quote:

shift slightly in her seat, raise one leg, and: "Mr. Trump... brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrt!!"

Bwahahahahahaha......

not fair - just ordered a new keyboard

quote:

Originally posted by doublesharp:
I hope Trump backing out of the FOX news debate Thursday doesn't backfire. I think it's a mistake.

Of course it is a mistake. I don't know if it is a mere mistake - that is, a calculated move but one that will backfire - or his ego running away with him.

EDIT - The reason.

The Trump faithful will think it is genius. The rest of voters will think it is arrogance and disdain for the process and for them. And the faithful alone won't get the nomination for Trump and they certainly won't win the general election.

But it is a mistake.

quote:

Of course it is a mistake. I don't know if it is a mere mistake - that is, a calculated move but one that will backfire - or his ego running away with him.

But it is a mistake.

Once upon a time people relied on newspapers, then radio, and then television for their news. Today we have the internet.

Why are televised debates done in the traditional sense even necessary any more? We don't need to wait for the news to tell us what somebody said. I can get that information immediately, accurately, and directly from the source. I can read about where the candidates stand on their own website. I can watch videos of their speeches and rallies on Youtube.

Although I do find entertainment value in the televised debates, in today's world, I don't need them to decide who to vote for.

quote:

Originally posted by jhe888:

quote:

Originally posted by doublesharp:
I hope Trump backing out of the FOX news debate Thursday doesn't backfire. I think it's a mistake.

Of course it is a mistake. I don't know if it is a mere mistake - that is, a calculated move but one that will backfire - or his ego running away with him.

But it is a mistake.

"Of course"? Please, do explain this. I guess I'm just missing the obvious. Tell me about "Of course".

All you guys who are trying to discourage us from our only hope- I am going to rub your faces in this, come next November. You have my word.

I understand, though. You want Hillary Clinton to be POTUS. Of course this is true.

quote:

Originally posted by jhe888:

quote:

Originally posted by doublesharp:
I hope Trump backing out of the FOX news debate Thursday doesn't backfire. I think it's a mistake.

Of course it is a mistake. I don't know if it is a mere mistake - that is, a calculated move but one that will backfire - or his ego running away with him.

But it is a mistake.

And if his poll numbers go up after the debate, is it still a "mistake"?

It seems Trump has made many, many "mistakes" according to the "experts". How's that been working out for him so far?

I made a post in this thread a while back about Trump feeding them a crap sammich and coming back for more.

He just ordered a Double-Double Animal Style and they wolfed it down.

They once again just got beat at their own game. A game they believed they controlled and changed the rules at their whim.

He's showing folks how this Country USED to be...before the national debate became a TV show. He's using their own tactics against them and they gots not clue on what to do!

I think it's a good move by Trump. What's he got to gain by participating? Nothing! He's already solidly in the lead in Iowa and as the last debate, the rest of the candidates will be doing nothing but slinging shit in a last desperate attempt to get their numbers up. Since Trump won't be there, the only wall for their shit to stick to will be Cruz. The people that have already decided on Trump just wont watch without Trump, so the "winner" of this debate will mean nothing to them.

Cruz needs to be worried about being the top dog at a desperate debate. Without Trump there as a foil, the lower tiers will look stupid trying to bring down Trump as that would acknowledge their weakness against his dominance and simply add to Trump's after-debate media visibility. Now all their attention will be on bringing down Cruz so they can continue to seem a viable candidate and without Trump next to him as an alternative to their hate, Cruz will bear the full brunt of their desperate ire. Even Cruz with his super strong debate skills will have problems at a debate full of desperate candidates all targeting him with stupid shit and not enough debate time for him to get in a good answer since he can't get away with being be like Trump and tell other interrupting candidate to STFU and wait their turn. The Moderators, without Trump to focus on with "gotcha" questions, will have to mostly focus on "boring" policy implementation type questions that only interests reporters and pundits since there will be no straight-shooter like Trump and it will all be all political double-talk instead of the blunt sensationalism of Trump that attracts viewers. Whether people are watching for or against Trump, without the guy you love "or" hate, it'll be a far more boring debate.

To his benefit, Trump will get to pick apart their bad debate performance for more media time and fuel for his Twitter and interview fires. Sure his numbers may drop a little bit because of his decision to not show, but not nearly as much as Cruz's numbers will drop without Trump in the same crab pot that the rest of the crabs mindlessly trying to drag down. Sure Cruz might get get lucky and the third tier candidates Rubio/Christie/Bush won't focus shit-slinging on him to steal "true conservative" votes, the moderators won't hit him with Trump-like can't-win gotcha questions, and is given the time (since he is a bit long-winded) to pull off the debate performance of his life.. But I doubt Cruz will be that lucky..

I predict, Trump will drop a couple points initially (while getting it all back almost immediately after a Twitter storm mocking the debate), while Cruz drops several points more (unless he gets lucky) without Trump as a on-stage foil. The third tiers each raise a point or two each by stealing from Cruz. Trump will then laugh at Cruz's "mano el mano" debate request, since he doesn't need to debate someone who just dropped significantly more in the polls.

Of course it's a savvy move on Trump's part, but those who hate the guy will try to use this against him, including some members of this forum who apparently want Hillary Clinton for POTUS.

quote:

Originally posted by entropy:
He's showing folks how this Country USED to be...before the national debate became a TV show. He's using their own tactics against them and they gots not clue on what to do!

Yes, and the hangdog look on ol' Meg's face last night tells the story.

The biggest news stories before, during, and after the debate will be about Trump. His boycott just cemented that outcome.

Free advertising, and taking away air time from the other candidates, but of course, it's a mistake.

If you look at how he's manipulating this whole thing...imagine him working a trade deal with the Chicoms or a treaty with Iran. Folks are so used to the media pomp theyre missing the very basics of what he is doing here. He's driving the boat. Period.

Although I still respect all the members here, its pretty easy to see who likes the status quo.

Donald Cajones Trump showing leadership. He's all they'll be talking about today. The media is probably universally despised as much as politicians and lawyers.

quote:

FLASHBACK: Ronald Reagan Skipped Last Debate Before IA Caucus – Went on to Win in Landslide

http://www.thegatewaypundit.co...to-win-in-landslide/

The debates are such a sham, I wish more candidates would blow them off.

quote:

Originally posted by braillediver:
Donald Cajones Trump showing leadership.

I agree, but those who hate Trump insist that all candidates must jump through the hoops laid out by the disgusting, biased news media.

IOW, it's just another excuse to bash the guy. He's our only hope, so, it doesn't matter much.

quote:

The Trump faithful will think it is genius. The rest of voters will think it is arrogance and disdain for the process and for them. And the faithful alone won't get the nomination for Trump and they certainly won't win the general election.

Well said. Two weeks ago he had a probable clear path to victory where he might have lost Iowa, but retained the strong support of people who supported other candidates. Instead, we've seen two weeks of contention and divisiveness that goes beyond anything I've ever seen in a conservative race.

Now, a few days before probably winning Iowa, he's pulling another stunt. His supporters love it, but it does look arrogant and erratic to the rest of us. Yes, Reagan skipped the last debate and went onto victory, but he didn't pull the stuff Trump has in the past few weeks. He's already had establishment voters say they'd stay home or support the opposition. Now it almost seems like he wants to push even more away.

In 2012 Trump Tweeted, "Michele Bachmann just dropped out of prez race--- when she didn't do the Newsmax debate it showed great disloyalty and people rejected her."

Maybe Teflon Donald isn't hurt by this, but when 1 in 4 Iowa voters haven't made up their minds, in his own words it's not a smart move.

quote:

In 2011, Donald Trump was scheduled to moderate a debate on Newsmax TV. During the preparations for the debate Trump went on with Megyn Kelly and lamented that only two candidates had agreed to be in the Des Moines debate at the end of December, days before the Iowa Primary.

Megyn Kelly asked Trump what his thoughts were on only two candidates confirming for his debate. He told Kelly, "we're not seeing a lot of courage here are we?" Trump continued, "not lots of courage, these Republicans are supposed to be brave."

Trump also told Kelly that she "had done a great job" moderating debates, and he wouldn't even be "close" to the moderator she was.

After his appearance, Trump bowed out of hosting the debate due to a lack of participation by the candidates. In a released statement, published by Politico, Trump said:

The Republican Party candidates are very concerned that sometime after the final episode of The Apprentice, on May 20th, when the equal time provisions are no longer applicable to me, I will announce my candidacy for President of the United States as an Independent and that, unless I conclusively agree not to run as an Independent, they will not agree to attend or be a part of the Newsmax debate scheduled for December 27, 2011. It is very important to me that the right Republican candidate be chosen to defeat the failed and very destructive Obama Administration, but if that Republican, in my opinion, is not the right candidate, I am not willing to give up my right to run as an Independent candidate. Therefore, so that there is no conflict of interest within the Republican Party, I have decided not to be the moderator of the Newsmax debate. The American people are embarrassed by the gridlock currently taking place in Washington. I must leave all of my options open because, above all else, we must make America great again!

Later in the statement Trump thanked Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum for having the "courage" to appear with him.

After Michelle Bachmann dropped out of the presidential contest in 2012, Trump blamed her defeat on her unwillingness to show up to his debate.

https://www.conservativereview...sthash.YlQuj2Z8.dpuf

quote:

Originally posted by Ackks:
His supporters love it, but it does look arrogant and erratic to the rest of us.

So, let's see- that's you and a few other members here, and the Democratic Party.

You find yourself is such good company.

See you boys in November. Go get yourselves some Hillary campaign swag- some buttons and yard signs and shit.

Trump doesn't play by the rules.

He makes the rules.

I like it.

I'm confused, are 1 in 4 Iowa voters undecided, or is Trump about to win Iowa, or both?

And if he's about to win Iowa, whether predetermined or not, how is this bad?

Granted, I'm not suggesting winning Iowa is everything, but how is winning it bad?

Ask our Hillary supporters in the forum. I'm certain they'll have some kind of bullshit answer for you.