Crucifixion is a really negative way to kill yourself… There’s no way you can hammer in the last nail.
Heck, take a look at something tinier, but fresh in the mind; remember how Trump objected to Megyn Kelly handling debate duties? He shrewdly negotiated by noting they’d have to hold the debate without him if they kept her. “It will never happen”, said Trump. “Fox will drop Kelly if it means no Trump.”
They of course ignored him and the debate went on with her and without him.
That’s his practical strategy for getting folks to do stuff: announce how great he is. This has, admittedly, gotten the dissatisfied to vote for him – but against those who are just going about their business, he likewise simply assumes they’ll do as he says. Anyhow, people tuned in and Trump then lost the Iowa caucus.
How would he get recalcitrant parties to the bargaining table? Imagine they have demands or preconditions; possibly they want some kind of inducement. His tactic: offer nothing but his presence, and declare that he knows what they’ll do.
But The Annoying Thread turned to Vitriol, and so came back up the Forum List, as day was ending once more. And it went on, and there was yellow light, and fire within; and the evening insult was ready, and it was expected. And Miller drew it in, and set it in its chair, and put little Donald upon its lap.
It drew a deep breath. ‘Well, I’m back,’ it said.”
I just wanted to post this again, as it is pretty much what I think, only better written.
If Trump does get elected I look forward to the news reports of the days’ happenings in Trumpinton, the various meeting at the Trump House and what amendments are being discussed for the Trumpstitution.
And the pics of the First Lady naked.
If we are voting purely on a pictures of their wife basis, Rubio has it in the bag.
And Good King Miller knew just what to do.
Sounds like a win/win to me.
But since that’s not likely to happen, maybe you can clear something up for me. I understand the view by Trump supporters that they want someone who’s not tainted by the corruption inherent in the Washington political class. What I don’t get is why your solution is to elect the guy who’s buying them off. Washington is corrupt specifically because guys like Trump can throw their money around so legislators will support laws favorable to billionaires. How does making one of those billionaires into the guy who signs laws going to improve things? I’d love a president who isn’t beholden to special interests. I don’t think the way to do that is to just put the special interest into the White House.
Is this the pile on?
“If voting made any difference they wouldn’t let us do it”
Mark Twain
You mean the 80s when the “Japanese were kicking our ass”?
The problem with this line of thinking is the assumption that countries operate the same way that large companies do and that Trumps success as a businessman translates to success as a politician.
Yes, government can create incentives and trade deals that may entice businesses to do business in those countries. But there are a lot of economic factors in play and Trump nor any other politician can just negotiate away global market forces.
Plus how is Trump going to handle Putin or China (does anyone ever know who the leader of China is)? He can’t even handle Megyn Kelly.
Xi Jinping.
It used to be Hu Jintao, which of course led to this. 
Oh, how I hope Trump didn’t notice that transition…
“Now lemme tell you something, Megyn, and this is gonna be great. You know Hu is the leader of China?”
“Who is the leader of China?”
“That’s right.”
“Xi is.”
“She? Who’s she?”
“I just told you: the leader of China.”
Etc. etc.
I rest my case.
Perhaps we’re getting within shouting distance of some actual substance here. What issues, and why do you approve of Trump’s take on them?
And, to be fair, Trump has not outlined a single solid or concrete plan on how he would do any of his claims.
Build a wall and make Mexico pay for it… with military force? by saying pretty please? He needs to tell us HOW he will do these things.
Make America great again… In his defense, many folks do this on both sides, but vague.
Make the world respect us…Well, the “world” at least our allies do kinda respect us more now. Is he talking about our contrary states? our allies? our indifferents? How will he do this? What method? force? diplomacy? giving aid?
Restructure the tax to make business etc… As John pointed out, he has naught the power to do this, but to be fair Obama promised health care reform and he had naught the power to do that. But, what exactly is going to draw business who, by loopholes (like Trump has used) pay almost no taxes anyways. Are there not major corporations like Amazon who have never once posted a profit for taxing purposes? I mean, how much more can he re-structure taxes beyond none for multinational corporations.
Bring jobs back by the tax restructures… Even if he could so something, how can he overcome 13 cent wages in textiles and manufacturing overseas. Even when oil was 100 a barrel, it was STILL cheaper to have stuff built in a foreign country and shipped here. There is NO tax structure ever invented that can overcome labor and shipping costs. Labor IS the focus, it is the profit margin, it is pretty much everything. Sure, you can save 1% or 2% (maybe even 10% if you super business man) by making changes in product design and materials, but pretty much everything is tied up in two major areas: Transportation and Labor, followed closely by utilities and overhead.
Heck, look at restaurants. Their profit margin is so razor thin that labor is almost the only thing they can save on. When they have exhausted this you see major chains die a horrible death as their customer per hour ratio drops beyond the ability to curb employee costs enough to make a profit.
Trump needs to put forth something more solid for me and the vast majority of rational Americans (moderate, conservative or liberal) to vote for him, so he can get more than the “zomg I am so mad at the ‘establishment’ and I don’t need any facts I am just mad and he says what I like” conservative crowd.
For Pete’s sake, just less than a decade ago he was talking pro-abortion, pro-universal health care and a whole lot of liberal ideas. Without concrete ideas, why does anyone actually believe anything he says, even the “ZOMG I AM MAD CONSERVATIVES”?
As much as I hate to defend the guy,
Whenever he talks about forcing Mexico to pay for the wall, he mentions the trade balance. Ditto for when he talks about China taking jobs. Clearly he means he’ll force those issues with tariffs. Yes, that’s still not really his choice to make.
And he was never “pro-abortion”, he thought pro-choice was irrevertable/only way to go.
touche, touche and touche.
Still, pro-choice is opposed to the right wing position, they (rightist conservative christians) DO NOT think it is irreversible as they are proving with their little “death by a thousand regulations tactics”.
My apologies but I never really went for the whole Pro-choice/Pro-Life relabeling, so i do still use anti- or pro- abortion. In my view you are either ok with abortion or not ok with it. Making little exceptions here and there and trying to paint the other side as some evil “woman-hating” or some “life-hating” jerk never got traction with me.
Just because I (hypothetically) don’t want to make a woman who was raped carry a pregnancy to term by law does not make me “anti-life”, nor does it make me “pro-choice”. It just makes me pro-abortion for certain reasons.
As such, just because I (hypothetically) have an ethical opposition to killing potential life does not make me “anti-woman” and “anti-choice” it just makes me anti-abortion because I think all potential human life should be protected.
And finally, just because I think (hypothetically) a woman has predestination to make her own choices about ending a pregnancy does not make me anti-life, it may just make me the kind of person that knows granting personhood to a fetus opens up a whole new can of legal worms. So I am just a pragmatist maybe and thus pro-abortion. I don’t go out and root for abortions, I just accept that they are necessary part of a civil society that respect both individual civil rights and recognizes ethical conflicts.
But, I respect what you are saying.
As to others…
Mentioning the trade balance, in my opinion, is not enough either, but I had never heard it and you have corrected me. So I stand corrected.
There is still a part of me that thinks he makes a lot of grand statements with few solid proposals. Such as, exactly what tariffs would he use? This way, we could assess the impact of those.
But, you have given me pause and I shall reflect on it further.
Ok but for the record, in 98 when he was asked about abortion (I quoted it somewhere here yesterday ) he said flatly he hates everything about abortion but he was pro-choice because there wasn’t an alternative. I mean he’s technically wrong because alternatively you could just force women to use coathangers or drop their baby in the dumpster, but reasonably it’s tough to force people to have a baby.
What does it matter?
What do the other R candidates claim to do: abolish obamacare and defund planned parenthood. Yet Trump gets more votes. Apparently, people would rather vote for the candidate who wants to Make America Great Again.
And a majority of voters would rather have even the hope of that than vote for D candidates who want to give free healthcare to illegals!!!