Rather than pure cynicism, which I'm sure my POV sounds similar to, I'm actually seeking reasons for hopefulness (beyond Trump), evidence of the ability for others to win, and so on.

Because the election of Obama, not once but twice, and to a lesser degree the election of Bill before him, as well as Hillary's tenure as SecState, her and her husband's otherworldly Teflon Don abilities, the way ObamaCare was rammed down our throats and remains standing, and the general ineffectiveness of the Republicans in Congress even when holding majorities, as well as the ebb and flow of the midterm momentum, the rise and fall of the TeaParty and it's perception and influence (or the lack thereof), these things cause me to see very, very few examples of rationality in voters in Presidential elections (at least the sort that swings our way), and though I am as susceptible to confirmation bias as anyone - I doubt I'm overwhelmed by it, even after seeing these concerns echoed pretty much everywhere I look (beyond here and a few similar pockets of conservatism).

How is it, after all this, after the last many years, that you think Hillary is that vulnerable, by those guys in particular, or that enough voters are that rational, even as we have deep divides within the Right, deep divides right here on this forum?

How will Cruz or Rubio or (shudder) Jeb deal with inevitable questions regarding gays, abortions, all that, and still appeal to both their base and a winnable majority? How can, in the eyes of public perception, any man stand on a stage with a woman - that woman - and argue against a woman's right to choose and not come out looking like an asshole in terms of broad perception?

One of Trump's advantages is his more centric views on these topics. Cruz's stance would be lauded by those who already support him, but what about the other millions he'll need to win the whole thing? Calls to defund PP, for instance, *might* be supported by 1/3...

Where are those votes going to come from?

Simply put, the election isn't going to be about PP. It will be about the economy and keeping us safe.

Again, looking at the polls I posted, Trump is doing slightly worse than Cruz, but both are within a few points of Hillary. All we keep hearing from the establishment is that Trump can't win because he's too extreme. It's interesting how some of you (correctly) ignore that about Trump, but don't give Cruz a shot. The polls show you are wrong.

quote:

Originally posted by Ackks:
Simply put, the election isn't going to be about PP. It will be about the economy and keeping us safe.

Again, looking at the polls I posted, Trump is doing slightly worse than Cruz, but both are within a few points of Hillary. All we keep hearing from the establishment is that Trump can't win because he's too extreme. It's interesting how some of you (correctly) ignore that about Trump, but don't give Cruz a shot. The polls show you are wrong.

Indeed. If people in this country are worried about and stuck on the single issue of abortion--an issue that is settled law and is here to stay for the foreseeable future and doesn't have a chance to become illegal even if Santorum himself were President--with all the other crap going on in this country and in the world, then we as a country truly have our heads buried deep right up our collective ass.

Christ.

quote:

Where are those votes going to come from?

For starters the 4 million or so who stayed home for Romney hopefully.
Like I said in my earlier post the cross support that Trump and Cruz share.
I can see Cruz running on a Trump ticket but I don't see Trump running on a Cruz ticket.
This could be a real stumbling block down the road.
I think before Trump would run as a vp or endorse Cruz he'd run as a independent.

OMG, Samuel L Jackson announced that if Trump wins he will leave the country, what will become of us if he leaves ? Sob sob.....

quote:

How will Cruz or Rubio or (shudder) Jeb deal with inevitable questions regarding gays, abortions, all that, and still appeal to both their base and a winnable majority? How can, in the eyes of public perception, any man stand on a stage with a woman - that woman - and argue against a woman's right to choose and not come out looking like an asshole in terms of broad perception?

I know what you are saying here. The election may not hinge on any one these issues but they are going to come up in the debate because these are always questions that are always brought up in the debates because these are the democratic talking points and their strong suits. They need to shore up the base and paint the republican in a corner and this is how they do it and always have is with the social issues.

Cruz could navigate these waters far better than Trump imo.

Could he? Trump isn't actually opposed to those issues, which is the issue - so to speak. Cruz, however, despite his legendary debate skills and other smarts, is actually opposed to them, and recently made public statements about wanting to defund PP - for instance.

Trump could simply say: I favor a woman's right to choose, and support the right for two people of the same sex to marry, and shunt the topic to the sound of applause scattered all over the US. Even if this pisses off the base, who else are they going to vote for? Hillary?

Cruz, on the other hand, could have the most well reasoned explanation for why he wants to defund PP and for most beyond the far-right it will simply equate to 'anti woman' or etc. Boom, middle is gone, women are gone, college age voters are gone, hello Pres. Hillary.

it's not that I personally think it is or should be a single issue race, but other people do, and I don't hear or read anything much positive about Cruz from anyone outside of decidedly conservative circles. his rep, so to speak, is not viewed positively in other circles.

Trump is considered a kook, Cruz scares people (non conservatives, the majority).

Anyway, that's what I'm seeing and hearing, and it's concerning to say the least.

numerous sanders supporters, those who love his socialism bits, have stated they'd vote for Trump vs Hillary, because they falsely believe a Trump win would speed our demise and allow a Sanders like change to occur. This does not extend to supporting Cruz, etc.

Trump will get votes from Republicans, Independents, and even some Democrats. As much as I like Cruz, I don't know of many Democrats that would vote for him.

quote:

Originally posted by a1abdj:
Trump will get votes from Republicans, Independents, and even some Democrats. As much as I like Cruz, I don't know of many Democrats that would vote for him.

I agree with this. I think Trump for President, Cruz VP, would bring the most to the table.

quote:

Originally posted by a1abdj:
Trump will get votes from Republicans, Independents, and even some Democrats. As much as I like Cruz, I don't know of many Democrats that would vote for him.

I feel the same way.

Take it for what it's worth.....



http://www.cnbc.com/2015/11/24...-on-2016-ballot.html

quote:

No matter what party affiliation you consider, Trump brings them out. Republicans, Democrats and independents are all most likely to show up if Trump is on the ballot. (In our analysis, we assumed a constant variable: the Democrats nominating Hillary Clinton.)

Not only do they show up to vote, but they vote for Trump. He's got the highest percentage of voters — across both parties and independents.

I had originally posted the graphic, but it was huge, so I'm going to remove it and just leave the link.

I respect and like Cruz. But I think the media would destroy him as the R nominee, as they are so experienced in doing. I have only ever seen one man totally flummox them: Trump.

quote:

There is no way you can compare Cruz to Santorum.

Okay, let's compare him with another Iowa winner: Huckabee.

My point is that a win in Iowa has little bearing on who becomes the eventual nominee.

quote:

Originally posted by nighthawk:
OMG, Samuel L Jackson announced that if Trump wins he will leave the country, what will become of us if he leaves ? Sob sob.....

The lefties claim this crap overtime a Republican candidate they really hate comes along. Just like the liars that they really are, they never live up to their promises.

quote:

Originally posted by nighthawk:
OMG, Samuel L Jackson announced that if Trump wins he will leave the country, what will become of us if he leaves ? Sob sob.....

BLAH, BLAH, BLAH......(@SLJ, not you, nighthawk)

He isn't the first to make such a threat. Rob Reiner, Micheal Moore, Streisand, Baldwin and others have made the threat before when Bush was up for election/re-election too.

IIRC, none of them kept their word.

http://www.usaforever.org/hollywood.html

Tony.

I don’t think some of you realize how hypocritical it is to support a candidate the establishment and media have labeled too radical to win and then turn around and say Cruz is too conservative. Keep in mind that “he’s too conservative to win” has been thrown around since 1980 when people said it about Reagan.

The Real Clear Politics poll averages just do not support what some of you have been saying. Cruz is clear, strong, and I’ve never seen anyone in the media get the best of him. He is able to break things down and communicate his positions in a way that resonates. It's why he always does so well with the focus groups. With the instability in the world this race isn’t coming down to women’s issues. It's going to come down to the issues where he and Trump both shine.

I have issues with Trump, but he is my second choice by far over anyone else running. Even with those issues he would win in a general and I’d gladly support him. It’s amazing to me that some are using the same establishment lines to try and suggest that Cruz has no shot and their candidate is the only hope. I could understand you suggesting ways he is better than Cruz, but they both could win. We just have to hope they don't knock the crap out of each other on Tuesday.

quote:

We just have to hope they don't knock the crap out of each other on Tuesday.

I'm not so sure Trump has the ability to use better judgement here and see the larger picture.
I hope I'm wrong.
If Cruz wins Iowa Trump will not be kind. He has spent the last 6 months or so reminding everyone how much he is leading by and how he can't understand why anyone else is even competing with him.
Losing the first caucus out of the gate won't sit well with that ego.

quote:

If Cruz wins Iowa Trump will not be kind. He has spent the last 6 months or so reminding everyone how much he is leading by and how he can't understand why anyone else is even competing with him.

I believe Cruz WILL win Iowa.
But Trump says he has the better temperament....

Donald Trump: I have much better temperament than Ted Cruz


Donald Trump says that he and Ted Cruz have very similar views. But when pressed, he says there are some differences – like the fact that he, Donald Trump, has a much better temperament to be president than Ted Cruz.

In some ways this is laughable, but in other ways it is very true. Let's look at both sides of the issue.

We need a president who is going to be aggressive with our enemies outside the country and our political adversaries inside the country. Until a few weeks ago, Ted Cruz was certainly a thorn in the side of the Senate establishment, but rhetorically he was very low-key. He's been in the Senate for three years, but only recently has he called out Mitch McConnell for collaborating with Obama and the Democrats. For years I have watched him say things like, "Leadership promises me they will fight next time, and I take them at their word." Only recently has he called Mitch McConnell a liar (which he is).

Interviewed by illegal alien radical advocate Jorge Ramos, Cruz made his conservative points, but in a low-key, soft, almost apologetic tone. When asked about so called "transgendered" in the military, he said only that the military shouldn't be a "cauldron of social experiments."

Zzzzzzz....

All this has changed in recent weeks as his rhetoric, volume, and even tone of voice have changed. Now he thunders about the need to shut down useless departments of the government and to carpet-bomb ISIS (I hope using the term "carpet" in reference to the Middle East is not racist!).

But in the thundering department, Donald Trump has Cruz beaten hands down. He made it acceptable to talk about deporting illegal aliens. He was the first to call for a temporary ban on Muslim immigration. He's not afraid to take on any issue (except perhaps big bloated agri-corps who want ethanol mandates). When the media attacks him, he bites back. Articles have actually been written stating that GOP establishment billionaires are afraid to attack Trump for fear he will attack back! He has single-handedly taken down Jeb Bush, for which he deserves tremendous gratitude, and he is starting in on Hillary Clinton in a great way, calling her tired and weak. (Compare that to Mitt Romney, who was afraid to say anything about Obama.)

Trump's much more of a fighter, even than Ted Cruz, and we need a fighter.

But on the other hand, Ted Cruz is much more balanced. He doesn't pick enemies needlessly. Every word is measured and considered, which can be viewed as timid or thought-out, depending on your perspective.

Donald Trump is like a Terminator with no friend-or-foe sensor. He called Megyn Kelly a bimbo. I winced when he said that Ben Carson, a thoroughly decent man, has "pathological illness" when Carson was referring to his youthful violent nature. Trump made a nasty swipe at Ted Cruz's religion by saying "not many evangelicals come out of Cuba." He told a Jewish group that they wouldn't vote for him because they wanted a candidate they could control with their money. He wants to ban all Muslim immigrants for a time (which I support), but a much less incendiary way of doing it is to ban immigrants from ISIS-infested countries, as Cruz wants to do. Trump gets offended very easily and is quick to insult others and get angry. Not the best trait for the president of the United States, who may need to build alliances and bring people along.

So Trump has more of the aggressiveness we need, but maybe he is too aggressive in some ways. Ted Cruz is a little more cautious than I might like, but with few unnecessary and even puzzling outbursts.

What do you think? Do you agree with Donald Trump's comment that he has the best temperament to be president?

Read more: http://www.americanthinker.com...z.html#ixzz3uEHrtmpw

quote:

Originally posted by lastmanstanding:

quote:

We just have to hope they don't knock the crap out of each other on Tuesday.

I'm not so sure Trump has the ability to use better judgement here and see the larger picture.
I hope I'm wrong.
If Cruz wins Iowa Trump will not be kind. He has spent the last 6 months or so reminding everyone how much he is leading by and how he can't understand why anyone else is even competing with him.
Losing the first caucus out of the gate won't sit well with that ego.

I think it is about to get interesting. If Cruz continues to rise and either continue to be close to, or surpass Trump, we will see what Trump is really all about. Trump has yet to be challenged by some one as sharp as Cruz, and he may get cut pretty badly if he isn't careful and launches his typical ad hominem attacks. On the other hand, those two have shown restraint in attacking each other and have shown some solidarity (Trump attending the Cruz sponsored protest against the Iran deal). But, once the competition heats up, I think we will see what each of them is really made of.

Thinking enough Women, College Age voters, and the Middle will vote for Cruz seems crazy. Not the wives and kids of die hard conservatives, but the other 70% of the country.

Do any if you guys talk to people like that in your day to day lives? I do, often, in a myriad of circumstances and groups, and they're not going to vote for someone opposed to PP (or gay stuff). Like it or not, right or wrong, they just aren't, not for President.

They might not even vote for Trump, but they might... And these in the middle and such are the extra 5-10% we need to win the whole thing.

My comments simply come from personal experience, and they may not be right - come election day, but thus far I see no reason to doubt it - when being as objective as I'm able to. I just want to win, but see nearly zero evidence beyond wishful thinking that Cruz can.

In any case, we're all guessing / speculating.