Problems with Presidential Candidates

Forest Nymph

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  1. Vegan
Cory Booker is vegan but he's actually a centrist moderate who has supported big pharmaceutical companies in the past so I'm really not aligned with his overall views.

Candidates I do think would overhaul the system like Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders are not just meat eaters, but Sanders has even obviously been reported eating red meat on the campaign trail.

I'd love to have a vegan president, but not someone who really doesn't get it in a time when arctic sea ice is depleting even faster than expected by decades.

I also feel uncomfortable supporting what I see as pseudo environmentalism in people like Sanders willing to take down fossil fuel companies but seemingly oblivious about animal products, especially meat.

I wish I could vote for that fifteen year old girl who spoke at the climate summit. No really.
 
I actually think Cory Booker is okay enough that I might vote for him in the primary just to raise him up as a more economically moderate alternative to Oh-Hell-No it's Uncle Joe Biden and Kamala "Cop" Harris.

They both really need to go. Biden in particular has a terrible environmental policy as well as socio economic stance. Greenpeace gave Uncle Joe a D- while Cory Booker and Bernie Sanders were tied at B+ for different reasons.

I hate that Booker is such an unapologetic capitalist because otherwise his views are fine.

And I hope Andrew Yang just disappears into obscurity.
 
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There is a lot of stuff that I like personally about Cory Booker. But I'm not sure he would make a good president. And I don't know why he is vegan. Not that there are any bad reasons but it may not affect his political agenda.

Inslee has the strongest climate change agenda. In fact, I think that is his entire agenda. I like a lot of what he has to say but I don't think he is a serious candidate. I think he just wants to make sure it gets brought up in the debates.

But almost all the candidates support the Green New Deal. And Warren has already stated she wants to break up big ag. And although the public tastes help make animal products in demand, remember that it is also stupid federal government policies that help shape those tastes (the dairy board is still a big part of the education system). Not to mention supply and prices.

But yeah, it really bothers me a lot when I see or hear about a progressive eating meat. We can really not afford cognitive dissonance in our leadership. ( I saw a photo of AOC eating a hamburger. Hopefully, it was an Impossible Burger. )
 
Biden is my least favorite too. but a fern would be a better choice for a president than the one we got now. Here is hoping that Sanders and Warrens hit home runs in the debate. They are on different nights so its possible that they both "win".
 
@Lou

Booker has the best animal rights track record of any American politician according to the Humane Society. He was vegetarian first, I'm fairly certain it's animal rights focused. Though his raw veganism could be off putting to everyone, including other vegans.

I like that Warren has spoken up on big agriculture. That's promising. Still Sanders as a similar candidate still ranks as more popular. I will go with who can beat Trump, unless the person completely conflicts with my values like Biden and I think Andrew Yang is insane or lying.
 
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Yeah, it's a shame Booker is so friendly to big financial interests. Something needs to be done about income inequality and money in politics and I just don't see him being the one to push for major change on those issues.

I think Warren has the exact right economic message so I hope her campaign continues to gain traction. I want to see how she can handle Trumps misogyny...I think Clinton would have won if she'd been a man, but with the right strategy I could see Warren's gender being a real asset vs. President Pussy Grabber.

Even though I used to live in Washington State and voted for Inslee for governor I honestly don't know much about him. I'm really glad he's forcing the issue on climate change though and I hope that turns into good poll results and votes, if only to set an example for other politicians.

I'm really disappointed with the lack of emphasis on foreign policy so far. I'm pretty worried about the state of the world right now, geopolitically speaking. We haven't seen direct, major confrontation between modern militaries since WWII but that won't be the case forever. All these candidates' domestic plans are basically wish lists with very little chance of getting through congress...foreign policy is where presidents actually have the power to pursue their agenda with a lot less resistance or compromise.
 
I used to live in Washington State too. And Inslee is pretty good. I also think that being a governor is a better experience for being president than being a Senator. You know, more administrative experience.

Some of these guys are not really serious about becoming president. Maybe vice president. or a secretary or something. Or getting ready for 2024.

As far as getting things thru congress we have to hope for one of two things. A big change in the Senate. I think it is mathematically possible - Democrats just have to win 4 more seats and not lose any. Or a democratic landslide. Also possible with so many things that may still come out about Trump.

The Republican Senate has proven to be spineless and mostly concerned with their own reelection. Without Trump, they might well be like leaves in the wind.

As far as foreign policy goes, anyone in the running, even FN's 15 years old would do a better job than President Trump.

Prince of Whales??!! OMG
 
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All leaders of countries with Rothschild/Morgan/Rockefeller controlled
central banks are puppets, with the possible exception of great independent
wealth - which is not common for presidential candidates.

Voting them in because you think they are going to do all the good things
they sold the masses with their speeches is foolish. They usually don't or
do the opposite.

Exceptions to this include:


The original American colonists
Abraham Lincoln
Andrew Jackson
Adolf Hitler

Who (no matter what you think of any of them) stood up to the banking
cartels of their day and actually had a major impact in some way.

But the game must continue to be believed in and played, which is why
coming up to election time all the attention is on candidates and
their policies which we hear about on corporate media as if the people's
will in choosing them matters all that much.

It doesn't, and a vegan candidate/president isn't going to either, not
unless they are willing to start a revolution and have both the will
of the people and independence from the banking cartel to do so.
 
Thoughts on the Democratic Debates.
I thought Warren and Harris did their campaigns the most good. But all the candidates came out pretty good. Except maybe Bidden. He is still the front runner tho.

Booker came across really really good on gun control

 
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BTW, I'm totally impressed with the Vox News Animation Department.
this is not only a good example of their animation but a really clear explanation of Warren's wealth tax proposal

 
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Cory Booker is vegan but he's actually a centrist moderate who has supported big pharmaceutical companies in the past so I'm really not aligned with his overall views.

Candidates I do think would overhaul the system like Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders are not just meat eaters, but Sanders has even obviously been reported eating red meat on the campaign trail.

I'd love to have a vegan president, but not someone who really doesn't get it in a time when arctic sea ice is depleting even faster than expected by decades.

I also feel uncomfortable supporting what I see as pseudo environmentalism in people like Sanders willing to take down fossil fuel companies but seemingly oblivious about animal products, especially meat.

I wish I could vote for that fifteen year old girl who spoke at the climate summit. No really.
Politicians are extremely weak on Earth. They have very active Anti-Reason and Pathological Memory. It doesn't work like that at all!
 
Cory Booker is vegan but he's actually a centrist moderate who has supported big pharmaceutical companies in the past so I'm really not aligned with his overall views.

Candidates I do think would overhaul the system like Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders are not just meat eaters, but Sanders has even obviously been reported eating red meat on the campaign trail.

I'd love to have a vegan president, but not someone who really doesn't get it in a time when arctic sea ice is depleting even faster than expected by decades.

I also feel uncomfortable supporting what I see as pseudo environmentalism in people like Sanders willing to take down fossil fuel companies but seemingly oblivious about animal products, especially meat.

I wish I could vote for that fifteen year old girl who spoke at the climate summit. No really.
Politicians speak very fast and fluently, but they do not notice one fundamental thing: they speak utter nonsense.
They do not see the most important things and are highly hypocritical.

People enjoy it. They are just too stupid to notice anything.

It is al;l about a lack of power, a lack of reason, a lack of real memory.
 
President Trump has made things very difficult for the meat industry. As a member of a family that owns meat markets, I hear what's going on behind the scenes. I'm sure this wasn't his goal - but

1) Cracking down on illegal immigration has made meat processing much more expensive, as most of the people working in packing plants are Mexican immigrants. Now everybody's afraid to hire illegals, and everybody has to pay people above the table and make sure taxes are paid etc. When ICE comes and finds illegals working, the packing plants get fined tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of dollars. Meat processing is much more expensive now.

2) Meat packers in the US can no longer make a profit off of hides, because of something about China.....I'm sorry, I don't pay close attention to exactly what's going on all the time but I've heard my family talking about how they can't make any money off of hides anymore. I think because of the tariffs. The US used to sell the hides and they would be sent to China to be made into leather, and then we'd buy the finished leather products back. But the tariffs are making that much too expensive. Tanning is such a disgusting industry that it's very unlikely that tanneries will be built in the US in any scale at all. Nobody wants to work in tanneries - except maybe illegal immigrants but see #1

I guess all of his policies are driving up pork prices but I can't remember why. I wish I paid more attention. Anyway - my meat packing family members are definitely democrats. They're all for undocumented immigrants working as cheaply as possible, and having Chinese people tan all our hides for us.
 
President Trump has made things very difficult for the meat industry. As a member of a family that owns meat markets, I hear what's going on behind the scenes. I'm sure this wasn't his goal - but

1) Cracking down on illegal immigration has made meat processing much more expensive, as most of the people working in packing plants are Mexican immigrants. Now everybody's afraid to hire illegals, and everybody has to pay people above the table and make sure taxes are paid etc. When ICE comes and finds illegals working, the packing plants get fined tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of dollars. Meat processing is much more expensive now.

2) Meat packers in the US can no longer make a profit off of hides, because of something about China.....I'm sorry, I don't pay close attention to exactly what's going on all the time but I've heard my family talking about how they can't make any money off of hides anymore. I think because of the tariffs. The US used to sell the hides and they would be sent to China to be made into leather, and then we'd buy the finished leather products back. But the tariffs are making that much too expensive. Tanning is such a disgusting industry that it's very unlikely that tanneries will be built in the US in any scale at all. Nobody wants to work in tanneries - except maybe illegal immigrants but see #1

I guess all of his policies are driving up pork prices but I can't remember why. I wish I paid more attention. Anyway - my meat packing family members are definitely democrats. They're all for undocumented immigrants working as cheaply as possible, and having Chinese people tan all our hides for us.


Thank you for this insight - altho' I am Canadian I am following the new 'reality show' that is your politics.

I keep holding onto the thought that 'it is darkest before dawn' and hope that dawn is coming soon. Your politics is just a sympton of things worldwide and the world needed this wake up call. We have our own election coming in October and I am so hoping that enough people will realize that the Conservative Party is not to be trusted anymore than the Republicans are there. The Liberals are far far from perfect and yet, imo, the better of the two and best of the three.

Back to your post - I am hoping that the results of the policies you have shown is that there will be less animal cruelty and more kindness to immigrants.

Emma JC
 
Thank you for this insight - altho' I am Canadian I am following the new 'reality show' that is your politics.

I keep holding onto the thought that 'it is darkest before dawn' and hope that dawn is coming soon. Your politics is just a sympton of things worldwide and the world needed this wake up call. We have our own election coming in October and I am so hoping that enough people will realize that the Conservative Party is not to be trusted anymore than the Republicans are there. The Liberals are far far from perfect and yet, imo, the better of the two and best of the three.

Back to your post - I am hoping that the results of the policies you have shown is that there will be less animal cruelty and more kindness to immigrants.

Emma JC

I sure do hope the dawn is coming soon - for people as well as animals.

I've been losing sleep over the immigrant thing. I do not, for one instant, believe that the democratic party cares at all about the well-being of the immigrants. If they cared, they would be finding ways to care for the immigrants before they reach the border. instead of just using them as pawns in election politics.

There are HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of people who need to get to safety. There are over 11 million immigrants in this country right now. Those immigrants are running from violence and murder, gangs, poverty.....and those violent, murdering gang members ARE coming across with them. How can we openly take people in without finding out who they are? How can we give them a more peaceful and safe existence in this country, and still keep the citizens of this country safe, without proper vetting? Also - they need to be immunized and screened for tuberculosis, smallpox etc. When the Europeans came to this continent we wiped out almost all the people who were here before us, not only by conquering them with weapons but through smallpox and measles. We vaccinated our population until smallpox was eradicated from the united states and then stopped vaccinating people because it wasn't necessary anymore. We so nearly got rid of measles that now a huge portion of our population believes the risk of vaccinating against measles outweighs the benefits. We worked very, very hard to eliminate tuberculosis. Now most of our population is unvaccinated and TB is increasing. We all need to make some trips to old graveyards and look at home many early American children died young. I think it was something like half of all children died before reaching adulthood. Central and South America did not eradicate measles or TB - and they still have some smallpox.

I work at a hospital in an area where there are quite a lot of immigrants. We don't ask for any type of documentation - we just treat them (for free). IDK how many are undocumented but my guess is most of them are. They don't speak English and many of them clearly haven't been here long. We have most certainly treated South American gang members and have seen a lot of victims of violence. We live in a human trafficking hotspot. Sometimes Mexican or South American girls come in to the ER accompanied by white men who do appear to be pimps. We have a network of physicians who volunteer their time to provide them with free medical care. We have a crew of Spanish-speaking first responders who go to the homes of the people after they're seen in the ER, to make sure they get the follow-up care they need. We have interpreters working at the hospital 24/7.

We can't just let people continue to flood in - it has to be a controlled immigration. When our ancestors immigrated here, they were documented. Plus there was a plan in place for where they would go - the previous inhabitants had all been murdered and the land was empty, available for homesteading. The immigrants who didn't homestead were put to work building railroads. What system do we have in place to absorb our new immigrants? Why have we not come up with a plan? Because everybody's too busy using them as pawns to try to get themselves elected. If we truly cared about them we'd be finding a way to build new cities and find a humane way to absorb this increase in population. Put the immigrants to work building sewage and irrigation systems, hospitals....

The whole situation at the detention centers is very sad. We have a crisis at the border and the infrastructure isn't in place to handle it. The saddest part is - the immigrants are willing to endure it. That's how bad things were where they came from. It seems to me that if we had the right people in place we could find a way to at least allow the immigrants more space, safety and comfort while they waited South of the border. I'm sure the American people would be happy to donate food and clothing, labor to build latrines etc.

Nobody seems to want to solve the problem at all, they just want to flap their mouths.
 
I have been a very keen outside observer of American politics ever since Tricky Dicky failed in his first attempt at the presidency because of his TV appearance with a five o’clock shadow.

...... the new 'reality show' that is your politics.


Emma's comment beautifully puts my own thoughts into a nutshell.

At rallies there is always a lot of meaningless whooping. And everything is so orchestrated. I am amused at the way women are always strategically placed to enthusiastically wave their “Women for Trump” placards for the television cameras. I am expecting to soon see “Latinos for Trump” and “Gays for Trump” placards displayed with equal relish.

“This is not a showman’s job.” US President Herbert Hoover on the presidency.

Roger.
 
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Hey all,

Marianne Williamson is the only candidate I've found that mentions animals at all. Check out her issues page on food:

Furthermore, the mistreatment of animals is damaging to the American soul. As custodians of this planet, we are intended to care for the animals that share the land with us. The meat and dairy industry needs to better take into account the treatment of animals. We need to find a way to better respect animals, and stop what in some cases is inhumane treatment—all the while, supporting our farmers and ranchers, financially and otherwise, to help make it so. Each of us must examine, carefully and soulfully, how our dietary choices not only affect our bodies and our planet, but how they literally affect the animals themselves.

While Cory Booker is personally vegan, he is not brave enough to mention animals on his website nor have I heard him talk about animal rights outside of talking about his diet or giving an interview to VegNews. Williamson, while not vegan herself, is much stronger on the issue, and also frames it as a moral and spiritual imperative for our country. I find it powerful, and I've also liked what she has to say on other issues.
 
I don't care who the next president is as long as it is not Trump.

Like many Democrats, the most important issue in my mind is "electability". And right now only the top 4 or 5 top candidates in the poll have that thing. Although I will admit its early days and things can change. Also there is not one candidate that I wouldn't vote for if I had to. but Marianne is not in the top 5 and her polling numbers are pretty low. So I'm pretty sure she doesn't have a chance.

I was a Sanders Bro last time. and early on I was supporting Harris. and she is doing very well right now. But more and more I like Warren best. She hasn't talked specifically about animals but has talked about our bad agricultural policies and splitting up the big agri-businesses. Lately, I have been convinced that our policies on corn is the lynchpin. If the feedlots couldn't rely so much on cheap feed (which is mostly corn) they wouldn't be able to grow so much beef. If they couldn't grow so much cheap beef than prices would rise and people would eat less of it. Of course, they would switch to chicken and pork. but guess what they feed chickens and pigs. Farmers can't raise the price of their corn so they just produce more of it. And then the big companies have to buy it and use it. resulting in corn as animal feed, HFCS, and ethanol.

Capitalism without regulation always leads to monopolies. even worse is when the regulations are shaped by big business. I think its time and past time that big agri-business becomes accountable to the American public.
 
I also supported Sanders in 2016 and still have been this cycle with Warren and Yang as my next choices. However, Williamson offers essentially a combination of Bernie and Yang (since adopting support for his UBI proposal) but presented in a different way with a spiritual undergirding that I think can connect with the majority of people in this country who are religious or spiritual, and even those who are not. That's also what allows for the addition of things like animal welfare to her platform and a very persuasive case for reparations for slavery. Campaigning is not only about policy, but inspiring people (to positive or negative ends). Obviously, a lot of people laughed at her debate performance, but many of those same people are now listening to her podcast interviews and videos where she really shines and changing their opinion.

As for polling, as you said it's still early and the key thing is that both Yang and Williamson started with very little name recognition and have been steadily growing in their support with enthusiastic supporters. I think as long as that remains true, they will have a chance. Williamson has started to move up in the NH polling. I still don't know if I would switch my vote from Bernie in the end, but I would like to see Marianne break into the upper tier of candidates and be in the September debates.
 
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