5 ms·

Last US elections were strange because it seems both parties chose their worst candidates. Any Democrat other than Hilary would beat Trump hands down, and also

by mamon 10y ago

Last US elections were strange because it seems both parties chose their worst candidates. Any Democrat other than Hilary would beat Trump hands down, and also any Republican would win with Clinton by even higher margin.

im3w1l 10y ago
The primary system selects the most popular candidate for the given party. Not for the population as a whole. So dem candidate will be "too" left and rep candidate will be "too" right. Of course this doesn't explain why this election was different from any other. I guess increasing polarization between left and right, makes it more of a problem in practice than usually.
- isaacremuant 10y ago
  It's a fair theory but this election seems to go against it. Trump was not too right for the right. The establishment of the RNC was against him because he looked and had liberal ideas in many aspects. Being politically incorrect may make him look "more extreme right" to the left but there's no evidence that he is (When compared, for example, with another important primary candidate like Ted Cruz).
  - moomin 10y ago
    I think you're touching on an important point here: the bits of the GOPs message that resonate with their base don't seem to match what the party thinks they are. Trump demonstrated a huge disconnect between the GOP and its own base.
  - deleted 10y ago
    [deleted]
CalChris 10y ago
You're right about Trump. Multiple bankruptcies+divorces, his first act as President-elect was settling a fraud suit. Hillary Clinton was a Yale Law grad, successful lawyer, Walmart board member, First Lady, Senator and Secretary of State. She was 20 times the Most Admired Woman in America. I'm familiar with equivocation. It really doesn't impress me.
pottersbasilisk 10y ago
Trump isnt any republican he successfully recreated the reagan coalition. Its really mindboggling, how he took over the party.
- CalChris 10y ago
  It is mind boggling that he took over the GOP but take over it he did. And dismissing Trump as not any republican is as No True Scotsman as it gets. In particular, if Republicans wanted him gone, Trump would be gone tomorrow.
  - pottersbasilisk 10y ago
    Except the fact hes not a normal republican. He ran left of even clinton on some issues. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/how-donald-trump-is-running-to-the-left-of-hillary-clinton/2016/05/09/ebde82da-147c-11e6-8967-7ac733c56f12_story.html https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/how-donald-trump-is-...
    - CalChris 10y ago
      Maybe what you meant to say is that normal Republicans aren't normal Republicans. Or perhaps that this is what normal Republicans actually are. Because any which way, Trump remains popular with these whatever Republicans.
- aswanson 10y ago
  Its not really mindboggling; voters were looking for an outsider, and aren't really big on nuance. Trump merely took talk radio/Fox News talking points and repeated them to the nomination and WH. He had a free hand to say whatever he felt in the primaries because he had nothing to lose and had his own money behind him; his opponents were career politicians/puppets for the donor class. They were fish in a barrel for him.

by mamon 10y ago

im3w1l 10y ago

The primary system selects the most popular candidate for the given party. Not for the population as a whole. So dem candidate will be "too" left and rep candidate will be "too" right. Of course this doesn't explain why this election was different from any other. I guess increasing polarization between left and right, makes it more of a problem in practice than usually.

isaacremuant 10y ago
It's a fair theory but this election seems to go against it. Trump was not too right for the right. The establishment of the RNC was against him because he looked and had liberal ideas in many aspects. Being politically incorrect may make him look "more extreme right" to the left but there's no evidence that he is (When compared, for example, with another important primary candidate like Ted Cruz).
- moomin 10y ago
  I think you're touching on an important point here: the bits of the GOPs message that resonate with their base don't seem to match what the party thinks they are. Trump demonstrated a huge disconnect between the GOP and its own base.
- deleted 10y ago
  [deleted]

CalChris 10y ago

You're right about Trump. Multiple bankruptcies+divorces, his first act as President-elect was settling a fraud suit. Hillary Clinton was a Yale Law grad, successful lawyer, Walmart board member, First Lady, Senator and Secretary of State. She was 20 times the Most Admired Woman in America. I'm familiar with equivocation. It really doesn't impress me.

pottersbasilisk 10y ago

Trump isnt any republican he successfully recreated the reagan coalition. Its really mindboggling, how he took over the party.

CalChris 10y ago
It is mind boggling that he took over the GOP but take over it he did. And dismissing Trump as not any republican is as No True Scotsman as it gets. In particular, if Republicans wanted him gone, Trump would be gone tomorrow.
- pottersbasilisk 10y ago
  Except the fact hes not a normal republican. He ran left of even clinton on some issues. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/how-donald-trump-is-running-to-the-left-of-hillary-clinton/2016/05/09/ebde82da-147c-11e6-8967-7ac733c56f12_story.html https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/how-donald-trump-is-...
  - CalChris 10y ago
    Maybe what you meant to say is that normal Republicans aren't normal Republicans. Or perhaps that this is what normal Republicans actually are. Because any which way, Trump remains popular with these whatever Republicans.
aswanson 10y ago
Its not really mindboggling; voters were looking for an outsider, and aren't really big on nuance. Trump merely took talk radio/Fox News talking points and repeated them to the nomination and WH. He had a free hand to say whatever he felt in the primaries because he had nothing to lose and had his own money behind him; his opponents were career politicians/puppets for the donor class. They were fish in a barrel for him.