B, I live in NJ. I don't know the people in D.

Beagles and diane, D is a pic of the queen of shiplap, Joanna, and her cockroach-eating hubby, Chip. (Fixer Upper)

Omg, I forgot about the cockroach! Did he really eat it??? Surely not. Honestly, how/why would you do that?!

The scariest to me aren't listed - The Koch brothers and their ilk. So much power, and enough money and influence to buy off those who would keep them in check.

Returning to the list, I'd then go with B - for the reasons Tib gave in her last paragraph referencing Kanye & Kim. Then E, C, A & D. I wouldn't even know about D but for these GW forums.

How about Cruz coupled with the head of the NRA.? That's a scary one that I feel does affect my and my loved ones safety.

How about Cruz and Palin?

Eeek, marlene, that's just........so wrong and scary.

Actual threat to life? E, then B - that's it.

Carol_w_fl, I would see a difference between "life" and "life as you know it."

Ted Cruz...not on the list but should be.

I don't think you could name a politician that doesn't frighten me, campaigns are nothing more than feel good, whatever-they-want-to-hear lie-fests just to get elected but once in office they do for those they are beholden to, the big money contributers to their campaigns. We see it over and over regardless of which office is being sought yet we still think we can trust what one says and vote for him/her expecting a different outcome, we are certainly gluttons for punishment with short memories (or an endless supply of rose colored glasses).

I'd love to hear of just one who has made life better across the board and not just for one sector of the population, they kowtow to the Wall Street players and let the economy go to tatters with high oil prices that affect everyone, the low income/poor in particular.

Health insurance companies received a huge windfall with forced upon us health insurance that is more expensive than ever while delivering less care as people have such high deductibles just to be able to afford the premiums that they end up paying most of their medical costs out of pocket yet are charged the super-high insurance rate instead of a cash rate because - 'hey, you have insurance!'

Property taxes are going way up because, although the economy isn't on fire with jobs for everybody, somehow the real estate market has heated up and appreciated your home's value, even if you can't sell it for the tax appraised value, you still have to pay the property taxes on that amount.

I feel like I could go on and on but why? We all know the score, frankly every politician has the ability to threaten my life as I know it, they've been doing it all of my life and that won't change no matter who is elected. Some are scarier than others (Cruz compared to Sanders) but I'm sure Sanders' liberal-ness is as scary to some as Cruz' evangical bible-thumping is to others.

Vacuous egocentrics don't cause me much worry, but politicians and those who cheer and vote like it's a football game do.

Kick the soapbox out from under me, I'm done (for now lol).

We get the politicians we deserve. If we're an intelligent populace, on the ball, informed, interested...we get good leaders. That is another reason Kardashian's ilk are the scariest to me, because they are emblematic of a population that has become nearly brain dead, misguided, materialistic, and with very poor priorities.

I think the Kardashian thing is evidence of a very unhealthy culture. A result of that is poor leadership.

Nothing scares me more, though, than a press that is more interested in ratings than informing, in celebrity than in digging for truth and information we need.

So ultimately, I think the scariest thing in the US right now is the complete failure of the electronic press. Newspapers still have great journalism...so naturally they're all failing.

It's very, very scary to me.

I don't know what "shiplap" is, and it is OK not to tell me. I'm tired of these overnight "celebrities."

B because it needs no explanation

E because God help us if B gets elected

C because of their influence on young people

A I doubt they would have a negative influence on my life

D I refuse to set foot in Texas, and I won't buy their stuff because it's made in China, but I wouldn't mind some shiplap.

For you, tibbrix:

A&B would probably be about equal in concern for me. If either were elected (rather no matter who wins the election) I am very concerned that the acrimonious political climate will escalate and I do not think that bodes well at all.

E would possibly be next because they seem to like to play high stake games but I am not sure yet how much of an impact that would have on my life as I know it (perhaps members of OPEC could have been a more interesting question, though I would not likely recognize them from pictures).

Honestly, the Kardashians hold little concern, nor interest for me. I think they have become a rather easy target and there are many who like to point their fingers at them. As far as what it represents in ideals, morals, etc., I suspect that many will young people will outgrow their infatuation with them and move on to better things. Others will transfer their infatuation at some point to some new focus. I tend to be of the opinion that people are generally the same, no matter what generation the belong to. There are some dunderheads in all generations and there will always be people with varying priorities and outlooks.

D - I assume this was put as mostly a joke. About the only effect that they could have on my life is how their show influences the style of items available for decor, but that is not a threat, just an inconvenience. For me, it is probably about norm since I am never in sync with current styles/trends. Since my TV reception is rabbit ears, any awareness I have of them generally comes from this site. Though I suppose if their style is somewhat representative of current tastes, it could come back to bite me if I had to sell my house and mine was regarded as less desirable. Hopefully, I will not have to sell for some time.

Ty, writersblock. Indeed.

They're out there. They're just not what most Americans are reading/looking at, esp. younger ones.

hmmm, i don't think k&k have as much of an impact as you're thinking, tibbrix-- at least among the young people i know... (they may be more of a symptom of some of what's wrong tho in our society...)

i'm betting the new president's 1st term outlasts this crazy pair's union...

C. Unquestionably. The first tectonic shifts occur in popular culture, which then filter into the major institutions of civilization. The most profound revolutions have occurred without a single shot fired.

Exactly, kswl. You said it better, and in a more concise and clearer way than I did. But that is exactly right, IMO.

Busy: "(they may be more of a symptom of some of what's wrong tho in our society...)"

Correct and that is why they scare me the most. No individual can do damage without the help of apathetic people or people who know better but go along with deranged ideas out of their own self-interests, gains, and/or preservation.

"maddielee

I am most fearful of someone not pictured. Ted Cruz."

Again, what is scary about Ted Cruz is not Ted Cruz. Fortunately, we do not live in a dictatorship (other than corporations, IMO). There would be checks and balances on Cruz, were he to become president, and no Congress, left or right, would give that loon a thing.

So what is scary about Ted Cruz is that he's one of the top two candidates for US president (two out of two completely and utterly unfit people to be president), and he's there not because of him but because of a serious deterioration in critical thinking skills amongst a profoundly ill-informed population which in very large numbers does not know how to process information any longer, is aided by an electronic press pool gone very, very bad - appealing to the vacuous, unimportant, short attention spans, etc., rather than informing us as they should, and those that do responsible journalism are threatened because of the huge ratings by dingbat shows like "Today" and by the right wing trying to do away with NPR and PBS.

Cruz and Trump are frightening consequences of what is scary.

This is not true. It is true of Trump, but people who like and want to vote for Cruz know what he stands for, he has an extremely cohesive theory of governance, and people like it.

You may not agree w/ his positions or with the theory of governance, but there are theories behind those positions held by a good portion of this population. And it is not because they are all unable to process information and have short attention spans. It is because they have a different idea of what this country should be.

Which is why the entire Republican Party, including those in Congress, express absolute hatred for the guy. they've never even said it about Hillary Clinton! And Republicans are not supposed to ever even criticize another Republican.

Cruz is a fraud.

Do you honestly think backers of Cruz know what dominionists stand for, beagles? If they do, then goodness knows I do not want any part of their idea of what the United States should be and neither would those who wrote the Constitution.

I think a lot of people voting for Cruz believe the country has Judeo-Christian roots, and that Cruz will help to restore that. They may not specifically know about dominion theory, but they may believe in dominion theory even if they aren't aware of what it is called. (I'm not saying I agree w/ these people- but they do know what they are getting w/ Cruz, they aren't stupid, they just think differently).

The people who like Cruz hate the republicans in congress. They believe most of the republicans are too liberal and just give show votes to conservative principles (failure theatre). They're furious with the leftward movement of the country and they think Cruz is the best person to stop it.

Citing the fact that they hate Cruz isn't a point against Cruz. Cruz wears their hatred like a badge of honor. He NEEDS Washington politicians to hate him.

He may not believe everything he spouts, but he is VERY protective of his brand and people know EXACTLY what they are going to get w/ him. He will not compromise his principles. He's FAR more consistent and FAR less of a phony than certain candidates on the left who have never held a consistent position in their life and whose positions are determined by whatever the polls are that day.

Ted Cruz is more consistent NOW. I don't at all agree with him, but that is beside the point----I'll concede that his principles are more cohesive than the other candidates'. That doesn't make him right. It also makes him dangerous, IMO, because he is so hidebound to his set of ideas that he won't be able to govern when he's in possession of all the facts.

Every liberal president has become more conservative and every conservative president has become more liberal in office. They ALL move to the center, perhaps partly because they realize they are governing ALL Americans, even those who did not vote for him, and also because they also found out on the job that the world is NOT as black and white as they thought (or pretended to think). I would like to assume Cruz would follow suit once he was in office, but he is just enough of a religious nut to ignore reality and throw pragmatism out the window. George Bush was dangerous because he followed his "principles" in the service of the oil industry and caused countless deaths and suffering, political turmoil, and spent trillions of dollars that we are now repaying. But even Bush became more socially liberal. Cruz would be the one to follow his religious principles until Armageddon. We can survive Bernie Sanders and frank Socialism; we cannot survive an all out religious WWIII.

(edited for grammar!)

Whew! Lotsa comments between writersblock's reply to mine & now, but life as I know it means being able to live...

"I think a lot of people voting for Cruz believe the country has Judeo-Christian roots, and that Cruz will help to restore that"

Restore??

Do you have any idea what freedom OF and FROM religion means?

The US is a secular country in which people are free to practice the religion of the choice. It is illegal for the government to impose any religious standard on the country.

What you are suggesting, beagles, is contra-constitutional, unAmerican, and illegal.

If you want to live in a theocracy, move to Iran.

As stated above: I'm not saying I agree w/ these people

The point I was making is, it seems you were suggesting people choosing Cruz is because they can't process information or aren't informed (i.e. are stupid). I was saying I disagree with this statement:

What is scary about Ted Cruz is that he's one of the top two candidates for US president (two out of two completely and utterly unfit people to be president), and he's there not because of him but because of a serious deterioration in critical thinking skills amongst a profoundly ill-informed population which in very large numbers does not know how to process information any longer

That's not right. It's right if your'e talking about Trump. Not about Cruz. Cruz is extremely smart and many of the people backing him are intelligent and informed. He has a cohesive vision they share and they just have a different vision for America.

It's wrong to assume if they were just better educated they would become good little leftists. It's not true.

"That's not right. It's right if your'e talking about Trump. Not about Cruz."

It is right. And it's also right when talking about Trump.

And I didn't say anything about education.

My goal would be for them to be better informed little righties.

A vision for America as a theocracy in the Cruz vein (or in any vein, for that matter) is not only not cohesive, it is unConstitutional, and wanting it/him for that one thing alone shows ignorance, lack of critical thinking, and yes, having been poorly educated (in civics).

Btw, most crazy loon dictators are geniuses, and what they're best at is selling a bill of goods to people who go along with what they want to hear.

What is wrong, Beagles, is suggesting people said things they never said, like that I said if they were just better educated, they would become good little leftists. Never said that, or anything remotely like that.

People can be very informed and still disagree with you and people can be very informed and still support Ted Cruz.

Continuing to dismiss wholesale the beliefs of a good portion of the country as stupid is not getting democrats anywhere. Sure, they might get the presidency, but they aren't going to be able to do anything with it as long as they keep losing every off-year election.

Fortunately for me, I prefer when the government is paralyzed and does nothing at all, so the gridlock is good for me and I hope democrats continue to proceed just as they are by being dismissive of the views of "ill-informed righties" and alienating ever greater swaths of them.

Sorry. You are right. You didn't say anything about education. You just said they were ill informed and lacked critical thinking skills which I took to mean uneducated since those are essentially definitions of uneducated.

So, I will amend my statement to say: It is wrong to assume if people were just more informed and had better critical thinking skills, they would be good little leftists.

"So, I will amend my statement to say: It is wrong to assume if people were just more informed and had better critical thinking skills, they would be good little leftists."

Also not what Tib said.

Well, it is the way I interpret the statement about Cruz supporters.

To me, when you say about a conservative candidate that people wouldn't support him if they had good critical thinking skills and were better informed, it seems to imply that if they were better informed and had good critical thinking skills (i.e. were better educated), they'd be leftists rather than conservatives.

That's why I drew the distinction between making the statement about Trump supporters (since Trump stands for nothing) versus Cruz supporters (since Cruz stands for a very cohesive set of beliefs which people very well could support, even if they are informed).

Apologize if that is not what was meant.

Not that she needs me to speak for her, but this is what she said: "My goal would be for them to be better informed little righties."

Not sure how you could interpret that as saying conservatives would be leftists were they better informed. Sigh. Not worth my time.

Just because you interpret something incorrectly does not mean that that is what that person said. I said NOTHING about leftists, becoming, etc.

You added that to suit your own political agenda. Please don't take other people's words and distort them to suit yourself. Say what you have to say, but don't distort what other people have said.

But why is it okay for you to say that about Trump supporters but it's not okay for me to say it about Cruz supporters? You Trump supporters to become good little leftists???

Yes, I think that, in order to support Cruz and Trump one has stop be misguided, ill-informed, and lacking in good thinking skills. i am shocked and horrified that the GOP has sold its soul so badly that those are its two leading candidates.

And yes, I think that, as a group, Americans are not very smart right now.

And I voted for my Republican governor.

Again, sorry if that's not what you meant. It is the way it came across to me.

I will say, for the last time, there are plenty of reasons to support Cruz besides being ill informed and lacking in critical thinking skills. If you choose not to see that, fine. As I said, I am coming around to the position that I like when people are divided and view the other side as stupid since I dislike both the republicans and democrats right now. Division means gridlock = good in my book!

As an aside, one could easily make an argument that its shocking the democrats have sold their soul to support Hillary, who stands for nothing.

Frankly, I'm tired of these political arguments where everyone takes the same position except me, so I'm pretty much done with this thread.

I think it would be interesting would be to query different demographic groups in the US as to whom they recognize. My 3 elementary school age kids all could name Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. The middle one also got Bill Clinton, "that New Jersey guy," "that Korea guy," and "is that Putin?" (but I think he was just guessing due to the placard). None of them had a clue about West/Kardashian or the Gaineses.

sorry, beagles, but as cyn points out, I said "little righties". You did not interpret that as my saying "little lefties" (unless you outright can't read, and if that's the case, don't mad at me for saying there's a lot of ignorance in the US). This was not a matter of interpretation. It's a matter of you twisting someone else's words so that you could make the argument you wanted to. That is a very different thing than misinterpreting something.

Oh well, Beagles, I was hoping you would engage on Cruz' lack of pragmatism, potential disaster thereof.......maybe next time, I understand why you want out of this thread. .

I wish that the scariest people in that list were Chip and Joanna! That might be an overly-uniform world but at least it would not involve chemical weapons.

And my Kardashian-enjoying young adult children are going to vote for Bernie. Just as I used to watch afternoon soap operas throughout my teen and college years but never wanted to live in Pine Valley, fake my own death, have amnesia, or cheat on my spouse, my kids can get into the daily drama of the K clan and still use their critical thinking skills when it comes to voting. There is hope for young America!

I don't often launch into political diatribes, sorry about the one above, everyone.

Aw, ghostly, no need to apologize! Many of us are worse when we get going! I am a political junky-probably as a result if coming of age in the late 60s and now living right outside Washington D.C. I enjoyed your post!

Thanks Cyn, I really appreciate that. Not unlike others but so much of this political cycle has me so annoyed sometimes it's impossible to hold my tongue and not to go off on a rant, maybe my childhood dream of growing into a crotchety old lady is starting to come true (and d*mn the politicians for being the cause, they're not worthy!) lol

"Any candidate who doesn't begin each day on his knees isn't fit to be commander-in chief" spoke Ted Cruz, among other equally vile things. This, in response to a question about how important it is for the POTUS to fear G-d. That leaves out Jews, atheists, agnostics, Muslims, erect Christians, et al. Lotta folks. This from a Harvard Law School grad, a practicing attorney, U.S. Senator, who apparently missed the classes on the constitution. He passed the bar but how? Was he lying then or now? He may be predictable, per Beagles, but still. Predictability v. espousing the bashing of the Constitution? Predictability (with which I do not agree) is overrated but does give comfort to too many souls.

I have to ask.....what is an "erect Christian?"

Or do I want to know?

kswl2

I have to ask.....what is an "erect Christian?"

Apparently Donald Trump.

Cruz is a fraud, a charlatan. But the problem isn't Cruz. The problem is the number of Americans who buy that garbage, even cheer it, and have made someone like Cruz a candidate to be the most powerful man in the world, never mind the US President.

I'm really sick of these phony-Christian Republicans making becoming the US president a religious endeavor.

Go to divinity school - like Al Gore did - and become a clergyman if "beginning the day on your knees - presumably praying - is how you want to appropriately start your day, Cruz. It is not a qualification for being president, fit or not.

Unfit for president is being nuts, i.e.: YOU.

speaking of "erect Christians" and Donald Trump, check out this portion of video from this year's annual St. Patrick's Day Breakfast, where Boston pols skewer each other. This is Rep. Stephen Lynch. The mayor of Boston is Marty Walsh.

http://www.necn.com/on-air/as-seen-on/NECN_032016_lynch_10AM_NECN-372841111.html

Start watching at 1:15

Erect Christian is one who does not start his/her day down on her knees. Many denominations, I think, do not require that pose.