(04-30-2020 03:55 PM)MileHighBronco Wrote:  If he's lucky and he works really hard, he might possibly get within spittin distance of Johnson's numbers. But I doubt it.

I think it's plausible he could do better. Overall the candidates are even worse than last cycle.

(04-30-2020 10:32 PM)Fort Bend Owl Wrote:  

(04-29-2020 11:22 AM)georgia_tech_swagger Wrote:  

(04-29-2020 11:13 AM)shere khan Wrote:  

(04-29-2020 10:40 AM)georgia_tech_swagger Wrote:  It's official. He's also now the first Libertarian member of Congress.

https://reason.com/2020/04/29/justin-ama...-congress/

Congrats....I guess. Kinda like GaTech's SEC championships. I mean yeah, it counts but...

Yes, the first member of Congress from a third party in my adult lifetime is exactly like digging through record books that are 80 years old. I see why you went for this analogy. Except that every single part of it doesn't fit.

I don't know how old you are but James Buckley was a Senator in New York in the early 1970's as a member of the Conservative Party. I'm guessing you weren't an adult (or possibly even born) when that happened.

Jesse Ventura (a Reform/Independent governor) appointed Dean Barkley from the Minnesota Reform Party as Wellstone's replacement as Minnesota Senator in 2002 when Paul Wellstone died in a plane crash.

There have been Independents of course in both the Senate and the House, but I'm also guessing you don't count that as a third party.

Before my time, the appointment counts I suppose but they never won an election, and independents aren't third parties by definition.

(05-01-2020 07:33 AM)bullet Wrote:  

(04-30-2020 10:32 PM)Fort Bend Owl Wrote:  James Buckley was a Senator in New York in the early 1970's as a member of the Conservative Party.

I wouldn't count the NY Conservative Party as a "3rd party." It was a local thing.

The 1970 election for US Senate in New York featured three candidates who received more than 99% of the vote, combined: a Democrat, a Republican, and a Conservative.

The Conservative (James L. Buckley) got ~39% and won the election.
The Democrat (Ottinger) got ~37%.
The Republican (Goodell — father of the NFL Commissioner) got ~24%. Goodell also had the nomination of the Liberal party and (per New York law) his votes from the two tickets were combined.

If that doesn’t qualify as a 3rd party victory, what does?

(05-01-2020 11:11 AM)georgia_tech_swagger Wrote:  

(04-30-2020 03:55 PM)MileHighBronco Wrote:  If he's lucky and he works really hard, he might possibly get within spittin distance of Johnson's numbers. But I doubt it.

I think it's plausible he could do better. Overall the candidates are even worse than last cycle.

Trump 2020 is less scary than Trump 2016.

There were legitimate concerns that Trump 2016 was a war hawk that made McCain/Graham look like peaceniks. Except with a kindergartener 's knowledge of the implications, and the strategic touch of a bull rhino. 4 years later, Trump looks more like an isolationist than a war hawk. And he's successfully defused most tensions in both Syria and Ukraine, and he's gotten the Gulf Arabs to more or less support Israel.

Second, there were concerns that Trump was a legit racist. 4 years later, he's made more efforts to reach out to the black community than any Republican in my memory.

normally, I would be incredibly hostile to a no one like whats-his-face running in the general election. NORMALLY, I would be suspicious of the vote that whats-his-face would pull from the republicans.

but these are not NORMAL times.

DJT has re-polarized all of the former orbits of the political parties . . . . So, as a conservative Republican, I say, go for it, a$$pirate.

(05-01-2020 02:04 PM)Captain Bearcat Wrote:  

(05-01-2020 11:11 AM)georgia_tech_swagger Wrote:  

(04-30-2020 03:55 PM)MileHighBronco Wrote:  If he's lucky and he works really hard, he might possibly get within spittin distance of Johnson's numbers. But I doubt it.

I think it's plausible he could do better. Overall the candidates are even worse than last cycle.

Trump 2020 is less scary than Trump 2016.

There were legitimate concerns that Trump 2016 was a war hawk that made McCain/Graham look like peaceniks. Except with a kindergartener 's knowledge of the implications, and the strategic touch of a bull rhino. 4 years later, Trump looks more like an isolationist than a war hawk. And he's successfully defused most tensions in both Syria and Ukraine, and he's gotten the Gulf Arabs to more or less support Israel.

Second, there were concerns that Trump was a legit racist. 4 years later, he's made more efforts to reach out to the black community than any Republican in my memory.

It'd be harder to be more isolationist then him in today's America.

When I voted for him, my biggest concern was that he was going to betray the Republican Party (i.e. not really a Republican). He hasn't. I wish he'd betray Faucci, but I think his hands are tied on that.

I think he does worse, just because Hilary was so hated. That being said, I'm not hearing a lot of enthusiasm from my Democrat friends for Biden. I wouldn't be surprised if a couple of them stayed home or voted 3rd party. They're certainly only liking him because he has a D next to his name.

(05-01-2020 08:39 PM)EagleX Wrote:  normally, I would be incredibly hostile to a no one like whats-his-face running in the general election. NORMALLY, I would be suspicious of the vote that whats-his-face would pull from the republicans.

but these are not NORMAL times.

DJT has re-polarized all of the former orbits of the political parties . . . . So, as a conservative Republican, I say, go for it, a$$pirate.

(04-30-2020 08:57 PM)rath v2.0 Wrote:  Amrash is an embarrassing husk of what he used to be. Total clown show.

Interesting follow up story. He announced he’s not running for re-election.

People up here who supported him before now think he’s nuts.

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/justin-...reelection

(07-17-2020 05:47 AM)rath v2.0 Wrote:  

(04-30-2020 08:57 PM)rath v2.0 Wrote:  Amrash is an embarrassing husk of what he used to be. Total clown show.

Interesting follow up story. He announced he’s not running for re-election.

People up here who supported him before now think he’s nuts.

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/justin-...reelection

He found out the hard way that the other never-trumpers are loud, but very few. He had no shot at re-election.

He should change his name to Loser McLoserFace.

I think he went anti-Trump as a political calculation that he could get conservative never-Trumpers to support his presidential run. The problem is that he is a libertarian and never-Trumpers are neocons, and neocons will support democrats (the original neocons were democrats) before they will support libertarians. So he basically cut himself off from everyone.

As a libertarian, I wish he hadn’t done it. He would have been a credible libertarian candidate for president. But he has shots himself in the foot politically. I don’t see how he recovers.

(07-17-2020 11:24 AM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  I think he went anti-Trump as a political calculation that he could get conservative never-Trumpers to support his presidential run. The problem is that he is a libertarian and never-Trumpers are neocons, and neocons will support democrats (the original neocons were democrats) before they will support libertarians. So he basically cut himself off from everyone.

As a libertarian, I wish he hadn’t done it. He would have been a credible libertarian candidate for president. But he has shots himself in the foot politically. I don’t see how he recovers.

More like could have been. The moment he pulled that stunt was the moment you have to completely reevaluate who Justin Amash really is. Maybe it's splitting hairs, but I think this is beyond just a credibility issue due to a miscalculation. IMHO, this was an unmasking of who Justin really was - and that was NOT a libertarian let alone a conservative. Justin was nothing more than an opportunist trying to grab power. That puts him in the progressive/modern liberal camp.

Another Rino bites the dust.

(07-17-2020 12:57 PM)CrimsonPhantom Wrote:  Another Rino bites the dust.

So if he won as a Repub who would be his replacement from the Repub Party? What state is he from anyway?

(07-17-2020 01:00 PM)olliebaba Wrote:  

(07-17-2020 12:57 PM)CrimsonPhantom Wrote:  Another Rino bites the dust.

So if he won as a Repub who would be his replacement from the Repub Party? What state is he from anyway?

The primaries are Aug 4th. But Amash knew he was a dead man walking over a year ago when he first showed his ass, and people started signing up to primary him. He thought he had a chance of winning in a 3 way race due to name recognition, but clearly sees he's about to get his ass handed to him. Makes me wonder if he looked at those primary races the other day (especially Jeff Sessions) and realizes literally noone from the republican party will jump over to vote for him.

The big donors he’s relied on all along told him to pound sand last year. The guy simply self immolated.

(07-17-2020 01:00 PM)olliebaba Wrote:  

(07-17-2020 12:57 PM)CrimsonPhantom Wrote:  Another Rino bites the dust.

So if he won as a Repub who would be his replacement from the Repub Party? What state is he from anyway?

He became an independent last year.

(07-17-2020 01:00 PM)olliebaba Wrote:  

(07-17-2020 12:57 PM)CrimsonPhantom Wrote:  Another Rino bites the dust.

So if he won as a Repub who would be his replacement from the Repub Party? What state is he from anyway?

Michigan. He is from the Grand Rapids area, which tends very libertarian/conservative.