Trump Talk™

I'm actually completely uniformed about Trump. It makes me sad that its either him or a Democrat at this point.

Better then Bush at least...

Even I am not crazy enough to think that could happen.

Sanders is really not that extreme. He only is for the US cause it's such a heavily tradionalist country and equates socialism to communism. Put Sanders in Europe and he wouldn't even stand out that much.

If Donald Trump is serious about wanting to waterboard terrorists, he’d better bring his own bucket, former CIA director Michael Hayden says, because the CIA isn’t going down that road again.

Hayden’s pithy line, which he first uttered in a Showtime documentary and repeated to NBC News, underscores a serious issue: The GOP front-runner has vowed to bring back torture if he becomes president, but current and former CIA officials say the agency feels so burned by what happened when its post 9/11 interrogation program was exposed that it would refuse any such orders.

“Multiple investigations, grand juries, presidential condemnations and congressional star chambers have a way of doing that to you,” Hayden, who was CIA director at the end of the George W. Bush administration, told NBC News.

He then offered an even stronger version of his Showtime quote. “Like the man said, if you want somebody waterboarded, bring your own damn bucket.”

Trump needs his ‘own damn bucket’ to waterboard: Ex-CIA chief
MSNBC Fairly liberal except economically

Too long so here's openers:

And lots more....

Washington — Donald Trump’s dominant performance in the Nevada caucuses takes the Republican Party one click closer to an outcome once thought unfathomable: that the flamboyant billionaire with no previous political experience and questionable conservative credentials really could become the GOP’s standard-bearer in November.

Mr. Trump won in Nevada with 46 percent of the vote, well ahead of Florida Sen. Marco Rubio (24 percent) and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz (21 percent).

Though only 5 percent of convention delegates have been allocated, that math will change quickly come March 1, Super Tuesday, with more than 10 states voting and one-quarter of GOP delegates at stake. Voters like to back a winner, and the more Trump wins – now three contests in a row – the more likely he is to win in the future.

“If one of the two senators wants to be the nominee, they have to put their squabbling aside and start focusing on taking down Trump,” says Republican strategist Ford O’Connell. “I expect to see a glimpse of that in Houston at the debate on Thursday.”

The question, then, is how they might do that. Some Republicans suggest that to beat Trump, you have to think like Trump: Attack him on his weaknesses.

And Trump has plenty, they say. Start with his thin skin, on display in the last Republican debate, when Jeb Bush went after him over eminent domain and for blaming his brother on the 9/11 attacks. The audience booed Trump, and he lashed out.

“Trump is kind of prickly and can be baited,” says Chip Felkel, a Greenville, S.C.-based Republican strategist who is not affiliated with a 2016 campaign.

The argument is that Trump is temperamentally unsuited to being president. New Jersey Gov. Christie tried that argument in the final debate before the New Hampshire primary. Perhaps the result speaks for itself: Trump won New Hampshire going away, and Governor Christie dropped out.

Other candidates have gone after Trump and flamed out. Texas Gov. Rick Perry attacked Trump early, going after this conservative credentials and calling him a “false prophet.” He was out of the race by last September.

Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul called Trump “a delusional narcissist and an orange-faced windbag,” in an appearance in January on Comedy Central’s “Nightly Show With Larry Wilmore." “A speck of dirt is way more qualified to be president,” Senator Paul added for good measure. Within days, he was out of the race, too.

Name-calling obviously accomplishes nothing, at least when it’s a Trump opponent on the attack. And it just validates Trump’s own colorful use of language when going after his adversaries. With Trump, aggressive language shows he’s a fighter – a quality that voters are looking for at a time of economic and international insecurity.

Perhaps the best way to take down Trump, some suggest, is to attack his perceived strengths – his success as a businessman and the notion that he’s a populist standing up for the little guy. His supporters don’t seem to care much about his four bankruptcies, or the fact that he inflates his net worth (he says $8.7 billion, Forbes says $4 billion), or that he has yet to release his tax returns.

But Trump could be vulnerable, observers say, over the thousands of employees who have lost their jobs over the years, as happened, for example, when Trump Plaza closed in Atlantic City last year. Then there’s Vera Coking, the widow whose Atlantic City home Trump wanted to tear down so he could build a parking lot for limousines, and the small businesses he tried to squeeze out of Bridgeport, Conn., so he could develop the land.

Finding those people and telling their stories is “roughly what the Democrats did to Mitt Romney, rendering him radioactive with many of the same working class voters currently backing Trump,” writes New York Times columnist Ross Douthat, referring to the Republicans’ 2012 nominee.

“Except with Trump the trick is subtly different,” Mr. Douthat continues. “Mitt was a numbers guy, so he was caricatured as a cruel Scrooge. But Trump is a salesman: That’s been a big part of his campaign’s success. And how do you flip a salesman’s brand? You persuade people that he’s a con artist, and they’re his marks.”

The story of the Atlantic City widow has already come up, briefly, in the campaign, both in one of the GOP debates and in an ad by Senator Cruz’s campaign, which he ran only briefly. In addition, the ad misstated the facts of the widow’s case – Trump did not succeed in buying her house – and that muddied the message. But the fact remains that Trump’s business history is fertile territory for arguments against him.

Important, too, is who does the attacking. And as the Republican nomination race winnows down to just a few candidates, it’s noteworthy that Senator Rubio – seen as the GOP establishment favorite to go one-on-one against Trump – has barely taken him on.

“Here’s my thing with Marco – I believe he’s competitive enough to do it, but I don’t know if he has the killer instinct,” says Mr. O’Connell.

Thursday’s debate, the last before Super Tuesday, could be the test.

Another avenue for taking down Trump is via the super-political action committees, the outside groups that independently support candidates. Some have taken on Trump, but with limited success. One called Make America Awesome claims it made headway with Iowa voters in an ad on eminent domain abuse.

"The Des Moines Register's final pre-caucus poll makes clear what Make America Awesome's data has shown for months: Trump-inclined voters will only be dissuaded from backing him if they see Trump as just another rich guy who's been screwing them over economically, rigging the system and then making bank while their lives get tougher," Liz Mair, who runs the super PAC, told the Washington Examiner.

Another super PAC, devoted solely to taking down Trump, released its game plan on Monday.

“Many have asked me, ‘What can be done to stop Trump?’" writes Katie Packer Gage, executive director of Our Principles PAC. “The answer is simple: TRY.”

Ms. Gage, who was deputy campaign manager for Mr. Romney in 2012, says that of the $215 million Republicans have spent in ads and voter contact so far this cycle, only $9 million – 4 percent – has been aimed at challenging Trump, while tens of millions have been spent attacking Rubio, Cruz, and the others.

Her favored argument against Trump: that he’s a “conservative of convenience,” who supports government-mandated health care, tax hikes, and Planned Parenthood.

The conservative Club for Growth has also announced a $1 million ad buy in two Super Tuesday states against Trump, though its previous ads seem to have had little effect.

To Trump, this is all just the Republican “establishment” trying to take him down and protect its turf.

In the end, says Mr. Felkel, Trump may be the only one who can take down Trump: “I think his biggest weakness is himself.”

Now, if Donald Trump gets the Republican nomination (from their viewpoint it's the logical option) and he goes against Hilary Clinton (if she wins the nomination) then the field is level. Who would win between Clinton and Trump? Trump, hands down. Clinton is associated with the Clinton name and more recently with Obama, who is leaving office with a sketchy record to say the best.

After Donald Trump's third win in a row, pundits and political observers are beginning to accept a stark reality: This guy may become the Republican Party standard bearer in the 2016 presidential election. (The morning after the bigoted, bullying tycoon triumphed in the Nevada caucuses, the Drudge Report splashed a headline simply declaring, "The Nominee," below a photo of Trump.) And tweeters, scribes, and analysts throughout the political-media world began wondering if the GOP elite could do anything to stop him from seizing control of the Republican Party. Whether possible or not to de-Trumpify the GOP at this point, Republican insiders, pooh-bahs, and bigwigs only have themselves to blame for Frankentrump. In recent years, they have fomented, fostered, accepted, and exploited the climate of hate in which Trump's candidacy has taken root. For the fat-cat donors, special-interest lobbyists, and elected officials who usually run the Republican show, Trump is an invasive species. But he has grown large and strong in the manure they have spread across the political landscape....

I wouldn't throw Cruz in the same category as Trump or Carson.

I think people are forgetting or simply don't even know why they want an anti-establishment candidate in the first place. It's because establishment candidates pander to the people and tell their voters wonderful things they want to hear, but once in power, they prioritize working for the special interest/power brokers behind the scene.

Cruz is no different. He gets on his hands and knees and crawls to the same kind of people Bush and Rubio do. I don't know if it's still true, but as of a few months ago, he literally gets most of his money from 4 people.

The only thing setting Cruz apart from other establishment candidates is that the rest of the establishment politicians don't like him. You're naive if you don't think that was intentionally perpetrated by Cruz since he's a smart guy and knows this election cycle will be dominated by so-called outsiders.

You must not be paying attention. Carson and Cruz are anti-establishment like Trump only Trump is Trump.

....
When you think about it like that the only conclusion is, Cruz is a political genius and his only mistake was he didn't count on Trump. But that doesn't make any sense because Trump is helping build this Massive anti-government wave more than Cruz is!

....
But for [Cruz] to bank on people being as informed as me to win the election and this anti-establishment wave would be naive on his part. It just wasn't this big until recently.

As for anti establishment being recent, the tea party says hi.

True. The GOP treats their base as captive suckers. Promise them anything then bend them over, shaft them, ship their jobs overseas, give massive tax cuts to the 0.1%, and throw them red meat next election cycle.

Carson isn't anti establishment, Carson is non establishment.

Few here think you informed.

True. The GOP treats their base as captive suckers.

Lol, all the while the poor vote Democrat year after year and somehow remain poor. Both parties have their captive suckers and want to keep them right where they are despite all the lip service to the contrary.

P.S. Please stop it with voting for Trump. It was funny for a little while. But the guy is Hitler. And by that I mean that we are being Germany in the 30s. Do you think they saw the ***coming? Hitler was just some hilarious and refreshing dude with a weird comb over who would say anything at all.

And I’m not advocating for Hillary or Bernie. I like them both but frankly I wish the next president was a conservative only because we had Obama for eight years and we need balance. And not because I particularly enjoy the conservative agenda. I just think the government should reflect the people. And we are about 40 percent conservative and 40 percent liberal. When I was growing up and when I was a younger man, liberals and conservatives were friends with differences. They weren’t enemies. And it always made sense that everyone gets a president they like for a while and then hates the president for a while. But it only works if the conservatives put up a good candidate. A good smart conservative to face the liberal candidate so they can have a good argument and the country can decide which way to go this time.

Trump is not that. He's an insane bigot. He is dangerous.

He already said he would expand libel laws to sue anyone who "writes a negative hit piece" about him. He says "I would open up the libel laws so we can sue them and win lots of money. Not like now. These guys are totally protected." He said that. He has promised to decimate the first amendment. (If you think he’s going to keep the second amendment intact you’re delusional.) And he said that Paul Ryan, speaker of the house will "pay" for criticizing him. So I'm saying this now because if he gets in there we won't be able to criticize him anymore.

Please pick someone else. Like John Kasich. I mean that guy seems okay. I don't like any of them myself but if you're that kind of voter please go for a guy like that. It feels like between him and either democrat we'd have a decent choice. It feels like a healthier choice. We shouldn't have to vote for someone because they're not a shocking *** billionaire liar.

We should choose based on what direction the country should go.

I get that all these people sound like *** soft criminal opportunists. The whole game feels rigged and it's not going anywhere but down anymore. I feel that way sometimes.

And that voting for Trump is a way of saying "*** it. *** them all". I really get it. It's a version of national Suicide. Or it's like a big hit off of a crack pipe. Somehow we can't help it. Or we know that if we vote for Trump our phones will be a reliable source of dopamine for the next four years. I mean I can't wait to read about Trump every day. It's a rush. But you have to know this is not healthy.

If you are a true conservative. Don't vote for Trump. He is not one of you. He is one of him. Everything you have heard him say that you liked, if you look hard enough you will see that he one day said the exact opposite. He is playing you.

In fact, if you do vote for Trump, at least look at him very carefully first. You owe that to the rest of us. Know and understand who he is. Spend one hour on google and just read it all. I don’t mean listen to me or listen to liberals who put him down. Listen to your own people. Listen to John Mccain. Go look at what he just said about Trump. "At a time when our world has never been more complex or more in danger... I want Republican voters to pay close attention to what our party's most respected and knowledgeable leaders and national security experts are saying about Mr. Trump, and to think long and hard about who they want to be our next Commander-in-Chief and leader of the free world.”

When Trump was told what he said, Trump said "Oh, he did? Well, that's not nice," he told CBS News' chief White House correspondent Major Garrett. "He has to be very careful."

When pressed on why, Trump tacked on: "He'll find out.”

(I cut and pasted that from CBS news)

Do you really want a guy to be president who threatens John McCain? Because John McCain cautiously and intelligently asked for people to be thoughtful before voting for him? He didn’t even insult Trump. He just asked you to take a good look. And Trump told him to look out.

Remember that Trump entered this race by saying that McCain is not a war hero. A guy who was shot down, body broken and kept in a POW camp for years. Trump said “I prefer the guys who don’t get caught.” Why did he say that? Not because he meant it or because it was important to say. He said it because he’s a bully and every bully knows that when you enter a new school yard, you go to the toughest most respected guy on the yard and you punch him in the nose. If you are still standing after, you’re the new boss. If Trump is president, he’s not going to change. He’s not going to do anything for you. He’s going to do everything for himself and leave you in the dust.

So please listen to fellow conservatives. But more importantly, listen to Trump. Listen to all of it. Everything he says. If you liked when he said that “torture works” then go look at where he took it back the next day. He’s a *** liar.

A vote for Trump is so clearly a gut-vote, and again I get it. But add a little brain to it and look the guy up. Because if you vote for him because of how you feel right now, the minute he's president, you're going to regret it. You're going to regret it even more when he gives the job to his son. Because American democracy is broken enough that a guy like that could really *** things up. That's how Hitler got there. He was voted into power by a fatigued nation and when he got inside, he did all his Hitler things and no one could stop him.

Again, I’m not saying vote democrat or vote for anyone else. If Hilary ends up president it should be because she faced the best person you have and you and I both chose her or him or whoever. Trump is not your best. He’s the worst of all of us. He’s a symptom to a problem that is very real. But don’t vote for your own cancer. You’re better than that.

That's just my view. At least right now. I know I’m not qualified or particularly educated and I'm not right instead of you. I’m an idiot and I'm sure a bunch of you are very annoyed by this. *** celebrity with an opinion. I swear this isn’t really a political opinion. You don’t want to know my political opinions. (And I know that I’m only bringing myself trouble with this ***.) Trump has nothing to do with politics or ideology. He has to do with himself. And really I don't mean to insult anyone. Except Trump. I mean to insult him very much. And really I’m not saying he’s evil or a monster. In fact I don’t think Hitler was. The problem with saying that guys like that are monsters is that we don’t see them coming when they turn out to be human, which they all are. Everyone is. Trump is a messed up guy with a hole in his heart that he tries to fill with money and attention. He can never ever have enough of either and he’ll never stop trying. He’s sick. Which makes him really really interesting. And he pulls you towards him which somehow feels good or fascinatingly bad. He’s not a monster. He’s a sad man. But all this makes him horribly dangerous if he becomes president. Give him another TV show. Let him pay to put his name on buildings. But please stop voting for him. And please watch Horace and Pete.