really need right now.

Still, I may end up voting for Carson in the primary as he has the best handle on the actual issues and the best solutions by far. I love his Health Empowerment Accounts. All the reps should adopt that approach. I am not as on board with Carson's tax approach, but perhaps he could work some more on it when he gets there.

So then I took a look at Johnson's Libertarian site last night, and found that I agree with much of what he has there. I have no illusions he can win, and I despise the drug pushing he promotes in the name of freedom, as I see drugs are a prison and a curse on our children, so enabling people to destroy themselves and their children and families is a very hard thing to swallow from a potential leader of America. Of course, since the term "family" barely exists in our society anyway, what's the difference? The law basically does not support them already, so what's one more kook who's at least a bit more honest about it?

I'll vote in the primary, but I still don't know who for. Part of me says "screw it, let Trump take a shot, it can't be much worse that what we have now, and at least he knows business." I worry about his temperament and lack of self-control, especially as commander in chief dealing with other world leaders. Trump would be by far the hardest candidate for any enemy to manipulate, as Hilliary is a pawn and a child when it comes to foreign affairs. And maybe the threat Trump would get mad and bomb the hell out of them would be a good thing after the weakness of the last eight years. It would sure make our enemies be more careful and far less bold.

I wish someone on the stage had said to him: "Donald--control yourself." Cruz tried, but came across as sniveling in how he stated it. He's so full of ego it is hard to watch at times, though again, he could do the job. Cruz is just as unlikable when it comes to that, because he appears so power hungry at times. Trump just has no self control. And the image of him standing on that stage with all his kids a few weeks ago, knowing not one of them has the same mother, well, that's pretty revolting for a President. Even Obummer has one public spouse (his private issues notwithstanding) he puts up a good facade. Maybe because his own experience of a broken family taught him that any facade of a family is miles better than a split one. Score one for Obissmal.

Too bad we can't have Scalia as President. He would have been best of all.

Trump's first three children (Eric, Don Jr., and Ivanka) were all with Ivana. Tiffany was with Marla Maples, and Baron with his current wife, Ivana.