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politicalbetting.com » Blog Archive » The GOP nomination race: Unless the mainstream politicians

Above is the latest Real Clear Politics Polling Average and the big story remains. None of the mainstream politicians have managed to gain real traction while Trump remains very strong.
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FPT - are the policy positions in the UKIP spoof inaccurate? When I knew JC (before he became an MP) he certainly did support the return of Las Malvinas to Argentina, he did support unlimited immigration, and he was a republican (with a small "r"). And because I agreed with none of those positions he strained every sinew to have me excluded from the approved list of Labour candidates for Haringey council in 1978, and he failed by one vote!
If he has changed his mind, fair do's, but I'd like to know when and where. He's written enough in the meantime for there to be some evidence, surely. If it's in the comments to the previous thread, please someone give me a time-stamp - there's a lot to wade through
Potentially there is scope for two of the pack of alternatives to agree a pact endorsing one. But it may take some defeats to make it happen. What is the current balance of states with PR in primaries and states with FPTP? I know it varies, and if the early states elect delegates proportionately, there may be more scope for late alliances.
Incidentally, I think that a President Trump would have even more troulbe with Congress than Obama does. It's hard to think of a single Congressional ally.
Take yoy point about Trump’s primary voters too; however doesn’t the comparison with JC stand? Sounds good, but when it comes to a “real” election .........
I'm not sure whether it's viable for two candidates to form a pact. If one drops out, how do they control, or even influence, where their former support goes? They can make an endorsement but does that have that much effect? They could pledge their delegates to the other candidate should they go out, but to announce that simply looks weak; as if they are considering exiting (which they are).
IIRC, all the early states are PR but in practice it's likely to be irrelevant. The purpose of the early contests is to whittle the field down to one through political momentum. The late contests will deliver enough delegates to push the candidate remaining over the line.
The one who can rise above that noise, because of his media profile, is Trump. He also has a major advantage in name recognition. Unfortunately, he is entirely unsuitable to be President and nominating him would give the Presidency to the Democrats on a plate.
There are echoes of the Corbyn situation in that a lot of his supporters seem to know that but not care. It's weird.
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2016/president/us/general_election_trump_vs_clinton-5491.html
4.4% would clearly be enough for a comfortable win (it's more than Obama managed in 2012) but there's nearly a year to go and the margin of error to project from here through to next November is huge, on both sides.
Actually, have probably lost a FB lefty friend for satirically needling him on his whataboutery over Paris - Tariq the multi-millionaire Marxist from North London is one of his gurus. Tant pis.
Of course that doesn't mean he won't do well with registered Republicans.
Welcome to the site, Mr. Moby. I did see that but, er, forgot to mention it. On the plus side, me forgetting means we have a new poster.
"David Cameron is right. Jeremy Corbyn is indeed a threat to our nation’s security. And whilst he remains leader, so is the Labour Party."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/Jeremy_Corbyn/11998631/Jeremy-Corbyn-must-pick-his-side-in-the-war-on-terror.html
I'm afraid this is what it has come to. And unless the PLP discover a backbone the situation for Labour could become terminal. So that's it really.
This is a bit of a curve-ball though
David Skelton Retweeted
Andy Burnham @andyburnhammp 8 hrs8 hours ago
Uplifting to see New Order at Brixton Academy tonight. Arrived on stage with tricolor backdrop & first words: "Vive la France". #BlueMonday
If Cruz does wind up with the nomination, I find it difficult to see Hillary not winning (subject to any court action), and probably winning very comfortably.
norman smith ✔ @BBCNormanS
"It was right to take the action..no immediate prospect of him being arrested" - @hilarybennmp supports drone strike killing of Jihadi John
PoliticsHome ✔ @politicshome
"There was no prospect of going into the middle of Raqqa to arrest him [Jihadi John]" says Hilary Benn #R4Today
norman smith ✔ @BBCNormanS
"I am clear when immediate threat to life it is perfectly reasonable to use lethal force" - @hilarybennmp @BBCr4today
James Tapsfield @JamesTapsfield 1m1 minute ago
Benn refuses to say he will stay on as shadow foreign sec if a Corbyn goes to Stop The War event next month #today
This guy has great maps of the states and results:
http://uselectionatlas.org/
FPT Meddling doesn't seem to help any, but your view that outside forces are essentially wholly to blame is also a patronising, infantilising one. These problems don't persist without massive genuine grievance in the places in question, even if outside forces are stirring things up too. A lid was clearly kept on the tensions but it is also clear those tensions were the there or things would not have deteriorated. Your view seems to remove the responsibility for the situation from the Syrians on all sides, treating them like children who had no choices or opinions that contributed to this. That may not be what you meant, but suggesting these places are or were fine if we were not involved leads to that conclusion.
It is also leads to the situation where we are blamed when we act and when we don't. Unless it was a real war to fight IS I don't see how involvement could be effective, not that a proper war would be guaranteed to be one, but the problem I have is your view seems instinctual and automatic, unchanging. I just fail to see how us not being involved would eliminate the underlying tensions, some of which go back centuries, which led to this conflict.
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2015/11/16/jeremy-corbyn-attacked-by_n_8578184.html?1447743391
There was quite a lot of outrage about describing Corbyn as security-threatening and terrorist-sympathising, but it seems a very accurate way to describe a man who opposes shoot to kill for terrorists seeking to carry out suicide bombings or a Mumbai/Paris style attack.
I hope Labour axes Corbyn. It's saddening, even infuriating, that the Opposition is led by such a damned fool.
Tbh I've got them all backed, I'll be out of pocket if they go for Mitt Romney - and Rubio is a negative right now, but I've got him backed to be POTUS at enough odds to square up (And more) if and when we get to that position.
Some of course still think he's a breath of fresh air and would vote for him again tomorrow,
The only conclusion is that perhaps JC knows how to do the imperius curse?
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Revealing that Hilary Benn would not answer question about resigning as Shadow Foreign Sec if his leader goes to Stop the War party #R4Today
This Syrian passport is causing the tin foil brigade to go into hyperdrive. It's all a cunning plan by IS to mislead public opinion. Obviously they are the Professor Moriarty of crime. It must be conspiracy and not cock-up.
I suspect IS don't give a monkey's toss about Western public opinion - we are decadent Kufar and lower than dogs. However, if I were IS, and wanting to get trained terrorists into the heart of Europe, hiding them in the migrant stream looks logical. No great thought needed there.
But it doesn't fit the media narrative so it must be wrong.
Jezza is an honest man. Totally bonkers but honest. Suck it up, Labour, it's what you voted for.
norman smith @BBCNormanS 8m8 minutes ago
So...is there anything Hilary Benn actually agrees with Jeremy Corbyn over on Syria ? #justchecking
Trump is literally the reality TV star that flickers over the consciousness of a nation and fades to dust in time. Deep red states in the south and west will remain in his column but the swathe of tight swing states and less marginal states will fall as Trumps's negatives come the general election campaign proper will be deeper than the hole that Corbyn's Labour party has dug for themselves.
They will all line up behind him at PMQs and shout at the Tories.
The Huffpost says the PLP have moved from hot fury to cold rage. All too soon they may scream and scream until they are sick. Its pathetic.
The history of Japan suggests that representative democracy can easily survive one Party being in power for two generations or even longer.
But its not funny.
I think Corbyn's comments will make most people think he's unacceptably soft on terrorism, and will want it raised. Only Corbynistas and tribal Labour supporters, I would guess, will think otherwise (and perhaps Islamists too).
Good day everyone,
But they won't
The PLP will try and stop to McDonnell (They'll feel they've won a victory stopping him)... he'll bow out the race and Lisa Nandy will be crowned Queen. Of course Jez and the activists will be very happy with that
US states that don't want any Syrian refugees http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/11999927/Paris-France-terror-attacks-isil-Belgium-Molenbeek-suspects-Syria-Raqqa-bombing-live.html#update-20151117-0500
Miliband went for a 35% strategy. What did he end up with? 31% or so?
Corbyn's true believers will turn out, but they don't have the numbers by themselves, and everyone who isn't dyed-in-the-wool Labour will not take kindly to having such a damned fool as their leader.
Edited extra bit: Mr. L, if Corbyn goes on Defence a couple of days after saying he opposes shoot to kill should we suffer a Mumbai/Paris style attack he'll get bloody slaughtered, and rightly so.
Edited extra bit 2: saw the interview on the news last night. Corbyn said he thought such a policy would be dangerous.
That is rather the point...
And Corbyn wanting more spending on defence?? Good luck with getting that one to fly.
So what's the bloody point of having any guns or bullets or bombs or armed forces for Corbyn? He's like a eunuch buying a season ticket to a brothel.
Furious to forward-project to a time under Prime Minister Jeremy Corbyn when I happen to have picked the same day as ISIL to go about my business in Oxford Street, waiting in line in Selfridges to be shot, knowing that no-one is coming to rescue me because the PM won't authorise the potential loss of life of these bastards.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QH9fvLiGTXI&app=desktop
Have a look at that, Nigel speaking honestly, reflecting how so many of us feel.
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:UGy6WqTARkAJ:stopwar.org.uk/index.php/news/paris-reaps-the-whirlwind-of-western-support-for-extremist-violence-in-the-middle-east+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=uk
This is what Nick and his mates voted to associate Labour with when they voted for Corbyn.
This is why I will never vote Labour while Corbyn and his crew run Labour. And it's why millions of others won't consider it either.
I hope and pray Labour loses in Oldham. Constant and humiliating defeat is what it needs and deserves until members develop the intelligence to see what they are doing to a party they profess to care about. They have abandoned the British mainstream. They are contemptible.