Page 58 of 231

Re: The Art of the Donald Trump Sideshow

Posted: Thu Mar 03, 2016 1:27 pm
by GreenGoo
raydude wrote:
Trump doesn't do nuanced attacks. He does name calling and attacks on a person's looks and perceived image. What happens when Trump attacks a woman's looks and image?
Is this rhetorical?

It works out great. Really. Hell, Rip does it all the time and seems pretty happy with himself.

Re: The Art of the Donald Trump Sideshow

Posted: Thu Mar 03, 2016 1:35 pm
by Max Peck
Koch brothers will not use funds to try to block Trump nomination
Enlarge Image
The Koch brothers, the most powerful conservative mega donors in the United States, will not use their $400 million political arsenal to try to block Republican front-runner Donald Trump's path to the presidential nomination, a spokesman told Reuters on Wednesday. The decision by the billionaire industrialists is another setback to Republican establishment efforts to derail the New York real estate mogul's bid for the White House, and follows speculation the Kochs would soon launch a "Trump Intervention."

"We have no plans to get involved in the primary," said James Davis, spokesman for Freedom Partners, the Koch brothers’ political umbrella group. He would not elaborate on what the brothers' strategy would be for the Nov. 8 election to succeed Democratic President Barack Obama. Three sources close to the Kochs said the brothers made the decision because they were concerned that spending millions of dollars attacking Trump would be money wasted, since they had not yet seen any attack on Trump stick.

Re: The Art of the Donald Trump Sideshow

Posted: Thu Mar 03, 2016 1:37 pm
by Smoove_B
Is this rhetorical?
Exactly. And he doesn't even need to go into her appearance or the fact that she's a woman. The Clinton name isn't exactly untarnished and as long as the email server stories keep bubbling into the news cycle and he can hammer her on issues of trust, where she's getting her money from, her voting record, her donors, etc... he's on easy street. What are people going to say about him? That he's never been elected? That he has no experience? That he's a racist? Everyone already knows it and they're still supporting him.

Re: The Art of the Donald Trump Sideshow

Posted: Thu Mar 03, 2016 1:41 pm
by raydude
GreenGoo wrote:
raydude wrote:
Trump doesn't do nuanced attacks. He does name calling and attacks on a person's looks and perceived image. What happens when Trump attacks a woman's looks and image?
Is this rhetorical?

It works out great. Really. Hell, Rip does it all the time and seems pretty happy with himself.
Huh, I guess all that shit with Megyn Kelly was just in my head then.

Re: The Art of the Donald Trump Sideshow

Posted: Thu Mar 03, 2016 1:48 pm
by GreenGoo
raydude wrote:
GreenGoo wrote:
raydude wrote:
Trump doesn't do nuanced attacks. He does name calling and attacks on a person's looks and perceived image. What happens when Trump attacks a woman's looks and image?
Is this rhetorical?

It works out great. Really. Hell, Rip does it all the time and seems pretty happy with himself.
Huh, I guess all that shit with Megyn Kelly was just in my head then.
If you thought it negatively impacted his popularity, then yeah, that part was in your head.

He isn't particularly happy with Heidi Klum's looks after all these years either and felt the need to share his opinion with the world. No one that cares was supporting him anyway.

Re: The Art of the Donald Trump Sideshow

Posted: Thu Mar 03, 2016 1:49 pm
by Defiant
raydude wrote: Huh, I guess all that shit with Megyn Kelly was just in my head then.
Or your wherever.

Re: The Art of the Donald Trump Sideshow

Posted: Thu Mar 03, 2016 1:55 pm
by Zarathud
The Kochs know a bad investment when they see it. They're saving $400 million to fund picking up the pieces of the GOP after the convention.

Re: The Art of the Donald Trump Sideshow

Posted: Thu Mar 03, 2016 2:07 pm
by RunningMn9
I guess Romney has no interest in pulling any punches. Ouch.

Re: The Art of the Donald Trump Sideshow

Posted: Thu Mar 03, 2016 2:08 pm
by Anonymous Bosch
Romney certainly didn't pull any punches with his speech denouncing Trump:
CNN wrote:(CNN)—Mitt Romney delivered a sweeping broadside against Donald Trump on Thursday, laying into the Republican presidential front-runner with a sharper attack than any of the party's 2016 contenders have made against the billionaire business mogul.

"Here's what I know: Donald Trump is a phony, a fraud," Romney said. "His promises are as worthless as a degree from Trump University. He's playing members of the American public for suckers: He gets a free ride to the White House, and all we get is a lousy hat."

Romney said that "dishonesty is Donald Trump's hallmark," pointing to his "bullying, the greed, the showing off, the misogyny, the absurd third-grade theatrics."
Makes me wonder if part of Trump's rebuttal could be to announce his decision to run as a third-party candidate due to perceived "unfair treatment" from the Republicans. Either way, should be interesting to see how Trump responds.

Re: The Art of the Donald Trump Sideshow

Posted: Thu Mar 03, 2016 2:10 pm
by RunningMn9
Anonymous Bosch wrote:see how Drumpf responds.
By pointing out that Romney is a loser.

Re: The Art of the Donald Trump Sideshow

Posted: Thu Mar 03, 2016 2:12 pm
by El Guapo
Anonymous Bosch wrote:Romney certainly didn't pull any punches with his speech denouncing Trump:
CNN wrote:(CNN)—Mitt Romney delivered a sweeping broadside against Donald Trump on Thursday, laying into the Republican presidential front-runner with a sharper attack than any of the party's 2016 contenders have made against the billionaire business mogul.

"Here's what I know: Donald Trump is a phony, a fraud," Romney said. "His promises are as worthless as a degree from Trump University. He's playing members of the American public for suckers: He gets a free ride to the White House, and all we get is a lousy hat."

Romney said that "dishonesty is Donald Trump's hallmark," pointing to his "bullying, the greed, the showing off, the misogyny, the absurd third-grade theatrics."
Makes me wonder if part of Trump's rebuttal could be to announce his decision to run as a third-party candidate due to perceived "unfair treatment" from the Republicans. Either way, should be interesting to see how Trump responds.
He doesn't have much reason to run as a third-party candidate now, when he's winning. If he loses the nomination, or especially if he loses via a brokered convention, then he will almost certainly cite this among his reasons for breaking his loyalty pledge.

Re: The Art of the Donald Trump Sideshow

Posted: Thu Mar 03, 2016 2:14 pm
by Rip
El Guapo wrote:
Anonymous Bosch wrote:Romney certainly didn't pull any punches with his speech denouncing Trump:
CNN wrote:(CNN)—Mitt Romney delivered a sweeping broadside against Donald Trump on Thursday, laying into the Republican presidential front-runner with a sharper attack than any of the party's 2016 contenders have made against the billionaire business mogul.

"Here's what I know: Donald Trump is a phony, a fraud," Romney said. "His promises are as worthless as a degree from Trump University. He's playing members of the American public for suckers: He gets a free ride to the White House, and all we get is a lousy hat."

Romney said that "dishonesty is Donald Trump's hallmark," pointing to his "bullying, the greed, the showing off, the misogyny, the absurd third-grade theatrics."
Makes me wonder if part of Trump's rebuttal could be to announce his decision to run as a third-party candidate due to perceived "unfair treatment" from the Republicans. Either way, should be interesting to see how Trump responds.
He doesn't have much reason to run as a third-party candidate now, when he's winning. If he loses the nomination, or especially if he loses via a brokered convention, then he will almost certainly cite this among his reasons for breaking his loyalty pledge.
The party is obviously breaking the pledge already. A treaty broken from one side is no longer in effect.

Re: The Art of the Donald Trump Sideshow

Posted: Thu Mar 03, 2016 2:14 pm
by Moliere
RunningMn9 wrote:
Anonymous Bosch wrote:see how Drumpf responds.
By pointing out that Romney is a loser.
He's only worth 250 million. What a loser, indeed.

Re: The Art of the Donald Trump Sideshow

Posted: Thu Mar 03, 2016 2:16 pm
by Enough
Ken White just now on FB, heh:
At this point Mitt Romney coming out to enunciate conservative principle for the GOP is like Guggenheim putting on his dinner jacket as the Titanic went down to die like a gentleman.

Re: The Art of the Donald Trump Sideshow

Posted: Thu Mar 03, 2016 2:16 pm
by Jaymann
A Drumpf loyalty pledge is worth about as much as a Charlie Sheen sobriety pledge.

Re: The Art of the Donald Trump Sideshow

Posted: Thu Mar 03, 2016 2:22 pm
by Rip
Jaymann wrote:A Republican party pledge is worth about as much as a Charlie Sheen sobriety pledge.

Mortoned.

Re: The Art of the Donald Trump Sideshow

Posted: Thu Mar 03, 2016 2:24 pm
by Smoove_B
RunningMn9 wrote:
Anonymous Bosch wrote:see how Drumpf responds.
By pointing out that Romney is a loser.
And that he's never had his own TV show or brand of steaks. Who can relate to Romney? No one. Trump has been in your living room, providing you with weekly entertainment and serving as a mentor to future business leaders. Also, Romney is a loser.

Re: The Art of the Donald Trump Sideshow

Posted: Thu Mar 03, 2016 2:25 pm
by Anonymous Bosch
RunningMn9 wrote:
Anonymous Bosch wrote:see how Drumpf responds.
By pointing out that Romney is a loser.
That goes without saying. But he's likely to be fuming after seeing that sort of attack from Romney (particularly all the mockery of his business acumen), so I'd expect to see something more.

I find it all the more amusing, given Romney's culpability in laying the groundwork for Trump's rise to prominence, by way of Romney kissing the ring of The Donald and singing his praises during the prior election. Sorry Romney, but you reap what you sow.

Re: The Art of the Donald Trump Sideshow

Posted: Thu Mar 03, 2016 2:26 pm
by LordMortis
RunningMn9 wrote:
Anonymous Bosch wrote:see how Drumpf responds.
By pointing out that Romney is a loser.
Makes sense to me. Couldn't win the presidency and is out of touch with the people. End conversation.

Re: The Art of the Donald Trump Sideshow

Posted: Thu Mar 03, 2016 2:26 pm
by Defiant
Anonymous Bosch wrote:Romney certainly didn't pull any punches with his speech denouncing Trump:
CNN wrote:(CNN)—Mitt Romney delivered a sweeping broadside against Donald Trump on Thursday, laying into the Republican presidential front-runner with a sharper attack than any of the party's 2016 contenders have made against the billionaire business mogul.

"Here's what I know: Donald Trump is a phony, a fraud," Romney said. "His promises are as worthless as a degree from Trump University. He's playing members of the American public for suckers: He gets a free ride to the White House, and all we get is a lousy hat."

Romney said that "dishonesty is Donald Trump's hallmark," pointing to his "bullying, the greed, the showing off, the misogyny, the absurd third-grade theatrics."
I think Romney may have taken the whole "previous Presidents and presidential candidates usually don't endorse a candidate until they're the nominee, so they can help to unite the party" tradition to extremes.

Re: The Art of the Donald Trump Sideshow

Posted: Thu Mar 03, 2016 2:27 pm
by Enough
FBI agents arrested Jerry DeLemus, co-chair of Veterans for Trump in New Hampshire, on Thursday following his indictment in connection with the 2014 Bundy Ranch standoff in Nevada, the New Hampshire Union Leader reported.

Re: The Art of the Donald Trump Sideshow

Posted: Thu Mar 03, 2016 2:28 pm
by Enough
Rubio has been saying almost exactly what Romney said as of late, I definitely think this is an attack being coordinated at the party level.

Re: The Art of the Donald Trump Sideshow

Posted: Thu Mar 03, 2016 2:32 pm
by Smoove_B
Which might actually work if The Donald was a politician. Because you know who the American public distrusts the most? Politicians. I mean, look at Chris Christie. He's currently being eviscerated locally in NJ because of the nonsense he just pulled. I would be willing to bet money people inherently trust the guy with a big conference table on NBC over the man with binders full of women or the dude that's always sweaty and looks nervous.

Re: The Art of the Donald Trump Sideshow

Posted: Thu Mar 03, 2016 2:33 pm
by Kraken
RunningMn9 wrote:
Anonymous Bosch wrote:see how Drumpf responds.
By pointing out that Romney is a loser.
The more the establishment attacks him, the stronger his credibility grows.

Could a populist wave send Trump to the WH?
The freshest clues lie in election results from Super Tuesday, especially in moderate Massachusetts, where the casino and real estate mogul won a stunning 31-point victory. It was his largest margin of the seven states he won Tuesday.

Trump won half of the unaffiliated Bay State voters who came out, exit polls showed. His populist rhetoric attracted the most voters making less than $50,000 a year.
The only income category that Clinton won was voters making more than $100k.
The tsunami of GOP establishment rebukes directed against Trump, Brown said, only make him stronger with downtrodden supporters who feel crushed by the system.

“When you are dissing Trump, they get more and more angry,” Brown said. But Brown also conditioned his remark, noting Trump still needs to prove he can reach out and unify the fractured party.
Regardless of how much support he gets from Republicans -- and he's gotten a lot in the primaries -- Trump can count on lower-income, less-educated independents and those Democrats who support Bernie because he's not Clinton. Other Sanders supporters who refuse to hold our noses and vote for Clinton will simply stay home.
“Trump is like the grizzly bear in ‘The Revenant,’ ” former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said, referring to the gritty survival movie that includes a memorable bear mauling. “When you attack him he goes crazy, and he does everything he can to pound you into the ground. And in every blue-collar bar in America, they cheer. Because that’s exactly what they want in a leader.”

...

And while few at this point believe that Clinton would actually lose Massachusetts to Trump in a general election, she has struggled — even in her primary race — to attract those working class Democrats who could be drawn to Trump.

“If Democrats take solace that this wrecking ball named Trump is swinging through the Republican Party, get ready for the wrecking ball that is going to go through the Democratic Party if he’s the nominee,” said Ari Fleischer, a former White House press secretary for President George W. Bush who has been predicting that Trump could be the GOP nominee.

“Hillary’s hold over working blue-collar Democrats who are worried about the economy is tenuous,” he said. “And many of them will join Trump.”
If it looks like Trump will be the first Republican to carry MA since 1984, I am going to deeply resent being coerced into voting for Clinton. IDK if I can make myself do it.

Re: The Art of the Donald Trump Sideshow

Posted: Thu Mar 03, 2016 2:35 pm
by Jeff V
Another reason a third-party candidate might get widespread GOP support.

It seems the GOP hold on the senate might be too precarious to withstand unified support behind Trump. Too many candidates up for election are dependent on independents and Democrats crossing the aisle; both groups which they will surely lose if they back Trump. A conservative 3rd party candidate would likely allow these candidates to save face and prevail, keeping the GOP in control of the senate. The prospect of them losing both the presidency and the senate makes me smile, though.

Re: The Art of the Donald Trump Sideshow

Posted: Thu Mar 03, 2016 2:36 pm
by Rip
Enough wrote:Rubio has been saying almost exactly what Romney said as of late, I definitely think this is an attack being coordinated at the party level.
Of course, and it just reinforces the accusations Trump throws at the party. They don't seem to realize they are just emboldening the anti-establishment crowd rather than persuading them back from the cliff.

Oh well, at least it is entertaining.

Re: The Art of the Donald Trump Sideshow

Posted: Thu Mar 03, 2016 2:42 pm
by Anonymous Bosch
Kraken wrote:
RunningMn9 wrote:
Anonymous Bosch wrote:see how Drumpf responds.
By pointing out that Romney is a loser.
The more the establishment attacks him, the stronger his credibility grows.
Indeed, to use a nerdy analogy, Trump is Sebastian Shaw and the GOP hasn't yet figured out that he gets stronger the more they punch him.

Re: The Art of the Donald Trump Sideshow

Posted: Thu Mar 03, 2016 2:44 pm
by Enough
Here's one of my top scenarios on how Trump could win:

1. Trump wins party nomination which freaks the hell out of people, including Michael Bloomberg.

2. Bloomberg throws hat in the ring to basically take on Trump with all his muscle. And given that he is one of the richest men on the planet, it should be no obstacle to get on the ballot with his resources.

3. Bloomberg is the sort of candidate that will be able to get folks like me dad to vote for a Republican again. Very socially liberal and still at least able to pass as being fiscally conservative. He sucks in both the Clinton haters on the left/middle that might have voted Sanders (see Kraken above) and the republican establishment types that now feel disenfranchised.

4. It becomes an even three-way race to the finish with each candidate in that 33% area.

5. Trump narrowly pulls it out in a squeaker.

This same sort of scenario could also happen if Trump runs as a third party candidate depending on who the Republican party nominee ends up being.

Re: The Art of the Donald Trump Sideshow

Posted: Thu Mar 03, 2016 2:44 pm
by El Guapo
Kraken wrote:
If it looks like Trump will be the first Republican to carry MA since 1984, I am going to deeply resent being coerced into voting for Clinton. IDK if I can make myself do it.
Spoiler:
He won't be.

Re: The Art of the Donald Trump Sideshow

Posted: Thu Mar 03, 2016 2:50 pm
by ImLawBoy
Enough wrote:4. It becomes an even three-way race to the finish with each candidate in that 33% area.

5. Trump narrowly pulls it out in a squeaker.
If no one wins a majority of electoral votes, then the election goes to Congress. You can't win the presidency with a plurality.

Re: The Art of the Donald Trump Sideshow

Posted: Thu Mar 03, 2016 2:52 pm
by Defiant
Bloomberg doesn't enter the race if Clinton is running. He's said the only situations he runs is if it's Sanders vs Trump or Cruz.

Re: The Art of the Donald Trump Sideshow

Posted: Thu Mar 03, 2016 2:53 pm
by Max Peck
Enough wrote:Here's one of my top scenarios on how Trump could win:

1. Trump wins party nomination which freaks the hell out of people, including Michael Bloomberg.

2. Bloomberg throws hat in the ring to basically take on Trump with all his muscle. And given that he is one of the richest men on the planet, it should be no obstacle to get on the ballot with his resources.

3. Bloomberg is the sort of candidate that will be able to get folks like me dad to vote for a Republican again. Very socially liberal and still at least able to pass as being fiscally conservative. He sucks in both the Clinton haters on the left/middle that might have voted Sanders (see Kraken above) and the republican establishment types that now feel disenfranchised.

4. It becomes an even three-way race to the finish with each candidate in that 33% area.

5. Trump narrowly pulls it out in a squeaker.

This same sort of scenario could also happen if Trump runs as a third party candidate depending on who the Republican party nominee ends up being.
From what I've seen, Bloomberg only plans to enter the fray as an independent if he believes it will be a Sanders/Trump race, not Clinton/Trump. I don't think he sees a need (or opportunity to win?) unless there are extremists running for both parties.

Re: The Art of the Donald Trump Sideshow

Posted: Thu Mar 03, 2016 2:55 pm
by Defiant
ImLawBoy wrote:
Enough wrote:4. It becomes an even three-way race to the finish with each candidate in that 33% area.

5. Trump narrowly pulls it out in a squeaker.
If no one wins a majority of electoral votes, then the election goes to Congress. You can't win the presidency with a plurality.
It's possible that a very close three way race still manages to give Trump a majority of the electoral votes.

Re: The Art of the Donald Trump Sideshow

Posted: Thu Mar 03, 2016 2:56 pm
by ImLawBoy
Defiant wrote:
ImLawBoy wrote:
Enough wrote:4. It becomes an even three-way race to the finish with each candidate in that 33% area.

5. Trump narrowly pulls it out in a squeaker.
If no one wins a majority of electoral votes, then the election goes to Congress. You can't win the presidency with a plurality.
It's possible that a very close three way race still manages to give Trump a majority of the electoral votes.
Yes, but that's not how I read Enough's hypothetical.

Re: The Art of the Donald Trump Sideshow

Posted: Thu Mar 03, 2016 3:00 pm
by GreenGoo
Moliere wrote:
RunningMn9 wrote:
Anonymous Bosch wrote:see how Drumpf responds.
By pointing out that Romney is a loser.
He's only worth 250 million. What a loser, indeed.
Did he become president? No? Loser.

You know who would make a good VP for Drumpf? Charlie Sheen. He's full of tiger blood. He's made out of win. Just like Drumpf.

edit: Damn it, I was so proud if my Sheen reference. I didn't realize he had already been brought up in a different context. Really. It's my original thought! I swear.

Re: The Art of the Donald Trump Sideshow

Posted: Thu Mar 03, 2016 3:00 pm
by msduncan
I'll say this: this has been the most interesting race to follow since I began voting in 1992

Re: The Art of the Donald Trump Sideshow

Posted: Thu Mar 03, 2016 3:01 pm
by GreenGoo
msduncan wrote:I'll say this: this has been the most interesting race to follow since I began voting in 1992
Agreed. At least on the Republican side. The Democrat side barely exists as a form of entertainment.

Re: The Art of the Donald Trump Sideshow

Posted: Thu Mar 03, 2016 3:06 pm
by Enough
ImLawBoy wrote:
Defiant wrote:
ImLawBoy wrote:
Enough wrote:4. It becomes an even three-way race to the finish with each candidate in that 33% area.

5. Trump narrowly pulls it out in a squeaker.
If no one wins a majority of electoral votes, then the election goes to Congress. You can't win the presidency with a plurality.
It's possible that a very close three way race still manages to give Trump a majority of the electoral votes.
Yes, but that's not how I read Enough's hypothetical.

As a political science major in my undergrad years before pivoting to natural science in grad school, and as someone that has been very involved with politics earlier in life (I ran the student campaign for a US Senate candidate), I certainly understand the electoral system. What I didn't know is that Bloomberg said only if Sanders runs.

Re: The Art of the Donald Trump Sideshow

Posted: Thu Mar 03, 2016 3:10 pm
by naednek
Just finished watching Romney's call to arms against Trump. Wow! Where was this Romney 8 years ago. Everything he said was right, and why do so many people in the US support Trump. It's not so hard to figure out that he is a phony self centered ass.

Re: The Art of the Donald Trump Sideshow

Posted: Thu Mar 03, 2016 3:18 pm
by hepcat
I envision Trump doing this right now:

Image