The Republican Primary Race Is Filling Up

[Jludo]

Why does that make him weak? He signed the same pledge as all the other candidates that says the would support the eventual nominee.

They signed a pledge like that? I knew they signed one to not run 3rd party.

 

[BugI02]

Edit: leaning more away from Cruz these days. He's weak against Trump.

Ted Cruz on supporting Trump if he wins: "I will support the Republican nominee, period, the end."

Pro Aris et Focis.

Used to be considered honorable/admirable

 

[BugI02]

Raises my estimation of Cruz

 

[Landon]

They signed a pledge like that? I knew they signed one to not run 3rd party.

I could be wrong. Maybe I am thinking of one of the early debates when that question was asked and they all said they would support the nominee, other than Trump who said he had to be treated fairly by the RNC.

 

[printcraft]

They signed a pledge like that? I knew they signed one to not run 3rd party.

I'm pretty sure............ and now....... they don't want to............

"I signed the pledge, it's why you have to be careful with pledges you sign, that I would support the Republican nominee," Kasich said when questioned at a Council on Foreign Relations speech, The Hill reports

Report: Bush Waffles on Pledge to Support Trump Nomination

 

[Landon]

RNC asking GOP presidential candidates to pledge not to run as independent | Fox News

The pledge did say they would support the eventual nominee.

 

[Jludo]

RNC asking GOP presidential candidates to pledge not to run as independent | Fox News

The pledge did say they would support the eventual nominee.

Exactly, the dnc couldn't be happier with low turnout, though I've heard commentary that it could come back to bite them in the general if they try to keep the primaries so lethargic.

 

[GodFearinGunTotin]

Apparently Gawker, our favorite turd of the Internet, created an account that quoted Mussolini to see if Trump was "dumb enough to retweet it"

He did.


Donald Trump retweeted a Benito Mussolini parody account twitchy.com

If he really is running his own twitter account, he needs to hand it over to a social media team.


Edit: leaning more away from Cruz these days. He's weak against Trump.

Ted Cruz on supporting Trump if he wins: "I will support the Republican nominee, period, the end."

Rand Paul said he'd support the GOP nominee too.

 

[MisterChester]

Exactly, the dnc couldn't be happier with low turnout, though I've heard commentary that it could come back to bite them in the general if they try to keep the primaries so lethargic.

The DNC under DWS has been a total craphole if you're a democrat. Ever since Obama got elected, hundreds of democrats have lost to republicans in state and federal elections. They completely gave up.

 

[ArcadiaGP]

Rand Paul said he'd support the GOP nominee too.

Shame. The "Never Trump" movement is picking up, even has followers and supporters in congress.

 

[GodFearinGunTotin]

Shame. The "Never Trump" movement is picking up, even has followers and supporters in congress.

He's a lot more establishment minded than some would like to admit.

 

[ArcadiaGP]

From Chris Christie's national finance co-chairwoman, Meg Whitman:

 

[ArcadiaGP]

Has a GOP candidate ever had this many people under the age of 30 remotely entertained?

Say what you will about his jokes... he is making some waves. I love how the Trump supporters stood by and clapped as Trump insulted other candidates... but once other candidates take jabs at Trump, "how dare they!"... media starts paying attention. It's definitely working... he's got everyone talking about him. Just like Trump did.

Every media type slobbered at Trump's every insult and rally, forcing other candidates to stop talking about issues so they could be heard. In January alone, the three networks gave Trump almost 16x the coverage of Rubio, who was constantly talking policy. You can't even measure the amount of money nonstop coverage is worth to Trump. It drowns out the others and forces these types of tactics.

And yes, Rubio made a dick joke. Gotta love it.

[video=youtube;Wv7bT0ik3Wg]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wv7bT0ik3Wg&feature=youtu.be[/video]

 

[Twangbanger]

I'd love to see a demographic on the Trump supporters. I have nothing to base this on, but if I had to guess... I'd say they may be a bit older. A disaster Presidency doesn't mean a lot to them, and it doesn't impact their lives enough to matter...They're already retired, or near retired... and living comfortable enough that a crappy President isn't going to change their lives as much as it would the younger generation...Older (responsible) folk probably already have their finances in order and retirement funds set...

See, I could wager just the opposite. Or, at least you can make a plausible case for it. My anecdotes are, I know one (admitted) Trump supporter, and he's 40. On the other hand, my dad is 77, and is positively horrified by Trump. It's a subversion of the normal order, to him. He has supported a long line of candidates like Bush, Dole, Romney, etc., and would just as soon see things remain on an even keel...ride out retirement, and no surprises to shake things up. People who are close to retirement live in mortal fear of something quaking the markets, causing a "run on the banks," driving interest rates zero or even negative (if they are "savers" and live off interest from bank accounts), something drastically reducing their ability to find solvent renters (if they're that old-fashioned type of person who financed their retirement by buying up rental properties), or jacking up inflation until their fixed-income dollars become worth much less (like under Carter - which helped set the stage for Reagan). Or just generally, some other "wave" hitting the boat that they have no time to plan for or recover from. There are different flavors of old people, financially, and each has something to fear from uncertainty.

On the other hand, the Trump supporter(s)? I would wager they might feel like the older generation has already "gotten theirs." In their view, those people already profited from favorable conditions in the past, whereas the younger generation has little chance of getting that same deal. I bet some of them could be ready to "roll the dice" on a slick talker. The ones who are still living off Mom and Dad, or subsisting in a sub-par job for their education level, are probably mad as hell at the long line of "vanilla" Republicans in the past who helped create the current situation, but left little hope for them, and might like to see it burned down. Remember, the Fish Towns of America don't just contain old people. They contain middle-aged and younger ones, as well, and even though they may not represent a majority of America, this is just a primary we're talking about. If a bunch of these politically inactive bystanders suddenly come off the sidelines and support a Reality TV star, it could cause a big ruckus.

We won't have a clue until this is all over, and more exit poll data have a chance to clear this up. But I would resist the temptation of facile generalizations at this point. The last time the Gates of the City were breached, it was Ronald Reagan...who up until somewhat recently had been a card-carrying Democrat (yes, I was alive and paying attention then). Now Trump is no Reagan, but the point is, even though Reagan was positively geriatric at that time, he still did much better than expected among young people. It was a tidal wave, and the generalizations just didn't apply.

 

[bwframe]

Sen. Jeff Sessions endorses Donald Trump - CNNPolitics.com

 

[Landon]

Shame. The "Never Trump" movement is picking up, even has followers and supporters in congress.

You mean the establishment still isn't supporting Trump. Shocking.

 

[ArcadiaGP]

RNC asking GOP presidential candidates to pledge not to run as independent | Fox News

The pledge did say they would support the eventual nominee.

The GOP pledge to support the nominee doesn't mean shizzle if the frontrunner can't disavow the KKK. Break it

 

[spec4]

Would Trump be any worse a POTUS than Clinton or Obama. I doubt it, it would take effort to be so low. I think he would love to get in and fix a bunch of stuff to prove how great he is.

 

[Expat]

The GOP pledge to support the nominee doesn't mean shizzle if the frontrunner can't disavow the KKK. Break it

He did disavow Duke the day before the CNN interview. He says he didn't understand what was being asked due to a bad ear piece during the CNN interview. Then they apparently disavowed again on their FB and twitter accounts. He disavowed again this morning. Exactly what is it you need? As you know I am no Trump fan but sometimes this stuff gets so tedious.

 

[ArcadiaGP]

He did disavow Duke the day before the CNN interview. He says he didn't understand what was being asked due to a bad ear piece during the CNN interview. Then they apparently disavowed again on their FB and twitter accounts. He disavowed again this morning. Exactly what is it you need? As you know I am no Trump fan but sometimes this stuff gets so tedious.

Guess it depends which outlet you're reading his comments on. He also said he "honestly" has no idea who Duke is, but he had no problem referencing him in 2000.


Edit: As expected, Reince is also an idiot.

RNC chair Priebus: Trump a 'net positive' for GOP

The RNC chair said he would be comfortable with Trump being the Republican nominee and does not question his loyalties to the party, despite the real estate mogul’s previous support for liberal positions on issues like abortion and universal health care.

“He says he’s a Republican and I take him at his word,” Priebus said.

Alright, GG all. Been fun, great experiment. Buy ammo.