TomatoPie wrote:I've gone from backing Rubio to Kasich to Carly.

Gimme any 2 of the 3 on the ticket

pacino wrote:Syriza won again in Greece. They will have 145 of 300 seats and get 10 more with a coalition. Their prioritiesare as follows:

■In first 100 days: Cut wage and pension costs again, but less than in previous five years (2% increase in workers' pension contributions, 2% increase in pensioners' national insurance contributions)
■Reform early retirement: Decide which categories will qualify for it (and revamp whole pension system before January)
■Recapitalise banks and set timetable for lifting capital controls
■Hold more talks on debt repayments with EU-IMF lenders, with goal of debt relief deal in January
■Adopt more tax reforms: farmers to see income tax double and fuel subsidy scrapped; new penalties for tax evasion (VAT increase was passed in July; corporation tax was raised by 3%, to 29%)
■Privatise more than half of state electricity network (regional airports and much of road network already privatised)
■Liberalise closed professions, eg removing taxi drivers' fixed tariffs
■Reinstate charges in state health service originally scrapped by Syriza (eg €5 charge for visit to doctor)

the lunatics!

Still, the result of this melancholy election feels like a step forward, or at least beyond an impasse. Two fundamental decisions have been made: Greece wants to stay in Europe, and the old political establishment is no longer welcome. Victory has its own momentum; stability should bring some investment and debt relief. The eurozone forced Syriza to change, but failed to destroy it. That may not be much of a victory, but it’s what “hope” looks like now.

traderdave wrote:And then there were 15:

http://www.cnn.com/2015/09/21/politics/ ... index.html

Doll Is Mine wrote:

traderdave wrote:And then there were 15:

http://www.cnn.com/2015/09/21/politics/ ... index.html

Who will the Koch brothers support now?

This has to be a huge disappointment for establishment Republicans who for some reason thought this guy was their savior.

Alexis Tsipras ‏@tsipras_eu
What kind of Europe do we want? #kerdizoume_to_aurio #syriza

Alexis Tsipras ‏@tsipras_eu
A Europe exemplified by the baker in Kos, handing out bread to refugee children from the little he has?

Alexis Tsipras ‏@tsipras_eu
Or a Europe of the Hungarian PM, who relies on bullets and building fences?

Alexis Tsipras ‏@tsipras_eu Sep 18
A Europe with the ethos of Lesbos & Kos, poor islands that despite the crisis have hosted tens of thousands of #refugees. #Greece

Alexis Tsipras ‏@tsipras_eu Sep 18
Or a Europe like the wealthy state of Bavaria, that despite its prosperity refuses to accommodate 30,000 #refugees?

Alexis Tsipras ‏@tsipras_eu Sep 18
This kind of Europe is so far removed from Europe's founding values. This kind of Europe has no future.

Alexis Tsipras ‏@tsipras_eu Sep 18
We have no choice but to fight to save Europe from ideologies that champion hate and destruction. #syriza

azrider wrote:I didn't realize art Garfunkle was a Phillies fan...



And a link to an article

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3242655/SEBASTIAN-SHAKESPEARE-Muslims-transforming-Europe-says-Garfunkel.html

mozartpc27 wrote:

Doll Is Mine wrote:

traderdave wrote:And then there were 15:

http://www.cnn.com/2015/09/21/politics/ ... index.html

Who will the Koch brothers support now?

This has to be a huge disappointment for establishment Republicans who for some reason thought this guy was their savior.

Made my day, week, month, and, aside from the birth of my son, year.

Rot in hell motherfucker.

Bucky wrote:That was either opening day or closing day 2003 for that hat (I have it too)

mozartpc27 wrote:

mozartpc27 wrote:

Doll Is Mine wrote:

traderdave wrote:And then there were 15:

http://www.cnn.com/2015/09/21/politics/ ... index.html

Who will the Koch brothers support now?

This has to be a huge disappointment for establishment Republicans who for some reason thought this guy was their savior.

Made my day, week, month, and, aside from the birth of my son, year.

Rot in hell motherfucker.

Now that I am over the initial shock/euphoria, I do think that this is kind of amazing when you think about it. Prior to Walker's withdrawal, I would have said there were a "core 4" of probable candidates for Republicans: Walker, Bush, Rubio, and Kasich. Of the four, I would have ranked Walker first, in terms of his appeal to the broadest set of Republicans. That he, of all people, was forced out in September - out of a field that still includes no-shot-in-hell-to-win-the-general nutjobs like Trump, Carson, Fiorina, Cruz, Huckabee, & Santorum - that indeed he was the second to drop out of a 16 person field (I am not counting Gilmore), has got to be deeply concerning to the establishment of the Republican party. Whatever the current polling numbers, Walker is the red governor of a blue state who could appeal to Tea Party, values, and establishment voters alike. I hear hints out there that there might be more to this, that a scandal involving him was about to break and so he got out, and honestly it's about the only way I can figure this...

Today's withdrawal is good news, I suppose, for Bush and perhaps for Christie (seems to me the same people attracted to Walker might be attracted to Christie), but really this has left the core four at a three person field - Bush, Rubio, & Kasich - that is decidedly uninspired. Rubio is the best of what remains, but Kasich's been running a general campaign in the midst of a primary, which shows a fundamental misreading of how to get elected, and Bush is Bush. Maybe there is an opening now for a fourth spot, and maybe Christie is that guy, but I don't see it.

I am really at a loss now as to who among the "plausible" candidates can be considered the front runner of the group. There is a distinct lack of logic to this race now and that is what must be frightening to Republicans who understand that Trump is not electable.