Donald trump. what is your take on him?

[JohnRoberts]

what's funny is every time he opens his mouth and gets people talking there seems to come out something to support his statements.  His recent attack on macain for example, It has come out after his statements  that mcain was charged with treason and pardoned by Nixon.

Cough... Sounds like some left over dirty tricks from the 2008 campaign.  I know a guy who served with McCain and says he was a hot-dog pilot, and had some baggage because of relatives in high command positions.  His time at the Hanoi Hilton is what it is, and people should walk a mile in his shoes before criticizing.

As ex-military myself I am not receptive to people who haven't served bloviating about being captured. 

I wouldn't say treason makes a war hero but there are plenty of things he went through that do.  I don't agree with Trump, on many levels and it has been a good circus for sure.  But I do like that he opens his mouth and stands by it right or usually wrong.  It reminds me of Sam rothstein in casino when the casino  wouldn't get their gaming license.  As joe pesci's character in the movie described him "bat sh*t crazy"

Trump is pretty much what he appears to be... for all his flaws he could make a better president than the current resident of the WH, but IMO that is a low bar to clear.

JR

 

[pucho812]

It has come out after his statements  that mcain was charged with treason and pardoned by Nixon.

Source?
The only fact I can find is he "signed" a false confession while imprisoned and tortured.

If you or anyone else thought Senator John McCain was a traitor for writing the NDAA 2012 indefinite detention sections then you will be even more disgusted with McCain when you watch the video uploaded to YouTube In the video a letter by Sgt. Maj. Holland describes the collaboration with the enemy by McCain. The video also provides interview footage of COL Earl Hopper.
Some of the allegations:

- Gave order of battle information to the enemy in exchange for individual medical care that was not available to the other POWs.

- Joined several other turncoats in freely making radio broadcast for the enemy knowing they were being used to effect the moral of American troops.

- Gave unauthorized interviews to foreign nationals and to ease their efforts McCain spoke to them in their native language.

- After McCain provide his information to the North Vietnamese, the number of U.S. air craft being shot down dramatically increased.

Colonel Ted Guy, United States Air Force, another returned POW was in the process of drawing up charges against McCain and other turncoats when President Nixon gave a blanket pardon to all who had committed offenses while incarcerated as POWs during the Vietnam war.

Watch the videos here:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZp8sEqQAIo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LeuDW1hQMfk

 

[living sounds]

But I do like that he opens his mouth and stands by it right or usually wrong. 

Why?    People apparently liked that about GWB, too. I absolutely don't get it.

 

[living sounds]

As for John McCains "confessions" etc. - I really wouldn't use the term "freely". I'm glad I cannot imagine the horrors he was subjected to.  Whatever happened in those Vietnam prisons cannot be judged through the lense of our everyday lifes.

 

[mattiasNYC]

But I do like that he opens his mouth and stands by it right or usually wrong. 

Why?    People apparently liked that about GWB, too. I absolutely don't get it.

I too am nonplussed.

 

[SSLtech]

If "Speaking your mind, no matter what anyone says" is an adequate justification for presidential candidacy, I'd like to nominate my crazy old uncle.

He's an idiot.  Uncultured, uneducated, and massively racist, but every holiday gathering, he lets us ALL have an earful, no matter what we say.

If 'speaking your mind and not caring' is what people are looking for, then he's FAR more qualified than "the Donald".

The Donald is an over-entitled , over-indulged, self-promoting blowhard, with a misguided sense of destiny, and an all- consuming addiction to adulation.

Who would he have as a running mate? -The last time anyone so blissfully ignorant of their underqualification got so much press attention from dealing with John McCain, it was Sarah Palin...

They'd have a lot to talk about.

Trump/Palin 2016.

 

[living sounds]

If "Speaking your mind, no matter what anyone says" is an adequate justification for presidential candidacy, I'd like to nominate my crazy old uncle.

He's an idiot.  Uncultured, uneducated, and massively racist, but every holiday gathering, he lets us ALL have an earful, no matter what we say.

If 'speaking your mind and not caring' is what people are looking for, then he's FAR more qualified than "the Donald".

The Donald is an over-entitled , over-indulged, self-promoting blowhard, with a misguided sense of destiny, and an all- consuming addiction to adulation.

Who would he have as a running mate? -The last time anyone so blissfully ignorant of their underqualification got so much press attention from dealing with John McCain, it was Sarah Palin...

They'd have a lot to talk about.

Trump/Palin 2016.

If that's what it takes to get Bernie Sanders elected president - bring it on!  ;D

It is hard to imagine 2008 can be beaten in terms of entertainment value, but those two combined might just pull it off. I'll get the popcorn.

 

[JohnRoberts]

Yup a Trump/Sanders run would be entertaining  but I'm afraid like matter and anti-matter they might cancel each other out in a brilliant explosion.

The best hope for the left is that Trump runs as an independent drawing off votes from the right, like H Ross Perot did. While he only won 8% of the vote it was enough to change the outcome (most recent presidential races are pretty tight).  At least Ron Paul always pulled out before splitting the actual vote and spoiling the election.

I see little chance of Bernie Sanders getting nominated even with all the negative baggage Hillary is carrying. Her voters seem unfazed by all the evidence of shenanigans. I like the ex-gov of MD claiming that ISIL was caused by global warming.

Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right, stuck in presidential election politics again.  8) 8)

JR

 

[thermionic]

He's an idiot

That didn't stop Reagan or Dubbya getting in, though!

 

[living sounds]

The best hope for the left is that Trump runs as an independent drawing off votes from the right, like H Ross Perot did. While he only won 8% of the vote it was enough to change the outcome (most recent presidential races are pretty tight). 

That's a very popular meme, but it is add odds with the historical record. Even the NY Times got this wrong yesterday. ;-)

Ross Perot dropped out a few months before the election but reentered in October. Clinton polled better during the time Perot was out than before or after compared to Bush.

More significantly, the exit polls showed Perot voters would have voted for either Bush or Clinton by 38% each had he not been on the ballot, while the rest of them would have stayed home.

The reason Bush lost in 92 is because his approval ratings were around 30% while disapproval ratings were around 60%. Ross Perot did not cost George H. W. Bush the election.

 

[DaveP]

Quote
He's an idiot

That didn't stop Reagan or Dubbya getting in, though!

I've heard this said before , but Reagan was smart enough to end the cold war with Gorbachev  and Dubbya was a pilot, so neither of them could have been in fact.

DaveP

 

[pucho812]

Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right, stuck in presidential election politics again.  8) 8)

JR

I am stealing this. that best sums it all up.

 

[Pip]

Wondering what people's take on Donald is.  I find him a bit of refreshing in that he stands by what he says right or wrong, is very brash and ultimately very non politician behaving. I am wondering  if he would get the nomination? While the media down plays him, I think they fail to realize that the reason people seem to like him are for all the reasons they try to down play him for.  He is leading in the polls so it makes me wonder.

Freedom of speech is an awesome thing.  It allows you to say things that I am sure you stand by also. It allows me to say things I can assure you I stand by unless convinced or discovery of new information makes me reconsider and change my opinion. It allows for democratic debate. It is the means by which people share ideas and beliefs. I will fight to my last breath to preserve it for every person whether I agree with what they say or not.

It allows me to say that the prospect of one D. Trump, a now released from his contract B grade reality TV star and name licensing alleged real-estate billionaire worth "10 Billion dollars" ( he lied http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/donald-trump-worth-10b-240m-debt-article-1.2300955)  becoming the most powerful person in the world makes me cringe. The fact that he is taking his tabloid antics on the road and that the media corps dog-and-pony show that has become what was the free-press is following him like some giant pooper scooper hoping for a chunky nugget to yank the string in front of the apathetic vicariously living through others, news churning show, boob tube gazers,  can soak in,  is not humorous or in anyway refreshing. In fact it is downright claustrophobic and smothering in its blunt obtuseness.  In fairness there are some newsies out there with enough journalism integrity to report actual fact and news.  This is not Borat it is the GOP of the US run to the primary and its real and potentially one of the most destructive  dialogue destroying things, for me,  on record. Being an older person I fear for the future of the present system when sociopath ravenous businessmen are the front runners in any race. I don't think the phrase "your fired" is funny.

 

[Pip]

Absolutely pathetic.

Yes, almost as pathetic as being told I could keep my $177 doctor/plan I liked that went to $435, and being told "I didn't build" my trucking company, software company and recording studio.

No what was said was:

http://www.factcheck.org/2012/07/you-didnt-build-that-uncut-and-unedited/

 

[Brian Roth]

Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right, stuck in presidential election politics again.  8) 8)

JR

I am stealing this. that best sums it all up.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8StG4fFWHqg

Bri

 

[Krcwell]

Absolutely pathetic.

Yes, almost as pathetic as being told I could keep my $177 doctor/plan I liked that went to $435, and being told "I didn't build" my trucking company, software company and recording studio.

No what was said was:

http://www.factcheck.org/2012/07/you-didnt-build-that-uncut-and-unedited/

I tried to defend this line at the time, but even in the full speech's context, it's indefensible. He said what he said and he meant what he said. His campaign tried to let him go without a teleprompter, and he was a bit more honest about his views than is politically palatable. Even in the full context that is used to attempt defense of the line, one would have to assume that the government is some benevolent  seperate entity, not a government of and funded by the people, and that business owners and entrepreneurs have never paid a penny in taxes their entire lives.

Sorry for going off topic... Swerving back to Trump...

I've done my best to ignore all the Trump media coverage, but I did come across a couple of intersting conspiracy theories about his campaign:

1) He's in the bag for Hillary, and is trying to wreak havoc on the Republican brand while simultaneously providing significant distraction for the press as more and more damning evidence in the multiple Hillary scandals continues to drip out.

2) Since the Republican primary process is usually long and brutal, and candidates tend to do more damage to eachother than the Democrats/media could ever hope to inflict, Trump is serving as the lightning rod for criticism and negative press coverage. Serious Republican candidates can attack him instead of eachother, get press coverage that makes it look like they are attacking an "extremist", then Trump will drop out before the primaries, leaving the actual potential candidates with much better public perception heading into the general.

3) Trump has built himself a nice "Trump card" if you will, and is positioning himself to have both Democrats and Republicans by the balls. All he wants is influence in the White House. Hillary is presumed to be the Democratic nominee, primarily because the Dems have no other viable candidates (Bernie's no Obama). Hillary's no Bill, either, and will need all the help she can get to win the general. Trump running 3rd party is probably the single biggest assist she can get. So, if Republicans guarantee him strong influence, he drops out before the primaries. If Clinton does, he runs 3rd party. He's in a spot to have pretty huge leverage either way.

Trump's a pretty cutthroat businessman, so if any of these were true, my money would be on #3.

 

[JohnRoberts]

I don't see Trump spending his own money in an independent run,,, He doesn't even spend his own money in business, since flirting with bankruptcy years ago. He is already getting compensated with name recognition building up his brand.

They say you can't polish a turd, but you can put glitter on it.  8)

JR

 

[pucho812]

John,

I would normally just sit back and learn but according to myth busters you can polish a turd.
Observe

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiJ9fy1qSFI

 

[Gold]

He is already getting compensated with name recognition building up his brand.

He screws up everything he touches. His TV career is over. Everyone fired him. His golf course building venture is over now that the PGA won't have anything to do with him. He's going to have a harder time begging for money to build things too. I don't see how this run has done him any good.

 

[JohnRoberts]

He is already getting compensated with name recognition building up his brand.

He screws up everything he touches. His TV career is over. Everyone fired him. His golf course building venture is over now that the PGA won't have anything to do with him. He's going to have a harder time begging for money to build things too. I don't see how this run has done him any good.

I wouldn't feel sorry for Trump... He is getting name recognition out the pie hole. He just sold a spare (unused)  condo in NY for $20M so he'll have walking around campaign money for a few more weeks.

I still think he'll stop sooner rather than later, but probably never expected to do this well. I certainly didn't expect him to do this well. I guess his being clearly not a politician is attractive to a bunch of people tired of the old wink and a nudge. 

The opposition have gone to the dirty tricks, digging up some sensational mud from one of his divorces.

JR