The Republican Primary Race Doesn't Matter.

[MineralMan]

None of the current leaders in the GOP primary race should ever set foot in the White House. All are guaranteed to screw things up beyond all repair, especially with a Republican-dominated Congress, which would also be a sure thing if any of those clowns had enough turnout to win the general election.

You'd think that they'd never be able to win in November, but that's not necessarily the case. Our nation is pretty evenly divided politically. Presidential races turn, based on the total turnout of voters from both parties.

Whoever the Democratic nominee is, it will take a solid Democratic turnout to defeat whichever clown car occupant gets the GOP nod. Anything less, and the Republican will win. No matter how stupid or dangerous that candidate is, Republicans will show up and vote. They've proven that they will do that, time and again.

For Democrats, turnout is more spotty. In 2016, there's a risk that some will simply skip the general election if they're not happy with the nominee choice. That would be a real mistake and could easily turn the executive brand over to the Republicans, along with failing to capture either of the houses of Congress.

That outcome would prove disastrous for all progressive causes. Disastrous.

Democrats, liberals, progressives and everyone else who cares really need to vote in November and bring everyone they can find who will vote for the Democratic nominee. So much depends on November. We need a massive GOTV effort, starting right now. It's a matter of long term strategy. If we fail, we face a long period of darkness with no change for quite a long time.

Thanks for reading.

[COLGATE4]

1. Every Democrat should take these words to heart:

"Whoever the Democratic nominee is, it will take a solid Democratic turnout to defeat whichever clown car occupant gets the GOP nod. Anything less, and the Republican will win. No matter how stupid or dangerous that candidate is, Republicans will show up and vote. They've proven that they will do that, time and again.

[MineralMan]

2. I hope everyone does.

A lot depends on it. I don't want to die in a Republican-controlled United States. Truly I don't. I'll be 71 when I vote this year. If we lose, we aren't likely to regain power before I'm dead and gone. That idea sucks.

[COLGATE4]

5. I've got 3 years on you and I certainly don't want to live

(and/or die) under a President Trump - or Cruz. or Rubio. I find myself constantly amazed at how far down the Rabbit Hole we have come where a significant number of our co-citizens are even considering voting for these clowns. Depressing beyond words. And what I really fear right now is that what appears to be turning out to be a bruising Democratic Primary will leave some of our fellow Democrats embittered or at best disengaged come general election time. Our turnout is absolutely crucial to our success. We can't afford to play the "the perfect is enemy of the very good" game. Not this time with so much at stake.

[MineralMan]

6. That's one of the reasons that I've withdrawn from

the arguing about who our nominee will be. I will gladly vote for either of our candidates. They are far more similar in their plans and goals than they are apart. The vehemence expressed regarding their differences is alarming to me, and I will not participate further in it. I'm focused now on November. I'll be campaigning for all Democrats, including whoever our Democratic nominee turns out to be.

I hope everyone else will join me in that effort. We'll need all the help we can get, either way.

[COLGATE4]

7. As the old saying goes: From your mouth

to God's ear.

[OldHippieChick]

24. As always, you speak from experience and wisdom

I am on the same team!

[Rider3]

3. I'm afraid...

of the fact that the GOP is going to just give in and support Trump. They'll try to get the Presidency and, possibly, the SCOTUS nomination of their own liking. If Trump gets in, God help us. And, really, has anyone heard anything about his domestic plan, other than having Mexico build a fence? The guy has NO plans for the country. We just need to "trust him." I trust a weasel more than I trust Trump.

[MineralMan]

4. Donald Trump is completely unqualified to be President.

Republicans don't care. His lack of qualifications doesn't matter to them. They just want to stick a thumb in the eye of the nation and gouge it out.

The real problem is that if he were to win, it would mean that turnout was high enough on the GOP side to maintain control of the Senate as well as the House. That would give free rein to the Republicans to roll back any gains we have made in the past eight years. Anyone who thinks otherwise is deluded.

Voting rights? Gone.
Reproductive choice? Gone.
Equal Pay? Gone.

The list would go on and on. Having Republicans in charge of all three branches of the federal government would result in a new Dark Ages in this country. We need to recognize this and prevent it from happening. If we don't, we'll pay dearly for our pride.

[Jim Lane]

8. You're right that Trump "has NO plans for the country" but that puts him above Cruz.

If I had to pick one of those two to be President, I'd pick Trump. He's a loose cannon who might occasionally do something we'd approve of (once he's in office and must, for the first time, get more specific about public policy). Cruz is more dangerous. He's a True Believer who, from the date of his election, would be pursuing a hard-right, theocratic agenda.

No sensible person could ever say of Cruz, "The guy has NO plans for the country." Boy, does he have plans.

IMO, it's too sanguine to believe, as some DUers do, that Trump and Cruz and all the rest are so crazy that any Democrat will easily win this fall. I agree with the OP that their craziness will not automatically translate into votes for our candidate.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

12. Trump is a narcissitic egomaniac whose espoused a proto-fascist ideology.

Cruz is an ultra-conservative with theocratic underpinnings.

I'd say it's a pick your poison situation but for the fact that Cruz has burned so many bridges with his own party I doubt he'd see a whole lot of cooperation from Congress even if it remains solidly in GOP hands. So I forsee a lot of whining and crying from Slappy the Dummy if God forbid the man gets elected but not a whole lot of progress. Hopefully the economy wouldn't be too wrecked beyond repair so that four years later, the Democratic candidate is welcomed back to the White House and gets to the business of fixing a Republican's mess. Again.

With Trump, he's got so little knowledge and/or respect for the civic and political process and so much self-glorification, I doubt he'll spend much time at all trying to get along with Congress--he'll just try to bend his way--whatever it is--separation of powers be damned. If he's not impeached and removed and agrees to be removed, it will be a God-awful clusterfuck like this country has never seen before. He's a very scary guy who's completely inept but has no awareness that he's so inept....which makes him all the more scarier.

[malthaussen]

9. But it's great burlesque.

What I find quaint are the times recently that Mr Trump has appeared as the adult in the room. We live in topsy-turvey times, MM.

-- Mal

[tabasco]

10. Hold your nose and vote for Clinton in the GE if you must.

She is infinitely better than any of the kook republicans and anyone who says different is delusional.

[Odin2005]

11. It does matter because Hillary is unelectable.

[MineralMan]

14. I disagree, but you knew that.

[qwlauren35]

17. She probably is unelectable...

if all of the Bernie supporters take their marbles and go home if she gets the nomination.

If you hate her so much that you'd rather have Trump, then you may just have to live with it.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

18. How is she any less unelectable than....

....a Democratic Socialist (not a bad thing, but certainly a handicap nonetheless in Middle America) or a proto-fascist (definitely a bad thing)?

She's going to have her work cut out for her, but to come out and declare her unelectable at this point in time is preposterous.

[oberliner]

13. It is actually the single most important event of the election

It will determine everything.

[MineralMan]

15. I don't think so.

Democratic turnout will determine the results, regardless of the,TOP candidate.

[Algernon Moncrieff]

16. I disagree about long term darkness or light

There's a better than 50/50 chance that whoever wins the White House will get a divided Congress (Blue Senate, Red House). Not much will get done, but not much will get undone either.

Best Case: Democrat wins. Frankly, not much will get done in terms of new agenda items, but the ACA will remain untouched; Scalia will get replaced with no-worse-than-a-centrist; and the Democratic WH occupant will most likely get to replace Bader Ginsburg, Kennedy, and maybe Breyer.

Bad Case #1: Republican wins with a divided Congress. ACA does not get repealed, but may be modified. Most likely the SCOTUS remains conservative, but may get more so.

Worst Case: Republican wins with Red Congress. Senate exercises nuclear option. Hard-right replacement for Scalia; Planned Parenthood is defunded; ACA repealed. Senate and House most likely go Blue in 2018 midterm blowback. By then, much of the damage is done.

In all cases, no matter who wins from no matter which party, I see this as a one-term Presidency, and that may be the norm for a decade or two. My theory is based in-part on the mood of the country; changing demographics; and continued economic uncertainty. Climate change probably plays some role as well. We will continue to become less white; the baby boomers will continue to leave the workforce, and Alzheimer's /Memory Care expenses will soon rival college debt as an economic drag. We will continue to grow food in abundance, but much of it will leave to go to China. Weather will get less and less predictable. An increasing number of jobs worldwide will move to computers and robots, and we will have difficulties determining what is the way forward in terms of working and earning. This will be a time of instability and uncertainty, and Americans will continue to seek quick, simplistic answers and yearn for times that never really were.

[qwlauren35]

19. I will fight like crazy

to avoid the bad case. If we get a Trump presidency, we will also get solid red blocs in the House and Senate, and new conversative judges on the Supreme Court. The America I love will be destroyed.

I'd really like to believe that if Hillary wins the nomination, the Bernie supporters will work with her to keep Trump from getting in office.

However, if DU is any indication, if Hillary wins the primary, Trump gets the White House.

I see a nation where hate for minorities runs rampant, police kill minorities with impunity, voter restrictions become the norm, abortion is illegal, marriage equality becomes a state issue again, and of course, ACA is repealed.

But this is the America that some Democrats would accept, rather than to vote for Hillary.

Now, if Bernie wins the nomination, at least the Hillary supporters would campaign for him. I have no doubt.

But what does that really say about the Bernie supporters who would stay home? That they would rather have Trump... Maybe the Bernie supporters aren't really Democrats.

[MineralMan]

20. Thanks for saying that.

It is the absolute truth.

[Algernon Moncrieff]

25. I'd ask this of any Bernie supporters (at DU or outside) that cannot get behind Hillary

Focus on the House and Senate races. Work to elect Democrats like Tammy Duckworth and Kamala Harris.

You say "Hillary isn't progressive enough" : Great! a Blue Congress betters the odds of progressive legislating.

You say "Hillary can't win" : Great! Working for a Blue Congress ensures that the conservative agenda will be muted in a Cruz/Rubio/Trump administration

For the record: the primaries are far from over.

[qwlauren35]

26. You know, that's a great idea.

My candidate, Congresswoman Donna Edwards, is running for US Senate. She's EXTREMELY progressive. Maybe she'll get some love at the end of April if the primaries are effectively over by then, which tends to happen.

Super Tuesday should be very interesting.

[Todays_Illusion]

21. I agree they don't have a single candidate fit to be President of the U.S.A. nt

[MineralMan]

22. I doubt that any DUer would disagree.

That is why we all need to GOTV.

[Todays_Illusion]

23. Ah well I avoid tv, don't own one even avoid video clips, too much noise.

[liberal N proud]

27. Here's the thing... If every eligible voter wa allowed to vote, the GOP would not win an election

They place all sorts of voter restrictions because they know this.

Get out there and VOTE!


Make the Republicans extinct, Get Out The Vote!

[customerserviceguy]

28. Well, it is good to see the final death of the Bush dynasty

Please clap.