With the nominees set and the conventions now underway, I think it's time for this thread to be introduced. This thread will be dedicated to the discussion of the presidential election going on in the United States. This includes but is not limited to sharing ideas, discussion, debates, questions, etc. and is not limited to discussion of only the candidates but politics as a whole.
Below are the candidates including the typical views of "major" political topics in line with their party as well as views expressed specifically by the candidate.
(https://thumbs.dreamstime.com/t/republikanischer-elefant-9639972.jpg) REPUBLICAN NOMINEE FOR PRESIDENT
Donald J. Trump (http://img.4plebs.org/boards/s4s/image/1448/83/1448831041147.jpg)
Vice Presidential Running Mate - Mike Pence (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c9/Mike_Pence%2C_official_portrait%2C_112th_Congress.jpg/280px-Mike_Pence%2C_official_portrait%2C_112th_Congress.jpg)
Donald is a wealthy business man, real estate developer, television personality, and CEO and President of Trump Organization. He is typically seen as the mouthy, politically incorrect, political outsider candidate.
-Pro-Life.
-Believes marriage is between 1 man and 1 woman. (Trump has vowed to protect LGBTQ rights while the majority of the party, including his VP pick, is against them)
-Believes climate change is a hoax.
-Wants to "build a wall" along the U.S.-Mexico border and "will make Mexico pay for it."
-Wants to implement a temporary ban on immigration of Muslims.
-Wants to implement a Muslim registry.
-Believes in expansion of military.
-Believes in limited forms of gun control.
-Believes in torture & capital punishment.
-Leave minimum wage the same.
(http://www.colorful-garden.com/thumbnail.asp?file=assets/images/democrats1.png&maxx=353&maxy=0) DEMOCRATIC NOMINEE FOR PRESIDENT
Hillary R. Clinton (http://img.4plebs.org/boards/pol/image/1454/38/1454383994031.jpg) Vice Presidential Running Mate - Tim Kaine (https://d262ilb51hltx0.cloudfront.net/max/600/1*fMqycVo8XkVNa94oRVgDzg.jpeg)
Hillary is a former lawyer, First Lady, U.S. Senator, U.S. Secretary of State to the Obama Administration, and first woman presidential candidate of a main party. She is commonly seen as the "typical", mainstream, political candidate with years of political experience and Washington relations.
-Pro-Choice.
-Believes in marriage equality and strong supporter of LGBTQ rights.
-Believes climate change is real and a threat and that the U.S. must take action against it.
-Believes in defense spending budget cuts.
-Believes in stronger forms of gun control and closing loopholes.
-Is against capital punishment.
-Believes in a higher minimum wage ($15).
-Against the war on drugs.
-Believes in immigration reform for "pathway to full and equal citizenship."
These are just some of the positions that these parties/candidates hold. While Trump and Clinton are the two main candidates, there is a 3rd party candidate gaining popularity running as well with him being the only 3rd party candidate appearing on the ballot in all 50 states.
(http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/homefrontfanfiction/images/4/46/985px-Libertarian_Party.svg.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/178?cb=20141223022238)
LIBERTARIAN NOMINEE FOR PRESIDENTGary E. Johnson (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8d/Garyjohnsonphoto_-_modified.jpg/400px-Garyjohnsonphoto_-_modified.jpg) Vice Presidential Running Mate - Bill Weld (https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/737809418402684928/7kxIMdMh.jpg)
Gary is a construction business owner as well as the former Governor of New Mexico. He was the 2012 Libertarian candidate for president and, although getting 0% of the votes in 2012, has gained a lot of traction with the Republican and Democratic candidates being the most unfavorable candidates in modern political history. If reaching 15% in national polls, Gary Johnson will be able to take part in the debates among the candidates and many believe that after achieving this line of exposure, the possibility of a 3rd party candidate gaining traction and support has great probability.
-The gist of the Libertarian party's beliefs are that they are fiscally conservative and socially liberal.
-Pro-Choice.
-Advocate for LGBTQ rights.
-Limited forms of gun control.
-Against the war on drugs.
-For the legalization of marijuana.
-Against the death penalty.
Who do you support, whether American or not? Who do you disagree with? Would any receive your vote? Does a 3rd party candidate have a legitimate chance in this election cycle? This thread is to highlight your points of view, opinions, passions, and likes/dislikes. With the Republican National Convention just coming to a close, did anyone watch it? Favorite or least favorite parts? Please share.
NOTE: When debating, please attack ideas, not people. Keep this thread as civil as possible. Passion and strong opinions are not frowned upon, please just keep this thread a thread of discussion of policies, ideologies, and ideas and not ad hominem fallacies.
http://www.celebritytypes.com/chart.php?n1=44.4&n2=0&n3=52.8&n4=0 (http://www.celebritytypes.com/chart.php?n1=44.4&n2=0&n3=52.8&n4=0)
Your political coordinates are:
33.3% Left, 36.1% Liberal
I did the test too and got 19.4% Right, 22.2% Liberal
Western civilization has benefited more from Christianity than from the ideas of Ancient Greece.
-No. Data suggests that secularized countries are better off in most aspects (equality, welfare etc).
See e.g. http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/03/12/how-do-americans-stand-out-from-the-rest-of-the-world/ (http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/03/12/how-do-americans-stand-out-from-the-rest-of-the-world/)
Medically assisted suicide should be legal.
-Yes, definitely
Taxpayer money should not be spent on arts or sports.
-Disagree somewhat, but it definitely needs to be re-evaluated in some cases.
Overall, labor unions do more harm than good.
-Neutral. I'm too uninformed to have an opinion. I kinda think they have outplayed their role in modern societies. At any rate, the ideal is a free market without them
If an immigrant wants to fly the flag of his home country on my country's soil, that's okay with me.
-Sure, why not? As long as they respect the country's laws and culture
Rehabilitating criminals is more important than punishing them.
-In most cases, yes, but not all. For me it's ultimately not a question about punishing the criminal, but protecting the society. If the capital punishment wasn't more expensive than life in prison, I would favour it
It is legitimate for nations to privilege their own religion over others.
-Why wouldn't it be? Any country should see to its inhabitants' needs first and foremost.
Overall, the minimum wage does more harm than good
-Theoretically yes.
A country should never go to war without the support of the international community.
-Disagree. A country should go to war when its population agrees it should go to war
Import tariffs on foreign products are a good way to protect jobs in my country.
-Possibly in certian cases, but ultimately and generally, the populace lose out, so the answer is no
Equality is more important than economic growth.
-No, economic growth is more important. But at some point balance is required
The government should set a cap on the wages of bankers and CEOs.
-No, but they should regulate the accountability of executives and politicians
Some countries and civilizations are natural enemies.
-Lol? No
Overall, security leaks like those perpetrated by Edward Snowden and WikiLeaks do more harm than good.
-No, transparency is good
Capital punishment should be an option in some cases.
-Yes, when rehabilitation is unlikely to happen and it's the most cost effective alternative (life in prison with community work is preferable). Why burden society more than necessary?
Speculation on the stock exchange is less desirable than other kinds of economic activity.
-Not really, speculation tends to add stability and any economic stimulation is generally good
A strong military is a better foreign policy tool than a strong diplomacy.
-Disagree
It almost never ends well when the government gets involved in business.
-Disagree. The government needs to protect its population and environment
Government spending with the aim of creating jobs is generally a good idea.
-No, but it depends on what those jobs are. We're past the Keynesian era
We need to increase taxes on industry out of concern for the climate.
-Neutral, I don't believe taxes are the solution. We need measurable goals though and actual solutions (ie innovations) to reach the goals
Homosexual couples should have all the same rights as heterosexual ones, including the right to adopt.
-Yes
Prostitution should be legal.
-Yes
Marijuana should be legal.
-Yes
The government should redistribute wealth from the rich to the poor.
-To some degree
There is at heart a conflict between the interest of business and the interest of society.
-Not really
The government should provide healthcare to its citizens free of charge.
-Yes
Monarchy and aristocratic titles should be abolished.
-No, history and tradition is beautiful, but titles shouldn't hold power
The market is generally better at allocating resources than the government.
-Yes
Free trade is better for third-world countries than developmental aid.
-Yes, but developmental aid may be required to "kickstart" the economic growth
My country should give more foreign and developmental aid to third-world countries.
-Depends, first I would like to scrutinize how the money is used and possibly re-allocate. We give a decent chunk already
There are too many wasteful government programs.
-Yes
If people want to drive without a seat belt, that should be their decision.
-No, but it's not because they should be protected against their judgement, rather it's to protect the society's healthcare resources from being wasted
Surveillance and counter-terrorism programs have gone too far.
-Yes, and how about allocating the resources to get to the root of the problem instead of observing it?
Some peoples and religions are generally more trouble than others.
-Yes
People who turn down a job should not be eligible for unemployment benefits from the government.
-Disagree
Immigration to my country should be minimized and strictly controlled.
-Yes