The Republican Primary Race Is Filling Up

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[JettaKnight]

Can someone post a poll, title it "Who will you vote for?" and give 3 options....Trump, Clinton, Third party(allowing clinton to win).......i've never posted a poll and dont wanna screw it up. I'm very interested to see on INGO how many people would actually vote Clinton. If its over 3% i'd be shocked. But really i'm wondering if people will unify around Trump so that we dont lose guns from clinton and her scotus pick

Done.

 

[T.Lex]

If a consistent R voter crosses over and votes D, that is generally counted as only one vote, but it has double the impact of his not voting, so I am going to say that crossing over makes a shift of one vote in favor of the D, where not voting amounts to a net change of 1/2 vote in favor of the D, or against the R, depending on how you prefer to look at it.

Fascinating, but doesn't really answer my question. Presumably, the vast majority of us on INGO vote in Indiana. I'm not sure I've seen anyone who considers himself/herself an R say that they would vote D. I do not really see that happening.

Rather, I see traditional Rs not voting at all for the top of the ticket. Hard to say how many.

Now, we'll have to see how close the polling is in October, but based on the primaries, I don't see how Trump loses Indiana.

Speaking of Trump... you know... the only candidate left in the primaries... today he pulled another fast one on the media. After they reported that - his own words - he'd seek to have US debtholders take a haircut by threatening to default then buying back the debt at a discount, now he says that's not what he said. He goes on to explain that the US can't default because we can print money.

Donald Trump: U.S. can never default because it prints money - POLITICO

The man knows debt...

You know, I’m the king of debt. I understand debt probably better than anybody. I know how to deal with debt very well. I love debt but you know, debt is tricky and it’s dangerous and you have to be careful and you have to know know what you're doing.

But that's the problem, he doesn't know fiscal policy. Printing enough money to get out of debt would case inflation, which would be really bad at this point. Once again, he gets to say something stupid, then backtrack from it. By saying something else stupid.

 

[chipbennett]

I learned on INGO that polls are the beginning and end of all political analysis, so:

https://www.qu.edu/news-and-events/...ing-state-polls/release-detail?ReleaseID=2345

• FLORIDA: Clinton 43 - Trump 42; Sanders 44 - Trump 42
• OHIO: Clinton 39 - Trump 43; Sanders 43 - Trump 41
• PENNSYLVANIA: Clinton 43 - Trump 42; Sanders 47 - Trump 41

(Which also happen to be three of the states where the most money was spent on negative Trump ads - meaning that Clinton won't have much room at all to move the needle by going negative.)

 

[T.Lex]

I learned on INGO that polls are the beginning and end of all political analysis...

Where was this said?

 

[chipbennett]

Where was this said?

Insert purple as needed.

 

[Hohn]

Bobby Jindal: I'm voting for Trump, warts and all:

I?m Voting Trump, Warts and All - WSJ



He is speaking fairly in-line with my own thoughts here.

And precisely in line with mine.

 

[ArcadiaGP]

Cruz doesn't rule out restarting his campaign if he wins Nebraska tonight. Says he would "respond" if a path to victory re-appeared.

 

[GodFearinGunTotin]

Cruz doesn't rule out restarting his campaign if he wins Nebraska tonight. Says he would "respond" if a path to victory re-appeared.

I'm a supporter but that would be pathetic. If Trump were to pull out for some reason, then yeah. But I don't see that path materializing at this point.

 

[T.Lex]

Cruz doesn't rule out restarting his campaign if he wins Nebraska tonight. Says he would "respond" if a path to victory re-appeared.

I'm a supporter but that would be pathetic. If Trump were to pull out for some reason, then yeah. But I don't see that path materializing at this point.

Plus, IMHO, that's not something you forecast. You just do it. You wait and see how things go, and if things break your way, you jump on it. Now, if it doesn't come to pass, he just lost again.

 

[MisterChester]

Cruz doesn't rule out restarting his campaign if he wins Nebraska tonight. Says he would "respond" if a path to victory re-appeared.

Need to put Northern California on high alert then.

 

[chipbennett]

Cruz doesn't rule out restarting his campaign if he wins Nebraska tonight. Says he would "respond" if a path to victory re-appeared.

...and in so doing, would erode any newfound respect I had for him when he announced his campaign suspension.

 

[ArcadiaGP]

Great example of how the media helped Trump hurt other Republicans, but still protect their own (Clinton).

 

[ArcadiaGP]

Editorial from Jon Gabriel

Farewell, GOP

 

[BugI02]

OMG! He has taken a purely symbolic step that can be easily reversed at ANY time. Oh, the humanity!

 

[Jludo]

Plus, IMHO, that's not something you forecast. You just do it. You wait and see how things go, and if things break your way, you jump on it. Now, if it doesn't come to pass, he just lost again.

In Cruz's defense if you listen to the soundbite Cruz is responding to one of Glenn Becks goons asking an off the wall hypothetical.
He just gave a straight forward answer to an unlikely hypothetical. Which I'll admit in itself is news, that he answered a question straight.

 

[Jludo]

...and in so doing, would erode any newfound respect I had for him when he announced his campaign suspension.

It's surely hard to erode zero.

 

[ArcadiaGP]

From author Brad Thor:

Dear friends:

I have taken a stance, which I know is unpopular with some of you, and which I feel I owe it to you to fully explain.

Throughout history, charismatic figures have appeared at critical moments in time. Some of these figures have advanced their nations. Some have set them back. Only with the benefit of hindsight is mankind able to make the final judgment.

I have long been a fan of the saying - History doesn’t repeat, but it does rhyme. In other words, history leaves clues; lessons that we can all benefit from.

We are stewards of our Republic and as such, our greatest responsibility is not to ourselves, or any political party, but to the next generation of Americans. We must work tirelessly to see to it that they inherit a freer, stronger, safer, more prosperous nation than was handed to us.

To truly fulfill that obligation we must be selfless, and above all, we must be informed. We must understand the mechanics of politics, economics, and the framework that has allowed the United States to be the greatest nation in the history of the world.

As an American, my greatest allegiance is to liberty. As long as there is liberty, no task is insurmountable, no challenge too overwhelming. As long as there is liberty, anything is possible.

The true north of my compass has been, and always will be, liberty. I owe it to those who have come before me and those who will come after. I will act to safeguard liberty no matter what personal price I may be forced to bear.

Liberty is my litmus test. I weigh all actions of my government and those who seek office, against it. The ledger of freedom is incorruptible; its pages open for anyone to examine, and most importantly - to learn from.

At great personal and professional expense, I have grown more vocal over the years about the need to reduce the size of government and place in office fellow citizens guided strictly by the Founding documents.

I have spoken on television, radio, and in front of civic organizations. I have campaigned for candidates, marched in Tea Party rallies, and was the man who drove Andrew Breitbart to Madison, Wisconsin to speak alongside him on the capitol steps in defense of Governor Scott walker.

From taking back the United States House in 2010, to taking back the Senate in 2014, we have won battle after battle for liberty. In so doing, we have placed principled, limited government Americans in office. We knew the war wouldn’t be won overnight, but rather that it would be won over time. We have been steadfast, resolute, and successful.

But in the opinion of some of our fellow Americans, we have not been quick enough. Rather than continue to fight, a plurality of voters in the Republican primary has decided to drop an atom bomb on Washington, D.C. That atom bomb is Donald Trump.

And so I come to my explanation. When I apply my litmus test of liberty to Donald Trump, he fails - completely.

In fact, he has not only failed to ever stand for liberty, he has repeatedly worked to undermine it. From supporting an assault weapons ban, the seizure of private property via eminent domain, the restructuring of libel laws, and socialized medicine (just to name a few) - throughout his entire adult life, Donald Trump has repeatedly championed the power of the state.

Regardless of what he says now, Donald Trump has a history. That history is the clearest indication of how he would govern as president. No matter how badly Americans want to “blow up” Washington, they absolutely must consider who, and what, arises from the embers of that destruction.

After voters drop that atom bomb, what happens next?

Herein lies my greatest concern. What will become of liberty under a Trump administration? Will it grow? Will it recede? Will it vanish altogether?
Our Founders realized that the normal course of history is despotism – the control of the many by the few. That is why the Founding documents sought to constrain government. They also counted on Americans to choose wisely those whom we sought to install in office. Too often we have failed in selecting the best among us.

Donald Trump is not the best among us, neither is Hillary Clinton. They are both incredibly flawed human beings whom we should be equally ashamed of.

Neither would advance the cause of freedom. Both would take us – not to that shining city on a hill of which President Regan spoke - but into the murky valley beneath. Never have I seen America faced with having two such poor choices for president.

With the lessons of history as my guide, I see in Donald Trump the character flaws that are the hallmarks of despotism. In Hillary Clinton, I also see multiple character flaws, but I see them as a belonging not to a potential despot, but rather to a conniving, self-serving, progressive politician who believes in lining her own pockets and enlarging/increasing the state and its power.

The two are reprehensible – but completely different. One threatens to further enlarge the state, the other, potentially (a la Napoleon), to become it.

Growing up, a wonderful nun repeatedly told me that kindness could only be expected from the strong. When Donald Trump mocked the disability of New York Times reporter Serge Kovaleski – he showed himself to be not only weak, but also lacking in compassion.
Trump’s position that he is a Christian, but has never asked for forgiveness – coupled with his incessant bragging – not only further shows that he is weak, but that he also lacks humility.

Strength, compassion, and humility are necessary in any leader – but especially so in the person who would occupy the highest and most powerful office in the world. Just look at what the absence of those qualities has done to the nation over the last eight seven years.
My greatest concern about Donald Trump, though, isn’t a trait he lacks, but a dangerous one he poses – in spades. Authoritarianism.
Confident people do not bully and demean others. That is the realm of the weak and insecure. Confident people also do not threaten others, especially not their fellow citizens.

Donald Trump has told us to just wait and see what he does to Jeff Bezos once he gets into the White House. He has told us the American military will do whatever he tells them to do no matter what their reservations. He has promised to prevent American companies from moving outside the United States, regardless of what they believe is best for their businesses.

In other words, Donald Trump has clearly told all of us that he will use the power of the presidency to force people to bend to his will. This is not liberty.

In fact, Donald Trump has never even spoken about liberty. Neither has he spoken about the Constitution and the Founding documents. This is an absolute first in the history of the United States.

Instead, Donald Trump talks about hiring the “best people” and making the “best deals.” This, though, isn’t what made America great, and it certainly isn’t what will return America to its prominence.

The blueprint for America’s success is the ideas of the Framers – limited, Constitutional governance – an area in which Donald Trump is criminally ignorant.

Let me be clear that I don’t want to vote for Hillary Clinton. I also don’t want to vote for Donald Trump. My preference is to write-in or vote third party. I think they are both terrible for our future.

But between a big government progressive and a potential despot – every American must ask themselves where liberty has the greatest chance to survive over the next four years.

As a Constitutional conservative, I take solace in, and guidance from the words of Alexander Hamilton, who in the election of 1800 said, “If we must have an enemy at the head of government, let it be one whom we can oppose, and for whom we are not responsible.”

I value all of you as friends, readers, and fellow patriots. There is much at stake for our Republic. Be informed, be selfless, and vote your conscience. I will not hold your decisions against you.

None of us know the future. But I ask that all of us look to the past. Only by doing so can we safeguard liberty and chart the most well-reasoned course forward.

 

[Dead Duck]

From author Brad Thor:

Dear friends:
Blah Blah Blah everyone sucks except third party Blah Blah Blah

Um-
The Libertarian thread is down the hall to the left just past the transgender bathroom and opium den.

 

[chipbennett]

From author Brad Thor:

So, Brad Thor is awesome; I love his ardent defense of liberty, and I love his novels.

But he's missing the forest for the trees. Even if Donald Trump "fails miserably", he is eons better than Hillary Clinton. And the 2016 presidential election will come down to only two possible winners: Trump or Clinton. Belief in any other viable winner is mere fantasy.