Official 2016 GOP thread: Is it really going to be Donald Trump?? (4 Viewers)

[bigbottom]

Triumph the Insult Comic Dog Poops on Campus Political Correctness

Geez, least fun school ever. Scratching that one off the list for my son.

 

[cubd8]

Commish has mocked me for being frightened of Donald Trump. But that's wrong. I'm not scared of him. I'm terrified. As is Ezra Klein (read his piece in RCP this morning).

This guy is on a clear path to the nomination and possibly to the presidency. It's Greg Stillson from The Dead Zone. Who's going to stop him?

You should be more scared of Cruz

thank you....somebody's been paying attention

Whether you like Cruz, or not, he, at least is aware of the debates/issues even if he's likely to draw the opposite conclusion that a liberal would (a lot of people would say that's a great thing). Now, whether Trump occasionally will end up supporting a position (probably by his own lack of knowledge) that doesn't appeal to far right conservatives is purely accidental.

What you get is one guy (Cruz) whose positions you probably know vs. the other who appears to be completely emotional/irrational and adopting to positions that he previously didn't have.

At that point, it's between a hard right conservative and a loony toon, which isn't much different than the race on the right with a far left loony toon vs. a moderate who is pretending to be a far left loony toon.

 

[ericttspikes]

Ezra Klein's op-ed mentioned by Tim up thread is probably the best analysis/deconstruction of Trump that I've read/heard.

http://www.vox.com/2016/2/10/10956978/donald-trump-terrifying

I am not even sure where I should begin deconstructing this piece.

But fear in the elite and pundit class smells really good to me. The ruling class should fear the peasants from time to time.

Trump is the definition of the ruling class.

 

[bigbottom]

Ezra Klein's op-ed mentioned by Tim up thread is probably the best analysis/deconstruction of Trump that I've read/heard.

http://www.vox.com/2016/2/10/10956978/donald-trump-terrifying

I am not even sure where I should begin deconstructing this piece.But fear in the elite and pundit class smells really good to me. The ruling class should fear the peasants from time to time.

I don't see how the bolded is relevant to the points raised in the article. Can you unpack?

 

[cstu]

Ezra Klein's op-ed mentioned by Tim up thread is probably the best analysis/deconstruction of Trump that I've read/heard.

http://www.vox.com/2016/2/10/10956978/donald-trump-terrifying

I am not even sure where I should begin deconstructing this piece.

But fear in the elite and pundit class smells really good to me. The ruling class should fear the peasants from time to time.

Trump is the definition of the ruling class.

No one said the peasants were smart.

 

[urbanhack]

Ezra Klein's op-ed mentioned by Tim up thread is probably the best analysis/deconstruction of Trump that I've read/heard.

http://www.vox.com/2016/2/10/10956978/donald-trump-terrifying

I am not even sure where I should begin deconstructing this piece.But fear in the elite and pundit class smells really good to me. The ruling class should fear the peasants from time to time.

I don't see how the bolded is relevant to the points raised in the article. Can you unpack?

the angry mob following trump has hijacked the narrative written by progressives over the past 40 years. If the wealthy and the 1% were thriving under a republican president everything would be jim dandy....But because it has happened under a Dem and the middle class has been stagnant, they all of a sudden care.

 

[SaintsInDome2006]

Ezra Klein's op-ed mentioned by Tim up thread is probably the best analysis/deconstruction of Trump that I've read/heard.

http://www.vox.com/2016/2/10/10956978/donald-trump-terrifying

I am not even sure where I should begin deconstructing this piece.But fear in the elite and pundit class smells really good to me. The ruling class should fear the peasants from time to time.

I don't see how the bolded is relevant to the points raised in the article. Can you unpack?

the angry mob following trump has hijacked the narrative written by progressives over the past 40 years. If the wealthy and the 1% were thriving under a republican president everything would be jim dandy....But because it has happened under a Dem and the middle class has been stagnant, they all of a sudden care.

Not to mention the fact that turning to a 70'ish multibillionaire scion with a 40 year history of involvement as a buyer in the political market seems like an odd choice to tear it all down.

'Hey, let's take one of the backroom guys and put him in the front office, yeah!'

 

[TobiasFunke]

Ezra Klein's op-ed mentioned by Tim up thread is probably the best analysis/deconstruction of Trump that I've read/heard.

http://www.vox.com/2016/2/10/10956978/donald-trump-terrifying

I am not even sure where I should begin deconstructing this piece.But fear in the elite and pundit class smells really good to me. The ruling class should fear the peasants from time to time.

I don't see how the bolded is relevant to the points raised in the article. Can you unpack?

the angry mob following trump has hijacked the narrative written by progressives over the past 40 years. If the wealthy and the 1% were thriving under a republican president everything would be jim dandy....But because it has happened under a Dem and the middle class has been stagnant, they all of a sudden care.

Trump basically just took the Occupiers' message and changed the alleged beneficiaries of "the system" from the 1% to brown people and foreign countries so he could sell it to GOP primary voters. Pretty clever trick, actually. If he had come up with a way to include the gays he'd be running away with this thing.

 

[The Commish]

Commish has mocked me for being frightened of Donald Trump. But that's wrong. I'm not scared of him. I'm terrified. As is Ezra Klein (read his piece in RCP this morning).

This guy is on a clear path to the nomination and possibly to the presidency. It's Greg Stillson from The Dead Zone. Who's going to stop him?

You should be more scared of Cruz

thank you....somebody's been paying attention

Whether you like Cruz, or not, he, at least is aware of the debates/issues even if he's likely to draw the opposite conclusion that a liberal would (a lot of people would say that's a great thing). Now, whether Trump occasionally will end up supporting a position (probably by his own lack of knowledge) that doesn't appeal to far right conservatives is purely accidental.

What you get is one guy (Cruz) whose positions you probably know vs. the other who appears to be completely emotional/irrational and adopting to positions that he previously didn't have.

At that point, it's between a hard right conservative and a loony toon, which isn't much different than the race on the right with a far left loony toon vs. a moderate who is pretending to be a far left loony toon.

or more simply put....Cruz knows the system and has a better chance of getting his garbage pushed through. Trump's just a loudmouth saying whatever's necessary to garner votes. There's not a chance he gets his legislation pushed through.

 

[SIDA!]

Commish has mocked me for being frightened of Donald Trump. But that's wrong. I'm not scared of him. I'm terrified. As is Ezra Klein (read his piece in RCP this morning).

This guy is on a clear path to the nomination and possibly to the presidency. It's Greg Stillson from The Dead Zone. Who's going to stop him?

You should be more scared of Cruz

thank you....somebody's been paying attention

Whether you like Cruz, or not, he, at least is aware of the debates/issues even if he's likely to draw the opposite conclusion that a liberal would (a lot of people would say that's a great thing). Now, whether Trump occasionally will end up supporting a position (probably by his own lack of knowledge) that doesn't appeal to far right conservatives is purely accidental.

What you get is one guy (Cruz) whose positions you probably know vs. the other who appears to be completely emotional/irrational and adopting to positions that he previously didn't have.

At that point, it's between a hard right conservative and a loony toon, which isn't much different than the race on the right with a far left loony toon vs. a moderate who is pretending to be a far left loony toon.

or more simply put....Cruz knows the system and has a better chance of getting his garbage pushed through. Trump's just a loudmouth saying whatever's necessary to garner votes. There's not a chance he gets his legislation pushed through.

Not sure that is correct.

I think something like 60% of the GOP class in Congress was elected during Obama's administration. They are being held up by the old guard power brokers in the establishment. I highly doubt McConnell/Ryan keeps their leadership posts if Trump becomes president.

 

[SIDA!]

Ezra Klein's op-ed mentioned by Tim up thread is probably the best analysis/deconstruction of Trump that I've read/heard.

http://www.vox.com/2016/2/10/10956978/donald-trump-terrifying

I am not even sure where I should begin deconstructing this piece.But fear in the elite and pundit class smells really good to me. The ruling class should fear the peasants from time to time.

I don't see how the bolded is relevant to the points raised in the article. Can you unpack?

I can. But I respect your opinion and don't have the time/energy to put forth a thoughtful response at the moment. Will have to double back to this later.

 

[HellToupee]

Commish has mocked me for being frightened of Donald Trump. But that's wrong. I'm not scared of him. I'm terrified. As is Ezra Klein (read his piece in RCP this morning).

This guy is on a clear path to the nomination and possibly to the presidency. It's Greg Stillson from The Dead Zone. Who's going to stop him?

You and Ezra should keep in mind that there is an armory's worth of ammunition available to stop Trump that has been left virtually untouched so far for political reasons. Once the field is narrowed at the primary and especially the general election level (if that happens), his political opponents will stop focusing on winning over the GOP base and start focusing on winning over undecided and independent voters. At that point the doors will fly open. You'll hear all about the time he supported the death penalty for innocent black and Hispanic teenagers without due process, for example- something no GOP candidate would dare bring up at this stage.

I'm sure that will be the turning point on Trump

Oh no he is right, Hilary will kill him with that. Tump will be destroyed by a remark about the death penalty that hypothetically could be used to abstractly kill some innocent person and how rude that is. Then she will point out how polite she was when she voted to send Americans to actually die in Iraq. Trump should be terrified of all of the nasty things people might say about him, you know when the kid gloves come off.

It appears that you don't have the slightest clue what he actually said and who he said it about. Which kind of proves my point- it's a weapon hasn't been fired yet.

This was written prior to his candidacy. Enjoy. And note the date- his original ad appeared in 1989, but the second ad opposing the settlement for the wrongly imprisoned black kids (+ one Hispanic kid) appeared in 2014. Here's those kids now and what they said about Trump's candidacy.

You think that story stays in the background if Trump reaches the general election and there are actual minority votes to be won?

What is the issue ? I'll stick with TRUMP [/]

 

[Ursa M]

And out goes Fiorina

 

[General Malaise]

And out goes Fiorina

She can always go back to HP.

Oh, wait....

 

[General Malaise]

Christie is suspending his campaign? Why not just quit already, cookie monster? What's the point of suspending this thing?

 

[General Malaise]

Christie is suspending his campaign? Why not just quit already, cookie monster? What's the point of suspending this thing?

NM, he gone.

 

[General Malaise]

How's that shameless tool Scott Walker doing recouping his campaign expenses?

 

[Ramsay Hunt Experience]

Christie is suspending his campaign? Why not just quit already, cookie monster? What's the point of suspending this thing?

If a candidate drops out, he or she can only continue to raise money to retire campaign debt. If the candidate "suspends" he or she can continue to raise funds for purposes other than retiring debt.

 

[General Malaise]

Christie is suspending his campaign? Why not just quit already, cookie monster? What's the point of suspending this thing?

If a candidate drops out, he or she can only continue to raise money to retire campaign debt. If the candidate "suspends" he or she can continue to raise funds for purposes other than retiring debt.

 

[The Commish]

Commish has mocked me for being frightened of Donald Trump. But that's wrong. I'm not scared of him. I'm terrified. As is Ezra Klein (read his piece in RCP this morning).

This guy is on a clear path to the nomination and possibly to the presidency. It's Greg Stillson from The Dead Zone. Who's going to stop him?

You should be more scared of Cruz

thank you....somebody's been paying attention

Whether you like Cruz, or not, he, at least is aware of the debates/issues even if he's likely to draw the opposite conclusion that a liberal would (a lot of people would say that's a great thing). Now, whether Trump occasionally will end up supporting a position (probably by his own lack of knowledge) that doesn't appeal to far right conservatives is purely accidental.

What you get is one guy (Cruz) whose positions you probably know vs. the other who appears to be completely emotional/irrational and adopting to positions that he previously didn't have.

At that point, it's between a hard right conservative and a loony toon, which isn't much different than the race on the right with a far left loony toon vs. a moderate who is pretending to be a far left loony toon.

or more simply put....Cruz knows the system and has a better chance of getting his garbage pushed through. Trump's just a loudmouth saying whatever's necessary to garner votes. There's not a chance he gets his legislation pushed through.

Not sure that is correct.

I think something like 60% of the GOP class in Congress was elected during Obama's administration. They are being held up by the old guard power brokers in the establishment. I highly doubt McConnell/Ryan keeps their leadership posts if Trump becomes president.

Time will tell

 

[Ramsay Hunt Experience]

Christie is suspending his campaign? Why not just quit already, cookie monster? What's the point of suspending this thing?

If a candidate drops out, he or she can only continue to raise money to retire campaign debt. If the candidate "suspends" he or she can continue to raise funds for purposes other than retiring debt.

Love it when you pole dance, you sexy albino minx.

 

[SaintsInDome2006]

Commish has mocked me for being frightened of Donald Trump. But that's wrong. I'm not scared of him. I'm terrified. As is Ezra Klein (read his piece in RCP this morning).

This guy is on a clear path to the nomination and possibly to the presidency. It's Greg Stillson from The Dead Zone. Who's going to stop him?

You should be more scared of Cruz

thank you....somebody's been paying attention

Whether you like Cruz, or not, he, at least is aware of the debates/issues even if he's likely to draw the opposite conclusion that a liberal would (a lot of people would say that's a great thing). Now, whether Trump occasionally will end up supporting a position (probably by his own lack of knowledge) that doesn't appeal to far right conservatives is purely accidental.

What you get is one guy (Cruz) whose positions you probably know vs. the other who appears to be completely emotional/irrational and adopting to positions that he previously didn't have.

At that point, it's between a hard right conservative and a loony toon, which isn't much different than the race on the right with a far left loony toon vs. a moderate who is pretending to be a far left loony toon.

or more simply put....Cruz knows the system and has a better chance of getting his garbage pushed through. Trump's just a loudmouth saying whatever's necessary to garner votes. There's not a chance he gets his legislation pushed through.

Not sure that is correct.

I think something like 60% of the GOP class in Congress was elected during Obama's administration. They are being held up by the old guard power brokers in the establishment. I highly doubt McConnell/Ryan keeps their leadership posts if Trump becomes president.

Why do you think that?

Trump is already making noises he will make deals with not only the GOP establishment but also the Democratic, including Reid and Pelosi.

 

[General Malaise]

Christie is suspending his campaign? Why not just quit already, cookie monster? What's the point of suspending this thing?

If a candidate drops out, he or she can only continue to raise money to retire campaign debt. If the candidate "suspends" he or she can continue to raise funds for purposes other than retiring debt.

Love it when you pole dance, you sexy albino minx.

That's about all this pale pig can do on a pole these days.

 

[roadkill1292]

Whether you like Cruz, or not, he, at least is aware of the debates/issues even if he's likely to draw the opposite conclusion that a liberal would (a lot of people would say that's a great thing). Now, whether Trump occasionally will end up supporting a position (probably by his own lack of knowledge) that doesn't appeal to far right conservatives is purely accidental.

What you get is one guy (Cruz) whose positions you probably know vs. the other who appears to be completely emotional/irrational and adopting to positions that he previously didn't have.

At that point, it's between a hard right conservative and a loony toon, which isn't much different than the race on the left with a far left loony toon vs. a moderate who is pretending to be a far left loony toon.

I'm a conservative, but I've always respected Bernie Sanders. Like Cruz, Bernie is a convictions politician, that is, his purpose for being in politics is to advance his ideology/ philosophy because he believes that it's what best for our country, not for self-aggrandizement or to become rich/ powerful. Moreover, his ideology is grounded in a set political/ economic philosophy and hence is intellectually honest (or consistent). Although I disagree with him on nearly every issue, I know what he believes in, I know that the resolve/ fidelity is there to follow through on his campaign promises, and I know that he would be a true servant politician. Similarly, I would have thought that the left would at least respect Cruz, as he's as close to being the right's Bernie as it gets, but, alas, they think that he's the devil.

Hard core evangelicals unnerve a lot of normal people. New policies to help the majority of Americans aren't very scary at all.

 

[SaintsInDome2006]

There is no Trump movement - there are no Congressmen or state legislators who are getting elected on the "Trump ticket." Leadership is not going to change out of thin air.

There are Trump voters who believe he will deal with Congress regardless of party and they like that because he will break the gridlock. And there are those who will vote for Trump because they think he will destroy the leadership and get fresh blood in there and break the gridlock. And there are those who don't care about the gridlock and think he will just executive order everything and go around Congress completely.

It's all completely contradictory.

 

[whoknew]

Whether you like Cruz, or not, he, at least is aware of the debates/issues even if he's likely to draw the opposite conclusion that a liberal would (a lot of people would say that's a great thing). Now, whether Trump occasionally will end up supporting a position (probably by his own lack of knowledge) that doesn't appeal to far right conservatives is purely accidental.

What you get is one guy (Cruz) whose positions you probably know vs. the other who appears to be completely emotional/irrational and adopting to positions that he previously didn't have.

At that point, it's between a hard right conservative and a loony toon, which isn't much different than the race on the left with a far left loony toon vs. a moderate who is pretending to be a far left loony toon.

I'm a conservative, but I've always respected Bernie Sanders. Like Cruz, Bernie is a convictions politician, that is, his purpose for being in politics is to advance his ideology/ philosophy because he believes that it's what best for our country, not for self-aggrandizement or to become rich/ powerful. Moreover, his ideology is grounded in a set political/ economic philosophy and hence is intellectually honest (or consistent). Although I disagree with him on nearly every issue, I know what he believes in, I know that the resolve/ fidelity is there to follow through on his campaign promises, and I know that he would be a true servant politician. Similarly, I would have thought that the left would at least respect Cruz, as he's as close to being the right's Bernie as it gets, but, alas, they think that he's the devil.

He is the devil.

I mean, likability matters. That's part of Cruz's biggest problem - EVERYONE hates him. You know who else everyone hated? Hitler.

I don't see Cruz and Sanders as remotely similar. Cruz isn't intellectually consistent - other than he consistently does whatever is in the best interest of Ted Cruz.

 

[TobiasFunke]

Whether you like Cruz, or not, he, at least is aware of the debates/issues even if he's likely to draw the opposite conclusion that a liberal would (a lot of people would say that's a great thing). Now, whether Trump occasionally will end up supporting a position (probably by his own lack of knowledge) that doesn't appeal to far right conservatives is purely accidental.

What you get is one guy (Cruz) whose positions you probably know vs. the other who appears to be completely emotional/irrational and adopting to positions that he previously didn't have.

At that point, it's between a hard right conservative and a loony toon, which isn't much different than the race on the left with a far left loony toon vs. a moderate who is pretending to be a far left loony toon.

I'm a conservative, but I've always respected Bernie Sanders. Like Cruz, Bernie is a convictions politician, that is, his purpose for being in politics is to advance his ideology/ philosophy because he believes that it's what best for our country, not for self-aggrandizement or to become rich/ powerful. Moreover, his ideology is grounded in a set political/ economic philosophy and hence is intellectually honest (or consistent). Although I disagree with him on nearly every issue, I know what he believes in, I know that the resolve/ fidelity is there to follow through on his campaign promises, and I know that he would be a true servant politician. Similarly, I would have thought that the left would at least respect Cruz, as he's as close to being the right's Bernie as it gets, but, alas, they think that he's the devil.

Hard core evangelicals unnerve a lot of normal people. New policies to help the majority of Americans aren't very scary at all.

Also, most people on both sides of the aisle respect Bernie Sanders as a sometimes difficult and stubborn but ultimately decent person who occasionally even crosses the aisle to pass legislation he believes in. OTOH pretty much everyone who has ever worked with Ted Cruz or even come across him in a professional setting hates his guts.

Other than those two things they're pretty much the same guy though.

 

[cstu]

Similarly, I would have thought that the left would at least respect Cruz, as he's as close to being the right's Bernie as it gets, but, alas, they think that he's the devil.

Why would someone on the left respect that?

 

[snogger]

There is no Trump movement - there are no Congressmen or state legislators who are getting elected on the "Trump ticket." Leadership is not going to change out of thin air.

There are Trump voters who believe he will deal with Congress regardless of party and they like that because he will break the gridlock. And there are those who will vote for Trump because they think he will destroy the leadership and get fresh blood in there and break the deadlock. And there are those who don't care about the gridlock and think he will just executive order everything and go around Congress completely.

It's all completely contradictory.

IMO.. people can look at what happened in Minnesota when Ventura took over.. he had no real Coalition to push through his agenda and therefore the state basically sat in Stagnation... He did get a few things done, but he vetoed bills that didn't follow his agenda, and had may vetoes overridden..

It wasn't ALL bad, as he did let others do their job and got of the way sometimes when it was needed..

But in the end it was his way or the highway and the highway won out most times..

I see Trump being close to the same way, except on a much larger scale...

 

[SaintsInDome2006]

There is no Trump movement - there are no Congressmen or state legislators who are getting elected on the "Trump ticket." Leadership is not going to change out of thin air.

There are Trump voters who believe he will deal with Congress regardless of party and they like that because he will break the gridlock. And there are those who will vote for Trump because they think he will destroy the leadership and get fresh blood in there and break the deadlock. And there are those who don't care about the gridlock and think he will just executive order everything and go around Congress completely.

It's all completely contradictory.

IMO.. people can look at what happened in Minnesota when Ventura took over.. he had no real Coalition to push through his agenda and therefore the state basically sat in Stagnation... He did get a few things done, but he vetoed bills that didn't follow his agenda, and had may vetoes overridden..

It wasn't ALL bad, as he did let others do their job and got of the way sometimes when it was needed..

But in the end it was his way or the highway and the highway won out most times..

I see Trump being close to the same way, except on a much larger scale...

Ventura and Trump were both Reform Party candidates at one time by the way...

 

[snogger]

Time for Carson and Bush to drop.. Would say Kasich also, but after getting 2nd in NH he'll stick around a bit now..

Should be a 3 man race.. Trump, Cruz and Rubio..

 

[fatguyinalittlecoat]

Time for Carson and Bush to drop.. Would say Kasich also, but after getting 2nd in NH he'll stick around a bit now..

Should be a 3 man race.. Trump, Cruz and Rubio..

Why should Bush drop out? He did better than Rubio in New Hampshire and has a lot more money and ground organization.

 

[HellToupee]

Time for Carson and Bush to drop.. Would say Kasich also, but after getting 2nd in NH he'll stick around a bit now..

Should be a 3 man race.. Trump, Cruz and Rubio..

So the hayseeds had a meeting and North Massachusetts votedand it's time to whittle the crew down? March 2nd should be the varsity cut date

 

[cstu]

There is no Trump movement - there are no Congressmen or state legislators who are getting elected on the "Trump ticket." Leadership is not going to change out of thin air.

There are Trump voters who believe he will deal with Congress regardless of party and they like that because he will break the gridlock. And there are those who will vote for Trump because they think he will destroy the leadership and get fresh blood in there and break the gridlock. And there are those who don't care about the gridlock and think he will just executive order everything and go around Congress completely.

It's all completely contradictory.

I'm sure that sounds good to them in theory but wait until he gets in and Brawndo starts running through your faucets cheersinFlint.

 

[Sinn Fein]

Time for Carson and Bush to drop.. Would say Kasich also, but after getting 2nd in NH he'll stick around a bit now..

Should be a 3 man race.. Trump, Cruz and Rubio..

Why should Bush drop out? He did better than Rubio in New Hampshire and has a lot more money and ground organization.

Yeah - I think Bush is actually more likely to make it to the final 3 than Rubio or Kasich.

 

[snogger]

Time for Carson and Bush to drop.. Would say Kasich also, but after getting 2nd in NH he'll stick around a bit now..

Should be a 3 man race.. Trump, Cruz and Rubio..

Why should Bush drop out? He did better than Rubio in New Hampshire and has a lot more money and ground organization.

By just a few votes in NH.. How did he do in Iowa??

If he finishes below those 3 in South Carolina then he needs to go..

Question.. as I don't know the answer here..

Is he currently leading/running better than 3rd in any primary polling

 

[snogger]

Time for Carson and Bush to drop.. Would say Kasich also, but after getting 2nd in NH he'll stick around a bit now..

Should be a 3 man race.. Trump, Cruz and Rubio..

So the hayseeds had a meeting and North Massachusetts votedand it's time to whittle the crew down? March 2nd should be the varsity cut date

It's already happened as Cristie and Florina dropped out.. Might as well thin the herd by at least 2 (Kasich and Carson) and maybe a 3rd ( Bush) ..

Just don't see any of those 3 jumping over Cruz or Trump right now.. thin out the herd to find out which of the 3 or 4 ( If Bush stays in) so the votes aren't spread out across the board.

 

[Jeremy]

Time for Carson and Bush to drop.. Would say Kasich also, but after getting 2nd in NH he'll stick around a bit now..

Should be a 3 man race.. Trump, Cruz and Rubio..

Why should Bush drop out? He did better than Rubio in New Hampshire and has a lot more money and ground organization.

That's why things are so perfect for Trump right now. Everyone that's left has a case for staying in it, which is great news for Trump.

Bush: Why should I drop out? I have money, name recognition and a ground game. I did much better in NH. Momentum.

Kasich: Why should I drop out? I finished 2nd in NH, can deliver Ohio, and I'm a clear contrast to Trump.

Cruz: Why should I drop out? I won Iowa and finished pretty well in NH. I do well with evangelicals.

Rubio: I am not programmed to drop out.

 

[cstu]

Time for Carson and Bush to drop.. Would say Kasich also, but after getting 2nd in NH he'll stick around a bit now..

Should be a 3 man race.. Trump, Cruz and Rubio..

Why should Bush drop out? He did better than Rubio in New Hampshire and has a lot more money and ground organization.

Bush is going to be there for long time simply because he's got the money.

 

[cstu]

Just don't see any of those 3 jumping over Cruz or Trump right now.. thin out the herd to find out which of the 3 or 4 ( If Bush stays in) so the votes aren't spread out across the board.

Cruz's numbers seem capped to me so it's down to Trump vs. Bush.

 

[urbanhack]

Time for Carson and Bush to drop.. Would say Kasich also, but after getting 2nd in NH he'll stick around a bit now..

Should be a 3 man race.. Trump, Cruz and Rubio..

Why should Bush drop out? He did better than Rubio in New Hampshire and has a lot more money and ground organization.

Bush is going to be there for long time simply because he's got the money.

He must be so proud.

 

[Eephus]

byeCarly

Her campaign went about as well as her tenure at HP. She can go back to being one of Trump's 42% unemployed

 

[whoknew]

Whether you like Cruz, or not, he, at least is aware of the debates/issues even if he's likely to draw the opposite conclusion that a liberal would (a lot of people would say that's a great thing). Now, whether Trump occasionally will end up supporting a position (probably by his own lack of knowledge) that doesn't appeal to far right conservatives is purely accidental.

What you get is one guy (Cruz) whose positions you probably know vs. the other who appears to be completely emotional/irrational and adopting to positions that he previously didn't have.

At that point, it's between a hard right conservative and a loony toon, which isn't much different than the race on the left with a far left loony toon vs. a moderate who is pretending to be a far left loony toon.

I'm a conservative, but I've always respected Bernie Sanders. Like Cruz, Bernie is a convictions politician, that is, his purpose for being in politics is to advance his ideology/ philosophy because he believes that it's what best for our country, not for self-aggrandizement or to become rich/ powerful. Moreover, his ideology is grounded in a set political/ economic philosophy and hence is intellectually honest (or consistent). Although I disagree with him on nearly every issue, I know what he believes in, I know that the resolve/ fidelity is there to follow through on his campaign promises, and I know that he would be a true servant politician. Similarly, I would have thought that the left would at least respect Cruz, as he's as close to being the right's Bernie as it gets, but, alas, they think that he's the devil.

Hard core evangelicals unnerve a lot of normal people. New policies to help the majority of Americans aren't very scary at all.

Also, most people on both sides of the aisle respect Bernie Sanders as a sometimes difficult and stubborn but ultimately decent person who occasionally even crosses the aisle to pass legislation he believes in. OTOH pretty much everyone who has ever worked with Ted Cruz or even come across him in a professional setting hates his guts.

Other than those two things they're pretty much the same guy though.

Cruz is disliked because he refuses to betray his principles and hence he wears DC's hatred for him as a badge of honor. As for my comparison to Sanders, I was noting that they are both convictions politicians, not that they have similar personalities. Unlike Trump/ Clinton, you will never mistake where Bernie/ Cruz stand on issues, nor will you doubt their motives, nor will you doubt their resolve to fight for what they believe in. IMO, these are uncommon qualities in politicians and hence Bernie/ Cruz are worthy of respect, regardless of political leanings.

That's just not true. People HATE (not dislike) Cruz because he's a complete ##### who is only interested in promoting himself. Just google "Everybody hates Ted Cruz" and you'll see an endless list of how everyone who ever met him (besides his family, presumably) hates him.

 

[QuizGuy66]

We could see a real donnybrook of a brokered convention. Imagine if you have Trump and Cruz with 35% of the delegates each and Bush with 30%? Fun times.

-QG

 

[Eephus]

Just don't see any of those 3 jumping over Cruz or Trump right now.. thin out the herd to find out which of the 3 or 4 ( If Bush stays in) so the votes aren't spread out across the board.

Cruz's numbers seem capped to me so it's down to Trump vs. Bush.

Trump is equally constrained. Bush's base is divided between he, Rubio and Kasich.

Cruz may be the best positioned to broaden his appeal to collect enough delegates. The right side of the party has opened up for him although Trump's support among conservatives is a wild card. The question is whether the right wing of the GOP has grown enough to select their candidate. They weren't able to in 2008 or 2012 but the tables were turned then with one establishment candidate vs a gaggle of ideologues.

 

[joffer]

people dislike Cruz because he's a grade-A loon.

 

[ElGatoLoco]

Time for Carson and Bush to drop.. Would say Kasich also, but after getting 2nd in NH he'll stick around a bit now..

Should be a 3 man race.. Trump, Cruz and Rubio..

Why should Bush drop out? He did better than Rubio in New Hampshire and has a lot more money and ground organization.

That's why things are so perfect for Trump right now. Everyone that's left has a case for staying in it, which is great news for Trump.

Bush: Why should I drop out? I have money, name recognition and a ground game. I did much better in NH. Momentum.

Kasich: Why should I drop out? I finished 2nd in NH, can deliver Ohio, and I'm a clear contrast to Trump.

Cruz: Why should I drop out? I won Iowa and finished pretty well in NH. I do well with evangelicals.

Rubio: I am not programmed to drop out.

Why in the world would anybody be dropping out that has any sense of hope? IA and NH represent about 1.4% of the population of the U.S. The delegate count would likewise be small. It isn't as if Trump or anybody else is an uncontested nominee yet.

 

[QuizGuy66]

Carson about to be interviewed on CNN now - I gather than means we get more Carson goodness - I hope he still qualifies for the debates.

-QG

 

[Shula-holic]

Carson about to be interviewed on CNN now - I gather than means we get more Carson goodness - I hope he still qualifies for the debates.

-QG

Thanks for the heads up. I need to run and start the DVR. I am an insomniac and Dr. Ben cures all.

 

[Abraham]

I think if Carson would drop out Jeb would see a big uptick. The three candidates leaving are bound to have supporters that want a more conventional, safer candidate. Thinning the herd should only help him.