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Related: About this forumErich Bloodaxe BSN
(14,733 posts)That would still only be 4 people on stage, and I'm sure he'll bring a more useful point of view than either Webb or Chafee did to to the last debate.
cantbeserious
(13,039 posts)eom
yeoman6987
(14,449 posts)And if not for this great forum I'd still not know. Heck does Hillary or Bernie even know him?
cantbeserious
(13,039 posts)eom
Evergreen Emerald
(13,069 posts)cantbeserious
(13,039 posts)eom
Octafish
(55,745 posts)Smartest guy in the room stuff, what he said.
dreamnightwind
(4,775 posts)on The Young Turks. Also Democracy Now. I like him a lot.
Not at all certain that I like his strategy, it's good in theory but the likely outcome is he doesn't win the nomination (duh) and he siphons votes disproportionately from Bernie. In fact I think it is borderline insane.
But the root of his fanaticism on this issue is climate change and the impending doom we are hopeless to confront when our leaders are on corporate payrolls, and he's 100% right about that.
It IS a desperate situation. I wish people would get that through their heads, and at the very least withdraw support from the corporatist presumptive nominee. We have to maniacally change our ways, and the corporations have placed such a retooling of society "off the table".
So his laser-like focus on fixing campaign financing is right on, he's seriously looking for a way to make this happen, which is more than I can say about most anyone else. It's the reform that enables all other reforms, including radical change to a carbon neutral society.
Until that, we can elect an excellent candidate like Bernie, and should, but he will still be operating in a fundamentally corrupt context, not so much on him but on every other elected official he needs support from.
I like the Bernie model better, where candidates unilaterally refuse corporate money, and we learn to elect them, against all odds. It can be done. If we learn this well enough, and we must, they will be the leaders for campaign finance reform, and for making a serious attempt to get a handle on climate change before it is too late.
We need to, as a society, make accepting corporate money a shameful, disqualifying offense. If we can build a social concensus to that effect, we'll be able to elect uncompromised candidates, then anything is possible.
cantbeserious
(13,039 posts)eom
dreamnightwind
(4,775 posts)If he'd come up with a mechanism whose most likely outcome wasn't to help elect the oligarch's favorite candidate, I'd be 100% behind him. If he has dealt with this, let me know. I watched his campaign announcement on TYT, and was not at all satisfied in that regard.
Plus, the whole scheme is so hair-brained, far-fetched. After he gets elected, he calls for an immediate constitutional convention, refusing to move any legislation whatsoever until it happens, supposedly limiting the scope of said convention to setting up publicly financed elections (I don't think there is even a mechanism for limiting the scope like that, could be wrong though), presumably taking action on climate change (or does that happen after he resigns?), then resigning to allow whomever his supporters (not the general electorate, only the people who voted for him, IIRC, again, how would that work? perhaps I am wrong about that, but I'm pretty sure that's what he said) decide should succeed him, and he immeddiately resigns, mission accomplished.
Is that about right?
One hell of an admirable idea, and we need thinking of that magnitude to make truly radical changes. I just don't see it as all that well thought out. But I'm open to having my mind changed if I'm wrong, and I'm absolutely with him in spirit even if I don't buy into his plan. I'm hoping this is the first halfway serious attempt for such radical reform, and that a more workable one will emerge.
freedom fighter jh
(1,782 posts)Now he's just a regular candidate, but still with his equality act as top priority.
iandhr
(6,852 posts)Surely you can't be serious.
cantbeserious
(13,039 posts)eom
iandhr
(6,852 posts)cantbeserious
(13,039 posts)eom
iandhr
(6,852 posts)A GOP candidate in NH who ran for the Senate against Scott Brown who had Zero chance.
Rick Weiland in SD who also had no chance and Walter Jones a republican NC in a super red district and a person who will have a zero impact. Oh by the way. Jones wants to impeach the president.
There were other people who supported overturning citizens united who had a chance to win who would have been better choices.