Hal9000
3442
Mormon girls are flippin’ hawt. : P
Regarding some of the comments upthread, I was attempting only to outline what, as it turns out, Telefrog did with greater competency in his communication. Although it may be an objectionable decision, it should not overtake us with shock and awe that people feel that way about Trump.
As far as my own opinions, there are facets of most of the candidates that I appreciate, though I don’t have any that I currently would enjoy voting for. Now maybe if there was some way to mash the better parts of Paul, Christie, and Sanders together, much like in Microsoft’s old game, “Impossible Creatures…”
Found this articlereferencing what sounds like a better study than the amicus brief:
Given this process, it should not be surprising that the resulting article — “Affirmative Action and the Quality-Fit Tradeoff” — does not take thundering positions on any of the outstanding issues. Indeed, it finds that on many of the most important questions raised by the mismatch hypothesis, the available data is too scattered and too poor in quality to reach clear conclusions. Moreover, since the authors find there are “positive average effects of college quality” on a host of outcomes, any mismatch effect has to be large enough to outweigh these advantages.
However, there are a few areas where the data does point out that the mismatch effect(s) are pertinent:
Nonetheless, the authors find persuasive evidence that such mismatch effects occur, particularly in law school and in science education.
Which makes sense to me - not all college coursework/majors/disciplines are created equal, and remedial work can (and does) pay off for many, many students of all colors/creeds who may have been unprepared for the rigors of College.
RichVR
3444
Jeb says Trump made a deal with Hillary to get her elected.
“Maybe Donald negotiated a deal with his buddy @HillaryClinton. Continuing this path will put her in the White House,” the former Florida governor tweeted.
I’d compare major selection at first and second tier universities. If the mismatch theory is correct, students should be choosing easier majors to compensate.
The first thing that came to mind was the two of them with their arms over each other’s shoulders, wearing matching “I’m with stupid” t-shirts.
Apparently not.
Ben Carson, citing reports that Republican Party leaders are discussing the prospects of a brokered convention, threatened Friday to leave the party if there are signs that the nomination process is being manipulated.
“If this was the beginning of a plan to subvert the will of the voters and replace it with the will of the political elite, I assure you Donald Trump will not be the only one leaving the party,” Carson said in a statement.
When asked by ABC News about the potential for a third-party run, Carson said, “I have no intentions of running as an independent. But I certainly don’t want to be a part of corruption.”
Carson reiterated his pledge not to run against the Republican nominee during an appearance on Fox News’ Your World with Neil Cavuto later Friday, saying “I would never do that.”
Popcorn! Where’s my popcorn?
Yes, this “brokered convention” thing is entertaining. “Hey wingnuts, while we appreciate how your support helped us get control of Congress, you’re getting hard to deal with. We’re going to take the process away from you and pick the nominee ourselves.”
Thing is, if Trump goes into the convention with the biggest chunk of the delegates and they try to give it to someone like Bush who may not have done well, how is that going to sit with Trump supporters? Won’t a lot of them sit out the election? God help us if they try to give it to Cruz.
Timex
3449
The problem is that if the Republicans put up trump as a candidate, it will galvanize the vast majority of the country against them, and cause a huge democratic turnout. Like, largest ever. And the result of that will be that not only will Clinton become president, but the democrats will likely take control of both houses of Congress.
And on top of that, it will likely cause major damage to the perception of the republicans for years to come, potentially destroying the party.
Nesrie
3450
You don’t think that last part is already happening? You don’t think the perception of the Republican party outside a relatively small group eating up everything Trump or Carson and that whole circus says has already dropped substantially?
Timex
3451
Oh absolutely. Every republican I know under the age of 40 is embarrassed for the party at this point. It’s embarrassing to be associated with that kind of thing.
The best option for the Republicans at this point is to continue to condemn such things as strongly as possible. If that means losing the support of the bigots, so be it. Because the alternative is to lose the support of everyone who ISN’T a bigot, and you will never win another election if you are basing everything upon the minority of bigoted old white men.
I speak only for myself, but I wouldn’t say I’m embarrassed. Trump is taking positions that you or my find distasteful, but they’re also popular - and that’s something we have to talk about. Why do poor white Americans flock to Trump? Why is he so attractive to these voters? And why, conversely, are the Rubio’s of this world failing to connect to these voters?
Timex
3453
The fact that they are popular is exactly why it’s embarrassing.
@Hal9000
In my younger days I definitely ran into a couple of those Mormon girls you mentioned. :-)
Oghier
3455
I’m more concerned that Kasich and the Bush aren’t connecting, or even Chris Christie. They have actual records and achievements to which they can point. They’re clearly qualified to be President, even if you disagree with their positions. Rubio is a bright, good looking guy who runs for office well. There’s a comparison with Obama that does neither of them any favors.
I don’t find Trump’s appeal at all mystifying. He’s a latter-day Know Nothing, except he vilifies Mexicans and Muslims instead of Irish and Catholics. Nativism has always been attractive to a segment of American society. It’s just rare for them to come out in the sunlight. Hell, they may even vote this time.
In my opinion to identify with the Republic party, despite knowing that identification is extremely embarrassing, means it’s highly likely that they are either shitty single-issue voters (guns!) or simply deceived by the never-ending outright lie promising “smaller government” and “fiscal responsibility”.
To say we’re embarrassed, is in some ways, to say it’s not our responsibility. I would turn it around and look at the other candidates … why aren’t they catching on? Why are they losing Trump?
I don’t think it’s complicated.
Trump is talking about the things that poor white Americans worry about. He’s talking about crime, he’s talking about the rapid changes in our culture that leave some feeling left behind. He’s talking about terrorism, and the terrorism that ordinary Americans worry about - shootings at recruiting centers, not car bombings in Peshawar. Rather than say that immigration is an unqualified good (which it isn’t) he’s acknowledging that it undermines the position of poor native born Americans - black and white.
I don’t think the Mussolini comparisons are entirely unfair (he is something of a fascist) but I think there’s another comparison to make. He’s a bit like John Edwards as well. His language is far more strident, and his positions are certainly right wing - but he’s talking about the same problems that Edwards talked about in his two Americas campaign. He’s talking about the plight of poor white America, and this is a demographic that isn’t doing well. It isn’t doing well at all.
So rather than say I’m embarrassed, I would ask … what can we do to appeal to these voters?.
What can we say to acknowledge their fears? And what positive solutions can we offer? Solutions that don’t involve religious bans, or mass deportations.
I don’t want to be too dismissive, can you imagine following Jeb Bush into battle? Would you look at Jeb, and feel confident?
Nesrie
3458
I understand what you’re saying, but is that really what a party wants to be known for, attracts the uneducated whites. What does that say about your party if the majority people with an education, any religion, any race, and regardless of income… aren’t connecting.
Timex
3459
What can we say to acknowledge their fears? And what positive solutions can we offer? Solutions that don’t involve religious bans, or mass deportations.
The problem is that since these people aren’t at all interested in thinking about whether any given plan is constitutionally legal, moral, or hell, even remotely feasible… What can you possibly do?
Trump says things which are profoundly stupid, and these supporters DO NOT CARE. The other candidates have proposed much more realistic and workable solutions. Trump’s suggestions have been universally terrible and absurd.
It’s not that the other candidates are ignoring such issues. It’s that real solutions are more complex than the idiocy spouted by Trump, and thus require more thought to understand, and thus are less appealing to really stupid people.
And the answer is not to simply lower themselves to Trump’s level. If you have to do that to get those voters, THEN FUCK THOSE VOTERS.
It’s a real tragedy that poor, uneducated, poor whites know so little about genuine politics, political theory, and, well, the world at large, because if they knew much about any of those things, they’d realize that Sanders has actionable plans that would markedly improve their day-to-day lives, future potential, and the opportunities for their children far, far more than anyone on the right side of the aisle.
In the end, though, as despicable as it may be, someone will speak for these people, and Trump is willing to do it in a far more upfront way than anyone else. I think poll numbers are clustering around the fact that these people are a lot more numerous than any of us here are probably comfortable admitting, and they have been gathering political power to themselves–almost unwittingly, and sometimes guided by unsubtle hands like the Kochs–for quite some time now. Sad as it is, they are a big chunk of this country, and they are going to speak out for what they want. . . in all its racist, ignorant glory.
In the end, though, I’m mostly a big-government Dem because I have so absolutely little faith in people, which I think runs counter to a lot of the (admitted) stances of Democrats. So I can’t say that Trumps surge over the last few months surprises me; it just vindicates the deeply held lack of faith that informs my every thought and action ;)
I’m a southerner so I see no moral fault in being poorly educated. I do, on the other hand, feel a certain responsibility for those souls. I know that sounds somewhat patronizing and that’s is not my intent. I believe their concerns are valid, and that we should listen to them.
But to answer your question, If I understand it, I think the fault lies with the mainstream candidates. These are people who’ve never left their nice suburbs and have a dim understanding of what poverty is like. Many of them also look down on the poor whites that makeup the party base. That condescension doesn’t pass unnoticed.
If on the other hand, you’re asking what if a party appeals only to poor whites then I’d say something else.
A party that appeals only to the poor is likely to be quite dangerous, because it lacks any moderating influences.
I think they understand Sanders, at a basic level at least. They just don’t want handouts.
Handouts, in their view, are shameful.
They also (genuinely) dislike government, and would prefer to be left to their own devices.
To win in politics, you need to appeal to people’s emotions. Carefully crafted policy comes (much) later, if at all.
These people are grasping at Trumps solutions because it’s all they have. If someone else would give them the time of day, and recognize their pain, they might follow him too.
