[POLL] United States Presidential Elections 2016

[DK]

In December last year, a gunman took hostages in a cafe in Sydney's Martin Place, which is home to the commercial headquarters and studios of two television channels. During the siege, the gunman put up a black flag with Arabic text on it, and those two stations immediately ran stories that it was a terrorist attack. Nobody bothered to check the flag, and it wasn't until the evening news broadcasts that a prominent Muslim journalist pointed out that it is a common flag for Islamic families to own, and that while the black flag is commonly associated with ISIS, it is not exclusively associated with them.

Which flag was it, and what did it say when translated to English? Was it the shahadah?

 

[prisonermonkeys]

Was it the shahadah?

Yes. A black flag is commonly associated with extremism, but not exclusively.

 

[Touring Mars]

Yes. A black flag is commonly associated with extremism, but not exclusively.

Yes, sometimes it's just Pastor Maldonado.

 

[Johnnypenso]

Firstly, because of what @prisonermonkeys already said.

But I think there's more to it; the media, especially at the conservative end, wanted a way to get out in front of the conversation that we should have had instead - putting some meaningful gun regulations in place in this country.

CNN was right in there with Fox over the "gun free zone" misreporting and in fact ran more stories than Fox did in reporting these zones as gun free. Kind of dispels your "especially at the conservative end" narrative.

 

[huskeR32]

CNN was right in there with Fox over the "gun free zone" misreporting and in fact ran more stories than Fox did in reporting these zones as gun free. Kind of dispels your "especially at the conservative end" narrative.

There is more to media than just those two channels. Conservative talk radio has been raging against gun-free zones all week.

And did you even read the article you linked?

Conservative Media's "Gun-Free Zone" Myth Infects CNN And Fox News Following Oregon Community College Shooting

The false conservative media talking point that Umpqua Community College (UCC) was a "gun-free zone" was frequently pushed on CNN and Fox News in the aftermath of an October 1 mass shooting where a gunman killed nine and wounded several others on the Roseburg, Oregon, campus.

Conservative media figures often claim that mass shootings tend to happen in so-called "gun-free zones" in order to advocate for less restrictive gun laws.

That entire article essentially echoes what I said, that last one in particular.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

CNN was right in there with Fox over the "gun free zone" misreporting and in fact ran more stories than Fox did in reporting these zones as gun free. Kind of dispels your "especially at the conservative end" narrative.

You tend to get a follow-the-leader effect in situations like this. If FOX reported on a "gun-free zone", you can bet CNN followed suit because they don't want to make themselves a target.

Despite the way so many people condemn the "liberal media", for the most part, very few news networks will take on a liberal position because they know that people are most comfortable when they are being told what they already know to be true - or at least, what they believe to be true. And that plays right into the hands of the conservative media. Any network that takes on a liberal position will naturally err on the side of caution because anything too radical will naturally draw fire from the conservative media.

 

[Dennisch]

Ben Carson is just as much of an idiot as every other candidate running at the moment.

If the Jews had guns in WW2 they would have been able to defend themselves.

Well duh.

It seems like that talking about guns truly brings out the stupidity.

 

[GTPorsche]

Ben Carson is just as much of an idiot as every other candidate running at the moment.

If the Jews had guns in WW2 they would have been able to defend themselves.

Well duh.

It seems like that talking about guns truly brings out the stupidity.

He also would have told them to run at the Germans that were trying to capture them.

 

[Lizard]

Ben Carson is just as much of an idiot as every other candidate running at the moment.

If the Jews had guns in WW2 they would have been able to defend themselves.

Well duh.

It seems like that talking about guns truly brings out the stupidity.

The worst thing is, people out there agree with him.

The obvious problem. Ignoring any of the arguments against guns.

1. The Jewish population was banned from doing so many things. They would have been banned from having guns whether everyone else had one or not.

 

[Johnnypenso]

There is more to media than just those two channels. Conservative talk radio has been raging against gun-free zones all week.

And did you even read the article you linked?

That entire article essentially echoes what I said, that last one in particular.

Those are the two primary cable news networks in the U.S. One leans left, one leans right. Your assertion of "especially on the right", doesn't hold true if you look at the top dogs. Quoting someone else who says they agree with your point doesn't make it so.

You tend to get a follow-the-leader effect in situations like this. If FOX reported on a "gun-free zone", you can bet CNN followed suit because they don't want to make themselves a target.

Despite the way so many people condemn the "liberal media", for the most part, very few news networks will take on a liberal position because they know that people are most comfortable when they are being told what they already know to be true - or at least, what they believe to be true. And that plays right into the hands of the conservative media. Any network that takes on a liberal position will naturally err on the side of caution because anything too radical will naturally draw fire from the conservative media.

Sound a lot like, "if Fox News jumped off a bridge, CNN would jump off right after them". Not sure if that makes a better or worse case for CNN.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

Sound a lot like, "if Fox News jumped off a bridge, CNN would jump off right after them". Not sure if that makes a better or worse case for CNN.

I would argue better in the sense that by responding measure for measure on more controversial points, CNN can at least provide an alternate view on others. If they were always in direct opposition, they would likely get savaged by the conservative media - after all, people genuinely seem to believe that there is an insidious conspiracy to present news with a liberal bias despite the power of the conservative media. It's the same partisan approach that we see in politics where each side only ever preaches to their own choir about the evils of the other.

 

[huskeR32]

Those are the two primary cable news networks in the U.S

I'm aware.

One leans left, one leans right.

Eh, not quite. CNN mostly stakes out the middle ground between Fox on the right and MSNBC on the left.

Your assertion of "especially on the right", doesn't hold true if you look at the top dogs.

Only looking "at the top dogs" isn't a qualifier that I placed on my assertion in the first place. You're trying to apply it to what I said after the fact, though I'm at a loss as to why.

I'll again point to conservative radio as a huge source of the "gun-free zone" misdirection.

Quoting someone else who says they agree with your point doesn't make it so.

I was only quoting that article to have a at the irony that you posted it as a rebuttal to me when it largely echoed what I said.

 

[FoolKiller]

Don't we have a gun thread?

 

[Swagger897]

I just finished watching about the first 30 minutes of the debate (too tired, class starts early tomorrow) and my opinion of the candidates haven't changed much. Clinton is still an ass, Martin is a hypocritical ass, Chafee is like Ron Paul but not that crazy, Webb wants to invade China, and Sanders wants everyone to be friends.

Of the five, only Webb and Sanders I would consider. I am fearful of Webb as most Marine friends I know and their fathers who are Marines (don't ask how many.... it's a lot) are still trigger-happy fools who trust Ben Carson. Sanders so far in the first 30 minutes was taking a beat-down from AC, while Clinton and Martin would come back stating everything that Sanders would do is bad, yet they would do it themselves.... SO they're (Clinton, Martin) both hypocrites I guess...

Chafee... eh.. Don't know much about him. Can't say I like him, nor dislike, but I'd prefer him over 9/10's of the Republican party.

Honestly Kasich is the only one I trust from that lot. Everyone else is a nut or is in it still by only attacking others, while Kasich is just standing on the edge acting like Rand but far less radical.

 

[Keef]

So apparently there's a debate going on tonight. I don't really need to watch it because I'm convinced Hillary is a psycho.

 

[Swagger897]

So apparently there's a debate going on tonight. I don't really need to watch it because I'm convinced Hillary is a psycho.

Yeah, that's all you're gonna get from it..

 

[Liquid]

So apparently there's a debate going on tonight. I don't really need to watch it because I'm convinced Hillary is a psycho.

People are saying she destroyed Bernie Sanders, which would be a shame because he at least has conviction in his beliefs and what he says.

Was that how it went down?

 

[Swagger897]

From the first thirty minutes.... Yes.

Unfortunately, the crowd in that room probably had the same IQ of those supporters for Trump. She feeds too much from the crowd, dumb or not. The first question she got was why does she change her opinion so much on issues and is it for political expediency (other words, saying what she did years ago was wrong now only to be president). She started to fumble so damn much and Bernie almost capitalized on her right there, but wasn't asked for rebuttal first.

Then... After she was allowed to talk again from Bernies' rebuttal, the crowd went wild over some stupid one liner facts that are no brainers... Unless the country is more educated about who she is.. I have a fear just like Bernies' accurate predictions she will be president next.

 

[Pupik]

Ben Carson is just as much of an idiot as every other candidate running at the moment.

If the Jews had guns in WW2 they would have been able to defend themselves.

Well duh.

It seems like that talking about guns truly brings out the stupidity.

Because Nazi Germany was going to take everything from the Jews except their guns, just to make it a fair fight with the Gestappo and Brown Shirts, due to a peculiarity in the law.

What a tool.

Lincoln Chaffee wants to bring the Metric System into American daily usage: "Make America Approximately 1.609 Times as Great Again" should be his slogan.

 

[CTznOfTime]

Joe Biden is running?
He wasnt at the debate...

OP of the thread shows him in the running...


First time voting... And i still dont know for whom i should vote for...

This is crazy.

I wouldnt mind voting for a woman, but i am just afraid Hillary is going to make us all pay for what her husband did to her (or didnt)....


Dont talk to me about the one with the chicken rear hole in place of his mouth...

 

[FoolKiller]

I wouldnt mind voting for a woman

If this is the only qualification you use to make that decision it is a sexist choice.

 

[CTznOfTime]

I am actually saying the opposite...

 

[Swagger897]

If this is the only qualification you use to make that decision it is a sexist choice.

That and a stupid choice...

I'm so tired of ignorant people not doing any research and just following bandwagons. Honestly if she married someone else, the world would never heard of her. She was given the silver spoon from Bill, and has no base to stand on but to copy those of others. Sure she knows how to speak pc, but all politicians learn that after their first term.

I fear Bernie labeling himself as a socialist democrat was a bad choice, as many of the friends I know who have been discussing election related topics have always first gone to an assumption "Oh he's socialist and that's bad..."

After that... I can't even.

 

[Sanji Himura]

Joe Biden is running?
He wasnt at the debate...

OP of the thread shows him in the running...

He hasn't formally filed papers yet. The only reason why I have him on the list at all is that he would be the third VP to formally seek out the boss's job once he leaves office. (The only exception to this trend would be Dick Cheney going back to Reagan/Bush 41 transition.)

I may just remove him from the list if he doesn't announce candidacy by December (but that isn't likely since he is raising money for a possible campaign).

 

[A2K78]

Shame no mention of the fiscal or monetary time that's about go off....like trump, nothing but promises of free stuff.

 

[Tornado]

People are saying she destroyed Bernie Sanders, which would be a shame because he at least has conviction in his beliefs and what he says.

Was that how it went down?

She spent the half the thing railing on Sanders directly and indirectly, and the biggest cheers Sanders got was probably when he defended her on the email thing. But if she doesn't realize why that got the cheers it did, she's going to lose to him in the primaries for the same reason she lost to Obama in 2008. Whether Sanders believes that Americans don't want to hear about what she was doing with the email cover-up anymore (he probably does), and whether the people there believe it to be true (they probably don't), and whether it is actually true (I doubt it is for anyone but lifelong Hilary supporters), it basically was as transparent as pandering can be but it passed the muster because it was what people wanted to hear from someone other than Clinton herself. And Sanders has spent the entire time being really good at doing that and getting people to trust in his sincerity (which is the entire reason why this isn't the landslide everyone assumed it would be a year ago); and Hilary has spent the last 20 years being really, really bad at it.

 

[Dennisch]

Hillary only wants to win so that she can have a cigar in the oval office.

 

[Liquid]

Oh, now it turns out CNN are pushing their own agenda. Seeing a lot of this sort of stuff today, now that the dust has settled.

 

[Dennisch]

I've seen a lot of CNN pics on the various funny pictures sites about that.

Let's see if the Internet might actually do something with it.

Edit.

Here's a lot more.

 

[Liquid]

Is it a bit like Nixon vs Kennedy? Except this time it's not the radio listeners vs the telly viewers, it's the public vs the broadcaster. And for the nomination of the same party. It could lead to much infighting and it kind of proves Sanders' point about big businesses purchasing and pushing their own candidates. Go figure.

Edit: On a tongue-in-cheek but related tangent, at least the Pirate Party credits its sponsors. Could you imagine what a DNC, RNC, Labour Party Conference or Conservative Party Conference would look like if they did this?

The Pirate Party thanks all sponsors of this event.