What occurs to me is that the establishment and legacy media ought to take notice that regardless of his 'antics' his popularity increases. They should be asking themselves not just why, but they should understand that his popularity-in-spite-of is a direct relation to how despised they are by the same population. Everything Trump does to surprise them ought to sting a little more at the reminder that we hate them more. Hate is a strong word that is over used and distorted. But in this case 'Hate' is the right word. We hate you and what you've done by commission and omission to this once great nation and we will find someone who will correct our course.

Ive reached my limit for the evening. Off to bed. In the morning it will still be the big news talk.

...and Trump will be up another 3pts.

Who gives a damn what Trump was "told"? Trump listens to the advice of others about as much as I do.

BTW- Bill O'Reilly is nothing but a windbag who sits in a chair and talks to a camera. I am not impressed by Mr. "Heavy Weapons", and I question the judgement of anyone who is.

quote:

Originally posted by entropy:
Ive reached my limit for the evening. Off to bed. In the morning it will still be the big news talk.

...and Trump will be up another 3pts.

Yeah, damn, it's a puzzler, ain't it? Soooo mysterious. Must be some kinda conspiracy. There couldn't be any other explanation.

quote:

Yeah, damn, it's a puzzler, ain't it? Soooo mysterious. Must be some kinda conspiracy. There couldn't be any other explanation.

A mistake is what it is.

Of course

quote:

he has support from 35% of GOP voters. It's going to take a lot more than that to win the general. Say he has 40%, that means 60% like someone else or haven't made up their minds on the GOP side.

I'm pretty sure by time the general rolls around it'll be down to just one Republican and one Democrat. I suspect the undecided GOP will be decided by then.

Looks to me like Trump is just using his leverage to put Fox in their place. They need him more than he needs them, and he's proving it. He knows that his supporters are solid whether he "debates" or not.

Whatever Bill O'Fuckstick has to say...hell I'm not listening. To hell with that asshole. Mr. "Heavy weapons" can shove it straight up his Yankee ass sideways.

I'm not a fan of his show either, but I'd think most people would wish for that as well. Regardless of what happened the past 8 years that's still the office of Washington and Lincoln. I'm not sure his ego will let him, but if he is the future president, I hope he starts acting the part and surprises us all. Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't believe we are past the point of hoping for that in a leader.

Trump deciding not to go is genius level gamesmanship.


-Fox ratings on the debate go down, he can say it was because of him.
-The candidates talk about him, he'll say that he's the front runner and look at them, all they care about it Trump, not the country.
-The candidates don't talk about him, he can say they were scared to mention the front runner.
-etc
-etc


Gasbag Bill O'Reilly was begging Trump to go to the debate.

Per Gallup, at this point (late January) in 2012:

Romney had 31%
Newt had 26%
Santorum 16%
and Paul 11%

And in late January of 2008:

John McCain 29%
Mike Huckabee 23%
Mitt Romney 20%
Rudy Giuliani 15%,
Ron Paul 4%

So I'm not particularly worried about Trump's 35% at this point.

Maybe later I'll look up where things stood in Jan of 2004/2000/1996/1992/etc.

I can tell you that if we had McCain and Romney as leading candidates right now, I'd be fairly pessimistic. The way I see the top Rep candidates today, I'd be relieved with any of them as the nominee. Given the weakness I see in the not-so-loyal opposition, I think the Reps would have to go full retard to lose this election.

quote:

Originally posted by darthfuster:
I can tell you that if we had McCain and Romney as leading candidates right now, I'd be fairly pessimistic. The way I see the top Rep candidates today, I'd be relieved with any of them as the nominee. Given the weakness I see in the not-so-loyal opposition, I think the Reps would have to go full retard to lose this election.

Gospel.

Trump could have just as easily run as a liberal Democrat. I think he recognized all the anger and division was in the Republican party and he could use that. After all he is a political genius.

His biggest accomplishment has been able to convince otherwise conservative voters that he is their only hope. To me it's the old "The greatest lie the Devil ever told was convincing people that he didn't exist."

Cruz is too right to win a general election? If all the conservatives who believe that would get behind Cruz instead of Trump we could have a real conservative leader in the White House.

When Obama said during his campaign that he was going to "fundamentally change America" his throngs of followers heard the words but didn't listen, didn't stop to think what that really meant.

Trump just said a week or so ago. "When I'm President I will be a completely different person, I can be so politically correct".
Hear the words folks. Listen closely.

quote:

Trump between as early as 1999 and as recently as September 2015, talking about his support for universal health care and distaste for guns, among other positions.

“I’m going to take care of everybody,” Trump said in September 2015 on CBS’ 60 minutes. When asked how he would pay for it, he responded that “the government’s going to take care of it.”

The ad also highlights Trump's past statements on a number of other issues.

In 1999, Trump said he had joined the Reform Party because Republicans are “just too crazy” right.

In 2000, he said: “I hate the concept of guns.”

In 2004: “I identify more as a Democrat.”

In 2007: Told Wolf Blitzer on CNN’s “The Situation Room” that Hillary Clinton was the most qualified to make a nuclear deal with Iran.

In 2008: Said he was “impressed” with Rep. Nancy Pelosi, and supported the idea of impeaching then President George W. Bush.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/...218144#ixzz3yWwHDVzu

Link

quote:

He was told in the interview tonight that at some point he's going to have to start rising above this crap and act presidential.

O'Reilly compared Megyn's behavior, and Fox's, to slights and insults that will come from Putin or the Ayatollah. How is that for runaway ego? Megyn is on a par with national leaders. Uh-huh. I guess because they too have make up artists that put their false eyelashes on one at a time.

"Act presidential"? Toward a celebrity who is where she is because she is a beautiful blonde?

This is all about power. Megyn and Fox are insisting that they hold all of it, and Trump needs to bow to them.

He is giving them the finger.

lastmanstanding, you hang in there! We are having several thousand boxes of Kleenex tissues air-dropped into this thread today, for you and all the others who can't see the forest for the trees.

Hang in there, champ! Relief is coming!

"There there. There there" -Yossarian, Catch-22

Trump has nothing to gain from another debate in my opinion. He knows Fox is out to make him look bad. He has a lot to gain by "owning" the media. CNN was all Trump yesterday. Getting Fox under control, or putting them in their place will likely be another step in that direction. Trump sees the debates at this point as silly. I was turned off a little when I heard trump was backing out. But I think it was a good move now. He is just getting on with it. Plain and simple. The fight is in Iowa, not on Fox. Screw Fox.


Second place is Cruz. That ain't gonna change. There is no third place. WE ARE ALL GOING TO VOTE EITHER TRUMP OR CRUZ. PERIOD. I LOVE THE IDEA OF CRUZ AS PRESIDENT BUT TRUMP HAS THE BEST CHANCE. SUCK IT UP. CRUZ IS NOT LIKED IN DC. NEITHER IS TRUMP. BUT ONLY TRUMP CAN PUT DC IN ITS PLACE. LETS GET ON WITH IT. TRUMP OR NOTHING.

quote:

Originally posted by lastmanstanding:
If all the conservatives who believe that would get behind Cruz instead of Trump we could have a real conservative leader in the White House.

Nope.

All conservatives make up 38% of Americans. Not enough to elect a President.

It takes a candidate with cross over appeal to win the general election. Cruz has zero cross over appeal.

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:
One guess who wins the cable new ratings battle tomorrow night.

It is my hope that before too long, people will get past their personal prejudices, stop the pointless bitching, open their eyes as to what's really going on here, and will do what needs to be done.

That is my hope as well. We really need for the people in this country to get past all that petty crap and consider what is good for the country, and thus the entire population.

quote:

That is my hope as well. We really need for the people in this country to get past all that petty crap and consider what is good for the country, and thus the entire population.

And outside of a handful of polarizing issues, there is an awful lot of common ground. We don't need a hard right President just as much as we don't need a hard left President. We need somebody who leans right and can capture the support from that middle area.