What is the number one thing you want the next president to focus on?

[Menace Sockeyes]

Systematic changes that have led to vast corruption and lawmakers who care more about their special interest sugar daddies than the will of the people: campaign finance reform (preferrably in the form of democracy dollars), a law counteracting Citizens United, the return of Glass-Stigall, elimination of the lobbyist/lawmaker revolving door, a return of the fairness in broadcasting laws, break-up of "too big to fail" banks and consolidated media empires, return to net neutrality (and the internet as a public utility), a VAT tax, etc.

Everything else that we need done (climate change legislation, health care reform, etc.) is a lot harder when the above aren't taken care of.

 

[Rudolph]

Until Bernie or embraces nuclear energy, his talk of slowing down and combating climate change is nothing but political b.s.

Read the Green New Deal. And read through Bernie’s website.

 

[tarheelbybirth]

You are a party sycophant and will vote for whoever has a D after their name.

LOL...voting to remove Trump is voting AGAINST anyone whose last name is Trump. Only a true sycophant would vote for that jackass. A potted plant would be a better option.

 

[naturalmwa]

Sure you would....if they were all Democrats. But if Trump were a Democrat you would have a hard time, based on your posting history, convincing me you wouldn’t vote for him.

If Trump was still a D, he wouldn’t have been nominated. He was smart enough to know who would put up with his shit.

 

[83Hawk]

If Trump was still a D, he wouldn’t have been nominated. He was smart enough to know who would put up with his shit.

Just playing the what if game.

It’s irrelevant anyway.

 

[What Would Jesus Do?]

Trump isn’t even as bad as W.

Only because of the Iraq war. In most other respects Trump is worse than W.

 

[pablow]

Immigration reform. It needs to be done. I'd also like a move toward a constitutional amendment to end birthright citizenship. In fact, I'd link these two issues - grant blanket amnesty effective upon ending birthright citizenship.

 

[Menace Sockeyes]

If Trump was still a D, he wouldn’t have been nominated. He was smart enough to know who would put up with his shit.

Bingo. He would be laughed out of the first debate.

 

[naturalmwa]

Never happened.
Debt grew every year of Bill Clinton’s presidency.

That’s not the claim. Stay on topic. We are talking about who has credibility balancing the budget. That must be done before we tackle the debt which is a different subject.

 

[What Would Jesus Do?]

If Trump was still a D, he wouldn’t have been nominated. He was smart enough to know who would put up with his shit.

Interesting to speculate what his policies would be if he had run and won as a Dem.

Presumably he would have pretended to care about the Dem platform and would have been willing to sign Dem bills if the Dems also took Congress.

If so, and assuming that in other ways he would be the same lying sack of shit he is now, would we be OK with him because he was doing "good" things?

 

[Menace Sockeyes]

Read the Green New Deal. And read through Bernie’s website.

I've found a lot of Never-Berners are very misinformed.

 

[naturalmwa]

Only because of the Iraq war. In most other respects Trump is worse than W.

More than that. We have to credit W with preventing 20 years of progress on the environment, the economic depression, the fake war for oil and the longest war in history all on the credit card. That debt people like to attribute to Obama was mostly W’s fault. No one alive today will see the resolution of all the harms W perpetrated on this nation. We can recover from Trump much faster.

 

[BGHAWK]

Immigration reform. It needs to be done. I'd also like a move toward a constitutional amendment to end birthright citizenship. In fact, I'd link these two issues - grant blanket amnesty effective upon ending birthright citizenship.

Like in Japan?

 

[Moral]

Getting money out of politics. I'm not sure we can move forward when the politicians are bought with legalized bribes.

 

[naturalmwa]

Interesting to speculate what his policies would be if he had run and won as a Dem.

Presumably he would have pretended to care about the Dem platform and would have been willing to sign Dem bills if the Dems also took Congress.

If so, and assuming that in other ways he would be the same lying sack of shit he is now, would we be OK with him because he was doing "good" things?

We know the answer to that. Ds don’t put up with bad actors just because they vote the right way. Ds would have impeached him and been happy to have the VP in charge.

 

[What Would Jesus Do?]

More than that. We have to credit W with preventing 20 years of progress on the environment, the economic depression, the fake war for oil and the longest war in history all on the credit card. That debt people like to attribute to Obama was mostly W’s fault. No one alive today will see the resolution of all the harms W perpetrated on this nation. We can recover from Trump much faster.

Those are good arguments against W, to be sure, but I don't see Trump being any better on any of them. And he adds his own layer of evil and filth.

The Supreme Court undermined our democracy by interfering with our elections directly, in 2000, and indirectly, with Citizens United and McCutcheon. But W himself mostly played by the rules. Trump has changed the rules, much for the worse.

W would have passed immigration reform. Not great immigration reform, but something. Trump has heightened the problems. W wasn't a racist, even if his party was. Trump hugely exacerbates racism in America. Bush definitely failed on climate change, but Trump has dramatically made things worse by rolling back protections, denying science, cutting programs, and installing political hacks in key positions. And so on.

Except for the Iraq war, Trump "wins" the Worst President Ever Award.

 

[FSUTribe76]

Getting money out of politics. I'm not sure we can move forward when the politicians are bought with legalized bribes.

Valid point. Unlimited money from corporations MUST be stopped. Russia and China already figured out that foreign governments can set up corporations to and the Republican “leadership” just slurps up that Russian gold and begs for more.

 

[pablow]

Like in Japan?

No.

 

[naturalmwa]

Those are good arguments against W, to be sure, but I don't see Trump being any better on any of them. And he adds his own layer of evil and filth.

The Supreme Court undermined our democracy by interfering with our elections directly, in 2000, and indirectly, with Citizens United and McCutcheon. But W himself mostly played by the rules. Trump has changed the rules, much for the worse.

W would have passed immigration reform. Not great immigration reform, but something. Trump has heightened the problems. W wasn't a racist, even if his party was. Trump hugely exacerbates racism in America. Bush definitely failed on climate change, but Trump has dramatically made things worse by rolling back protections, denying science, cutting programs, and installing political hacks in key positions. And so on.

Except for the Iraq war, Trump "wins" the Worst President Ever Award.

I’m just measuring the piles of crap. W left the nation with much more crap to deal with then Trump has to this point. W cost us multiple times as much as Trump.

 

[WorldSeriesChamps2015]

Getting back our allies that we have shit on the past 3 years.

 

[Menace Sockeyes]

I’m just measuring the piles of crap. W left the nation with much more crap to deal with then Trump has to this point. W cost us multiple times as much as Trump.

I'd argue just different steaming piles of crap. Luckily, I think Trump's steaming piles of crap are going to be easier to eradicate from existence, apart from his incompetent judicial nominees.

 

[FSUATT]

Right now, the number one thing I want from a President is to act like an adult. Listen to the experts and make decisions without calling dissenters names.

Same here. I would also like the next president to quit portraying the other side as the "enemy" and to at least attempt to work with them and not against them. I voted for crossing party lines because if you can do this, there is a chance to actually make some progress on the issues we are facing.

 

[What Would Jesus Do?]

Getting money out of politics. I'm not sure we can move forward when the politicians are bought with legalized bribes.

Yep. That and climate change should be everybody's #1 and #2.

Unless you are in the "money is more important than lives" class.

 

[St. Louis Hawk]

Let’s start with baby steps: I’d like a President that can speak the English language, has an EI greater than that of a 4th grader, and that is more interested in trying to solve our problems than trolling the other side.

 

[joelbc1]

Not lying about every damn thing that passes thru his/her lips. Maybe being a more mumble, honest person. Not being an asshole at every opportunity. Saving narcissism for “off camera” moments.....showing the American people a little integrity. Maybe showing some compassion for folks who have less than you.

 

[seminole97]

That’s not the claim. Stay on topic.

I quoted what I was responding to, to wit: “She balanced the budget once before.”

That never happened.
Debt increased every single year.
There hasn’t been a balanced budget for decades.

 

[What Would Jesus Do?]

Immigration reform. It needs to be done. I'd also like a move toward a constitutional amendment to end birthright citizenship. In fact, I'd link these two issues - grant blanket amnesty effective upon ending birthright citizenship.

No deal.

Just out of curiosity, how should people born in America become citizens under your plan, and what would their status be until they do become citizens?

Would there be literacy tests and poll taxes involved? Indentured servitude?

And what happens to those who fail whatever tests we impose?

 

[unIowa]

Other: MALA

Make America Laugh Again....people need to chill TF out.

 

[What Would Jesus Do?]

Immigration reform. It needs to be done. I'd also like a move toward a constitutional amendment to end birthright citizenship. In fact, I'd link these two issues - grant blanket amnesty effective upon ending birthright citizenship.

I might give you a Wall for blanket amnesty.

Wouldn't like that deal, but might make it.

 

[mstp1992]

Other: MALA

Make America Laugh Again....people need to chill TF out.

You can't put your arms around a memory

 

[Joes Place]

There are 100s of topics, so it's not really possible to capture them all--hence the "other" option.

Sustainability.

Sustainable deficits and national debt
Sustainable energy resources
Sustainable healthcare access for people
Sustainable and fair tax systems, focused on minimizing all taxes for those who make <$150k​

 

[baddog25]

I voted other as in act like a mature adult not a petulant 6 year old.

 

[pablow]

I might give you a Wall for blanket amnesty.

Wouldn't like that deal, but might make it.

End birthright citizenship and impose strict e-verify and we don't need a wall.

 

[naturalmwa]

I'd argue just different steaming piles of crap. Luckily, I think Trump's steaming piles of crap are going to be easier to eradicate from existence, apart from his incompetent judicial nominees.

That’s my point. W cost us multiple trillions more than Trump. 50 years from now we will still be paying for W, but Trump will just be a cautionary tale like Nixon with little impact on our lives.

 

[86Hawkeye]

Crossing party lines to try to get things done can help a lot of those issues....assuming both sides deal in good faith.

 

[naturalmwa]

I quoted what I was responding to, to wit: “She balanced the budget once before.”

That never happened.
Debt increased every single year.
There hasn’t been a balanced budget for decades.

You are confusing debt and a budget deficit. Clinton was good for the budget deficit. You don’t know what your talking about.

 

[pablow]

Doesn't ending birthright citizenship require a Constitutional Amendment?

Yes.

 

[86Hawkeye]

Immigration reform. It needs to be done. I'd also like a move toward a constitutional amendment to end birthright citizenship. In fact, I'd link these two issues - grant blanket amnesty effective upon ending birthright citizenship.

Possible. I don't think the amendment passes without coupling the amnesty.

 

[pablow]

Possible. I don't think the amendment passes without coupling the amnesty.

I agee - make it a package deal.

 

[seminole97]

You are confusing debt and a budget deficit.

No, I’m not.
The deficit is how much they borrow in a given year, the debt is the accumulated deficits.
There were deficits every single year of Clinton’s presidency. The total debt went up every single year he was President.
Don’t trust me, check for yourself:

https://treasurydirect.gov/NP/debt/current

I also think you’re crediting the wrong person for the declining deficits.
After Gingrich took control of the House the growth of government spending was significantly curtailed.
Do you think there were any years where the Clinton requested less total spending than Congress ultimately passed?