US Presidential Election 2016 official thread

I find this very strange as well. When watching a few of Bernie Sanders debates/demonstrations etc. I was very confused every time he appealed to the ''middle class'' as I thought the average American would've classed themselves as working class .

Politicians used to talk about the Working Class in America. It all changed when the pollsters and focus group managers realised that many working class people there regarded it as a pejorative term, a sign of failure and of being insufficiently aspirational. That change really began to bite in the late 70s and politicians like Reagan began to address all voters and all voter concerns as 'middle class' - this was later adopted by the Democrats and Bill Clinton used it all the time. It was hilariously misplaced when they clearly meant it as covering blue collar workers in factory towns or guys with pickups, but it is used by the media almost exclusively now in the States to cover those kinds of people. Basically the code now is that anyone with a job, however degrading, low paid or menial, is 'middle class'.

It's absolute trash and another sign of how deeply Conservative plutocratic agendas control the political scene in the US. Clearly Wall St does not want the truth - that massive numbers of Americans, in work or out of it, are living in poverty with no hope, that huge numbers lack proper housing, medical care or even sanitation (seriously, there are some cities where the latter is made unavailable on failure to keep up with crippling water charges) - and they pay the politicians to make sure they don't get into that as well.

Parts of the US are really third world countries.

There is something about American political speak I have never understood and it's that 'middle class' refers to the baseline voter whereas here it's 'working class'. Is that because they don't think it's worth acknowledging them or because they don't think a blue collar class exists?

And then people wonder why British left wingers support Sanders



It's class warfare. You erode class conscious of the working class.

One of the things Obama opened up and they cannot now put back in the box is that people across the US are once again discussing class, crushing inequality and the surging power and wealth of the mega-rich. This discussion is no longer confined to a few New York liberals or other easy-to-marginalise people - it involves doctors, teachers, students, factory workers and working people of all kinds.
http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/feb/06/bernie-sanders-america-ready-for-socialist-president

The Wall St controllers have a serious problem.

Clinton is also weak on foreign policy. You can bet the Republicans, whoever is their candidate, will attack them on this. The Democrats will have to move the focus of the campaign on home policies, but it will be tough. I don't think they will win if there are other terrorist attacks in the USA.

One of the things Obama opened up and they cannot now put back in the box is that people across the US are once again discussing class, crushing inequality and the surging power and wealth of the mega-rich. This discussion is no longer confined to a few New York liberals or other easy-to-marginalise people - it involves doctors, teachers, students, factory workers and working people of all kinds.
http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/feb/06/bernie-sanders-america-ready-for-socialist-president

The Wall St controllers have a serious problem.

Failing a sudden big swing within the next day or two, Bush, Christie and Fiorina are all finished. They're all polling nowhere - before Iowa, Bush looked like he might be able to get something in NH, but since then not one poll has given him more than 10%. Kasich looks to still be in with a chance, at least for now - a few polls are showing him in second or third, at around 15-16%. Carson will do hopelessly in NH as well, but unlike the aforementioned four this was never expected to be one of his stronger states, so he'll keep going until South Carolina.

Bush could hardly get by, there wasn't room!

Seriously, what a bunch of nincompoops.

I thought Christie was excellent last night. Listening to him on one or two issues one could easily be lulled into a sense that the Republican party is fairly reasonable.

I'll admit, Rubio is a very smooth communicator, but that moment has really shown him up to be a scripted establishment shill. I'd be quite surprised if his ratings don't take a bit of a hit before the NH caucus.

It says I cannot watch the vid because of NBC copyrights.

It says I cannot watch the vid because of NBC copyrights.