So, Trump’s campaign platform is torture, murder, end of freedom of speech and religious discrimination. And Hillary is the devil? Good grief.
“I just don’t trust her,” say some people in eastern PA.
Timex
3245
Paul Ryan comes out and says reasonable things, thank god.
It gives me some sliver of hope that there’s been a virtually universal condemnation of Trump by the GOP for this.
“Why is Paul Ryan growing a beard? Is he a Muslim?”
Just wait for it…
Lantz
3248
In the midst of the crazy, I’ll add something positive. Some sanity may be coming from the Supreme Court if we’re really lucky:
http://election.princeton.edu/2015/12/05/can-math-save-democracy/
Scuzz
3249
I spent 6 weeks traveling in Europe back in 1980. I can remember many young Euros asking me how we could elect Reagan president. Well, see where we have gone from there. :)
Scuzz
3250
I do wonder how many people who say they are for Trump in a poll would actually pull the lever for him when the time comes. Same thing with Carson. Sadly that may open things up for Cruz.
Timex
3251
Probably most of them, but the thing is, the only folks who are actually captured in those polls are folks with land lines… which basically precludes some massive chunk of the voting public under the age of 60.
I spent 6 weeks traveling in Europe back in 1980. I can remember many young Euros asking me how we could elect Reagan president. Well, see where we have gone from there. :)
Reagan gave this speech when he left the oval office…
CLEARLY A RINO.
Scuzz
3252
I am on a very heavy sports oriented forum, football of course being the main sport, and the number of Trump supporters is alarming. I think Trump says stuff some people think and then realize it can’t be done, or isn’t right. But if Trump says it, maybe it is okay. I don’t know why else his remarks wouldn’t have ended his run by now. But I think when push comes to shove people will think twice about actually voting for someone that nuts. At least I hope so.
Making the always dangerous presumption that a politician believes what they say, let’s imagine that Trump somehow wins the Republican nomination and beats whatever candidate wins the Democrat nomination. As part of this thought experiment, let’s say that Republicans carry filibuster-proof majorities in both the Senate and the House.
We know that much of the legislature is full of crap (both sides of the aisle). Legislation is proposed and even passed that they know will never become law because it won’t pass one or the other houses of Congress or that the President will veto it. That happens ALL the time, and for numerous reasons.
However, if the President is truly crazy enough to sign off on extreme measures (some of which are CLEARLY illegal and would get shot down by SCOTUS), would at least the conservative legislature stop with the BS? Could it actually push them “left” of their former purported standing, supporting bills they squashed or voted against because they would have the names of Democrats attached?
Trump continuing to poll well is more evidence for my belief that Americans, as a whole, are still a whole hell of a lot more racist than we’d care to admit.
So if Trump doesn’t get the nomination, is it crazy to believe that he would run as a third party and split the Republican vote? And perhaps in the process create a somewhat popular third party (though not nearly enough to actually win) and fuck over the GOP for the foreseeable future?
I wholeheartedly agree, all of the “post-racial” BS just because Obama got elected notwithstanding.
That said, I still cling onto that dream that it’s all one big troll. Just imagine Trump getting the nomination, walking up to the podium as if to accept it, and then calling out all of the people who cast their votes for someone who was spewing such vile crap. He could walk out of the building and into the streets to a hero’s welcome. That could be the most transformational moment in US political history since the Civil War era. I can even picture the headlines: “Trump to bigots and oligarchs: You’re Fired!” Of course it will never happen, but I will continue to dream.
Despite his pledge, I suspect he would strongly consider a 3rd party run. A few states out there would not place his name on the ballot, iirc, but he could be written in for those.
As usual, I agree with Dick Cheney:
Cheney says Trump’s Muslim ban ‘goes against everything we stand for’
CraigM
3258
For once I agree with Dick Cheney.
See? Trump is creating consensus across party lines! He’s a uniter!
Also, speaking of Trump leaving the GOP and running as an independent…
The overwhelming majority of his supporters also say they would vote for him if he bolted the GOP and ran as an independent.
The nationwide survey, taken Wednesday through Sunday, finds a trio of Republican candidates who show emerging national strength — Trump, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio — as other once-serious contenders struggle for traction.
And in a chilling sign for Republicans, 68% of Trump’s supporters say they would vote for the blustery billionaire businessman if he ran as an independent rather than a Republican; just 18% say they wouldn’t. The rest were undecided.
Nesrie
3261
My dad is really into Trump right now. He thinks Trump stands for the working class and against the top 1%, wall street and the political lifers. I doubt he pays attention to international affairs at all. He just wants to stop struggling as a member of the working class, and for whatever reason, he believes Trump can do that… partially because he thinks illegal immigrants are taking all the jobs and using all the social services.
I don’t think it’s just the crazies. There’s a group in there that works hard every day and never gets ahead… they’re looking at him too. And I don’t say that because I know one person who thinks that way. He’s one of many I know.
