Trump will be the GOP nominee - Now what?

[Tim Bonney]

OK, since Cruz is out the odds of Trump being the nominee are very very high. So rather than attack Clinton on behalf of Bernie, who isn't going to win either, are you willing to trash Hillary and give aid and comfort to Donalt Trump as President?

It's time for sensivble GOPers and liberal Dems to hold their noses and vote for Clinton. Because a Trump Presidency is a disaster.

[KeithE]

[William Thornton]

I'd rather stick a shard of glass in my eye. What a mess for the country: a narcissistic billionaire bully or an untrustworthy hack that cannot tell the truth.

[KeithE]

[Haruo]

"Don't blame me, I abstained" may be next year's favorite political bumper sticker. Shades of 1972.

[Tim Bonney]

Yes, William is more than a little hard on Clinton. But many in the GOP don't remember really quite how good things were under Bill's administration. I'll take a Clinton White House anytime.

Keith, yes Sanders list plans for how he'd get the money for his campaign promises. But he fails to admit that they there is little likelihood of such huge and expensive ideas like free college tuition, etc. actually getting past congress. A lot of people forget that the President can't legislate. The ideas he is proposing wouldn't even get serious backing from the Dems much less the GOP.

[Sandy]

I like the description of Ross Perot's candidacy "harrassing" the re-election bid of George Bush. Most Republicans blame him for Bush's defeat, though the polling data and post-election exit polls all showed that Perot's presence in the race would not have altered a single electoral vote in Bush's favor.

A third party candidacy might flourish this time around, except that the deadline for getting on the general election ballot in most states has passed, and write-ins generally don't do too well. I think what will happen is that the polling data which shows the negative perceptions will result in a lot of voters staying home, not casting a vote for President on their ballot, or voting for one of the independent choices. State by state, which is ultimately what counts, the map heavily favors Hillary.

It's a quandary for conservative evangelicals. Do you vote for a guy who is nominated by Republicans even though he's farther away from your values and positions on most social issues than the other party candidate is? This will be a visible credibility issue for a lot of self-proclaimed conservative evangelical leaders.

[KeithE]

[Sandy]

College tuition is certainly doable. It would take some re-arranging of priorities and some changes in the make-up of Congress to get it done. Universal health coverage is more likely. We spend about 40% more on health insurance now than the actual cost of care because of the profit margins. Just moving the funding mechanism from private insurance would generate billions more than necessary to pay the bills and collect the premiums. The cost of similar quality health care in Canada and most Western European countries is about half of what it is here, so there's no reason we can't do that here, and return billions of dollars to the economy, except that the insurance companies which collect those dollars from us use a good portion of them to buy elections. There are plenty of examples of how to do this economically and beneficially. Sanders has pulled the Democrats in his direction and he can probably have whatever role he wants in a Clinton administration. If his supporters don't move in sufficient numbers to support Hillary, and Trump wins, you can kiss your issues goodbye forever.

[Stephen Fox]

Who are Donald Trumps.

Hillary was in Texas in 72 with Pulitzer winner Taylor Branch and others campaigning for George McGovern.

Where was Billy Thornton. Whose company was he keeping that year.

Hillary has baggage for sure, but there is a clear distinction.

The fundamentalist takeover of the Southern Baptist Convention has clouded too many brains to the detriment of this election cycle.

Over the weekend Randall Woods , A Christian from Arkansas, was on Ga Public Radio's Two Way street to talk about his new bio of Lyndon Johnson. Great hour conversation from the
Carter Center at Emory. It's a shame folks like Thornton who feel qualified to dismiss Hillary so cavalierly didn't hear it.

Norm Ornstein the convervative who blames what went south these last 11 years at the feet of the Tea Party is following the Koch Brothers money and where it goes from now till first Tues in November. Our country would be better place if folks like Thornton had Ornstein's perspective

And these 55 people of faith. Find the embedded lin and read the list

https://baptistnews.com/2016/04/29/fait ... o-bigotry/

[Tim Bonney]

While I'd think it would be great to have significant help for college, I'm not sure I'm for free college. Or at least not free college without certain expectations. I already see people going to college just to play around on their parents dime. How much more likely are some folks to play around if it is entirely free? Your parents might not even care anymore if you party for four years of school if they aren't paying anything.

I think the free tuition would have to at least have some requirements for attendance and participation that are more strict than some schools I see where skipping class if the norm.

[Tim Bonney]

You mentioned first steps. I don't think the first step to getting a Dem congress is to elect a socialist President. I think that will just lead to further entrenchment where the voters who are moderates or conservatives will want to see gridlock continue.

[William Thornton]

[Tim Bonney]

Stephen, everything isn't connected to the fundy takeover of the SBC. In fact most things aren't connected to the takeover of the SBC. LOL

[Stephen Fox]

You didn't vote for anyone in 72. I can't imagine you voting for McGovern, but if you did would like to hear the story.

All said, hope this is the year we can do some bbq I hope to be at Bridges in Shelby sometime in June. If KeithE will pick me up maybe we can meet you in Rome or Rockmart with Lamar Wadsworth, even though the better ribs are just outside Leesburg, Alabama

I am trying to engage Nick Saban on Trump and the 55 people of fiaith on the SEC Network Facebook wall.

[Stephen Fox]

I hear you.

But I am convinced Princeton's Wuthnow, and recently U Arkansas Proff Randall Woods with his book on LBJ's social consciousness--I am pursuing a conversation with Wooods about Marney in the 50s at FBC Austin and LBJ and Pressler's family; lot of folks have valuable insight that seems to have escaped you and others about the SBC takeover and the rise of the Tea Party.

[Stephen Fox]

http://religiondispatches.org/trump-tur ... psy-turvy/

[William Thornton]

[Sandy]

[Tim Bonney]

In 1972 I was eight. So, no I wasn't voting.

[Dave Roberts]

I voted the first time in 1968, and alas, I voted for a crook.

[Haruo]

I didn't vote in 1972 even though I was old enough, and registered. In the excitement and drunkenness of starting at Yale I forgot to request an absentee ballot in time. But I manned the phones in Hamden for McGovern on Election Day. Very demoralizing.

[William Thornton]

I struck a blow in 1968 for price controls, the opening of China, and the expansion of investigative journalism.

[Haruo]

I disagree with most all of Paul Ryan's positions on political, economic, and military issues that I know of, but I must say I admire him, given his position, for his willingness to place principles before party, and refusing ("for now") to endorse Trump.

[KeithE]