[worry]

All I know about O'Malley is that he hates The Wire and that Tommy Carcetti is partially (largely?) inspired by him.

[Gnaw]

Terez, on 14 October 2015 - 03:17 AM, said:

I couldn't make it 20 minutes. God, what a terrible slate of candidates. None of them would be a good president. Good ideas, terrible people.

Elizabeth Warren ftw!!

[Terez]

Gnaw, on 15 October 2015 - 02:11 AM, said:

Terez, on 14 October 2015 - 03:17 AM, said:

I couldn't make it 20 minutes. God, what a terrible slate of candidates. None of them would be a good president. Good ideas, terrible people.

Elizabeth Warren ftw!!

yess

[Gnaw]

I so wish she'd run.

[Terez]

Gnaw, on 15 October 2015 - 02:14 AM, said:

I so wish she'd run.

Basically the situation now is what it would have been if Obama had decided not to run in 2008. I am still holding out hope that Warren will change her mind, but I suspect the only thing that could make her do that is an epic collapse of Hillary's campaign, and time for that is running short. Filing deadlines start next month, as early as the 10th.

[Terez]

My understanding of it is: They think he is the only one who can save them from chaos. He doesn't want the job because he thinks it will ruin his presidential ambitions.

[Gnaw]

Terez, on 21 October 2015 - 12:42 AM, said:

My understanding of it is: They think he is the only one who can save them from chaos. He doesn't want the job because he thinks it will ruin his presidential ambitions.

That pretty much agrees with my reading of the situation. If he takes the job, he'll be forced to piss off enough people to torpedo his current presidential run regardless of whatever happens while he's Speaker. IF he's very careful he might be able to turn that into a 2020 run. But wise, risky and ballsy. I consider none of those conditions native to him so in my humble opinion he should decline the offer as graciously as possible.

[Obdigore]

Briar King, on 21 October 2015 - 01:08 AM, said:

People were terrified of him becoming VP for Mitt. That's pretty much all I know about him.

I'm not sure who was terrified of that, but anyway.

Paul Ryan is just another walking, breathing, joke of a politician in a tailored suit. He toes the party line, panders to the extremists, and will say/do anything to get elected and keep getting elected.

He is neither the politician the US wants or needs.

[HoosierDaddy]

The only people terrified of Paul Ryan were those who believed he could actually pass the budget he wanted, and they were on the left. Conservatives love him.

[Terez]

HoosierDaddy, on 21 October 2015 - 02:18 AM, said:

The only people terrified of Paul Ryan were those who believed he could actually pass the budget he wanted, and they were on the left. Conservatives love him.

Some do, but the rebellious far right does not like him at all because of his work on immigration reform. That includes Louisiana rednecks.

Two down, one to go.

[HoosierDaddy]

That's scarier than not.

[Terez]

Of course it is.

I have to admit I'm impressed with Ryan's flair for negotiation. He has demanded the endorsement of all Republican caucuses, including the terrorist Freedom Caucus, before he'll agree to run, and he expects their endorsements by Friday. He's also demanded changes to the procedural rules that allow the Speaker to be challenged with a no confidence vote mid-session. There were some other terms, but those were the main ones, and if he actually gets those demands met he'll be in a relatively safe position regarding his ambitions. That doesn't mean it will be easy for him; I do mean relatively.

Of course, it's more likely that his demands won't be met by his proposed deadline (Friday) and that chaos will ensue. But he can come out of that looking like the reasonable guy who offered to save the party, who could have saved the party if not for the terrorists.

[Terez]

Jim Webb also dropped out so now we're down to 4 (only 2 of whom are real candidates).

[HoosierDaddy]

Who is the 4th?

[Terez]

I suppose it depends on who the 3rd is. We have Hillary and Bernie, and Martin O'Malley, and Lincoln Chaffee.

[HoosierDaddy]

Lincoln Chafee does't count. Okay. So 3 (2).

[amphibian]

HoosierDaddy, on 22 October 2015 - 01:01 AM, said:

Who is the 4th?

Lincoln Chafee, the ex governor of Rhode Island.

(Or if he's the third you know of, Martin O'Malley)

[Gnaw]

I like Chafee. In a non-insane country, he'd be a real candidate.

[HoosierDaddy]

Gnaw, on 22 October 2015 - 01:17 AM, said:

I like Chafee. In a non-insane country, he'd be a real candidate.

Please tell me you didn't watch the debate.

[Gnaw]

HoosierDaddy, on 22 October 2015 - 01:25 AM, said:

Gnaw, on 22 October 2015 - 01:17 AM, said:

I like Chafee. In a non-insane country, he'd be a real candidate.

Please tell me you didn't watch the debate.

No I didn't. I've seen him interviewed a couple of times. And didn't have too much trouble with his Senate record. Compared to the rest of the Republicans.