I'm curious to hear what others on these forums view as the issues they care most about/are most likely to vote on.

Here's mine:

1. Climate Change - It's the largest existential threat of our time, and any candidate that denies the reality of climate change or refuses to make bold promises in an attempt to fight it is denying science and truth.
2. Immigration - We need less restrictive immigration policy. This is such a clear an obvious answer that anyone denying it loses credibility in my mind. Every single anti-immigration argument is extremely easily debunked.
3. Criminal Justice - Another extremely obvious one with a wide array of solutions. It's not the most pressing issue we face, but there are some elements of the criminal justice system that are so overwhelmingly, obviously broken that one would have to be a partisan fool to be comfortable with the status quo.
4. Middle East/Pacifism/Foreign Affairs - This is a tricky one. The neocons will never get my support, and anyone who is pro war or not uncomfortable with war is someone who I probably won't vote for. Generally, both parties suck on this one. In 2016, I would have said "preserving the Iran deal," but Trump ****** us on that one. I'm not an isolationist, but I'm also very uncomfortable with intervention into another nation's politics.
5. Healthcare - I'm probably going to support the candidate that brings us closer to a single payer system. Make of that what you wish. Right now, the Republican party doesn't really have a healthcare plan or any real strategy besides "Not Obamacare", so the decision is obvious.

I'd swap 3 with 2, and 4 with 5. But with criminal justice I'd add that wall st, dc, and nepotism needs to walk the plank and be made an example of - oh, hi Jared. I guess you could co-mingle it with economic regulations. I realize Trump said that too but ha-*******-ha at everyone who believed that conman bullshit. He obviously wanted to and got knuckles deep in the swamp.

I'd add to immigration getting rid of the ******* ban. It's been super awesome seeing friends worried about and not traveling to see loved ones. Bang up job there.

The middle east is and always will be a hornets nest because it's the cradle of all religions. We want equal rights for Palestine, for people to not be anti-Semitic, and for Saudi Arabia to not, I dunno let's say, behead American journalists. That'd all be great. It's....easier said than done. First step is getting back into the Iran deal, hopefully.

Your #1 is the #1 with a bullet though and actually involves the rest. It's why I wish Inslee got more traction.

I doubt the Iran Deal is ever coming back, unfortunately. That deal was a perfect whirlwind, and I fear that Trump permanently ****** America over in the eyes of the younger, more progressive class of Iranians. Neocons calling for a revolution and regime change in Iran through American intervention are actual cancer. At this point, the best we can probably hope for is to just not wage war on them.

Immigration is just such an open and shut case for me. It's one of the few issues that can unite both the economic far left and the far right. The only people who oppose it are knuckle-dragging nationalists who want to keep the dark skinned people out at the expense of economic prosperity.

Posted by tangplay on 6/15/2020 11:59:00 PM (view original):
I doubt the Iran Deal is ever coming back, unfortunately. That deal was a perfect whirlwind, and I fear that Trump permanently ****** America over in the eyes of the younger, more progressive class of Iranians. Neocons calling for a revolution and regime change in Iran through American intervention are actual cancer. At this point, the best we can probably hope for is to just not wage war on them.

Immigration is just such an open and shut case for me. It's one of the few issues that can unite both the economic far left and the far right. The only people who oppose it are knuckle-dragging nationalists who want to keep the dark skinned people out at the expense of economic prosperity.

So...The only people who oppose immigration are knuckle-dragging nationalists....and you think it can unite the economic far left and....the far right?

man i like you but whatever you're smoking maybe stop

Pure nationalists don't have to be on the economic far left or far right. Note how I said economic not social.

The libertarian party candidate supports open borders... so I stand by what I said. Open borders is the pure capitalist position.

Posted by tangplay on 6/16/2020 12:08:00 AM (view original):
Pure nationalists don't have to be on the economic far left or far right. Note how I said economic not social.

The libertarian party candidate supports open borders... so I stand by what I said. Open borders is the pure capitalist position.

Libertarians aren't the far right. And the far right makes no distinctition between economic and social interests anymore. Its pure....i dunno, batshit.

I don't think we actually disagree, we are just getting hung up on what I'm referring to when I say "economic far-right." I mean those who prioritize markets over everything else, which would be libertarians, anarcho-capitalists, and the like. If I say "far right" generally, I'm referring to the social/cultural far right, which would be the modern Republican Party (fascists). Trump isn't even close to being on the economic far right. He doesn't want immigration, and is a protectionist in trade.

So yes, immigration is both in the human interest and the economic interest. You can only oppose it if you don't like people who don't look like you, or want to protect America's sovereignty or culture or whatever.

Ahh, ok, I missed your wording, my bad. Economic far right. Ok.

I still think you're whistling Stranger in Paradise, but I can understand it now.

Health Care

Corporate Welfare/ offshore tax havens

DACA

Infrastucture/ FDR style massive programs

Eliminating the assaults on the Environment

Free Palestine

Merrick Garland

Posted by bronxcheer on 6/16/2020 8:29:00 AM (view original):
Health Care

Corporate Welfare/ offshore tax havens

DACA

Infrastucture/ FDR style massive programs

Eliminating the assaults on the Environment

Free Palestine

Merrick Garland

Good call on FDR programs and the court. Pack the court.

For America to unite and for fellow Americans to stop fighting one another.

1. Social Justice
2. Ending White Privilege
3. Open Borders

I'm not convinced that wide open immigration policies are particularly beneficial economically. I think given the current economic state of the nation it's basically an economic net neutral. I understand why many smaller countries feel the need to restrict immigration to highly educated/skilled persons, but I think the arguments for such policies don't currently apply here. I just don't see a strong argument that adding a large number of low-education immigrants is going to improve economic status for the current population. That said, I'm generally in favor of making immigration much easier, and part of that includes finding a way of doing a better job of informing potential immigrants of how the new system works. I've also said in the past that I'm not into a policy of pure forgiveness for undocumented entries, but I also don't think deportation of people with no other criminal background is a humanitarian win or particularly effective. I've suggested in the past that undocumented families be subject to either a purpose-built family incarceration center with educational options for children, or a single adult be subject to minimum-security incarceration, for a term of ~6 months during which they would be helped with filling out and processing paperwork for resident alien status. That way there's still a meaningful disincentive to avoid proper documentation, but without generating a humanitarian crisis. I also think resident alien status needs to be less closely linked to work. It's really scary living in a reality where losing your job could basically make your family "illegal" overnight. Nobody whose done everything the right way should need to live with that kind of insecurity and fear.

For myself, my #1 issue by far remains balanced economic growth. If any party would draw up a realistic plan (IE, not what the Libertarians are advancing) to balance the Federal budget in 10-20 years, which feels like the shortest even quasi-reasonable horizon, I would back that party in an instant. It seems plausible - phased reduction in military spending, cap entitlements, raise taxes on the top 15-20% (and yes, that does include me). I just don't see that happening in the next few election cycles, so I'm focused more on economic policy than fiscal policy.

Posted by cccp1014 on 6/16/2020 9:04:00 AM (view original):
For America to unite and for fellow Americans to stop fighting one another.

You reiterated multiple times that you are voting for Trump. Soooooo nope on that one.

Posted by coreander on 6/16/2020 10:58:00 AM (view original):
1. Social Justice
2. Ending White Privilege
3. Open Borders

What policies can politicians pass that would end white privilege?