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The sum of all hopes, the sum of all fears, in one brief article

Posted by WDonway 8 years ago to Politics
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Here is one article that for me is the sum of all hopes, the sum of all fears. I don't think that ONE factor, such as Trump's personality on the stump, very different from in one-on-one exchanges, should be the basis for this decision. I hope this gives you pause.
SOURCE URL: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/oct/25/why-donald-trump-is-still-the-safer-choice/


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  • Posted by 8 years ago
    Unlike many of those voting for Gary Johnson, the Libertarian candidate--because they say Clinton and Trump are equally unacceptable--the vast majority of the Liberal-Left media, academia, and commentators do NOT find both candidates worthy of simply being dismissed.

    Far from it. They are desperate to defeat Donald Trump by any means--ready to defame, distort, and destroy his reputation--NEVER discussing his position or ideas; they are falling all over themselves to advance the candidacy of Hillary Clinton.

    Already the stories are pouring forth about plans of the extreme Left to co-opt the Clinton agenda; to be sure all her appointments, expecially to the Supreme Court, are far left; to be sure environmentalists, gays-lesbians-transgendered individuals are equally represented; to be sure Obama care moves toward full socialized medicine; to be sure that Clinton's statement that the most important single issue in our future is global warming is fully translated into law.

    No, they don't see both candidates as useless. They see Clinton as the royal road to the next advance for collectivism; see Trump as anathema. Do you REALLY think they are terrified of Trump because he boasted of groping? Really, you think that has the gigantic mainstream media machine breathing like race horses?

    In his speech at Gettysburg, this week, Trump offered a new contract with America: every plank, with the arguable exception of trade agreements and "the wall," would advance liberty. Quash the assault of economic regulation; defund global warming; back the new U.S, energy revolution, the most exciting economic advance in decades; focus federal money in education on school choice and charter schools; go seriously for term limits; and so it went.

    Do I really have to paint the contrast with the Clinton agenda? Oh yes, there is a difference between the only two candidates on the menu, this year. Do you want the difference? It comes down to that.

    ONE THING, by the way, is overlooked in its true implications: Donald Trump is an outsider in federal office. He has not built his career on political constituencies and lobbying groups. Most of them have opposed him in this election. (The National Rifle Association is a major exception, but their entire demand is to uphold on item on the U.S. Constituion Bill of Rights--not an expensive demand.)

    A President Trump owes NOTHING to any of the big guys, the insiders, the lobbying giants. Nothing. If elected, Trump will be elected by group to which Ayn Rand pointed, again and again, as the commonsense, working class, sense-of-life core of Ameirca. How the media hates them!

    "Share" and urge others to share if you agree. We have no other way of being heard over the blaring loudspeakers of the mainstream media.

    It is crucial for independents and Johnson supporters to decide that Trump is WAY better on the issues; that much of the personality stuff comes from endless shovelfulls of shit the media has tossed--Trump fights back and the cry is "bully"; and that they can't bear the thought of having Clinton and her legions of self-righteous, identity-politics-crazed, anti-capitalist followers pour into Washington by the thousands next January to take over the levels of federal government.
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    • Posted by Dobrien 8 years ago
      Hi WDonway,
      The obvious rational choice after 8 years of destruction from with in, is Trump.
      The issue that is causing the worst, most corrupt, lying, leftist statist to be a serious contender for the white house is as you say " --the vast majority of the Liberal-Left media, academia, and commentators" include the main stream networks and any "entertainment" affiliated with ex. SNL, They ignore the total hypocracy of these communists with a different name.
      Also I have been impressed by Trump's verbal exposure of many Clinton's corrupt
      transgression's that are now on the record from the debates.
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  • Posted by wmiranda 8 years ago
    I'll take the non-politician over a corrupt lifelong career political prostitute any day over anyone else. These elections, NO third party is not a viable option considering the slightest chance it may help the Clinton tag team get back in the WH to finish perverting what America has stood for since its' beginning. Hopefully, this election will make the WH just a fading memory for Hillary.
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  • Posted by DrZarkov99 8 years ago
    Too much focus has been on personalities, and not enough on policy proposals. The biggest danger to the promise of individual freedom is the possibility of a Clinton-packed judicial system. If she succeeds in loading the Federal court system with activist judges, Libertarians can kiss their hopes goodbye, which is why a third party vote now is not the smartest idea.

    If Johnson was in any real position of power, a la Perot before he sabotaged his own campaign, then I'd be all for voting for him, but he's not. This is a case where voting in support of principle is downright suicidal to those principles.
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    • Posted by term2 8 years ago
      I agree totally, which is why I voted for Trump in early voting. Political efforts against a very powerful elitist establishment arent going to succeed, particularly if there really isnt anywhere near popular support for really libertarian ideas as the present time. Even Johnson had to water down some of the libertarian principles (like let pot be sold and taxed but still maintain the war on drugs)
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  • Posted by $ CBJ 8 years ago
    This is nonsense. Yes, Hillary is as bad as the article states. No, that does not mean that voting third-party is the heinous moral crime this article claims it to be. The article’s dismissive tone regarding those of us voting third-party is insulting (at least to me) and does not address the actual impact of third-party voting in this election. The polls are showing that third parties are hurting Hillary’s chances, not helping them. Jill Stein is drawing votes predominantly from left-wing Democrats. including Bernie Sanders supporters, who dislike and distrust Hillary. Gary Johnson is drawing votes from both Hillary and Trump, but more from Hillary according to most polls. In a close race, third parties might actually enable a Trump victory which would not have occurred without them. You’re welcome.
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      Posted by Mitch 8 years ago
      I would agree with you in any other election cycle but in this election cycle, we are playing for all of the marbles. I’m voting to stop Hillary, at all costs; I’m voting for Trump. I have children, please don’t allow Hillary in office.
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      • Posted by Esceptico 8 years ago
        I agree. This is not Trump v Hillary, it is SCOTUS and the entire regulatory environment of kill the business people. So, vote to be Venezuela with Hillary or drain the swamp with Trump. Nothing else matters due to the immediate impact (forget the grandkids) on our lives.
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      • Posted by term2 8 years ago
        I agree totally. Its about whats going to happen in the next 4 years. Hillary will antagonize Russia and further the cold war we are already in. Once the oil price rises again, Russia will expand its grasp over the weak USA that Obama and Hillary have presented. Its a real danger that Russia testing Hillary will result in war.
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    • Posted by term2 8 years ago
      The choice today is between Hillary and Trump. There is no chance for a third party to win in this election. If Trump is not elected, we get Hillary for at least the next 4 years, and she will push us into socialism and less control over our lives. She will also tighten the control that the establishment has over our country. This makes it less likely for third party candidates to succeed in future years.

      Trump is the only choice to slow down the rise of socialism and establishment control in this country. He is also the best electable choice to keep us out of dangerous conflicts with Russia. Johnson has some good ideas, but its way too soon for those ideas to get substantial traction.

      The people who vote for Johnson should pull back political support for him, and concentrate on furthering education of free market ideas during the times BETWEEN elections.
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      • Posted by $ CBJ 8 years ago
        Why are you telling us Johnson supporters what we “should” do? I’m not telling you what you “should” do with your vote, I’m just helping make the case that voting for Johnson is preferable to voting for Trump. As an LP member for 44 years, I do try to “educate” others about individual freedom between elections, and politically support Libertarian candidates during elections. Over the years the LP has done a great job bringing freedom issues to the attention of voters, “educating” them if you will, and as a result it is a growing and increasingly recognized political party.
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        • Posted by term2 8 years ago
          I applaud the educational work that you and the libertarian party has done and will do in the future.

          My point is that in THIS election we actually have a decent chance of slowing down socialism, giving freedom loving people more TIME to do more education before the country falls deeper into decline. In previous elections, the differences between the candidates have been small. In this election, there is a successful business person with halfway decent ideas on freedom vs a definite posterchild for socialism and cronyism.

          Dont worry. Trump is a one of a kind candidate. There wont be another one standing up to the establishment like him. We wont have this chance again. In the future it will be more of the socialist vs more socialist candidates.
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          • Posted by $ CBJ 8 years ago
            Re: “My point is that in THIS election we actually have a decent chance of slowing down socialism, giving freedom loving people more TIME to do more education before the country falls deeper into decline.” We will have just as much TIME to educate the public if Hillary wins. And the Libertarian Party has too much at stake this year to abandon the field just because Trump is preferable to Hillary. With two deeply unpopular major party candidates in the race, Libertarians are receiving massive amounts of media and public attention that the party can build upon for future elections. The LP can’t wait around for another opportunity like this. The party’s future, and perhaps the country’s as well, depend upon a decent LP showing in the polls this time around.
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            • Posted by term2 8 years ago
              Johnson hasnt gotten the full impact of a democratic competitive assault this time around. With only 5% in the polls, its just not worth the effort on the part of the dems. Much more voter education and concentration on the failures of socialism will have to be done before the libertarians have a chance at all. Plus they need a charismatic candidate to rally the voters, which unfortunately Johnson ISNT.
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              • Posted by $ CBJ 8 years ago
                “From President Obama to Bernie Sanders, Democrats are increasingly sounding the alarm on third-party candidates as polls show the Libertarian Party nominee Gary Johnson and the Green Party's Jill Stein siphoning more support from Hillary Clinton than Donald Trump.”

                http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2016-...

                “Every Bernie supporter voting for Johnson needs to see this.” – Democratic Coalition against Trump

                https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FufZB...

                “Gary Johnson is Under Attack.” – NBCnews . com

                http://www.nbcnews.com/card/gary-john...
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                • Posted by term2 8 years ago
                  But he still has 5% support. The intellectual tone of the country is too socialist to elect a libertarian. We have to take smaller steps I think, and cracking open the establishment with Trump is a good first step
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                  • Posted by $ CBJ 8 years ago
                    We’re way beyond “first steps” and “small steps”. My first step was voting for Goldwater in 1964. My second step was joining the Libertarian Party in 1972. Both myself and the LP have taken many steps since then, and the party’s footprint is growing. My goal is to see the LP take increasingly bigger steps as opportunities arise.
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                    • Posted by term2 8 years ago
                      But the tone of the country has deteriorated substantiall siince then. Now all bets are off as to government controls, taxation is way higher, an admitted socialist nearly bumped a non-admitted socialist in the democratic party, and globalization has gotten PC status. Thats not progress politically in my view.
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                      • Posted by $ CBJ 8 years ago
                        Here’s progress: The highest federal income tax bracket is about 40%, compared to 70% when Goldwater was running. Distrust of government has never been higher. Membership in both major parties is down considerably. Corruption in government is much more obvious than in the 1960’s, when it was widespread but hidden. The military draft hasn’t been used in decades. Laws restricting private sexual conduct have been overturned. Anti-drug laws are being relaxed. All in all, things are not totally going south.
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                        • Posted by term2 8 years ago
                          I would agree with this, IF Trump wins. If he does not, it means that corruption is being ignored in favor of socialism, entitlements, and political correctness.
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          • Posted by $ CBJ 8 years ago
            I don’t think Trump is a one-of-a-kind candidate and I believe we will have many more chances to slow down socialism. Whether he wins or loses (and I expect him to win) he has already completely routed the Republican establishment, invaded the Democrats’ ideological “safe spaces,” forced the mainstream media to openly demonstrate its bias, exposed a huge undercurrent of voter revulsion against conventional candidates of both parties, and energized an enthusiastic base of supporters who can be expected to continue exercising their considerable political clout. I anticipate many more Donald Trumps in our future, willing to defy the establishment and hopefully more consistent in their defense of liberty.
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            • Posted by term2 8 years ago
              I would agree IF he wins. If he loses, its unlikely that we would see another one in the future. If he wins, I agree its a very positive sign for Libertarian ideas in the future.
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              • Posted by $ CBJ 8 years ago
                If Trump loses we will see many more like him in the future. I cast my first vote for Goldwater, who lost in a landslide. His brand of conservatism was universally written off as dead. A short 16 years later we got Reagan. I don’t expect the freedom movement to collapse if Hillary’s elected, especially considering the disarray in the Democratic Party and the lack of voter enthusiasm for its presidential candidate.
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                • Posted by term2 8 years ago
                  I voted for goldwater also. He didnt do well at all. Reagan wasnt really a conservative though. He did some good things and outspent the Russians on weapons and negotiated well with foreign powers. But he expanded government control and spending a LOT. He had charisma.

                  Things are different now, though. Trump was a direct assault on the establishment and cronyism, and it was met with incrediblly unified opposition of the media, both political parties, and pundits all over the place. He has name recognition, more money that he could ever spend (so he spent HIS money on the campaign), and he is pretty old with nothing to really gain personally from being president. And he has stamina to withstand the attacks. I havent EVER seen that in the past in candidates. Who is crazy enough to spend their own money on this crazy election process? Thats why I say that until the establishment is weakened by its own policies (as in AS actually), we wont see another Trump for a long time.
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                  • Posted by RonC 8 years ago
                    If you consider the people and organizations against Trump, he must strike fear in their hearts or the media and left/right establishment wouldn't be unified against him. I support him mostly to disrupt the establishment. I think that makes me an old beatnik.
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                  • Posted by $ CBJ 8 years ago
                    Things are not that different. Goldwater also “was a direct assault on the establishment and cronyism, and it was met with incrediblly unified opposition of the media, both political parties (the Rockefeller wing of the GOP), and pundits all over the place.” There are plenty of candidates that can withstand the attacks that appear to concern you so much. Such attacks are opportunities to turn the tables on the media and the pundits while educating the voters on the freedom alternative. Trump is an expert doing just that, but many others are likewise capable of doing so while presenting a more consistent defense of individual liberty.
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                    • Posted by term2 8 years ago
                      Things are different now. Propaganda is much more persuasive, rational thinking is at an all time low, and political candidates arent going to spend their own money in the future IF Trump loses the election this time. If he had not spend his own money, he would never have gotten the nomination
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                      • Posted by $ CBJ 8 years ago
                        I think propaganda is much less persuasive than it was 50 years ago, as evidenced by the near-universal distrust of government now compared to then. And Trump’s primary victories were more the product of his ability to get free media attention than the relatively small amount of money he spent (compared to his overall wealth). If money were the deciding factor, Jeb Bush would have had a lot more to show for his $100 million war chest.
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                        • Posted by term2 8 years ago
                          Jeb Bush was too low energy, plus he was the "third" bush" and no one wanted that. As to propaganda, look at the charge that Trump would get us into nuclear war. If anyone is going to stumble into nuclear war it would be hillary. Trump would pick up the phone and find a negotiated solution to the problem. Hillary would just do nothing until it was too late, and then declare we have to fight
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                          • Posted by $ CBJ 8 years ago
                            Trump is not facing propaganda any worse than that of half a century ago. The propaganda against Goldwater was identical, that he would get us into a nuclear war. Remember Lyndon Johnson’s “Daisy” and “Ice Cream” ads from 1964?

                            https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DhkY...

                            https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5CHY...

                            The difference today is that fewer people are buying into the propaganda. Even if Hillary wins (doubtful), it won’t be by the landslide that Lyndon Johnson enjoyed.
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                            • Posted by term2 8 years ago
                              I actually was in college when Goldwater ran. Some budding campaign person made a deal with the manufacturer of mountain dew to pack it in special cans that said 'goldwater" on the outside. I wound up buying over 100 cases of it to resell in the dorm I was in for 10 c a can. I did big time damage to the soda machine in the basement which was charging 25c a can. It was a fun time
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                          • Posted by $ WilliamShipley 8 years ago
                            Or maybe she would order a no-fly zone and be astonished that Russian planes don't follow her instructions. War with Russia ensues.
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                            • Posted by term2 8 years ago
                              its like hiring a big bruiser as a bouncer at a bar- most patrons wouldnt want to tangle with him and he would seldom have to fight. Put a weak person with no confidence as a bouncer and he will be challenged until finally he has to fight
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                    • Posted by RonC 8 years ago
                      The best of this scenario is H> isn't following the legacy of an assassinated hero as Johnson was. Furthering Camelot was a big part of his win along with the fear of Goldwater.
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    • Posted by $ WilliamShipley 8 years ago
      Third party candidates may be hurting Hillary because there are a lot of unhappy Sanders supporters. If, on the other hand, you think trump would be less damaging than Clinton, you voting third party will increase the likelihood of greater damage.

      Of course if you live in a state that is not in play, such as I do in California, it doesn't really matter what you vote.
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      • Posted by term2 8 years ago
        Its way too early for political success with libertarians. The culture is way too far gone educationally for politics to get anywhere. Education will take quite awhile and money spent on politics is totally wasted at this point.
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      • Posted by CircuitGuy 8 years ago
        "If, on the other hand, you think trump would be less damaging than Clinton, you voting third party will increase the likelihood of greater damage."

        Could you generalize this statement to "If you think one mainstream candidate would be less damaging than the other, you voting third party will increase the likelihood of greater damage."?

        If that's true, no one should vote third party?
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        • Posted by $ WilliamShipley 8 years ago
          Well, in 1992, for a while Perot was actually in the lead and may have had a reasonable chance of winning. And, as I said, as a Californian I can pretty much vote any way I want and the Democrat will easily get the electoral votes.

          But if I lived in Florida, we saw how that worked out. The people who voted for Nader would almost certainly have preferred Gore to Bush. But they got Bush.
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          • Posted by CircuitGuy 8 years ago
            I remember that election. I was 17 y/o. Perot had a shot, dropped out, and then came back. It seemed like if he hadn't dropped out he would have had a good shot. Bush seemed to be running on war fervor, which had died down by the election. Clinton did the famous "it's the economy, stupid" thing, which I believed at the time and reject completely now. Of course Bill Clinton wanted to play up the economy b/c we were in the middle of the recession of '91 and people wrongly blame the president for the economic cycle.

            In '96 I voted for Nader b/c I knew Clinton would win. I do not agree with that vote anymore. I believed the line that if we just had a president not beholden to special interests they could use the levers of power to solve the worlds problems. That was embarrassingly naive on my part.

            I was in FL for the 2000 election. Before the election they mailed me a sample of the ballot and a thing showing which chad numbers should be poked for which candidate. I voted for Gore and checked the chad number, so I know my vote was executed properly. In a fair count Gore probably lost by a couple hundred votes.

            Your comment brought back memories. Sorry for that trip down election memory lane. :)
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            • Posted by $ WilliamShipley 8 years ago
              I actually volunteered for Perot. It was an interesting experience. At one point, I was stuffing envelopes and the woman to my right was a life-long Republican and the one to me left a life-long Democrat.

              Watching Perot's weird antics with respect to this wedding and getting in and out, I came to the conclusion that his goal was to block Bush. Once Clinton was ahead he backed out, when Bush recovered, he got back in. I'm not sure why, but I suspect it was because Bush was head of the CIA when we were trying to get MIA's out -- and Perot felt strongly about that. Just a guess.

              Admiral Stockdale was intended to be a placeholder but wound up being stuck as a VP candidate when there wasn't time to get another. When a reporter commiserated with him on the two months of chaos he wound up involved in, his response was memorable. He said that it wasn't bad, that he had spent longer than that in North Vietnam lying naked on a cement floor with a broken hip.
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              • Posted by CircuitGuy 8 years ago
                I recall Perot bought an hour of air time and did a lecture with a whiteboard. I thought he was a wonk. It never occurred to me his candidacy might be a ploy. I thought he was honest but nerdy. I was 17 though.
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      • Posted by freedomforall 8 years ago
        Voting for the lesser evil has created the statist monster that loots our production. Voting for either Trump or Hitlery repeats past errors and will conitinue to increase state power and crony cartels, reduce individual liberty, and suppress free markets.

        OTOH, that last point is a good one, WS.
        Winner take all by state should be unlawful, and it exists only to benefit the statist parties and to frustrate and prevent representation for the people, imo.
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        • Posted by term2 8 years ago
          I point I raise is that the election process IS rigged to favor the two powerful parties that exist now. Plus, the election system itself isnt anywhere as foolproof as most people think. Its NOT just about hanging chads. There is electronic machine fraud, the media favoring one candidate or another, the huge amounts spent on the campaigns..... Fix those things first, THEN spend you time trying to elect a third party candidate
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          • Posted by libertylad 8 years ago
            They won't get fixed by the statists.
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            • Posted by term2 8 years ago
              Funny thing, but in this election Trump has exposed a lot of that, to the benefit of us all. Using the upset of a lot of voters, he hijacked the republical party right under their noses. Hillary only cemented the democratic party into her cronyism- to the detriment of even the devout socialist Sanders.
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        • Posted by $ WilliamShipley 8 years ago
          If I could ever find a candidate which I completely agreed with I would vote for him. But since I don't plan on running that isn't going to happen. This leaves me with a number of candidates who I partially agree with and partially disagree with.
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  • Posted by RonC 8 years ago
    Which is a more desirable friend, the foul mouthed bully that secretly gives large donations to St. Jude's, or the priest that hears our confessions and baptizes our babies but secretly likes to help the alter boys in and out of their robes?
    It is a discipline to judge people by what they do rather than what they say. Talking about girls and bragging about conquest is really a high school behavior that grows into adult BS. It's immature, disrespectful, and a distraction. Failing to answer the call for help from Benghazi, then blaming the whole thing on a video, followed by lying to the survivors of the dead are actions. As are quid pro quo regarding the foundation, and destroying subpoenaed emails. Judging by actions, my choice is clear
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    • Posted by term2 8 years ago
      BUT, this election is really about how the person will do in the job at hand, not all this mud raking stuff from the past. Its the future that will count.

      Vote for Hillary and you get the posterchild for socialism, 65% death tax, her claim she will not add to the national debt (but there is a current 500billion annual deficit that would have to be made up by tax increases on us), elimination of obamacare and replacement by Hillarycare (which means medicare for everyone including illegals), fast tracking of syrian refugees into citizenship, and increasing globalization.

      Vote for Trump, and you get repeal of Obamacare, and replacement of government control with competition among insurance companies, lower taxes on corporations , and a pro business approach to regulations, a real shot at getting us respect from other countries like Russia (less chance of war), and most likely a more robust economy through his inspiration about making america great again (which means WE make america great through our own efforts, not him)

      Is Trump a libertarian, NO. But he will slow down socialism in the next 4 years, and help get rid of the stranglehold of political correctness over what we can say.
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      • Posted by RonC 8 years ago
        here's the important thing I notice. When you offer a tax credit for infrastructure investment, as outlined by Wilbur Ross this morning, you give a person that is pursuing his own selfish desires a reason to pursue them in a grander fashion. With the infrastructure investment plan, the tax credits will be revenue neutral because of the income and employment taxes paid by the people working the jobs and the companies involved in the jobs.

        When you lower the corporate tax rate from 35% to let's say 15%, you create an incentive for domestic small businesses to open. At the same time you also create an incentive for companies world wide to consider doing business in USA. Consider this, if most of the manufacturing is physically done by robot, then tax treatment and regulation become the real sticking points. So, if a CEO can create a better ROI for stockholders because of the tax treatment and regulatory environment in the USA, then many foreign companies will buy or lease real estate, build or remodel to suit their needs, then hire permanent staff, which moves us toward a career economy and away from a gig economy. With that same set of incentives, the corporate profits held offshore to avoid taxes will migrate back to USA because of the favorable tax treatment. Oh, and one other thing, those foreign companies now doing business here will keep the profits here for exactly the same reason our companies have left money overseas. We would have a better treatment of the profits here, rather than sending it back to Europe or Asia. And this is a revenue booster because all of the new activity is being taxed, rather than taxing the prior activity to a stand still. Over time this activity creates a huge pile of capital. Funny thing, capital seeks ROI. And, new ideas seek capital to get up and running. With the capital sitting here, the next big thing will find us, instead of us running around the world trying to pick winners and losers. Think of it. The next big thing would be and American product or service.

        On the other hand, progressives know nothing, or little, of incentives. Their motivators are usually punishments. A progressive fine for not enrolling in Obamacare. Higher taxes so they may have "their cut" first. Before a shovel of earth is turned they must have permits, fees, licenses, etc. Then when the product begins to flow they must inspect it, fine companies for not meeting their standards, demand that you have healthcare, talk through both side of their mouth by encouraging hiring and then taxing employment. In our rental properties, mostly progressive tenants, I can't tell you the number of times I have found the bedroom locks modified to keep the children locked into their rooms. Is that an incentive to stay in your room and study, or is that a punishment to be locked in your room? You be the judge.

        In my view, the candidate that hands out incentives is greasing the wheels so the factory of innovation can once more begin creating wealth, the American way. The other candidate wants to make us look like western Europe. A hundred bucks a week take home pay, and health, housing, food, and clothing provided by the government. Not what I wish for my grandchildren.
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        • Posted by term2 8 years ago
          You are right. The election should be based on whats going to be done going forward, not on the mud raking the media is feeding on.

          I have a small business and I agree with your analysis totally. I got OUT of medical equipment manufacturing because of the incredible FDA regulations, fines, inspections, etc. I make off road LED equipment now, so far unregulated for the most part. 35% corporate taxation makes me less desirous of working harder and making more money, just to have it taken away anyway. Hillary with her 65% estate tax makes me want to not work as hard only to lose 65% of what I built up during my life go to the unwashed.
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  • Posted by freedomforall 8 years ago
    The author is a GOP politician and Bush appointee. Likely biased for the statists.
    She is from Maryland, a state that has a reputation of be in favor of big government instead of individual liberty. (Apologies, I don't have time to find the articles I read in support of that assertion right now as I am being paged, but later I will when I have time.)
    The problem with Trump is not just his personality. It's his lack of ethics and use of government for his own enrichment.
    Fear mongering instead of principle.
    Yes, that has worked so well in the past, let's keep making that stupid mistake until we are all enslaved.
    WAKE UP and get some courage to fight for your liberty.
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    • Posted by term2 8 years ago
      All the points you raise about Trump really apply 100x to Hillary. He will slow down the march to socialism and complete government control. She will keep the establishment in power, and in fact increase their power over all of us.

      Trump is the last chance we will have to buck this socialist establishment. After this, no one will want to buck the establishment in the future (look at how the media trashed trump and how much negativity he faced), and we will be on a slow decline until all the wealth in the country has been spent by the socialists. Only THEN will it make sense to politically support a Johnson. That was even the case in AS as Galt didnt surface until the establishment was weak
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      • Posted by $ CBJ 8 years ago
        As to “no one will want to buck the establishment in the future”, I doubt that’s the case. Trump has a large base of enthusiastic supporters, and win or lose most of them are likely to remain politically engaged and become a huuuge force in the Republican Party, displacing the Romneys and Bushes.
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        • Posted by term2 8 years ago
          I agree that the enthusiastic supporters wont just sit down and die if he loses. BUT, is there another Trump out there with the stamina, the private money, and the ability to rally the supporters like Trump? I think others in the future who have seen what happened to Sanders and Trump will think twice before running for president here in the USA
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          • Posted by $ CBJ 8 years ago
            Others in the future are more likely to be inspired by Trump (and to some extent Sanders) rather than discouraged. Both candidates have exposed glaring weaknesses within the political establishment that can be exploited by future candidates seeking to throw out the current crop of "leaders".
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            • Posted by term2 8 years ago
              This is true. I feel inspired actually, but if Trump loses it will mean to me that even with $50million of his own money when no one believed in him, he still lost. That will be very demotivating for me.
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              • Posted by $ CBJ 8 years ago
                I prefer Trump to Hillary, but my motivation and main goal will not change regardless of who wins. That goal is to grow the Libertarian Party to the point that it will become a major player in setting the nation’s policies and priorities. This means continuing to grow our vote totals in this and future elections.
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                • Posted by term2 8 years ago
                  I will change my affiliation back to Libertarian right after the election. I just changed to Repub so I could vote in the primary for Trump, but I have been Libertarian for a long time. I was actually one of the founders of Reason magazine. That was way back as I remember in the 70's. Its almost 50 years later now, and I suspsect another 40-50 years will be required to actually elect a libertarian president when the establishment weakens and falls of its own weight
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                  • Posted by $ CBJ 8 years ago
                    Small world. I was movie editor of Reason Magazine from 1972 to 1978. I joined the LP in 1972 and am a life member.
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                    • Posted by term2 8 years ago
                      cool. I am more of the entrepreneur engineering type than the intellectual type, so I did move on from Reason after a couple of years to start and sell a number of companies based on my inventions.
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  • Posted by ProfChuck 8 years ago
    I have never seen a candidate that was devoid of flaws and Clinton and trump have more than their share. However, when the perfect becomes the enemy of the good the result is the terrible. With all his flaws Trump is likely to do far less harm than Clinton and he may actually do some good. Trump may be an egotistical megalomaniac but HRC is a criminal and puts her personal interests ahead of the country to an extent that is disturbingly close to treachery. In a perfect world we would have a choice between two perfect candidates. But our world is far from perfection.
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  • Posted by Herb7734 8 years ago
    Took the words right out of my mouth.
    (Very unsanitary)
    I don't understand why that so very hard for some to understand. It seems so obvious to me. If Trump doesn't win, it is very likely that freedom and justice and the pursuit of happiness will be kaput after 4 or possibly 8 years of a felonious, lying, bribing politician(s).
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  • Posted by NealS 8 years ago
    None of it matters anymore. I think it's too late. A few nights ago at our local bar and grille I was talking to a middle aged couple that had already voted. I somehow sensed they voted "D". Then somehow the conversation got to me mentioning the name George Soros. When the guy looked at me like I was from Mars and seriously said, "I don't know who that is", I had to end our conversation and head for home before I totally lost it. If people can vote without any knowledge about what they are doing, who's in the background, who's really running the show, then we're lost, it's all over. What it amounts to is playing to all the PC garbage, and other things that are meaningless whether they are true or not. It's just pure politics, which most of know is pure bull anymore.

    Back to the topic. A vote for anything other than Trump is a vote for tyranny for this country, and that includes any third party or abstinence vote. The only things to consider are the real issues and where we agree or disagree with the candidates, we must all ignore the rest.
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    • Posted by $ CBJ 8 years ago
      I'm rather put off by anyone telling me what I "must" do, especially here in the Gulch where we are encouraged to think for ourselves.
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      • Posted by NealS 8 years ago
        Well then you know how I felt when I talked with that couple. My error, perhaps my semantics were wrong as I had no intention of trying to tell anyone how to do anything. My apologies. Do what "you" must.
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  • Posted by cjferraris 8 years ago
    My choice is simple, if I vote for a liar, a cheat and a murderer and a crooked politician over some that has perhaps said a few things I find offensive, that means I am condoning that kind of criminal behavior. DESPITE the fact that as much as Mr. Trump is the only one to "step up" as someone not in politics to run for President, he also is not a candidate that would sacrifice his own child if it meant a guarantee that he would make the presidency.
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  • Posted by wiggys 8 years ago
    IF this were to happen hc is elected, I personally do not believe for one moment it will she will speed up the process of men shutting down their businesses and ATLAS WILL HAVE SHRUGGED.
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    • Posted by term2 8 years ago
      You are wrong about that, in my opinion. First thing she does is $15 an hour wage. That means I have to scramble to figure out how to keep my business alive in the face of Chinese competition on 25% fewer workers. Lets say that my business stays alive with $15 an hour enforced minimum wage- if I do make money, she will tax me more in hundreds of ways to pay for her programs. If I sell my business, I will be hit with massive taxes and probably lose half of what I would get.

      Now, given this, why would I want to expand my business and invest in new products and take the risks of that. My answer is that I wouldnt. My desire to make the business bigger would be diminished and I will be more inclined to just retire and go have a nice life without working so hard.


      Thats the kind of SHRUGGING that will happen now. Its slow and relentless, but over the years will bring down the country.
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