In order to ensure that this thread continues to meet TL standards and follows the proper guidelines, we will be enforcing the rules in the OP more strictly. Be sure to give them a re-read to refresh your memory! The vast majority of you are contributing in a healthy way, keep it up!
NOTE: When providing a source, explain why you feel it is relevant and what purpose it adds to the discussion if it's not obvious. Also take note that unsubstantiated tweets/posts meant only to rekindle old arguments can result in a mod action.
I like that he's out out conspiracy theorying the ancient aliens thing though Science: "The pyramids were monuments to the dead Egyptian kings." Stargate: "A lot of people believe that the pyramids were monuments to the dead Egyptian kings but I'm here to tell you that they were actually alien landing sites." Carson: "A lot of people believe that a lot of people believe that a lot of people believe that the pyramids were monuments to the dead Egyptian kings but think they were actually alien landing sites but I'm here to tell you that they were granaries built by Joseph with the power of God." Science: "A lot of people believe that a lot of people believe that a lot of people believe that a lot of people believe that the pyramids were monuments to the dead Egyptian kings but think they were actually alien landing sites but think they were actually granaries built by Joseph with the power of God but I'm here to tell you that this is getting way too meta."
On November 06 2015 01:59 KwarK wrote: a lot of people believe that the pyramids were monuments to the dead Egyptian kings but think they were actually alien landing sites but think they were actually granaries built by Joseph with the power of God but I'm here to tell you that this is getting way too meta."
Anyone else think that the increasingly interconnected nature of our country is going to make candidates more accountable for things they say during a primary? I think that the general election somewhat starts early nowadays with how every single detail is carefully documented via twitter, youtube, facebook, reddit, etc. Candidates won't be able to cater to their base without having to answer for it in the general.
On November 06 2015 03:02 farvacola wrote: God I hope you're right.
I kind of don't. Clinton is going batshit crazy about free education and gun control. That kinda shit is totally unnecessary for winning the primary and definitely not needed for the general. No one will win a general election by emphasizing free college or gun control. It's hopeless. This is why I was so against Bernie early on. Here he is, still significantly down in polls, forcing Clinton to say a bunch of ridiculous nonsense.
I think you're projecting your dislike for Bernie upon a Hillary that actually maintains positions you disagree with. When it comes to gun control, for example, Bernie is actually very center if not right on the issue given his background in gun-friendly Vermont. Hillary's decision to make outlandish policy statements on the topic isn't all that related.
As for the free education claims, though I agree in terms of Bernie's rhetoric being improperly strong-arm in nature, it isn't "ridiculous nonsense" to reconfigure entitlement spending alongside a reduction in defense in order to render a baseline guarantee to higher ed a reasonable statement. "free education" is probably not the right way to describe it, but the policy background is far more sound than you allege.
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders has introduced legislation to legalize the recreational use of marijuana.
The bill, which would remove cannabis from the federal list of dangerous drugs such as heroin, would allow states to prohibit marijuana but would remove federal barriers for ones that want to legalize it for medical and recreational use.
The introduction of the bill follows remarks Sanders made last week, when he said if elected president he would seek to remove marijuana from a list of drugs deemed illegal by the federal government, freeing up states to regulate pot like alcohol or tobacco.
The Ending Federal Marijuana Prohibition Act (PDF) is the first Senate bill to propose legalizing recreational marijuana, The Hill reported.
Sanders’ bill would allow the marijuana industry access to banks, which was the subject of legislation proposed in July by Sen. Michael Bennet, a Democrat, and Sen. Cory Gardner, a Republican, both of Colorado where marijuana is legal.
“Sen. Sanders really grabbed the nation’s attention when he became the first major-party presidential candidate to speak out in support of ending marijuana prohibition,” said Mason Tvert, spokesman for the Marijuana Policy Project, in a statement. “His actions today speak even louder than his words last month. … Sen. Sanders is simply proposing that we treat marijuana similarly to how we treat alcohol at the federal level, leaving most of the details to the states. It is a commonsense proposal that is long overdue in the Senate.”
In part, Sander’s bill recognizes that a majority of Americans believe marijuana should be legal, with an Oct. 21 survey showing a steady growth in support for legalization. It also plays to his base — the Gallop poll found younger Americans, Democrats and independents “are the most likely of major demographic and political groups to favor legalizing use of the drug, while Republicans and older Americans are least likely to do so.”
The Democratic presidential candidate last week said the nation's massive prison population and more than 600,000 arrests last year for marijuana possession demand a shift in the country's drug laws. He said the problem has a racial disparity as well — a black person is nearly four times more likely to be arrested for marijuana than a white person.
Sanders’ stance on pot sets him apart from Democratic rivals Hillary Clinton and Martin O'Malley. Clinton has said she wants to see how the legalization of recreational marijuana plays out in states like Colorado and Washington, and when asked recently if she was ready to take a position on marijuana, she said “No,” according to Politico. O'Malley wants to reclassify marijuana under federal drug laws and make it a so-called Schedule 2 drug.
Three states in addition to Colorado have legalized recreational marijuana: Washington, Oregon and Alaska.
I'm surprised more people aren't abusing Carson to be honest. Like why hasn't a reporter just gone with an obvious trap like "In Genesis 9:11 God promises that there will not be another flood which will devastate humanity. Do you feel man has the power to break God's will or will God's covenant protect man from rising sea levels?"
On November 06 2015 05:14 ticklishmusic wrote: Or just go hard on stoning and goats
Do you think his head would explode if someone pointed out contradictory statements in the Bible?
You've not spoken with many fundies have you? There are no contradictions in the Bible and if one thinks there is that person doesn't understand the meaning of said passages. /s
It never seemed like Mitt's Mormonism was ever a big deal so I don't see why a candidates religious beliefs would be now. I do agree with the sentiment that it is good to know though, a person's beliefs tell you a great deal about them and usually plays a large part in informing their decisions, so it is relevant.
The biggest problem with Carson is that he doesn't realize (though this is a very common occurrence) that expertise in one area does not necessarily, and in fact rarely, transfer to another area. You don't ask a rocket scientist's opinion on neuron surgery, why is a neuron surgeon (or business person) suddenly feels he is qualified to lead the discussion in law, national security, economy and foreign policy?
GOP presidential candidate Jeb Bush suggested during a Thursday interview with MSNBC that his father might be trying to "create a different narrative" about his brother George W. Bush’s administration.
Jeb Bush was responding to critical comments made by his father, the 41st President, about the influence of former Vice President Dick Cheney and former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld regarding the war in Iraq.
Quoted in a forthcoming biography, George H.W. Bush knocked the “arrogant” Rumsfeld and “hard-line” Cheney for convincing his son that the U.S. could “use force to get our way in the Middle East."
Jeb Bush had a different take.
“I think my dad, like a lot of people that love George, want to try to create a different narrative, perhaps,” Jeb Bush told MSNBC's Kasie Hunt. “Just because that's natural to do, right?”
“My brother’s a big boy,” he said. “His administration was shaped by his thinking, his reaction to the attack on 9/11.”
W. himself told his dad's biographer that he “made the decisions” about foreign policy, recalling his infamous characterization of himself as “the decider” who determined the composition of his political cabinet. At the height of the Iraq War, Bush insisted that Rumsfeld should stay on as secretary of defense though prominent military officials called for his resignation.
Rumsfeld also fired back at the elder Bush's comments on Thursday, telling NBC News that “Bush 41 is getting up in years and misjudges Bush 43, who I found made his own decisions."
On November 06 2015 05:14 ticklishmusic wrote: Or just go hard on stoning and goats
Do you think his head would explode if someone pointed out contradictory statements in the Bible?
You've not spoken with many fundies have you? There are no contradictions in the Bible and if one thinks there is that person doesn't understand the meaning of said passages. /s
It never seemed like Mitt's Mormonism was ever a big deal so I don't see why a candidates religious beliefs would be now. I do agree with the sentiment that it is good to know though, a person's beliefs tell you a great deal about them and usually plays a large part in informing their decisions, so it is relevant.
Mitt's Mormonism seemed to be Mormon-lite. Just like our modern presidents have been Christian-lite or slightly more religious than that. Christian-lite being someone who believes in Jesus and/or the general moral principles he taught, but don't believe in the bible literally. We haven't had presidents use biblical passages to try to stone people to death for certain transgressions (old testament) or give forgiveness to people, even terrorists (new testament). Instead, they seem to preside as pragmatists or modern idealists with a little bit of Judaeo-christian moral grounding.
Carson seems to be a much more literal follower of the bible. He has proposed a tax system based on the biblical tithe system. It is completely unrealistic based on our current government. He has buried his head in the sand on scientific issues such as global warming and it doesn't appear to be due to oil company payoffs... he actually believes it's a hoax. He believes in a literal rapture and Armageddon. That's not exactly the person I want in charge of the most powerful military in the world.
For Romney, the Mormonism wasn't a big deal. For Carson, his religion is a big deal in his life. That's why the public didn't care too much about Mitt's religion while we should care a whole lot about Carson's.
On November 06 2015 05:19 Kickstart wrote: It never seemed like Mitt's Mormonism was ever a big deal so I don't see why a candidates religious beliefs would be now. I do agree with the sentiment that it is good to know though, a person's beliefs tell you a great deal about them and usually plays a large part in informing their decisions, so it is relevant.
Romney didn't wave his faith in peoples faces. He did not openly say he wished to institute laws based on the bible (as far as I can remember)
EPT
