Are the Conservative going to shoot themselves in the foot over same-sex marriage?

[jonathan180iq]

The goal of any national election is not to win over the staunch supporters of one side, it's to lure in the moderates and centrists.
If you can name me an example of an extreme Left or Right winger who has ever won a broad election, then you'll have a point.

In order to win, candidates have to centralize themselves. Preaching to the choir, or pandering to the voters who were already going to vote for you doesn't net any new votes - but it will alienate some people and keep them from voting for you. Taking a hard stance against things that aren't really that big of a deal, like people getting married, only serves to alienate. They haven't gained a single vote by spouting this predictable rhetoric.

 

[Lyndon]

I would have to make the same accusation for you if you can't recognize that the majority of Americans are in favor of same-sex marriage. Here is some evidence ... Clinton is up in every poll right now against every Republican Candidate thus far. RealClearPolitics - 2016 Presidential Race

In regards to the Affordable Care Act, the Republicans haven't come up with any kind of replacement plan, so I fail to see why anyone would be swayed by the SCOTUS decision.

My mistake about the polls, that is hopeful, but I can't help but think that Hillary has at least one more scandal in her future, I'm hoping enough to push Bernie Sanders into the lead. We still haven't read her emails, as far as I know, and they are all getting released, very unprecedented for any candidate to have their personal emails revealed to the public, unless she's just squeaky clean its not going to look good, IMHO

 

[leibowde84]

My mistake about the polls, that is hopeful, but I can't help but think that Hillary has at least one more scandal in her future, I'm hoping enough to push Bernie Sanders into the lead. We still haven't read her emails, as far as I know, and they are all getting released, very unprecedented for any candidate to have their personal emails revealed to the public, unless she's just squeaky clean its not going to look good, IMHO

From what I've seen, Hilary is good at talking her way out of scandals and putting blame squarely on the accusers. I think that the whole email thing was Hilary lobbing up a soft-ball so she can later hit it out of the park. I don't think they are going to find anything in her emails, most likely because this was her plan all along. She is a talented politician.

But, I wouldn't mind Bernie Sanders too much either.

 

[Lyndon]

You might be right, Hillary certainly has had time to "edit" IE label classified portions of her emails, so we'll see, either way I fully support Bernie, he's way cooler IMHO.

 

[jonathan180iq]

I like Bernie, but he's too old.
He knows it.
His job is to pull the mainline candidate(s) toward his version of policy, ala Ross Perot in the 90's. He will affect change by delivering serious points - not being a serious contender.

 

[Lyndon]

He's getting 40% of the Democrat vote in New Hampshire polls, only 8% behind Hillary

 

[dust1n]

It's pretty much undeniable in my mind that the religious segment pretty much makes conservatism a non-possibility for most thinking voters my age. It would actually be sorta scary if they were able to shed their laughable image of senility and fervor.

 

[leibowde84]

He's getting 40% of the Democrat vote in New Hampshire polls, only 8% behind Hillary

He might have a shot in New England. But, don't forget. Hillary is a woman. That gives her quite a leg up in that area of the country and many others.

 

[Iti oj]

A BBC article quoted Huckabee as saying the ruling is "tyranny."
It gave me an urge to shorten his name to just Huck so I can put a certain rhyming word in front of it.

ohh my I love it!

 

[dust1n]

I like Bernie, but he's too old.
He knows it.
His job is to pull the mainline candidate(s) toward his version of policy, ala Ross Perot in the 90's. He will affect change by delivering serious points - not being a serious contender.

I think he disagrees with you:

"Sen. Bernie Sanders, the Vermont Independent who has risen quickly in the polls for the 2016 Democratic nomination, predicted with confidence Sunday that he’ll secure the nomination and be elected president next year.

“We are going to win New Hampshire. We’re going to win Iowa, and I think we’re going to win the Democratic nomination, and I think we’re going to win the presidency,” Sanders told ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos on “This Week.”

Sanders said his economic message targeting the middle class would help him secure the nomination.

“The American people are sick and tired of seeing the disappearance of the great middle class of this country,” he said. "They're sick and tired of working longer hours for low wages while at the same time 99 percent of all new income generated is going to the top one percent."

When asked about a recent poll showing his low support among non-white voters, Sanders told ABC News he has spent many years fighting for civil rights and added he believed his economic message would resonate with minority communities.

“I have a long history in fighting for civil rights. I understand that many people in the African-American community may not understand that,” he said.

“Given the disparity that we're seeing in income and wealth in this country, it applies even more to the African-American community and to the Hispanic community. And what we are going to do is make a major outreach effort to those communities, let people know my background, let people know my record, and I think we're going to do just fine in those communities,” Sanders added.

The Vermont Independent also dismissed any possible concern over his age should he be elected president. He would be 75 years old on Election Day.

“I don't think I've taken a day off because of sickness in several years. So I believe as somebody who has -- when he was a kid, a long distance runner, I'm blessed with endurance, I'm blessed with health,” Sanders said."

Sen. Bernie Sanders Predicts He'll Win White House - ABC News

 

[Nietzsche]

This thread is strange. It seems to be implying they already haven't.

 

[jonathan180iq]

I think he disagrees with you:

I'll redact the "He knows it" part...

He'll be 75 next year. It's just not gonna happen, as much as I like him.
Like John McCain, whose time was 1996-2000, his window has come and gone.

 

[dust1n]

I'll redact the "He knows it" part...

Thank you.

He'll be 75 next year. It's just not gonna happen, as much as I like him.
Like John McCain, whose time was 1996-2000, his window has come and gone.

I recognize that it ain't going to happen, but that will be just one in many ways Democrats will shoot themselves in their feet, because I know a number of people who will vote for Bernie, or just simply won't vote at all, or will vote 3rd party if he loses the nomination, including myself.

 

[Lyndon]

All it takes is a bona fide whopping scandal like a porn video of Hillary and xxx on the internet, and Bernie is in the lead. Can't 100% predict the future of anything.

 

[jonathan180iq]

I recognize that it ain't going to happen, but that will be just one in many ways Democrats will shoot themselves in their feet, because I know a number of people who will vote for Bernie, or just simply won't vote at all, or will vote 3rd party if he loses the nomination, including myself.

Certainly. I'll most likely vote for him or O'Malley in the primaries...
But I'd wager that support for Hillary's eventual candidacy during the presidential election will depend heavily on who her opposition is. If one of the crazies somehow wins the Republican Primary, she'll probably get a lot of support. If Bush or Rubio carry it, it'll be a much closer contest.

 

[jonathan180iq]

All it takes is a bona fide whopping scandal like a porn video of Hillary and xxx on the internet, and Bernie is in the lead. Can't 100% predict the future of anything.

Gross...

 

[dust1n]

Certainly. I'll most likely vote for him or O'Malley in the primaries...

Good to hear.

But I'd wager that support for Hillary's eventual candidacy during the presidential election will depend heavily on who her opposition is. If one of the crazies somehow wins the Republican Primary, she'll probably get a lot of support. If Bush or Rubio carry it, it'll be a much closer contest.

That's a good point and something I hadn't yet considered. Let's hope the situation isn't so desperate that we find ourselves wanting to vote for Hillary.

 

[Revoltingest]

I think you are living in a fantasy world if you think these latest Supreme Court rulings indicate America is moving to the left, both these latest rulings, Obamacare, and Marriage. had nothing to do with a vote of the people and everything to do with Supreme Court Justices opinions who were elected many years ago. National polls are already putting Hillary behind top Republican contenders when one or two years ago she had a strong lead. Of course I don't want it to happen, but I think a Republican landslide is a distinct proposition in 2016, and the gay marriage ruling is just one more ammunition for the extreme right to pull together their supporters. How is the left wing going to use gay marriage to pull supporters away from the right, I don't see that happening.

I don't think the justices would've enabled gay marriage without great public support.
Its having been legalized in so many states, combined with the lack of reciprocal
recognition in a few others must've looked pretty compelling to the justices.
That it was so close a ruling strikes me as just a quirk...so many anti-gay fundies
on the bench who let their religion & culture prevail over law.

 

[Lyndon]

But all of those state rulings came from the court system, not the voters, who overwhelmingly voted for marriage as between a man and a woman(albeit several years ago), it was the courts that overturned those amendments.

 

[Revoltingest]

All it takes is a bona fide whopping scandal like a porn video of Hillary and xxx on the internet, and Bernie is in the lead. Can't 100% predict the future of anything.

You just had to suggest that, didn't you!
Note that "Hard Choices" is the title of both her book & a 1987 porn flick.