Democratic National Convention **live commentary thread**

[Devout Centrist]

The exploitation of the Hispanic girl's story was a bit much. Trump is terrible on immigration, but that doesn't justify stuff like that.

Compared to the mother of a man killed at Benghazi, that's hardly exploitation.

Why do you need to compare this to the RNC? Exploitation is exploitation.

I'm comparing exploitation to exploitation. If you want, I could use Superfly as an example instead.

But why compare it at all? Just don't exploit people. The decision to do so shouldn't be based on whether the Republicans did it first.

On the scale of exploitation, it's pretty minimal. That's my point. Her mother probably should've spoken on her hopes and dreams, to be sure. I just don't see how it's comparable to other acts of exploiting people for political gain.

[Devout Centrist]

Are people really saying it has died down?

The optics of this continue to be horrible. There's a continuous low rumble that was not present at the RNC.

Optics, as much as they matter to political junkies, really don't mean that much to the average joe. The plagiarism scandal and the Cruz debacle did not affect Trump's convention, and despite my own sarcastic comments to the contrary, the RNC actually did a solid job.

[Devout Centrist]

They need to move the California delegation away from the microphones. Far away.

Merde. My state is causing problems again.

[Devout Centrist]

Why are they talking about Michelle Obama's lunches and Let's Move. Kids sadly are getting heavier and less active not healthier and more active.

This is akin to saying, "why are they talking about Social Security? More seniors are getting old and dying, not less!"

[Devout Centrist]

LIE-A-WATHA is coming soon

C'mon, you got to be more creative than that if you want to become a living meme.

[Devout Centrist]

lol, if every night of the Convention goes like this, I'd love to see the type of bounce Clinton gets.

Trump got a bounce despite plagiarism and two very bad moments.

[Devout Centrist]

Wow, Elizabeth Warren really would love to see a class war.  She is SO divisive.  Any Democrats wanna complain about how dark this speech is?

No worse than the average stump speech from a presidential candidate on the trail, (R) or (D).

[Devout Centrist]

Is there a chance this backfires on the Bernie or Busters? This is incredibly rude.

They will vote for the Communist Party instead of the Green Party! The horror!

[Devout Centrist]

One of my cousins, who supports Bernie and wanted Hillary decided that she's sick of the DNC and "their hatred of Bernie folks" so she's voting for Stein

One of my cousins is a Fed Truther, too.

[Devout Centrist]

Why did they put Warren as the prime time speaker if she's unpopular amongst moderates.

She's the Trump  attack dog.

Plus, the rigged system meme has been popular with the easily manipulated this election.

[Devout Centrist]

This is a very vengeful, borderline communist diatribe. Trump is going to get a boost whenever Chief Crazy Warren has a mic in front of her.

>vengeful
>chief crazy Warren

Tell me, have you ever heard of cognitive dissonance?

[Devout Centrist]

Anti-TPP, anti-big-pharma, single payer healthcare. Will Hillary live up to any of this? I don't theenk so.

Without huge majorities, of course not.

Thank god she'll still support TPP.

[Devout Centrist]

yuck Anti-TPP

I hate it too, despite the fact Democrats support free trade, the unions have hijacked the issue.

[Devout Centrist]

Anti-TPP, anti-big-pharma, single payer healthcare. Will Hillary live up to any of this? I don't theenk so.

Without huge majorities, of course not.

Thank god she'll still support TPP.

Why? Do you love corporatism and hate small business? Even without the scandals around Hillary; this is why I never could vote for her.

You're a libertarian opposed to free trade? Huh?

Also, lol at free trade being corporatism.

[Devout Centrist]

yuck Anti-TPP

I hate it too, despite the fact Democrats support free trade, the unions have hijacked the issue.

Democrats DON'T support free trade, quite obviously.

https://today.yougov.com/news/2016/03/17/only-democrats-tend-support-free-trade/

[Devout Centrist]

yuck Anti-TPP

I hate it too, despite the fact Democrats support free trade, the unions have hijacked the issue.

Democrats DON'T support free trade, quite obviously.

Actually, polls show that a majority of Democrats still support free Trade, and a majority of Republicans support fair Trade still.

"Fair" Trade.

[Devout Centrist]

Protectionism can be dangerous.

Indeed it can be. Protectionism transformed America from a harmless colonial backwater into an economic and military titan that surpassed the great powers of Europe.

Yes, and Free Trade took America from a regional power to a global superpower with allies across the globe.

[Devout Centrist]

You need a real education and seriously. If there was no socialism involved in government, we'd have a completely capitalist economy with no taxes and where infrastructure was privately funded. I didn't invent a damn thing, you are lashing out at me because you don't understand economics and accusing me of just making up things. Get an education, get an education, get an education. You have been read.

Having been a professor of economics for, likely, almost as many years that you have been around, I am mildly amused

BTW, if you have not noticed, I am the moderator of the Economics board here

Careful, AG, remember that Brexit happened and the easily manipulated hate experts now.

[Devout Centrist]

You need a real education and seriously. If there was no socialism involved in government, we'd have a completely capitalist economy with no taxes and where infrastructure was privately funded. I didn't invent a damn thing, you are lashing out at me because you don't understand economics and accusing me of just making up things. Get an education, get an education, get an education. You have been read.

Having been a professor of economics for, likely, almost as many years that you have been around, I am mildly amused

BTW, if you have not noticed, I am the moderator of the Economics board here

I'm not in the habit of studying everyone's profile here. You need to brush up on your stuff. But then again, sometimes anyone can become a professor. I know a whole lot of people in professions and it's questionable how they got there.

Socialism is, "state ownership of the means of production."

Sure, there are welfare systems that have elements of socialism, but it's hardly socialism as an economic model.

[Devout Centrist]

You need a real education and seriously. If there was no socialism involved in government, we'd have a completely capitalist economy with no taxes and where infrastructure was privately funded. I didn't invent a damn thing, you are lashing out at me because you don't understand economics and accusing me of just making up things. Get an education, get an education, get an education. You have been read.

Having been a professor of economics for, likely, almost as many years that you have been around, I am mildly amused

BTW, if you have not noticed, I am the moderator of the Economics board here

Careful, AG, remember that Brexit happened and the easily manipulated hate experts now.

"Experts". Economics aren't a science, it's the art of twisting numbers so they fit your narrative.

You're not describing an Economist, you're describing a politician.

[Devout Centrist]

There are plenty of idiots with PhDs and plenty of smart people with only a high school education.

Anyway, seeing as this has become yet another ag-bragging-about-his-dick thread, I'll be off.  G'night, folks.

Trump 2016!

Come now, we're not talking about Ken Ham or Kent Hovind.

[Devout Centrist]

I am ashamed of the 43% of the democratic party that literally voted for a movement that is the beginning of America becoming China or Russia.

Bernie's proposed policies = China = Russia?

China and Russia are vastly different, and both are different than what he proposed.

Both are communist nations, Socialism is merely a step on the way to communism.

SOCIALISM IS NOT THE ANSWER BERNIE! SOCIALISM IS NOT THE ANSWER

Okay, I guess you're against the fire department, the police, national parks, public libraries, etc.

That isn't typically considered to fall under the umbrella of Socialism. Free education and health care does.

You can't pick and choose like that, economics isn't al a carte. If you pay tax dollars that are in turn used for services, that is socialism. When everyone pays a share, then it's socialism.

That is a definition you yourself invented. In the same spirit of individual definitional innovation I suggest another defintion: urinating is socialism. If you ever urinated in your life, you are a socialist.  You cannot pick and choose here: this is not a la carte.

BTW, what is a carte?

I cannot believe someone doesn't know what al a carte means. It's a French saying for picking separate items off of a menu without ordering an entire meal.

No, that would be "a la carte" (sorry for missing the accent on the first "a", my keybord is not set up for the frenchie ones, and a Spanish accent would be wrong here). I have no clue what "al a carte" is, though

Nice cover.

You have not still noticed I have been making fun of your articles/prepositions from the very beginning? I mean, it must really be difficult in life to be so slow.

I really don't care, because you didn't even understand that government funding infrastructure is in a way socialist. I've never seen a Big Time Professor (or at least that's what you claim that you are) so focused on being 100% right on a message board. Shouldn't you be doing your job?

Aspects of socialism does not make it socialism. As I said earlier, socialism is the state owning the means of production.

Bernie Sanders does not support socialism if he doesn't advocate nationalization. So I don't see how he's anymore left than a social democrat. His rhetoric is definitely more in line with mainline leftists, but not his policies.

[Devout Centrist]

But then again, sometimes any random person off the street can become a professor and still not fully grasp what they have studied.

Nice edit. Unlike you, though, I have actually studied

I talk circles around people like you on a regular basis, including a political science professor who worked for Lawton Chiles. I've written a novel, run for office, served on two appointed committees (state and local) and I've helping to advise two political campaigns. Thanks for playing.

This isn't an ethos contest, dammit. Seeing either of your credentials isn't necessary.

My credentials? I could be a Nobel Laureate in Economics at UC Irvine or, more likely, I'm an underachieving young adult. It doesn't matter in the end. You, I, and AG should just stick to definitions.

[Devout Centrist]

If it makes you guys feel any better, you're both shtposters.

But then I am too.

We're all merdeposters in the end.

[Devout Centrist]

But then again, sometimes any random person off the street can become a professor and still not fully grasp what they have studied.

Nice edit. Unlike you, though, I have actually studied

I talk circles around people like you on a regular basis, including a political science professor who worked for Lawton Chiles. I've written a novel, run for office, served on two appointed committees (state and local) and I've helping to advise two political campaigns. Thanks for playing.

This isn't an ethos contest, dammit.

Ethos or egos?

Gentlemen, this is an English-language forum. Let us use the language correctly.

May as well be both, why not?