What I want to know is when will Trump propose a fence along the northern border? It’s about time we kept all those darned icebacks out!
Funny, these factors didn’t seem troublesome when Obama was the candidate. Trump has dealt more effectively with more politicians and over a longer period of time than Obama ever did prior to his winning the White House, and he’s a tough, proven and effective negotiator, very much unlike the guy we have now.
And it meant nothing to the nation’s Democrats in their headlong rush to elect a guy to the White House whose primary appeal was that he was a black guy and his election would give them their warm and fuzzy fix. It didn’t matter that unlike Trump he had no executive experience, no negotiating experience, no experience playing hardball with the big boys, and no experience achieving complex and difficult accomplishments. He was black (and secondarily a supposed good speaker, though having grown up in the era of Reagan and Buckley he’s never seemed so to me) and that’s really all he brought to the table. So I hope you’ll forgive me if I take your concerns over his policy qualifications with just the tiniest bit of salt. Trump is a successful guy with a proven ability to get difficult things done, and that’s what this country needs.
Remember when I said that Trump operates on a level not immediately apparent to the mortal man? This is exactly the kind of thing I was thinking of (well, one of them anyway, there are quite a few). What all this means to me is that he’s smart and he’s turning the media on its ear and using them to his advantage. I remind you of what Ivana once said about Donald Trump: “He will always find a way to outsmart you!” He’s demonstrated this ability over and over again ever since he announced for the presidency. He’s single-handedly sucked all the oxygen out of the room for all the other Republican candidates, he’s let them and his Democrat opponents (and all their potential investors) know that he can and will outspend the hell out of them and they’ll just be throwing good money after bad to try to go after him that way (while at the same time lessening the amount he’ll have to spend because they’ll likely have less to spend themselves), and so far he’s got the media dancing like puppets on a string.
I don’t know that he’ll be able to keep all this up, but you have to admit he’s been pretty impressive so far for an idiot who only attained success because of his father’s money.
I think his act is anything but a clown act. It’s shrewd, it’s smart, and it’s effective. Trump may well turn out to be more transformative as a candidate than Obama has been as a president.
He has terrific instincts, period. Trump was highly accomplished decades before The Apprentice. In fact, his proven business acumen, level of success and personality were what made The Apprentice possible in the first place.
Many of us felt the same way about Obama and still do. Clearly what constitutes qualifications for the presidency vary with one’s point of view.
Illinois state rep is a form of political experience. Obviously being a US Senator is experience is well. I’m not making this argument about Ted Cruz, who became a Senator in 2013.
Trump has zero experience in political office. Same for Fiorina. Obama had 8+4=12 years. Though he grew up in modest means, he graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law and edited their Law Review. Then penned a bestselling book without a ghostwriter. Not incidentally, Obama could also give speeches which were more than the word salads Trump offers up.
If you reflect on my posting history, you’ll see that I’ve evaluated evidence for Trump’s deeper game. Just because you don’t know anything about public policy, doesn’t imply you’re an idiot. On the contrary, I suspect Trump will have his imitators, once people figure out what the hell he’s up to.
I think Americans should demand to see Trump’s birth certificate.
Trump has hobnobbed and dealt with high level politicians for decades. I’d wager that he has a far better idea of what’s required to get things accomplished politically than Obama had after his career as a state representative and undistinguished career in the Senate. Plus by virtue of his very career he’s shown he knows how to get complex and difficult projects accomplished. I imaging that ability would serve him well in the White House also.
Yeah, sorry. I didn’t have you in mind when I made the ‘idiot’ comment, but rather other posters on the subject who early on discounted him as a lucky moron who’s only been successful because of daddy’s money. I’ve actually enjoyed talking to you about Trump and FWIW I’ve had more respect for what you’ve had to say than anyone else I can think of so far on this subject. Clearly we disagree on much, but you’re obviously thoughtful and willing to acknowledge certain aspects of Trump’s abilities when others are either loathe to do so or simply uncomprehending.
[quote=“Starving_Artist, post:182, topic:726581”]
[…] And it meant nothing to the nation’s Democrats in their headlong rush to elect a guy to the White House whose primary appeal was that he was a black guy and his election would give them their warm and fuzzy fix…[…]
[Aside] Respectfully, I’m a Democrat and voted for Obama because he is a Democrat. Period. I wouldn’t have voted for Romney if he’d been midnight black.
I was on Team Hillary until Obama won the nomination. I most always vote for my party because its philosophy is closer to mine than how the Republicans think.
Let’s get real. Trump doesn’t “need the money”. He doesn’t “need the publicity”. He knows where A LOT of politicians on both sides of the aisle have hide their skeletons. That’s one reason they are so shit scared to attack him. They know in their bones they very well might have to go cap-in-hand to the Oval Office someday to ask for a favor from Trump.
Trump isn’t going out to ‘find the voters’. They are/were looking for someone like him. Now they have found him.
Trump is hiring the brightest and the best in all walks of life to advise him on policy matters.
One of Trump’s biggest assets is his ability to find and hire the very best at what they do.
There’s nothing he doesn’t know about negotiating with the rest of the world visa vi trade.
I don’t care for his bombastic style much but anyone who thinks he’s just a gas-bag who doesn’t have a chance at the nomination is whistling past the graveyard.
If Trump gets the nomination he’ll be the next President. His running mate will be Carly F. (Say hello to the women vote).
Well, now, isn’t *that *nicely condescending. :dubious:
Elsewhere **TriPolar **has made the claim that *Rubio *will get the women’s vote because he’s attractive. Be interesting to see the two of them battle it out, won’t it?
Yes! Trump is the most qualified candidate and most likely to beat the Democrats! He’s our great white hope! Spread the news to voters everywhere, Trump must be the nominee!
And please don’t throw me into the briar patch!
He certainly knows how to declare bankruptcy very well, as evidenced by his own business bankruptcies. Perhaps that’s the way for the USA to make it’s way out of trillions of dollars of debt.
Quite right. The racist, nativist Republican base is tired of Republican politicians giving them code words only. They want full support for their belief that all our problems are caused by the Mexicans and that Iran will convert to Christianity if you yell at them loudly enough. Politicians have to worry about their jobs if they lose, and sometimes even think about winning an election where most of the voters aren’t scum. Trump has a day job. He’s been very effective about giving the slime what they want.
How did, what’s her name again, oh Palin, work out for yer. Carly would be a great candidate. Trump at least can claim to be successful, she destroyed billions of dollars of stockholder value, laid off tons of people, destroyed the great HP culture, and got her ass fired. Notice that no one ever gave her another CEO job?
And she ran for office once (though she is not all that interested in voting) and got creamed.
Oh her other experience in politics - she was an adviser for McCain - and got fired for opening her trap and saying stupid things.
Two massive egotists? That will work out real good.
It’s dangerous to believe your own propaganda.
Do read through those letters from Trump voters. They run a gamut. From “nativists” to hipsters to anarchists to Bernie supporters who prefer Trump over Hillary.
Yup, 4 / 30 basically want to make some popcorn and have the country descend into chaos. 2 or 3 are so liberal that they want to get rid of that political correctness stuff. We have one Sanders supporter - maybe he was a Pigasus for President fan 48 years ago. We have a protectionist. (Well, he has a good reason at least. )
We have one or two guys who say “how much harm can a president do?” I’m assuming that they or their loved ones didn’t go to Iraq or lose their jobs. And we have a few who are impressed that he runs a company, which is only subtly wrong.
Are you saying that this set is representative of Trump supporters? Or do you thinks I’m unaware that there are some people who like the extremes of either side?
The Sanders supporter, says
So does this guy support Sanders for social justice reason or because Sanders is the most disruptive Democrat?
I’m happy to add those who want the establishment that they think has failed them disrupted to my list of Republicans supporting him. That includes those who are scared that “those people” are going to become more powerful and a majority soon.
Thanks for that, very interesting.
One thing that jumps out at me is how much people buy into the idea of “He’s going to make America great!” I have been dismissing this phrase as a kind of schticky thing Trump does when he wants to bypass the details or just fill some time. “We’ll repeal Obamacare and replace it with something terrific.” “I am going to make America great!”
People really believe it. To me seems kinda like when Rodney Dangerfield says, “I get no respect, no respect,” a line that is just part of the brand.
“I wanna tell ya, I get no respect, no respect at all. Not even from my wife. Just the other day I told my wife I wanted sex, she left the room to give me privacy.”*
~Rodney Dangerfield
People buy into it because Trump’s a known quantity. They know he knows how to get complex, difficult things done, and done well at that. They also know that getting things done politically is a fluid proposition that requires give and take and adaptation as circumstances change, and that’s why they’re not clamoring for specifics as to how Trump would accomplish things once he’s in office. Essentially what they’re saying is that they trust him to know what to do.
There is an enormous population in this country that considers the country “great” - in fact, it’s almost axiomatic for a lot of people. The constant drumbeat of the Left that denigrates this country, compares it negatively to others, nitpicks here and there and in general works against the “America is great” concept and whose goal is to make this country more like the others (basically like European social democracies) is like nails on the blackboard to this population. Add to this the fact that people also do not believe politicians’ slogans - so if some Republican candidates say “America is great” here and there are in their speeches, their sincerity is quite suspect.
And mix this with the idea that Trump is not a politician, that Trump has promoted the “America is great” idea all his life, he’s actually quite passionate about it, it’s been part of his shtick for decades now, and you have a very powerful combination. All the “teehee, I am so clever, I will ironically support Trump because in the end that will help Democrats” crowd is missing the point, quite badly.
I agree. Like building a casino which is basically a license to take large amounts of people’s money for doing absolutely nothing, and still finding a way to go broke!
That can’t be easy! 
In the interests of a civil discussion I’m not going to get into why Trump’s supporters aren’t ever interested in any policy specifics or any kind of substantive discussion, ever. But yeah, the poor fools probably do trust him.
They ‘take’ people’s money? How does that work exactly? Do they send out goons to round people up and herd them into the casinos where they’re forced to cough up their hard earned wages? Or do people voluntarily hand their money over to the casinos in the hope of a big payout…which after all is what casinos “do” for their money.
Still, building and operating casinos is not a walk in the park. Land (location, location, location) has to be found and purchased, licensing boards and local governments have to be dealt with, building contractors and equipment suppliers have to be found and supervised, people have to be hired to operate them and those people have to be overseen, and tallies have to be accumulated and accounted for every day to make sure operations are going as they should.
It should be noted also that negative economic pressures play into casino operations big time and most of the Atlantic City casinos have gone bankrupt.
Still, both economically and in number Trump’s casinos are but a very small part of the very large and successful empire he has built, and most people who aren’t politically inclined to nitpick his few failures are aware of that.
Unlike the poor fools who voted for Obama and who’ve been disappointed in him ever since, while also finding themselves saddled with an expensive health care plan that they’re being forced to pay for but many are unable to use because they can’t afford the copays? Those poor fools?
The truth is no one knows for sure what a politician is going to do once in office. (This is particularly true in the case of Democrats who morph with every new poll or focus group report.) So it’s a crap shoot for everyone and you guys are far from not being fools yourselves.
In Trump’s case, though, people know for a fact what he’s capable of and they like what they’ve seen. It all boils down to credibility. He has it and no one else does.
You are wrong when you use such a wide brush and are more wrong in the case of many minorities and Young Americans.