Okay, no Trump. But the Republicans have got to have people besides that wacko Ted Cruz.
The Houston news papers apologized for having endorsed him back when he was holding up the federal budget.
SJG
Well I don't care who wins the conservative nominee. In fact trump might have the best chance of losing to clinton so maybe I should be rooting for trump. But he might not even beat rubio for the nominee.
If this is the best the Republicans have to offer - just give it to Hillary right now - sadly part is - she will just spend her entire 8 years (and i mean 8 because nobody will get it together) - in investigation after investigation. Sadly BOTH parties should be thrown out. This is just a flipping joke.
It's sad no one had anything to say about Bernie Sanders. Everyone who thinks HRC is just going to win in a cakewalk is delusional.
As for the Republicans, they ended up with something even worse than Trump winning. I can't see how anyone would ever vote for Cruz, and that's before you remember his Canadian birth. I see Rubio as their man, unless something weird happens.
BTW, twentyfive, some of them will do it all over 4 years from now.
Londonguy- I don't know what you mean by is it that bad. Iowa is primarily a farming state, so people think its all backwards. But since it has the first caucus, it has disproportionate influence on what happens. As it is, I may actually move there for my job, thanks to my wonderful employer in Omaha deciding to close up my job site. And for what you really want to know, they have some nice BYOB clubs there, although I haven't been going as much as I used to.
I'm VERY disappointed in Trump. I expected a concession speech like this:
"Okay, you people in Iowa are STUPID! You never vote for the successful Republican candidate anyway and I can see why. Rubio? Really?? He's not even eligible to run for president yet you stupidly came out in record numbers to give him the victory. It just goes to show evangelicals can't tell their ass from a hole in the wall. Evangelicals are the most backwards people on the planet anyway. You don't even believe in evolution for Christ sake!"
But Noooooo. Trump was magnanimous in defeat. WTF??? How does he expect to win by being nice to his rivals? People are going to lose interest in Trump if he doesn't find some hairs to stick up his ass.
By having some of the most educated, nicest, and hard working people in the world, per capita, yeah you can say Iowa is pretty backwards. Compare that to the coastal blight of poverty and runaway cost of living I'd take backwards Iowa over most places in the union, if it wasn't for the weather.
I never said Iowa wasn't full of nice people, just as a destination in January its got to be freezing, sorry if I offended you I was just being snarky.
No offense, just clarifying my term of what "backwards" meant. The land of fruits and nuts on the west coast is way more backwards than the Midwest ever is, ie SJG....
Weather sucks in Iowa, and transients can destroy any communities in good weather states. Ironically the good weather states are better places to club. Not always true, but a decent generality, aside from A couple places. Again no offense taken. I've never lived in Iowa.
Cruz is even scarier than Trump with his creepy christian right wing extremism. What a tool. As much as a pompous idiot as Trump is I'd take him in a heartbeat over a fucktard like Cruz.
I lived, for a few years, next door in Ill-noise. In spite of the global warming hype, winters around there ARE cold, miserable and way too long. What I discovered while living there was that most of those "hick" farmers had Masters degrees in engineering, ag, or business and they were anything BUT uneducated or ignorant. Iowa is crammed full of multi-generational, multi-million dollar ag businesses run with top of the line high tech equipment by very capable, experienced, hands on people.
I do not recommend Iowa for clubbing, winter travel, or sightseeing. However, the food is both excellent and served in large portions in many of the local eateries. While traveling in Iowa don't forget to stop at the largest coffee pot in the world (a community water tower just off I-40) and the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library (another stop just off I-40).
Cruz won because organization beats ideology. Polls had Trump ahead but his IA organization was very weak, and his supporters didn't turn out for him. Cruz was VERY well organized and he got a much larger percentage of his supporters to actually show up. That's how Obama won the early primaries in 2008: as a community organizer he knew how to organize.
Rubio was the big winner though on the Republican side. I predicted he'd take the nomination months ago because I saw him as the only adult among the favorites and his close 3rd place is a net win for him (and his party for that matter). His strong showing will give normal Republicans a clear choice between a reactionary, pro-theocracy Cruz, and the flaky Trump who is NOT nearly as funny as Don Rickles was.
Political opinions are like ass holes. Every one has one. I am an independent. If I thought the Libertarians had a chance I would vote for their candidate but I will reserve my judgement until the final two are chosen and then pick between them based upon what is most important to me I am however in the "Any one but Hillary" camp.
^^^Rock I beg to differ Cruz won because many,( not all) of those nice well educated people are racist, xenophobes that is who both Cruz and Trump are appealing to these days. Cruz is actually worse than Trump in that respect look at the actual record and you will see the truth. Before any of the rest of you start to give me shit for my opinion look carefully at what is going on, both of these guys repeated so many lies over and over again, after each debate I looked up on [view link] an independent organization the record is open on line for anyone interested in truth to look at.
25: Then we agree. I find Cruz way more loathsome than Trump, and the polls agree with us. But polls don't count; votes count. So if you can't turn out the vote, you lose. Trump is still more "popular" in IA but Cruz got the vote out, so he won. Trump overestimated the enthusiasm of his supporters. Without the doorbell ringing and phone calls to encourage people to go out and vote like Cruz' organization did, Trump lost.
I personal think that that does play a part as you said, but the last few cycles have somehow emboldened those that harbor these vile racist and xenophobic views,I think their numbers are actually dwindling, and those that remain are getting scared and more vocal about it.
25: Xenophobes are easy to spot because they'll tell you straight out they hate Muslims and think Muslims should be banned/deported from the US.
I hesitate to accuse conservatives as "racist" because it's not always clear. I find the personal hatred of Obama frequently has nothing to do with his policies, so it might be race, but I'm not going to say that's true for any particular person. Lots of conservative hated Bill Clinton too, and it had nothing to do with his policies. He was a moderate conservative in that perspective! He cut welfare, defined marriage as between a man and woman, cut spending, balanced the budget...
Rock I am not as enamored of Barack Obama for many reasons but I really felt much of the vitriol directed at him was racially enhanced bigotry. You can disagree with his policies but there is no call for the open disrespect shown to this man as president of the United States, don't forget that the conservatives of the 50s & early 60s were Barry Goldwater Republicans and George Wallace-Strom Thurmond Democrats. My take on this is its clear those racists outed themselves with their dog whistles and Cruz is doing a lot of that along with Trump.
Rockstar and 25, while you two are slamming everyone who fails to agree with you, 180,000 people from Iowa voted for one of four Republican candidates who promised to secure the southern border, slow or stop import of refugees from Syria, deport at least some of the millions of illegal aliens in the US, and reduce federal spending. Over 60,000 Democrat voters in Iowa chose a self identified Socialist over The Hillary.
I doubt that 98% of the Republican voters in Iowa are, "racist, xenophobes" nor are half of Iowa Democrats socialists. The fact is, many citizens of the USA are simply tired of an administration that fails to follow existing law or the constitution. Many people, in both parties, recognize that we cannot keep giving money to alien poor who illegally entered this country, while at the same time allowing more than a million aliens - per year - enter legally. Many people in the USA justifiably fear the risks of allowing thousands of unverifiable Syrian refugees to come to the US.
A lot of people, not just in Iowa, simply want someone different, not part of the insider gangs, to make decisions in D.C.. It is not racist to disagree with you. Americans are not xenophobes when they look to their own safety and security. Could you tone down your angry, biased fanaticism just a little?
dallas I don't slam anyone who doesn't agree with me, you are getting what I said wrong what I am slamming is the fact free campaigns that all of your candidates are running looking to appeal to the lowest common denominator. You can have any opinion you like and vote for whoever appeals to you but there is only one thing you keep forgetting. Facts are stubborn things spin them any way you like and have any opinion but you haven't got the facts straight. If you wish to debate a fact try to spin this 1+1=2. Go ahead spin that it wont change the fact.
I can't believe either party can't put forth better candidates.
I thought Jeb Bush would eventually rise to the top but he looks hopeless. (not that he's perfect)
So we're left with a couple of wackos on the right and a Socialist and whatever Hillary is on the other side. Not very good choices indeed!
Trump is steering the campaign to the right. But he is not really a supporter of the Republican Party. If he were he would run for something he can win, and then help their party instead of being something it has to apologize for.
But I also see this Ted Cruz as an embarrassment.
I don't think the Iowa Caucus is that predictive of how the rest of the primaries will go. Even New Hampshire is not that representative.
While I will enjoy watching the Republicans lose, I would not want to see them nominate an extremist, as that is still too risky.
Do the Democrats have anyone besides Clinton and Sanders?
The the Iowa Democratic caucus will be more liberal than the rest of the primary voters, I do see this as posing a problem for Clinton. They are saying she might move further to the left. I would like to see that.
SJG
@ twentyfive. No, I take your point. I looked at Iowa on the map, Des Moines is the only place I had ever heard of. Guess it must be one of the least populated States per square mile?
To London Guy I have never been there myself what you say is possible, but I thing the least populated is Montana both in population and per square mile, but my point is what you got even though I was being a bit snarky. There many places to visit and many things to see in the USA and Iowa doesn't really register at the top of many lists It would be like going to England and not visiting London but going to some small area that nobody has ever heard of, so my point was these candidates and their entourage would be happy to go somewhere else at least in New Hampshire the next primary state on the list cold as it may be in February, has skiing and is close to major population centers on the east coast.
"loud minority" ?
A caucus is not a primary. It is party activists. So on both sides it is a minority.
Even actual primary voters are much more partisan than are general election voters.
SJG
????
About the only one I would want less than Cruz would be Trump. But I also know that the Iowa Caucus is not a real primary and that the Houston newspaper apologized for endorsing and getting him into the Senate.
So lets see where this goes now.
SJG
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