The Trump/Republican Primary/General Election Megathread

[BugI02]

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[PaulF]

Alright, let's try this again:

This is your in-thread warning. INGO is a discussion forum, not a gymnasium. If you want to entertain personal grudges against other INGO users you must do it elsewhere.

I am issuing three-day bans to any user that cannot behave appropriately.

Permanent bans will follow, if this does not send a clear enough message.

This thread will now be reopened.

Third in-thread warning.

 

[Expat]

 

[Thor]

The concepts of polite and political discourse seem to have become increasingly disassociated in our society. It is reflected at the top of both the major tickets. This wouldn't be the first election cycle that there were conversations I've had to walk away from.

Nice shot. I see the selector switch is back in [SAFE]...for now...

 

[ArcadiaGP]

Will Russia's social media army have an impact on the US presidential election campaign?

 

[T.Lex]

Overall.

... he's at least 1% better.

So, I've thought about this formulation since I read it last night. I guess I have a hard time looking at a presidency in mathematical terms. It is like saying someone should be Lutheran because their hell is 1% better than the Catholic one.

Basically, though, it comes down to an assertion that a Trump presidency will net out "better" than a Clinton one. That's a hope. Trump is selling the hope that he will better. We really don't know.

And part of the reason to have campaigns is so that people will be able to make an informed decision about which candidate will be "better" - will do "better" things. With Clinton, we have a pretty good idea about what her goals will be, and her means to accomplish them. All of them. Not just gun control.

But with Trump, I'm still not convinced of what his goals are, other than "better." There's no faith in the myriad of things he says he wants to do because some of them aren't even consistent, many of them are just plain vague, and he hasn't really explained how he would achieve them. Part of that is because he has no track record in achieving anything in elected office. Lots of unknown.

Which gets back to hope. That's what he's campaigning on. The hope that he will be better. I don't begrudge you your hope. We should always have hope. For me, it just feels like he's selling the hope of a cure for everything without actually having the cure for anything.

 

[ArcadiaGP]

There may be another "Conservative" candidate jumping in the race. I wonder if Trump supporters would throw their support behind this new guy if he seems to be better than Trump?

I mean, the consistent stance would be to do so...

 

[mrjarrell]

Remember how Trump said he was going to eliminate the US debt of $19 trillion in 8 years? Yeah, that ain't going to happen. Walking back yet another of his yuge plans.

Trump adviser backs off plan to wipe out U.S. debt in 8 years - Aug. 7, 2016

 

[IndyDave1776]

Remember how Trump said he was going to eliminate the US debt of $19 trillion in 8 years? Yeah, that ain't going to happen. Walking back yet another of his yuge plans.

Trump adviser backs off plan to wipe out U.S. debt in 8 years - Aug. 7, 2016

A couple of years ago when the debt issue came up on INGO I sat down and figured that if all spending which is not constitutionally authorized were eliminated, that could in fact be done. On the other hand, that would start a revolution faster than the streets becoming infested with JBTs rounding up dissidents and hauling them to camps.

 

[ArcadiaGP]

Senior Trump campaign aide says their candidate will focus on seven key issues in Monday's policy speech.

I don't remember "The Wall" being retired or going on a farewell tour...

1. 15% corporate tax
2. Fully deduct all childcare expenses
3. Regulatory pause period
4. Expand energy production
5. Improve IP protections for American companies
6. Renegotiate NAFTA & withdraw from TPP
7. End death tax

 

[pudly]

There may be another "Conservative" candidate jumping in the race. I wonder if Trump supporters would throw their support behind this new guy if he seems to be better than Trump?

I mean, the consistent stance would be to do so...

via Twitter:

As inane talk of a conservative run against @realDonaldTrump returns @stevechaggaris reminds: ballot access gone in 27 states, 35 by Friday
— Major Garrett (@MajorCBS) August 8, 2016

 

[T.Lex]

1. 15% corporate tax
2. Fully deduct all childcare expenses
3. Regulatory pause period
4. Expand energy production
5. Improve IP protections for American companies
6. Renegotiate NAFTA & withdraw from TPP
7. End death tax

Corp tax: Is this a flat tax? That could actually be kinda cool, and start a flat tax for everyone, which could be REALLY cool. If it is just changing the rate, but leaving all the deductions/credits, it won't really have an impact at all.

Child expense: this could get interesting. Including tuition for private/parochial school? Federal form of vouchers, sorta?

Regulatory pause: yeah, whatever. This has always been and will always be rhetoric by candidates. Might as well try to pause an avalanche.

Energy production: more domestic drilling? Keystone Pipeline? This is another area that demands some specifics. Gas prices are already low - we kinda don't want them to go lower, believe it or not.

IP protection: this is another "sounds good" kinda thing, but is really a foreign policy issue. Chinese black markets are the issue, not really IP protection here. So, do we link IP with tariffs? And how do we fund any IP protection enforcement abroad? I'm also wondering if this is where the defamation law redefinitions will occur.

NAFTA/TPP: whatevs. Eventually someone will explain to him how this works and he'll realize he can't make money by doing these things.

Death tax: this one is probably the most transparent self-serving policy. Federal estate tax gives a couple a $10M/individual $5M exemption. That means that only 1%ers even have to pay death tax.

 

[ghitch75]

Remember how Trump said he was going to eliminate the US debt of $19 trillion in 8 years? Yeah, that ain't going to happen. Walking back yet another of his yuge plans.

Trump adviser backs off plan to wipe out U.S. debt in 8 years - Aug. 7, 2016

The One Cent Solution/?Penny Plan? balances the federal budget by 2019.

 

[pudly]

The two are different, but commonly mixed up.

Deficit- Annual shortfall in spending vs. income.
Debt- Accumulated shortfall in spending, currently about $19T.

It is desirable to balance the budget (eliminate deficit spending), but that is only a first step and prerequisite to *start* addressing the debt.

 

[ArcadiaGP]

So does he qualify as "outsider" enough for people?

 

[T.Lex]

So does he qualify as "outsider" enough for people?

That shouldn't be a criterion.

 

[IndyDave1776]

So does he qualify as "outsider" enough for people?

At this point it is irrelevant. He cannot get on the ballot in enough states for it to be mathematically possible for him to win, so, first, why is he bothering and second, why would anyone waste their vote on him when it is impossible for him to win?

 

[T.Lex]

The One Cent Solution/?Penny Plan? balances the federal budget by 2019.

The two are different, but commonly mixed up.

Deficit- Annual shortfall in spending vs. income.
Debt- Accumulated shortfall in spending, currently about $19T.

It is desirable to balance the budget (eliminate deficit spending), but that is only a first step and prerequisite to *start* addressing the debt.

I have heard a variation of the 1% solution that seemed interesting. It goes something like this:
- 1% cut of spending across the board. Everything. None of this "critical spending" business. And every year (or 2 years), cut another 1%.
- 1% income tax increases, every year (or 2 years) combined with 1% cut of tax credits. That means if you have a 100% tax credit for something, you can only take 99% of the credit.

The guy postulating it (not a CPA, but a guy that makes sense in a bunch of other areas) said that by the end of a 1st term, we would actually see results, and perhaps ingrain the idea of balancing the budget.

Seemed like a good starting point.

 

[bwframe]

...why would anyone waste their vote on him when it is impossible for him to win?

https://www.indianagunowners.com/fo...406080-libertarian-party-race-filling-up.html

 

[ArcadiaGP]

Last 3 polls out of GA are Hillary +7, Hillary +4, and Tie. In 2004-12, only one poll ever showed a D with a GA lead

State is 40% evangelical. Romney got 53 percent. If Trump's in the high 30s, he *has* to be bleeding evangelical votes

Trump told you that he would put new states in play...