The Donald

[fordman1]

Well what do you thing can this guy really become the next President?

[AlexNC]

Can...perhaps. Should he is an entirely different question :p

[Lefty651]

There's now way he wins against Hilary/Bernie

[JasonNJ]

George Bush and Obama became president so anything is possible.

[fordman1]

I hope I am wrong but I would not bet against Trump. The American people are so stupid and getting stupider every day. Prove it by asking 10 people some history questions. Ask them who was our two main allies in WWII. Ask them who were we fighting. Who was the Pres. then. Who was the Pres. when the war ended. Ask them how many great lakes there are. How about which side of the Mississippi, Mississippi is on. How many states border on the Pacific Ocean. Make up a few for your self.

[Aslan]

Can...perhaps. Should he is an entirely different question :p

When he first announced I figured it'd just be another sideshow failure. But the political climate is perfect for a candidate like him because most people are tired of two extremes on the right and left. You have a Democratic Party that considers to push as far to the left as they can with open borders, race wars, appeasement of our enemies, uncontrolled spending, and generally apologizing to the World that America exists. Then on the other side of the aisle you have a Republican Party that closes down the government, opposes health care, opposes general welfare programs, forces evangelical beliefs on everyone, and refuses to compromise on any issue ever.

And the simple evidence to support this is very clear. Our greatest Presidents in the last 30 years were Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton. Bill Clinton was a moderate Democrat and would never survive the Democratic primary. Ronald Reagan would be considered less conservative than anyone running for President now. Trump managed to see that gap between the parties and inserted himself in that position.

People don't love Bernie nor Trump. But they are simply tired of electing people to do a job, and then spending years and years hearing excuses why they can't do their job. How can candidates run for President, that are Senators and Congressman, despite Congress having a 13% approval rating. If they can't do THAT job...why give them a promotion? People are tired of it. And if electing a maniac egotistical moron sends the message...then maybe.

Going into the debate last night; my top 4 were:
1) Bernie Sanders (I want to see if he can get some populist ideas through without killing the economy.
2) Rand Paul (Not a big fan of him fiscally, but I like his isolationist streak.
3) George Patacki (seems like the best of a LOT of evils)
4) Donald Trump (Might destroy the country, but at least he's not a party lackey)

Post debate I have Trump ahead of Patacki. I'm not sure even if Patacki is still running. Without him, it becomes a Top 3 because the next nearest candidate I'd consider is Marco Rubio and I might just stay home rather than cast that vote.

I DO think Fox Business was the worst moderating I've seen so far. They asked tough questions late, but the first two hours seemed like "How much do YOU dislike Obama and Hillary?" followed by statements of how much they hate Obama and/or Hillary. The primary voters already know they aren't going to vote, as registered Republicans, for a Democratic candidate. They want to know why they should vote for you versus the other Republican. But as Carly Fiorina has shown, you can have virtually no platform other than not liking Hillary Clinton...and that'll get some conservatives excited. It's pathetic.

[fordman1]

Aslan you gave a pretty good anasalis of the candidates. You got the Dem's wrong, they are not that far left. They just look that way because the right is so far gone. RAISE THE FRIGGIN TAXES AND QUIT COMPLAINING. GIVE US FREE HEALTH CARE. I don't give a crap about the middle east. Cut off all ties to them and let them kill each other over the crazy religion.

[Tony]

I don't think Aslan went too far left with the description of the democratic party, it's true both parties have veered further and further toward the extreme and the average person is sick of it. Open borders and free trade are perfect examples of idea's that have cost our country billions of dollars. Also take Obama-care, an example of healthcare reform that is totally crippling our country, we spent 1.2 trillion dollars more that we should have on health care for horrendous results compared to countries like the UK that have vastly superior and universal care with better access and better ratings in every single category measured.
This is why Trump and Sanders have gained so much support, they are unconventional and controversial, can they do all the outlandish things they've claimed they will do ? Of course not, look at the record of recent presidents, using facts published by politico on his promises, he has kept less than half of his promises to the American people. ( http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/promises/obameter/ ) Expect Trump or Sanders to possibly do a little better and Hillary to do significantly worse and you'll see that many of the big promises are nothing more than posturing and gaining free coverage.
Take a look at Trump and all the massive coverage he has been getting for free by making outlandish type claims and comments, he is a master of self promotion.

It remains to been seen who comes out on top, I can only say the more people we elect that are not career politicians the better, they have proven that they are totally self serving and base their decisions not on what's best for the people but what's best for themselves and what the big money contributors want them to do. That puts "Hillary the horrible" as number one on the list of people to NOT vote for, she has proven time after time she is totally out for herself and doesn't give a crap about the people.....

[fortheloveofbowling]

I hope I am wrong but I would not bet against Trump. The American people are so stupid and getting stupider every day. Prove it by asking 10 people some history questions. Ask them who was our two main allies in WWII. Ask them who were we fighting. Who was the Pres. then. Who was the Pres. when the war ended. Ask them how many great lakes there are. How about which side of the Mississippi, Mississippi is on. How many states border on the Pacific Ocean. Make up a few for your self.

Or just ask them to spell analysis.

[AlexNC]

I agree with the assessment of why his message is appealing to people. I also think some of the more outlandish stuff is more about getting attention, and most candidates move towards the center after the primaries. Aside from the crazy stuff he puts out, he is probably more moderate. I am moderate. This doesn't stop me from thinking he is an asshat. In general, as I've grown older I feel more disappointed with the candidates on the ballot in elections both at the state and national level. One of the things that bothers me most is that many policies never get a chance to mature after they are adopted. As soon as the other side gains the majority (on the stance that everything the previous majority did was terrible), it becomes all about tearing things apart and going in the opposite direction.


When he first announced I figured it'd just be another sideshow failure. But the political climate is perfect for a candidate like him because most people are tired of two extremes on the right and left. You have a Democratic Party that considers to push as far to the left as they can with open borders, race wars, appeasement of our enemies, uncontrolled spending, and generally apologizing to the World that America exists. Then on the other side of the aisle you have a Republican Party that closes down the government, opposes health care, opposes general welfare programs, forces evangelical beliefs on everyone, and refuses to compromise on any issue ever.

And the simple evidence to support this is very clear. Our greatest Presidents in the last 30 years were Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton. Bill Clinton was a moderate Democrat and would never survive the Democratic primary. Ronald Reagan would be considered less conservative than anyone running for President now. Trump managed to see that gap between the parties and inserted himself in that position.

People don't love Bernie nor Trump. But they are simply tired of electing people to do a job, and then spending years and years hearing excuses why they can't do their job. How can candidates run for President, that are Senators and Congressman, despite Congress having a 13% approval rating. If they can't do THAT job...why give them a promotion? People are tired of it. And if electing a maniac egotistical moron sends the message...then maybe.

Going into the debate last night; my top 4 were:
1) Bernie Sanders (I want to see if he can get some populist ideas through without killing the economy.
2) Rand Paul (Not a big fan of him fiscally, but I like his isolationist streak.
3) George Patacki (seems like the best of a LOT of evils)
4) Donald Trump (Might destroy the country, but at least he's not a party lackey)

Post debate I have Trump ahead of Patacki. I'm not sure even if Patacki is still running. Without him, it becomes a Top 3 because the next nearest candidate I'd consider is Marco Rubio and I might just stay home rather than cast that vote.

I DO think Fox Business was the worst moderating I've seen so far. They asked tough questions late, but the first two hours seemed like "How much do YOU dislike Obama and Hillary?" followed by statements of how much they hate Obama and/or Hillary. The primary voters already know they aren't going to vote, as registered Republicans, for a Democratic candidate. They want to know why they should vote for you versus the other Republican. But as Carly Fiorina has shown, you can have virtually no platform other than not liking Hillary Clinton...and that'll get some conservatives excited. It's pathetic.

[fordman1]

Or just ask them to spell analysis.

You got me. I knew it was wrong but didn't have time to fix it. Wife was in a hurry about something. I told her someone would give he hell but she didn't care.

[Perrin]

unfortunately the party system creates the polarizing factor in the candidates. They have to play the extreme to win the primary..... then like you guys said, it's all about 'fixing' what the other party did instead of actually helping the population of the country.


At this point I don't care who wins. I would just love to see a government minus the lobbying $$$ and a congress that actually does their jobs of representing their constituents instead of their pocket corporations.


if you want to consider a scary situation check out a book called Arena One. the setting is post-apocalyptic world caused by civil war between republicans and democrats.

[Aslan]

if you want to consider a scary situation check out a book called Arena One. the setting is post-apocalyptic world caused by civil war between republicans and democrats.

That sounds sweet.

[Midnight Cowboy66]

Trump will make America great again and hopefully send the illegals back to their original home country and get leaches off welfare while seeing that our soldiers get timely medical care. Trump...Trump...Trump

[AlexNC]

http://static.ijreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Screen-Shot-2015-10-23-at-8.31.06-AM.png

[larry mc]

Trump is a buffoon and an ego maniac , some of his ideas are ok , but hes is way 2 unstable to be in a position of power

[fordman1]

Larry I believe you are spot on but is it possible the whole thing if just and act? The wall is stupid. The stuff about Muslims is not realistic. The trade stuff makes some sense and money manipulation is obvious. His stability who really knows how he would act if elected? KKK stuff is just nuts.

[Mike White]

I hope I am wrong but I would not bet against Trump. The American people are so stupid and getting stupider every day. Prove it by asking 10 people some history questions. Ask them who was our two main allies in WWII. Ask them who were we fighting. Who was the Pres. then. Who was the Pres. when the war ended. Ask them how many great lakes there are. How about which side of the Mississippi, Mississippi is on. How many states border on the Pacific Ocean. Make up a few for your self.

Who was the president when the Civil war started, and who was the president when it ended?


It's a trick question, because to those in the south, it still hasn't ended.

[Aslan]

Who was the president when the Civil war started, and who was the president when it ended?


It's a trick question, because to those in the south, it still hasn't ended.

Well played.

And attacking the Donald....because there is violence at his rallys...is like attacking a store owner because people steal from his store.

"Well, if they had better security...and didn't have expensive stuff in the store....then nobody would steal it." Duh.

People keep saying it's because he said "racially charged things"....like what? That we should enforce immigration laws?

"Well...yeah."

And ya prove my point...

Both parties are terrified of Trump...but if you look deeper...they're truly terrified about something else...the PEOPLE.

The parties are seeing that isolationism is a popular movement...and that moderates are starting to be heard again....and that scares the poo out of them! Donald isn't the source of the anger....he's just the right guy in the right place with the right amount of money. Liberals don't want the roll back of free trade and open borders. Republicans don't want the roll back of profitable trade agreements and cheap labor. And they are seeing that the message of free trade and open borders....is massively unpopular with the general electorate...and that's bad news for both establishments.

[Tony]

Reprint of an essay posted by a buddy on facebook

Spot on with the whole thing.

Derek Jones
March 14 at 2:14pm ·
Just for a moment, stop the memes and the nonsense, and consider the main issue in the country. The economy is weak because there are 12 million unskilled foreign workers taking low paying jobs and collecting government benefits. This causes a rise the prevalence of unemployment for low skilled American workers, who are primarily poor whites and blacks, which then levy to collect even more government benefits.

Increases in the real cost of necessities have meant retirees are re-entering the workplace to supplement their Social Security Entitlement. This is why old people and not college students are bagging your groceries. Government subsidized education has increased the cost of a college education TWELVE TIMES its cost in the 1980's. The financial burden of these student loans, coupled with a depression of median wages are preventing this generation from investing money in business or stocks or owning a home or starting a family. This is why skilled birth rates are low, small businesses are stifled, why the stock market is volatile, and why home ownership is down. Low home ownership means no equity for retirement, which means the older people decide to stay in the job market longer, which means wages are depressed from the bottom AND the top.

The nation is in debt, over-extended, has open borders, entitlement overload, growth stagnation, poor trade deals, declining infrastructure, rampant child murder, full prisons, and a problem with political correctness.

I am a Rand Paul fan, not really a Trump fan. But if you cant understand why literally a third of the nation is revolting against the political class and demanding that the law be enforced, that our deals be renegotiated and that we project power in the world again, then you dont understand whats happening. It isnt about Donald trump, he is a symbol that represents what the people want to say. Its about sticking it to Washington and reasserting American primacy.

So here is the question I want to pose to you: Skip all the rhetoric. Skip the actual words themselves. What exactly are both the left and the "right" rejecting about Donald Trump? Why is it that literally the entire political class from both sides are doing everything they can to prevent him from entering the political field? Why is it that both sides are unified in opposing him?

The real answer is this: They cant buy his vote. They cant shut his mouth. They cant make the smear stick. They cant exchange favors. The problem is simple, they are powerless to control him.

For politicians, that is the absolute worst thing that could happen.

Because as soon as he sees what is really happening in our government he is the kind of guy who is going to open his mouth and expose it publicly. The curtain will lift, the crooks will be exposed, every back door deal or lie to the public will be skewered right in front of the cameras and no one will be able to stop it. Every time a person flips their vote he is going to call them out on it and the politicians who have spent twenty or thirty years hidden behind the scenes, pulling all of the slimy strings and greasing all of the dirty rails will suddenly be naked and ashamed and fighting to keep their jobs during the next election cycle. THAT is why Trump is dangerous to the D.C. hierarchy.

For years and years independents and people from both sides of the isle have been claiming that they are tired of "puppet" presidents. But then they get a guy who doesn't need the money, fame, or power, who says whatever he thinks no matter who opposes it, and who is flawed but unabashedly patriotic and all of the sudden (go figure right?) people want more of the "same old."

This election is a staredown between two groups. It is literally a battle between the established political class and their constituents and policies and the outcomes of those policies... and an emergent political class who is tired of washington sabotaging the will of the people because they are in the tank with billionaires, transnational corporations, lobbyists and the donor class.

I have no respect for bernie sanders. I believe that socialism is an ideology of mediocrity and that he would bankrupt our nation within a single term. But I do understand why some people gravitate to him. Because for those who are taught that they must vote for a Democrat no matter what else happens, they see his candidacy and they see how beholden Hillary is to the billionaire class and they figure "hey at least he isnt taking money from the billionaires in exchange for his political integrity." They see a clear choice between a corrupt politician, and a politician promising them unicorns and they say, "at least when that guy looks into the camera I don;t feel like he is lying to me." For that alone, I can give the man credit.

But fantasies aside, its time to level with yourself.

There are two people left in this race. They are Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. It is the corrupt clinton dynasty versus a rude centrist billionaire.

Those are the facts.

One will continue our nation on precisely the path we are on now. That's it, that is her platform. Her promise to the people is that she will "continue to build on the progress of Obama." I didn't say that, she said that. That is her platform.

The other person is a massive political risk. His platform is that to solve the nation's economic problems he will jumpstart the economy by stopping drugs and illegal immigrants at the border, pressuring companies to bring their money back from other overseas through tax incentives and tariffs and renegotiating our bad trade deals. I don't care what anyone else says, there is absolutely no way in which performing those actions would fail to lift demand and wages and to increase the strength of the economy. If he could achieve those actions through cooperation with congress it would reverse corporate inversions and inject two trillion dollars back into the economy, which would immediately cause inflation to increase the value of our exports and cause a massive boom in the stock market which would allow retirees and people with mature investment portfolios to retire, creating even more room for employment in the middle and simultaneously lowering real unemployment while reducing the nation's revolving debt.

Now I don't want to over complicate things. For me at least, it's as simple as Clinton walking onto the stage and telling her constituents that she wants to force me to pay for the murder of children by using my tax dollars to pay for other people's abortions. That is all I need to hear from any candidate to oppose their candidacy.

But let me be clear, I don't like Trump's boasting either and I don't like his petulant attitude. I don't like his swearing, I don't like his faux spirituality, and I don't like his casual attitude toward policy decisions. I don't like the fact that he lashes out with personal attacks when its time to talk like a grown man on the world's largest political stage...

But aside from the rhetoric and the speeches and the political showmanship, at least he is going to stand up and demand a dramatic change in the country's direction. And at least he is brave enough to stare into a crowd of people and to say the unpopular thing because he thinks it is what is best for the country.

And for people like me who believe we are losing everything that made this country great...for those people who believe that another decade of government corruption, high taxes, bureaucracy, waste, and prolonged war will crash our economy... for those of us who believe that we will expound our social problems by imbalancing the supreme court...and for those of us who believe that our entitlements and our international relationships are enough to destroy this nation if we change nothing and simply continue on our current geopolitical trajectory- that is more than enough reason to vote against any dynastic candidate.

-D

[Tony]

Well played.

And attacking the Donald....because there is violence at his rallys...is like attacking a store owner because people steal from his store.

"Well, if they had better security...and didn't have expensive stuff in the store....then nobody would steal it." Duh.

People keep saying it's because he said "racially charged things"....like what? That we should enforce immigration laws?

"Well...yeah."

And ya prove my point...

Both parties are terrified of Trump...but if you look deeper...they're truly terrified about something else...the PEOPLE.

The parties are seeing that isolationism is a popular movement...and that moderates are starting to be heard again....and that scares the poo out of them! Donald isn't the source of the anger....he's just the right guy in the right place with the right amount of money. Liberals don't want the roll back of free trade and open borders. Republicans don't want the roll back of profitable trade agreements and cheap labor. And they are seeing that the message of free trade and open borders....is massively unpopular with the general electorate...and that's bad news for both establishments.

The other factor that is driving all the politicians to line up against Trump is the realization that he will uncover and expose the massive corruption in our government, including not just the politicians but extending to all levels including the judicial, and law enforcement. The levels of corruption have been increasing rapidly from the local state agencies on up. It's been a long time since we had a government for the people by the people and most certainly Donald isn't the people they were talking about but there is little doubt where we are going with business as usual. The way it looks to a growing number of people, electing Trump could certainly lead to the current insider system of politics falling apart, and yes that's a good thing.

[Mike White]

The other factor that is driving all the politicians to line up against Trump is the realization that he will uncover and expose the massive corruption in our government, including not just the politicians but extending to all levels including the judicial, and law enforcement. The levels of corruption have been increasing rapidly from the local state agencies on up. It's been a long time since we had a government for the people by the people and most certainly Donald isn't the people they were talking about but there is little doubt where we are going with business as usual. The way it looks to a growing number of people, electing Trump could certainly lead to the current insider system of politics falling apart, and yes that's a good thing.

In that case you need to be sure whoever he has as Vice-President is competent.

The people who are winning the "race" now, have the resources to silence ANYONE who tries to break up the party.

[Tony]

In that case you need to be sure whoever he has as Vice-President is competent.

The people who are winning the "race" now, have the resources to silence ANYONE who tries to break up the party.

The VP needs to be competent and add some balance to the ticket, it would also be valuable if they can influence some swing voters !

[Aslan]

I disagree with Ton'y friend about Bernie. But he's pretty accurate about the rest.

Where he is still kinda missing things...is you see very little mention of the word "moderate". The pundants today....they've forgotten moderates exist. They rarely use the word. The right wing media calls all moderates "Rhinos" or "Establishment" or "Liberals"....but the simple fact is...not everyone thinks the world would be best under a liberal or conservative mindset. Most people are in the middle. And thats not a "sell out" position...it's a realistic position that values freedom of thought and acceptance of other's opinions.

What I like about Bernie is he addresses the number one problem our country faces...the gap between rich and poor. So many of us are not "rich" nor "poor"...so we just allow it to continue. But the eroding middle class is the biggest vulernability our country faces. Our military is only strong if our economy is strong...and a middle is vital to that being true. Look at China....they can't truly become a "superpower"...because they have no middle class. Their market continually collapses....and is propped up by the governement....because there is really no economy there....they are simply an export economy using low wages and corruption and a massive population as tools to prop themselves up.

Trump understands that the country is hurting from industry loss. So, he is winning. The liberals and conservatives hate that....because rebuilding the middle class is a long term win but a short term disaster. Anyone retiring in the next several years...will see their investments destroyed as free trade and globalization is halted. Entire economies will collapse all over the World as the US re-callibrates. Bernie also is getting a great deal of support (all be it a losing effort against the Clinton machine)...because he has a similar message...that the top 2%, in a democracy, should not be as powerful as a monarchy. If the middle class erodes far enough, we end up with a modern aristocracy....where the few own everything and the rest are essentially peasants and sharecroppers...barely necessary...especially in a global economy. That situation, ultimately leads to revolt or a more Order or Communist or Facist type of government to control the masses. Democracy can't function if ownership and wealth isn't spread around. So long as even the poorest citizen's vote counts as much as the wealthiest person's vote....eventually the masses will recognize the reality and vote against the top 1-2%. I think we're seeing the first signs of that...as billionaires are nervous that a Donald Trump will ruin their system. And the rest of us, ironically, are worried that he's just one of them, pretending not to be to get elected, but once in power will use the office to further his own ambitions.

[fordman1]

When Trump said the Bible was the greatest book ever written was he talking about the Old Testament or the one the Pope edited with what he liked. Made women subservient for the last 16 or seventeen centuries. Muslims love that part. Maybe it was all the sex and Murder. Or the greed and adultery. It should be rated "X". OK that is it. Now I see why the Donald likes it.

Like the Constitution. Women couldn't vote. Non property owners couldn't vote. Everyone packing guns. Blacks were only half a human? Nothing about getting rid of slavery.

[Aslan]

Houston....we have a problem.

It's now looking like Donald can't lock up the first ballot and the Republicans will have a brokered convention.

However, while I was anticipating this scenario...it turns out Donald can't run as an independent in nearly 50% of the States because there are filing deadlines that he'll likely miss if he continues to push for the Republican nomination.

Now, the outcome is unchanged. A brokered convention almost guarantees a Clinton victory. If Donald runs as an independent, the Republican brokered choice will syphon enough votes away from him...even if Trump was eligible in every State as an independent....that there's no way he (Trump) could win. If Donald reluctantly drops out after a chaotic brokered convention where the will of the voters was overturned by establishment and tea party Republicans...the backlash would be so intense that many Donald supporters would either stay home or vote for Clinton out of spite in protest.

So...the bad news is...unless you LOVE Hillary....which few people do...ya might want to get used to hearing "President Clinton"...for at least 4 years. There is still the off chance that the FBI investigation could do enough damage that she'd have to quit...but that just means Bernie scoops up the nomination and the outcome would be even more in the Democratic favor. The Republicans can't force a nominee down people's throats....it's a horrible strategy.

[fordman1]

I feel sorry for the Republicans. What a choice a mad man or a rat faced religious nut that even his fellow Senators can stand.

[Mike White]

I feel sorry for the Republicans. What a choice a mad man or a rat faced religious nut that even his fellow Senators can stand.

Weren't there a lot of choices when this started?

The Elephants are down to two "bad" choices, because thats what the Elephant people seemed to want during the primaries.

[fordman1]

Actually I don't feel sorry for them. Way too many of them are selfish greedy people.

[Mike White]

Actually I don't feel sorry for them. Way too many of them are selfish greedy people.

A portion may be selfish and greedy, but a much larger portion has been brainwashed by the Elephant media, making them non-thinking followers.

[fordman1]

I guess you could call them one topic voters. God, Guns and abortion. Almost forgot those illegal immigrants. Or anti government folks especially the old Confederate states.

[fordman1]

Well will it be Trump or Clinton? Maybe the Bern...

[Mike White]

Well will it be Trump or Clinton? Maybe the Bern...

I'm trying to decide between Pat Paulsen, or Montgomery Brewster.

[fordman1]

It has been a long time since we had a choice of people who didn't have their own interest rather than ours to run on. It would be nice to hear something about infrastructure rebuild. 100 year old water pipes and I don't know how old electric wiring scare me.
If I hear another politician tell me the speak to god all the time my head will explode.
I'm tired of hearing about Mexicans, homosexuals and abortions.
No more lopsided trade deals.
No more hiding money off shore.
Wall street is worse than the Mafia ever was.