Trump cheats at golf - the ONE and ONLY politics thread

Social security reform seems easy. Raise the cap to $250k and raise the age to 70. Life expectancy has gone up, people are living longer. SS wasn't designed to be considered as part of retirement, but as a cushion when you were no longer able to work.

 

Raising the cap makes a lot of sense. We're about to face a retirement crisis because company pensions have been rapidly disappearing the past 30 years and the meager 401(k) programs they've been replaced with aren't doing the job. Also, poor people aren't living longer, so raising the age is a non starter for me.

 

It's fine if Bernie wants to run, but he should stop trying to win:

 

I think it's fair to say at this point that Bernie doesn't stand a chance in hell of winning the nomination. The recent level of desperation in his campaign is something he'll probably regret when this is over.

 

Did you see the one making the rounds wherein Krugman made reference to "what Econ 101 calls public goods" ... when in fact what he was throwing out was a hashed up, Baron-esque, you'd-flunk-Econ-101-with-that-shit definition of public goods?

But, hey, what he's selling "works" ... so I'm told ad nauseum.

 

Last night's debate was just like a Seinfeld episode centered around Del Boca Vista. Bernie as Jack Klompas and Hillary as Mrs. Seinfeld.

 

Doubt it. He's not a Democrat. He's trying to advance his agenda, and he's done more to do that in this campaign than in his entire career previously.

 

Maybe. I definitely think he's enjoying the spotlight and has been getting a little full of himself the last couple months.

And, honestly, I'm glad he's elevated the wealth disparity issue because it is that important. I just don't think he'd be effective doing anything about it.

 

Unless "the last couple months" is simply shorthand for "his whole fucking life," you gotta be fucking kidding me.

 

No, I definitely think he's been believing his believers more and more. He used to understand that he was a lone voice in the crowd who put the spotlight on issues others shied away from, and he seemed to accept that role. Now I think he's beginning to believe his "revolution" crap.

 

Maybe because it turned out he wasn't a lone voice. He's gotten huge crowds, and millions of votes. Young people are lining up with him, not Hillary.

I heard, I think it was Chuck Todd, say that there's no way he could envision future Dem nominees being as centrist as someone like Hillary. The party has certainly moved left since Bill was elected. Only Hillary's name recognition has kept her ahead of Bernie.

 

There has always been a left wing of the party. I've been and remain part of it and I've railed often about Bill Clinton and the whole DLC/New Democrat movement. Understand that if there was a good candidate to the left of HRC, I'd have been on board with him/her, but there just isn't. The issue is driving Bernie's popularity because it's a good issue, but Bernie himself is just a likable old knucklehead.

Saying over and over that corporations and rich people are bad isn't going to get anything done.