The Republican Primary Race Is Filling Up

[ArcadiaGP]

Trump: When I get to Washington, I'm Going to Become Part of the Establishment so I can Make Deals With Democrats (VIDEO)

Trump: And you know what, there’s a point at which, let’s get to be a little bit establishment, because we gotta get things done, folks, okay? Believe me, don’t worry, we’re gonna get such great deals, but at a certain point, you can’t be so strident, you can’t not get along, we gotta get along with people. You know in the old days, Ronald Reagan, and I remember it so vividly, I was a young guy, I helped Ronald Reagan, I really liked him… so what happens, Ronald Reagan would get along with (Democrat) Tip O’Neill, and they’d sit down, and they’d make great deals for everybody. That’s what the country’s about, isn’t it? I mean, we can all be tough but at some point we gotta get our country back on track.

Donald Trump at the #SHOTShow: Don’t give federal lands to the states to manage?

 

[BugI02]

View attachment 44501

 

[ArcadiaGP]

pic

I hope that's not the standard at which you hold Trump's values, because I have a folder of other pics to show you if so.

 

[GIJEW]

Trump doesn't need to become part of the establishment, he already was. He's another fat cat in the belt-way/wall st. cabal which is why the GOP leadership has started pushing Trump over Cruz. When Trump starts talking about doubling subsidies for ethanol when the price of fuel is down but there's no shortage of demand for grain as FOOD, he's just another crony-capitalist.

 

[ArcadiaGP]

Bahhahaa, Trump is mocking his supporters:

Trump says he could shoot people and still wouldn't lose voters - CNNPolitics.com

Sad.

 

[jamil]

Bahhahaa, Trump is mocking his supporters:

Trump says he could shoot people and still wouldn't lose voters - CNNPolitics.com

Sad.

G, that's very MRJARRELLesque of you. I abhor the idea of a Trump presidency too. No. This isn't sad. This is just a statement of the commitment people have to the middle finger towards the establishment that Trump is.

If you want to try to get Trump supporters to stop supporting him, rather than posting stuff that's really not all that outrageous, and then making it outrageous by spinning the actual meaning, you'll need to convince them that some other candidate makes a better middle finger towards the establishment. Certainly, you're not going to convince them that Rubio is that candidate. Probably the thing to harp on is the statements that Trump made where he advocates going along with the establishment. A guy like Cruz could air that statement across Iowa and a constant barrage of that sound bite might be worth at least 2 or 3 points.

 

[ArcadiaGP]

G, that's very MRJARRELLesque of you. I abhor the idea of a Trump presidency too. No. This isn't sad. This is just a statement of the commitment people have to the middle finger towards the establishment that Trump is.

Nah, it's just 2007 again. He knows his supporters are blindly following him.

If you want to try to get Trump supporters to stop supporting him, rather than posting stuff that's really not all that outrageous, and then making it outrageous by spinning the actual meaning, you'll need to convince them that some other candidate makes a better middle finger towards the establishment. Certainly, you're not going to convince them that Rubio is that candidate. Probably the thing to harp on is the statements that Trump made where he advocates going along with the establishment. A guy like Cruz could air that statement across Iowa and a constant barrage of that sound bite might be worth at least 2 or 3 points.

You guys can stop pushing the Rubio lines at me. I have a list of candidates I'd support. I'm not pushing Rubio in this post, I'm laughing at Trump mocking his supporters.

 

[JTScribe]

G, that's very MRJARRELLesque of you. I abhor the idea of a Trump presidency too. No. This isn't sad. This is just a statement of the commitment people have to the middle finger towards the establishment that Trump is.

If you want to try to get Trump supporters to stop supporting him, rather than posting stuff that's really not all that outrageous, and then making it outrageous by spinning the actual meaning, you'll need to convince them that some other candidate makes a better middle finger towards the establishment. Certainly, you're not going to convince them that Rubio is that candidate. Probably the thing to harp on is the statements that Trump made where he advocates going along with the establishment. A guy like Cruz could air that statement across Iowa and a constant barrage of that sound bite might be worth at least 2 or 3 points.

I'm trying to figure this out myself. It's not exactly going to do endear people to support your candidate if you're personally attacking the people who support someone you oppose. /cough, looking at you, National Review.

 

[BugI02]

I think Cruz has a credibility problem, also - at least for me. I was poking around on his website and see that he wants to abolish the IRS. At the same time he wants to go to a flat tax, 10% for individuals and 16% for corporations. Ignoring for the moment whether this projects to enough to run the (drastically shrunken in the manner he advocates) government he intends to head, how does he intend to determine what people actually owe in taxes and how does he intend to ensure compliance. Does he think that taxpayers will simply see it as their patriotic duty to pay their fair share? Does he think that people with the means will not endeavor to shelter or obscure income so as to pay even less? Does he think that coprporations, who have proven themselves to be willing to buy an overseas corporation so they can merge with it and push some or all of their profits into a lower tax environment, will suddenly see the light and undo these schemes and/or bring home profits sheltered overseas? I believe most corporations of medium to large size already pay an effective tax rate that is less than 16% (in some cases 0%). Getting this process approved by congress and implemented seems a bit of a stretch. This, plus eliminating 4 cabinet departments and 25 what he calls ABCs (Agencies, Bureaus and Commissions) he projects to save $500 billion over ten years. Elsewhere, though, he decries ( rightly so ) that we are $18 trillion plus in debt, so the $500 billion represents less than three percent of that debt. And there is no guarantee that that will come off the debt. It is likely just less that will be added to the problem, and it requires a Cruz re-election and someone to carry on beyond his second term. He also wants to ammend the constitution to require a balanced budget (hear hear - stop digging the hole) but this is a very ambitious undertaking that also should not be counted on to deliver savings early in a Cruz administration, or indeed ever (may not be acheivable).

Finally, in the list of ABCs he wants to end the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is noticeably absent from the list.

I still like him but believe the knock on him that he is loathed by many of his colleagues. In some ways this is a good thing about him, but to accomplish 1/10 of what he wants to do he will need his fellow Republicans to be onboard. He is not expected to have very long coattails so he'll likely have to work with many folks who already know him. Are we ready to hold our elected representatives feet to the fire if they won't co-operate with him? Can we?

 

[jamil]

Nah, it's just 2007 again. He knows his supporters are blindly following him.

See, there's the difference in our thinking. When you say "blindly following, you're implying that they can't see what is right in front of them. I disagree. I think they can see just fine. And aside from interpreting some things according to their world view--we're both doing that too--they see just fine. I think saying that Trump is mocking his followers is a result of you interpreting his gestures within your world view. He's not mocking them. He's saying that as long as he continues to be the middle finger, he is immune to whatever **** the press throws at him. As long as supporters believe he is the biggest middle finger, he's right.

You guys can stop pushing the Rubio lines at me. I have a list of candidates I'd support. I'm not pushing Rubio in this post, I'm laughing at Trump mocking his supporters.

Hey, I'm just going by the frustration displayed in your own statements. And I empathize with that. My guy is Paul, and I am also a bit frustrated that Trump effectively dismissed Paul as a fringe candidate, much like he's dismissed Rubio as just another establishment hack. And that's not all Trump's fault. Paul shares a lot of responsibility in his own failures. Just like Rubio shares a lot of responsibility in his own failures.

 

[printcraft]

Bahhahaa, Trump is mocking his supporters:

Trump says he could shoot people and still wouldn't lose voters - CNNPolitics.com

Sad.

Hey, if hitlery can do it and still have support why not Trump?

RIP Vince Foster

 

[BugI02]

Bahhahaa, Trump is mocking his supporters:

Trump says he could shoot people and still wouldn't lose voters - CNNPolitics.com

Sad.

Worked for Cheney

 

[LP1]

I'm amused by many of the replies. Lots of folks on this forum complain when Hollywood studios and celebrities use their position and/or resources to promote a point of view that they disagree with and accuse their followers of being gullible. But when Hollywood creates a fictionalized account that feeds their prejudices, they eat it up.

I'm capable of thinking for myself without help from biased media.

Flame away.

 

[UglyAmerican]

Oh wait, Cruz just might be dirty too?

LaurenStephens.com | Official Website of Lauren Stephens

 

[ArcadiaGP]

Donald Trump at the #SHOTShow: Don’t give federal lands to the states to manage?

Figured this would have gotten more traction with our INGO pro "states rights" advocates. I guess states can't be trusted

What does that say about his trust for all other states' rights issues?

 

[Thor]

Figured this would have gotten more traction with our INGO pro "states rights" advocates. I guess states can't be trusted

What does that say about his trust for all other states' rights issues?

The Donald is all about eminent domain. Given the office he would own the country. Soros would be envious.

 

[BugI02]

Oh wait, Cruz just might be dirty too?

LaurenStephens.com | Official Website of Lauren Stephens

A very interesting read. Doing my own digging. Never was a Priebus fan, always saw him as a vest pocket Napolean. Thanks for posting

 

[T.Lex]

Really recommend realclearpolitics.com for polling information. A week away from the caucuses (not the Caucasus - that's totally different) and the rolling Iowa average has Trump +5.2% over Cruz. Latest poll (Fox) has Trump +11. New Hampshire rolling average has Trump +20, latest Fox poll has him +17.

Of little solace: the 2008 winners were Obama and Huckabee....

 

[BugI02]

Don't know how folks feel about Nate Silver, personally I think his statistical analyses are very good.
You might find some solace here: Donald Trump Is Winning The Polls ? And Losing The Nomination | FiveThirtyEight

 

[T.Lex]

Don't know how folks feel about Nate Silver, personally I think his statistical analyses are very good.
You might find some solace here: Donald Trump Is Winning The Polls ? And Losing The Nomination | FiveThirtyEight

N.B. that article is from August. While I hope he is correct, that specific article probably deserves an update.

Like he did here:
One Big Reason To Be Less Skeptical Of Trump | FiveThirtyEight

Things are lining up better for Trump than I would have imagined, however. It’s not his continued presence in the race that surprises me so much as the lack of a concerted effort to stop him.