Obama: If I Ran for a 3rd Term, 'I Could Win' 'I actually think I'm a pretty good president.'... Daniel Halper

[ABX]

He's a horrible president, and from all I can tell, a vile human being. However, I think he's right about winning a 3rd term. If he could run, he'd win easily. Americans are just that stupid.

Sadly, I think so as well. I think if he really wanted to (I don't think he does, I think he is happy to retire on the taxpayer's dime to Hawaii) you would see a full on assault by the media against any critics and the Constitution. It would be a pop culture campaign bigger than we've ever seen before. I've actually put some thought into all that could be done to make it successful if it were going to. Everything from blackmailing secretaries of state and electors to a major buy off of the media, to taking control of the social media.

It would be interesting to watch if it were another country.

[aligncare]

"If I ran for a third term I could win"

Go ahead, punk. Make my day.

The guy is so bleeping arrogant it's ridiculous.

[Fishrrman]

MAC wrote above:
[[ Perhaps we don't need the Hispanic voters as some say. ]]

I'm one of those saying it.

We DON'T "need Hispanic voters" all that much, because more than half of them are concentrated in a few large "blue" states that will never again vote Republican, anyway.

In the battleground states, Hispanics aren't that much of a threat (at least not yet).

In the red states, their influence matters even less.

The only large state that really matters is Texas, but it has problems of its own that Republicans can't control -- but the demographic destiny of Texas won't realize yet for another twenty years.

Florida could be a problem for the Pubbies as well, but such problems there stem from an influx of liberal white voters from the north, instead of Hispanics from the south. Isn't the Cuban voting bloc largely conservative?

The key to a Republican victory in 2016 lies in increasing the white vote in the battleground states roughly 3-5%. A shift in the percentage of WHITE voters in those states of only a couple of percentile would have turned them red last few times around.

Finally, one question that I can comfortably predict that you won't answer:
What can Republicans possibly OFFER "to Hispanics" -- other than amnesty -- above and beyond what they offer to anyone else, i.e., whites?

[MACVSOG68]

Finally, one question that I can comfortably predict that you won't answer:
What can Republicans possibly OFFER "to Hispanics" -- other than amnesty -- above and beyond what they offer to anyone else, i.e., whites?

Sorry to disappoint you, but I always answer a direct question, something most of those I ask here simply ignore.

Republicans can stop throwing out blanket insults to Hispanics when talking about immigration, such as "they have a high birth rate", "they speak Spanish and refuse to learn English", "they are a drain on our resources", "they have very high crime rates".  During the debates in 2005-2007, these charges were leveled not just at illegals, but the whole Latino community here in the US.  They have been correctly attributed to John Tanton and his various anti-immigration organizations.

Then Republicans can begin to put the whole immigration debate behind by continuing the efforts of the past ten years by stopping with the clichés and slogans, and seriously look at how to better secure our borders, changing our immigration laws, putting teeth in the laws to make ICE do its job and go after the criminals.  After that is put in place, we begin to identify those who have been here and are part of our communities and look at various options for allowing them to stay.  That by itself will help to eliminate most of the sanctuary cities.

As for whether we need the Hispanic vote, most candidates and political analysts would vehemently disagree with you.  The growth of the Hispanic population is simply not slowing down.  White Americans are simply not going to be able to hunker down in fewer and fewer enclaves just to bring in a few unchallenged electoral votes, and win anything.

Latinos aren't the same as blacks who are an integral part of the Democrat Party.  They can be and are hard workers, family oriented, religious, value oriented people.  They can embrace conservatism because they have many of the same values conservatives do.  A little respect would be a great start.

[flowers]

You have a much stronger stomach than me if you can watch that!

Ditto!!!!  No way I can watch that. Not these days.

[musiclady]

Ditto!!!!  No way I can watch that. Not these days.

I accidentally looked up at the screen while Megyn Kelly was playing the video last night, saw what was there, and wept.

What have we become that ANYONE defends such barbarism??

[mountaineer]

Republicans can stop throwing out blanket insults to Hispanics when talking about immigration, such as "they have a high birth rate", "they speak Spanish and refuse to learn English", "they are a drain on our resources", "they have very high crime rates".  During the debates in 2005-2007, these charges were leveled not just at illegals, but the whole Latino community here in the US.  They have been correctly attributed to John Tanton and his various anti-immigration organizations.

I've never heard Republicans making such blanket "insults" - WHO, exactly, leveled these charges?  I've never heard of John Tanton.

I'm not sure how a statement of fact like, "They have a high birth rate," is an insult. As for "high crime rates," I don't know, but one may peruse the FBI reports and crunch the numbers.  But the statements certainly are generalizations.

Latinos aren't the same as blacks who are an integral part of the Democrat Party.  They can be and are hard workers, family oriented, religious, value oriented people.  They can embrace conservatism because they have many of the same values conservatives do.  A little respect would be a great start.

Also generalizations with no supporting data.

[MACVSOG68]

I've never heard Republicans making such blanket "insults" - WHO, exactly, leveled these charges?  I've never heard of John Tanton.

I'm not sure how a statement of fact like, "They have a high birth rate," is an insult. As for "high crime rates," I don't know, but one may peruse the FBI reports and crunch the numbers.  But the statements certainly are generalizations. Also generalizations with no supporting data.

You might look up John Tanton, his philosophy and the organizations he created and how their "contributions" played into both the 2006 and 2007 immigration debate.

The problem was that the anti-immigration crowd was using such generalizations about an entire ethnic group to prevent any legalizations of those already here.  They were playing every card available, including saturating FoxNews and other media with stories of how Mexicans especially illegals were guilty of rape, murder, home invasion and every other crime, in spite of the fact that the legislation was designed to get exactly those types out of the Country.  Tanton is a founder of several organizations designed to prevent any kind of legalization and include a couple of favorites on the news, Numbers USA and Center for Immigration Studies.

By using these tactics to stop any legalization, the Republican Party has been tarred with this guy's xenophobic racism, resulting certainly in part to their movement away from the Republican Party in 2004 to where it was in the last election.   But as some here say, "we don't need them anyway".

[Bigun]

You might look up John Tanton, his philosophy and the organizations he created and how their "contributions" played into both the 2006 and 2007 immigration debate.

The problem was that the anti-immigration crowd was using such generalizations about an entire ethnic group to prevent any legalizations of those already here.  They were playing every card available, including saturating FoxNews and other media with stories of how Mexicans especially illegals were guilty of rape, murder, home invasion and every other crime, in spite of the fact that the legislation was designed to get exactly those types out of the Country.  Tanton is a founder of several organizations designed to prevent any kind of legalization and include a couple of favorites on the news, Numbers USA and Center for Immigration Studies.

By using these tactics to stop any legalization, the Republican Party has been tarred with this guy's xenophobic racism, resulting certainly in part to their movement away from the Republican Party in 2004 to where it was in the last election.   But as some here say, "we don't need them anyway".

You couldn't be more wrong Mac! There are still some people in this country who have a very profound love of the law and fairness and are simply sick and tired of watching those who choose to disregard our laws rewarded for having done so!

[MACVSOG68]

You couldn't be more wrong Mac! There are still some people in this country who have a very profound love of the law and fairness and are simply sick and tired of watching those who choose to disregard our laws rewarded for having done so!

I will agree there are some in this Country who would never countenance comprehensive immigration reform, but that's not the majority.  The left frequently uses specific stories to describe an entire group, guns and abortion being a couple of their favorites. Some on the right will use any story it can find to paint all Hispanics with the same brush, and all gays as pedophiles.  FoxNews has been doing it for several years.  Today's site has a large picture of an illegal rapist/murderer set free by CBP.  The story is real and it's terrible, but one that will send many into a furor over the need to get rid of all illegals, when immigration reform should concentrate on forcing people like that out or in prison forever.  FoxNews ran 24/7 coverage on the killing in San Francisco continually, and still brings various family members on for interviews.  And it's not designed to be fair and balanced, but to influence its viewers to take a very strong position on getting rid of all of them, the good and the bad.

And if these people love the law as much as you say, they might consider that 95% of federal crimes charged are pled out, as the criminals are "rewarded" so to speak, just as an illegal who has to pay a series of fines and penalties.

And no, I'm not wrong about John Tanton and his goals.