How do you think our politics will change after 2016 when Obama is no longer in office?

[Frustratedlady]

Will it become civil or somewhat civil or will the Republicans/Tea Party members treat Hillary the same as they treated Obama because she's a woman and has no right to sit in the White House---their holy chamber?

I think we are becoming so accustomed to nastier than normal politics since the reign of George W, then Obama and now the possibility of (shudder) a woman at the helm, that it will forever be a disaster.

Will they push Hillary out to sea with the hopes she sinks or are they scared enough of what she knows about them to bow down and behave? After the way they treated Bill (and, she well remembers those days), it will be interesting to see how they act or react.

What I'd LOVE to see is a Hillary/Elizabeth ticket...come at them with both barrels. I'd guess they would cower like playground bullies which just met their match.

There isn't enough popcorn for that scene. Sigh!

[merrily]

1. How about having even one person declare for the primary before assuming Hillary will be Pres?

Is the Politics 2015 forum really the second Hillary Group?

[Frustratedlady]

2. Well, I'm certainly not the first and won't be the last to assume.

I'm not even a Hillary person, so I'm not promoting her for POTUS. I'm simply interested in the future climate of politics IF that were to be the scenario.

I believe I have that right to pose the question.

[JayhawkSD]

12. How about even waiting for Hillary to declare? nt

[merrily]

14. I thought "even one person" covered that.

[JayhawkSD]

16. Wel, please excuse me for stepping on your post.

I will assiduously try to read mor carefully as to the precise meaning of people's posts in the future so that I do not offend them by repeating what they say with my mindless and obtuse statements.

It is certainly easy to offend people on this place.

[merrily]

17. You didn't step on my post and I am not offended.

[notadmblnd]

3. I think who ever is allowed to be elected- will maintain the status quo

So no, politics will not change much if at all.

[stevenleser]

25. Absolutely wrong. If a Republican wins, Obamacare will be repealed.

We'll be back to pre-existing conditions, another 10 million people will be uninsured.

And that's just for starters.

That's not status-quo.

[Cal33]

33. On the other hand, even if someone like Elizabeth Warren were to be president, change will

still be difficult and extremely slow. The Republicans will be fighting her/him every step
of the way. Also, the mess created by G. W. Bush, I understand, will still need many
more long years to clear up. Obama is in the middle of the crap right now, and doing as much
as he can.

[hollowdweller]

4. It depends on if a GOP or Democrat is in the White House

You have to understand.

If a republican wins and dems are in congress they will compromise when they can, but will stand up to them on their more extreme tendencies.

If a democrat wins and the republicans are in congress they will paint them as a truly bad person and obstruct them and use every means fair or unfair to remove them from office.

When a republican wins democrats are sad because they know he will enact laws they do not agree with generally. When a democrat wins the republicans view the win as illegitimate and consider it a threat to the nation.

It has to do with how democrats and republicans campaign. In general Democrats focus on the policies of the Republicans and run against their positions on these issues. Republicans focus on creating paranoia and fear about the individual person, and try to make the voters either afraid of the person or to make it like that they somehow are not like the rest of us.

So if a democrat is elected it will be witch hunts and obstructions.

On the other hand the total level of disrespect Obama has received despite doing fairly well is 100% because he is black. If Hillary would win they would still try to destroy her as a person, but the sheer level of writing them off as lazy and a failure like Obama has been done probably will not be done.

[Frustratedlady]

5. I think part of the difference between the treatment of Obama and Hillary...

beyond race, would be that the Republicans thought they could scare and outwit Obama. I think he is proving them wrong. It's as though he is thoroughly enjoying his new freedom from campaigning and going for the gold.

As for Hillary, I think the majority of the Republicans are scared of her. If she doesn't fight them nose to nose, she'll figure out a way to get them when they least expect the attack. She may be getting up there in age, but she's no one's dummy and they know it. I can't think of one Republican she couldn't take down verbally or intellectually.

And, she always has Bill. In fact, it would be interesting to see Hillary win if for no other reason than to see how Bill handles the FMOTUS. What would you call it? FHOTUS?

Never a dull moment in politics.

[earthside]

28. If it is Hillary or a Repuglican ...

... the country will be further to the right; it will only be a matter of degree.

And, indeed, if Hillary becomes our first woman President and our first spousal President successor, the Tea Party and reactionary Repuglicans will still be going freaking nuts. The hate and rancor will continue.

[Cosmocat]

31. CORRECTAMUNDO!

If it is an President, we will hear two words we haven't heard in the last 6 years ad nauseum.

BIPARTISANSHIP! which Republicans will demand.
OBSTRUCTIONISM! which Republicans will scream before, during and after every debate to cow the media and democrats.

If it is a democrat it will be more of the same - relentless and visciously attacking the president with any and everything they can dream up.

The media will dutifully do what the Rs do, the public will sleepwalk through it.

[Nay]

6. After the slurs that she endured while Bill was in the WH, I think we can

agree that the same stuff will be brought up in 2016 -- Vince Foster, commodities trading, how mean she is to her staff, you name it. And her comment about the "vast RW conspiracy" was correct, but she'll be pilloried with that, too. And anything else they can create out of thin air.

Not that I'm a Hillary fan -- I'd rather ANY dem but her would be our nominee -- but that's what we should expect.

[Frustratedlady]

7. Yes, I agree about the slurs and the rough time they gave her.

I think the worst was the treatment they gave to Chelsey and look at how beautiful she turned out to be. For parents to stand back and see the mocking of Chelsey had to have hurt to the core. She never should have been subjected to that. She's quite a contrast to some of the Republican children. I digress.

Looking back, I think the treatment they gave to the Carters was probably the rudest. They treated them like hicks. The Carters were much stronger than me as I certainly couldn't have taken the constant debasing they were handed.

As for the Clintons and Obamas, the treatment they've been handed is downright cruel and irresponsible. I grew up during the more polite Republican years...Ike, for the most part that I recall, and my parents would be shocked to see how rotten and cynical the present Republican/Tea Party is.

I wish it could be different. Imagine how great this country could be if both sides worked together for the best result to problems they could find. Fat chance.

[elleng]

8. Not much, unless

we get better numbers in Congress. They're in the habit of blocking and obfuscating now, and I doubt they'll give it up.

[Frustratedlady]

9. I agree. Especially when they enjoy their evil so much.

What a shameful lesson for our youngsters, but I'm hoping that most of them are seeing how childish some members of Congress are conducting themselves and will act accordingly. I know my grandchildren (most) are very aware of what is going on and actively work for the Democratic candidates during campaigns. Not much gets past them.

[kwolf68]

10. It will be so sweet

Republicans will be classy and responsive, because the only reason they have opposed Obama is because he is black. So a new President, who is white will be treated with dignity and respect. Sorta like John Kerry was treated. /sarcasm

[Reter]

11. They will say "The only reason they are so hard on the President is because she's female!"

Just like some today say race is the only factor, and forget just how hated Bill Clinton was by the right.

[antigop]

15. +1 to the "inevitability" meme counter. nt

[Padiddle]

18. I'm going to get hammered for this, but...

...I actually think we're going to have a rubber-stamp GOP administration. Call me a pessimist, but the Krotches and elected cons have done so much damage with everything from voter-ID laws, to malfunctioning electronic ballot machines, to kneecapping Obamacare, to Citizens United, that Dem voters are in a terrible way right now.

I'm seeing a bad cloud for 2016 with Jeb at the helm and daddy's cronies coming right back to pull the strings behind the scenes. In a situation like this, with a right-wing fascist being democratically elected by a "select" group of people, what could it possibly look like?



Ladies and gentlemen, we're on the eve of destruction.

[earthside]

29. You could be correct.

I think the talking-head, Democrat pundits who are predicting a Hillary Clinton sweep into the Oval Office are whistling past the graveyard.

With voter suppression, Repuglican secretaries of state in so many swing states, and maybe a couple billion dollars pushing the GOP nominee, I think the Democrats simply may not be able to pull this off.

And, I also think Hillary Clinton as the Democratic presidential nominee is going to mean a rather unenthusiastic liberal/progressive base. The yahoos, on the other hand, are going to be as pumped-up as ever, maybe more so than usual.

Even a couple months ago I thought that the potential Repuglican nominees were so crazy that none of them could possibly get elected President. But I'm just not so sure anymore -- I think the country is going off the rails.

[Darb]

30. Democratic pundits

Just sayin'

[Proud Liberal Dem]

19. Republican hate will be fixated on the next target

If a (Democratic) woman is elected, goodbye racism, hello misogyny.

[Frustratedlady]

20. I have to agree...particularly, a woman named Clinton.

They will outdo the hate they displayed when Bill was at the helm and really lay it on Hillary. I'm not a strong Hillary fan, but I'd have to admire her for taking on those creeps and leaving them babbling behind her. I think she can out-think and out-maneuver most of those bullies, but if they DO play the same game they've played with Obama, the public will revolt. The Republicans have bordered on treason with their treatment of Obama and basically shutting down our government since he was elected. We can't afford another 8 years of that crap.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

24. +1

No, we can't. And agree with you on all points!

[Myrina]

21. If - Goddess forbid - the GOP wins ...

there will be mean-spirited spite and juvenile bullshit from their side of the aisle like we've never seen.

Oh, and don't DARE criticize the POTUS - or the office of, or the military or police - because that will be considered treasonous.

It's going to be ugly. The absolute worst possible Jerry Springer-ish years of this country's life.

[Sunlei]

22. politics will remain about the same /w radical republicans continuing to take from.....

continuing to take from American citizens what ever they can chip away at.

Civil rights, Federal money, benefits, State money, decent healthcare, OUR public lands....whatever means more profits to personal wealth builders will continue to be stolen from regular Americans.

[SmittynMo]

23. If we don't keep the White House,

God help us all.

[leveymg]

26. Domestic politics will likely be the least of our concerns.

[Jamastiene]

27. I am afraid it will stagnate into more of the same

rightward leaning hideousness that has been happening for decades now.

They will treat Hillary even worse, I think.

[Cosmocat]

32. Part of why I supported candidate Obama

was that while I not niave enough to think they would treat him with some level of respect, I thought that he was a nice enough of a guy and not being Hillary they would be just a little less jackassed.

Somehow, they have been even worse than ever before.

So, I expect that to continue if the good people of this country have enough common sense to at least NOT elect an R president, and whatever form of jackassedness it will come in.

[polynomial]

34. The political wind will be the media

The political wind will be the media and not the candidate. What many think is going to happen because of a person being elected is wrong.

It’s just the words that are said by the person being elected that are parsed to condemnation.

It appears that the politics of this era has no accountability, all typified by those at the top getting bailouts adding up to trillions of dollars is worse than embarrassing, it’s a crime that is the same as shutting down the government. The Republicans are stuck with that label for a long time.

George W Bush, his father, and his Grandfather have already established the foot print in America is not only sliding towards fascism, it is there at precipice. We are in the phase of an internal economic war.

For anyone to reform our government would mean drastic criminal convictions, legions of families would be called out for decades of abuse in antithetical Constitution actions. The Supreme Court itself is a mucked up disrespectful entity let alone the Congress and the President.

My narration is theoretical, but the economy is always hammered when important change is done for the general class of people rather than just for the rich. It’s in the air, and someone flinched. Gas prices dropping as much as two dollars within a few months examples an impressive fear at the top.

As more people understand even with glitz and glitter or nicety of mainstream media in politics there is always a foolish person swept up in the passion of success in a political position that will make an asshat decision.

[John Poet]

35. How will it change?

Rethugs won't be able to blame it on 'the black guy' anymore, so

I suppose they'll have to blame it on 'that woman'