Senate The 2016 General Presidential Election

At the risk of coarsening such enlightened discussion, here's my take on last night's "debate." It was the first time this election season that I have watched either of them:

Clinton
Strength: the fully memorized rollo deck of lawyer approved, focus group tested talking points you can see flashing behind her eyes every time she's asked a question
Weakness: up until last night, I did not believe it was possible for a real live human to fall into the uncanny valley
Best shot: going into Secretary of State mode to reassure allies (and viewers)
Weakest shot: Trump's taxes - anyone who pays more tax than the law requires is not smart and every American who files taxes knows this

Trump
Strength: if Hollywood has taught us anything, it's that Americans love a straight talking New Yawker
Weakness: when he talks, he has the meandering, stream of conscious oratorical skill of a hyperactive three year old
Best shot: tying the 30 years of bad experience millstone around Clinton's neck
Weakest shot: emails as there was no follow-up after Clinton's scripted, flat "I made a mistake" - what that mistake was went completely unchallenged

Surreal moment: realizing that the Republicans under Trump are the caring, compassionate Mom who's saying, "We can't live like this anymore" and the Democrats under Clinton are the cold, aloof Dad who's saying, "We have a plan and we need to stick to the plan." Ay caramba!

Winner: I had to pause the live feed once out of complete disbelief that either of these two were the major party candidates so, no one
Loser: all of us

 

George Lucas was not a Buddhist. He was raised as a Methodist and was largely nonreligious. But he was never a Buddhist.

 

Mods please rename the thread to "Was George Lucas a Buddhist?", and make it into a poll.

 

the asininity is strong with this meme.

 

Nah. The real question is: Was he a Scientologist?

 

we were all raised something doesn't mean we follow everything our parents teach us, Me and my Three sisters were raised Roman Catholic but it seems over time no one is Catholic anymore in my family. George Lucas has said In Interviews that he is indeed a Buddhist I think in the Documentary Empire Of Dreams,

but even if he didn't say it the force and everything Yoda said is a metaphor for Buddhism...

 

So did he or did he not say it? You are contradicting yourself.
He never said he was a Buddhist. He might share some sentiments with it philosophically but he is not a Buddhist. Christians also said Yoda was about Christianity. Lucas designed Yoda with a universal spiritualism in mind not a specific religion or philosophy.
I have read most of the books and listened/read most of the interviews with Lucas and he never adhered to any specific religion in his later years.

 

you should take a look at the documentary I posted I must have watched it thousands of times he either said it in this or the AFI George Lucas tribute that I have on DVD !!! I am not contradicting myself I am basically saying does it really matter one way or another Buddhism is written all over the star wars story and before someone accuses me of derailing the thread I was just explaining how I am not advocating vengeful feelings.

 

Which one did he say? Did he say Yoda was a Buddhist metaphor or that he was a practitioner of Buddhism? George has stated numerous times that Yoda and the Force was designed as a spiritual idea that could be applied universally across all faiths. That's why it appeals to just about any religious or spiritual person.
And he has never been a Buddhist. Years ago, his daughter claimed to one of her elementary school classes that they were Buddhist-Methodists. George laughed at it when his daughter told him.

 

I've come to the conclusion that without some huge scandal on the Clinton side, americans will come to the conclusion that they don't want to see Donald Trump on their tv screen in front of an American flag for the next 4-8 years. Hillary has her faults but she at least has the demanor and experience to be president.

 

his quote was, "I am A Buddhist but everyone in northern California Is a Buddhist"

 

Yes.

Leoluca Randisi, do you understand what he is saying there? That's not a literal statement. He is literally saying I am a Buddhist as much as everybody else in Northern California, which is not much.

 

He wants to bring jobs back. I don't think Hillary and the current quo are working.

 

What an insensitive thing to say, as someone who had weight problems I take great offense to what Trump said here hopefully most Americans agree with us and this guys time in the spotlight is brief.

@ThisHurricane
may be when he creates all these great jobs he will release his taxes?

 

Bringing jobs "back" wont happen because those jobs left for a reason. They would cost more here than they would elsewhere and people are unwilling to support the extra cost if they were domesticated again.

 

whar r the jobs, hillardy, where are they?!

*looks under rock*

bring em back

*unfurls old-timey spyglass and gazes afar, searching the horizon for the jobs*

 

Leoluca Randisi - this thread is not about you... will you please stop attention whoring? If you're hell bent on discussing your Buddhism, go do it in the thunderdome. wtf

 

when someone says something I believe it I don't think he was being tongue in cheek there but hey I could be wrong but what with the Buddhist Tropes and Themes throughout these movies?

we will have to agree to disagree my friend lets move on and get back on topic.

 

Saw a snippet of Fox news today and some people were aghast because there wasn't supposed to be "fact checking". Didn't that come from the Trump camp? How in the hell is acting a journalist not to fact check something supposed to be a thing?

 

anakinfansince1983 started the conversation so don't blame me I was just pointing out I was not advocating revenge on Trump, I am going to go out on a limb and say most of us on here are Liberals so we only differ slightly on issues!

 

You fail to comprehend what he is actually saying with that quote about he is a buddhist but so is everyone else in Northern California.You are a Buddhist and so the SW films have to be buddhist as well as its creator. I get it. But people said the same thing about George and Scientology too. I looked into all of these and he is non affiliated and has been since his teenage years. The SW films appeal to everybody because they are intentionally universal.

Now either go into a SW thread and Zen to your hearts content about how Yoda is Confucius or stay here and talk about Hillary.

 

J-Rod - you didn't answer my questions on Trump's tax plan raising taxes for the middle class whilst profiting only the upper class, and leaving the tax revenues which would fund state programmes wanting.

Before you respond with the kind of aspirational language unique to America - the assumption anyone could be a billionaire, they're just waiting for that day and when it happens they don't want Mr Taxman stealing it - please beware that in America and elsewhere, generally speaking greater than 50% of respondents in the top 5% of income earners will be favourable to the idea of paying more taxes. So, those with the money agree it's reasonable to ask them to pay slightly more income tax to assist in the running of a functioning society.

It seems to be those who don't have the money but believe someday, somehow, they will who want rich taxes cut.

Given Mr Trump's plan simply offers no benefit to America, would you consider it a poor policy platform?

Note: you can answer this without mentioning Ms Clinton once.

 

Trump's tax plans have been praised by conservatives as a page right out of the Reagan playbook. That tells you all you need to know. They are a plan made for a specific time, situation and place, but not now and here.

 

The reaction to the debate (was it a debate?) confirms in my mind that a significant proportion of the US population are hell bent on self destruction and the stupider Trump gets the more popular he becomes with his base of intellectually retarded revolutionaries.