And she's off! Hilary Clinton announces her intentions to run.

[ironbite]

I know it's bad to get overconfident, but I'm sort of already taking it as a given that she'll win the Democratic nomination, and by this virtue alone, she'll have a significant advantage in the general election. While she's campaigning for president, the Republicans will be fighting amongst themselves for their party's nomination.

That's why people aren't that concerned with the GOP comes out with attack ads already aimed at her.  We all knew this was coming and for once, the Democrats have the advantage.  The GOP has completely destroyed their chances at a national election for at least the next 16 years.  By going so hard to the right, they've pretty much alienated so many moderates who may have agreed with them that taking the White House is gonna take some serious PR moves and the GOP doesn't actually get that.  Now Congress on the other hand....

Ironbite-that's a bit harder what with gerrymandering and general apathy.

[rookie]

I agree that she'd be a hard one to beat. Not unbeatable, but you'd need a moderate to run against her. Someone like John Huntsman or even Christie. But moderates don't do well in primaries. So it looks I'll be going 3rd party again.

[Ironchew]

If Clinton wins the nomination I'm voting third party*. Clinton's track record shows she won't be much different than Obama when it comes to prioritizing the wants of the wealthy over the needs of the poor. I am sick and tired of Democrats using the "lesser of two evils" excuse to lurch to the right and erase any meaningful leftist platform on the national level.

I should vote in the primaries this time around.

* I'll change my mind if Clinton does a complete 180 and rejects wealthy donors to push a progressive platform, but I'm not holding my breath

[Vypernight]

I actually wanted to vote Independent, but the GOP is getting so insane, I'd rather do anything to keep more of them out of office.  And while Clinton isn't perfect, if she continues to improve things like Obama did (like the economy), I'll vote for her.

[Ironchew]

I actually wanted to vote Independent, but the GOP is getting so insane, I'd rather do anything to keep more of them out of office.

I would rather do anything to push the Democratic party to the left; if that means progressives have to collectively punish them with unelectability and we suffer a Republican administration, I'm willing to take that risk.

And while Clinton isn't perfect, if she continues to improve things like Obama did (like the economy), I'll vote for her.

The metrics most media outlets use for economic improvement are disproportionately affected by wealth at the top. We're becoming a more unequal society while the rich are getting tremendously richer.

[ironbite]

Oh please let's have the GOP in charge.  Because that did WONDERS! for the country before!

[rookie]

What sort of working political system could you devise that would elect an executive?

Can you explain that a bit?

Something else just occurred to me. The whole Hillary '16 thing reminded me of something, some sort of feeling like I've seen this before. Where she was the presumptive nominee, that the party's nomination was hers to lose. Why does that sound familiar?

[davedan]

Without putting Lt Fred's view, I think it is the suggestion that the executive, whose role is simply to administer the laws created by the legislature should ideally be part of the legislature and head that legislature. Otherwise you end up having an executive and legislature working against each other.

[RavynousHunter]

Originally, the executive was there to check against the power of the legislative branch, so that the legislative couldn't go bugfuck nuts and make new, retarded laws effectively dragging us all into the Stone Age.

[Barbarella]

I found these articles about her......

Hillary vs. "'Citizens' United"....
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2015/04/14/hillary-clinton-backs-the-overturning-of-citizens-united-via-constitutional-amendment/

Hillary's Pro-Equal Pay....
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2015/04/14/sorry-gop-you-wont-find-hypocrisy-here-hillary-walks-the-walk-when-it-comes-to-equal-pay/

Food for thought on Hillary not being Liberal enough and the whole "Warren For POTUS" thing....
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2015/04/13/progressives-if-you-want-a-democrat-to-win-in-2016-drop-this-non-existent-elizabeth-warren-presidential-campaign/
....which addresses the stuff that Ironchew stated.

Even if Hillary isn't supper-Lefty, a consistent vote of Democratic-everything year after year will eventually drive politics Left-ward. Politics went Right-ward when everybody was voting Republican ad-nauseum, after all.

Instead of chasing the Ideal, go with what you got now....over time, the ideal will come in the future.

And Warren could accomplish much more in Congress. She says it herself and she knows it!

[Cerim Treascair]

Consider me voting for Hilary, unless someone else pops up that's even better.  That said, I know Warren won't run.  She's effectively told the party reps to fuck off, and that, as was mentioned here earlier in the thread, she feels like she can do more good as she is.

[Stormwarden]

Voting for Hillary here as well. The GOP will just run things into the ground.

[RavynousHunter]

Aye.  I'll take slow progress to complete ruination.

[Random Gal]

I'll vote for Hillary Clinton assuming the 2016 election is still relevant to me.

By which I mean that I'm taking a summer job in Canada this year that I can hopefully turn into something more permanent, and if I'm still living in Canada next year I'm not sure how much the next American election will actually matter to me.

[mellenORL]

You can easily get an absentee ballot and mail it in. I haven't voted in a poll booth but once since 2000.