President Donald J. Trump

[Designx]

It's worth noting that while Trump is certainly blustery as far as his public persona, I'm not sure we really know much about his actual temperament. I watched the debate the other night and he seemed pretty calm, even subdued, while under attack by Rubio. Rubio appeared unhinged and manic at times frankly, so as far as temperament goes, I'm more worried about him. And then there is policy, Trump is the only one out of the three front runners that held back and didn't promote Hillary's no-fly zone in Syria. Well, the idea of setting up a no-fly zone and telling the Russians that if they violate it, we'll shoot down their aircraft is insane. Syria is not worth risking a war with Russia that would become a global disaster if it went nuclear.

So yeah, Trump seems moderate considering that he's the only one up there not advocating that we manufacture another Cuban Missile Crisis the moment he takes office.

What I worry the most about is getting the wrong guy in there and going right into a war. I don't think Trump will do this but I worry about the others.

[SciFiAuthor]

What I worry the most about is getting the wrong guy in there and going right into a war. I don't think Trump will do this but I worry about the others.

I agree, Trump and Sanders are the only ones opposing the imposition of the no-fly zone. Syria is not worth that risk, it's a desert. We shouldn't be supporting John McCain's rebel groups, which we still know very little about, instead we should be supporting Putin to put the Assad regime back in control of the country. It's the most stable, least deadly option. Supporting dictators sucks, but it's a better option than constant sectarian conflict.

[FightTheFuture]

Clinton beats Trump in the GE:
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2016/president/us/general_election_trump_vs_clinton-5491.html

BUT Cruz and Rubio, both, beat Clinton:

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2016/president/us/general_election_cruz_vs_clinton-4034.html

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2016/president/us/general_election_rubio_vs_clinton-3767.html

Trump can not win a two person race. Negatives way too high.

[Jackstar]

Clinton beats Trump in the GE:

[GravitySucks]

Trump beats Clinton in the GE: (if you look at Likely Voters)
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2016/president/us/general_election_trump_vs_clinton-5491.html

FIFY

IF you look at the one poll that is Likely Voters instead of just Registered Voters, he does beat her.

[SciFiAuthor]

FIFY

IF you look at the one poll that is Likely Voters instead of just Registered Voters, he does beat her.

A couple of months ago they were saying that it was impossible for him to win the Republican nomination. The take away from Trump's rise should be that traditional methods of analyzing his campaign aren't valid. Oddly, people seem to be betting on the poll numbers not changing even though we're like 8 months from the election. Um, poll numbers don't work that way.

[The King of Kings]

Clinton beats Trump in the GE:
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2016/president/us/general_election_trump_vs_clinton-5491.html

BUT Cruz and Rubio, both, beat Clinton:

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2016/president/us/general_election_cruz_vs_clinton-4034.html

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2016/president/us/general_election_rubio_vs_clinton-3767.html

Trump can not win a two person race. Negatives way too high.

I am not a statistician so I can't clearly comprehend the data, but it looks like Clinton beats all three candidates.

Take Ted Cruz first.  There are 52 polls taken.  Cruz only wins 7 out of 52 times, his highest margin of victory is +7 points in one poll.  Clinton on the other hand wins 45 out of the 52 polls, and in 27 of the polls she wins by +10 or more with a few showing +20.

Rubio does slightly better and Trump does slightly worse.

[Value Of Pi]

It's worth noting that while Trump is certainly blustery as far as his public persona, I'm not sure we really know much about his actual temperament. I watched the debate the other night and he seemed pretty calm, even subdued, while under attack by Rubio. Rubio appeared unhinged and manic at times frankly, so as far as temperament goes, I'm more worried about him. And then there is policy, Trump is the only one out of the three front runners that held back and didn't promote Hillary's no-fly zone in Syria. Well, the idea of setting up a no-fly zone and telling the Russians that if they violate it, we'll shoot down their aircraft is insane. Syria is not worth risking a war with Russia that would become a global disaster if it went nuclear.

So yeah, Trump seems moderate considering that he's the only one up there not advocating that we manufacture another Cuban Missile Crisis the moment he takes office.

Trump may feel that it doesn't pay to antagonize the Russians simply in order to counter their growing influence in the Middle East and save some civilians. He might make the same calculation about Ukraine. I'm not sure that makes him more moderate than other candidates. The problem is that these are issues that transcend dollars and cents and where he doesn't smell a profit, he's not interested. This is not the world he's used to dealing in and his normal MO doesn't fit here.

You can argue that Kennedy helped to provoke the Cuban Missile Crisis. Should he have not made the moves he did with the Russians that helped to create that crisis? No, he should have done what he did and it was his skill, judgement and determination that allowed us to push back the Russians from Cuba to Berlin to Asia and other places we faced off against them. He prevailed in direct showdowns, which were necessary in order to fight and win the Cold War.

Too much "moderation," of the Trump or Obama varieties, is a bad thing as is over-aggressiveness. It's tough to find the right balance and that's why making money and making deals don't alone qualify anyone to be president. He has leadership qualities, just not the right ones for this job.

[21st Century Man]

I agree, Trump and Sanders are the only ones opposing the imposition of the no-fly zone. Syria is not worth that risk, it's a desert. We shouldn't be supporting John McCain's rebel groups, which we still know very little about, instead we should be supporting Putin to put the Assad regime back in control of the country. It's the most stable, least deadly option. Supporting dictators sucks, but it's a better option than constant sectarian conflict.

John McCain sucks worse than Noory. As does his boyfriend, Lindsey Graham.

[21st Century Man]

It also looks like Chris Christie sucks too. 


"Down on your knees, Christie"

"Yes sir, Mr. Trump."

"Forget it.  You suck at sucking.  You're a fat loser and you're fired.  Go home."

[GravitySucks]

Trump may feel that it doesn't pay to antagonize the Russians simply in order to counter their growing influence in the Middle East and save some civilians. He might make the same calculation about Ukraine. I'm not sure that makes him more moderate than other candidates. The problem is that these are issues that transcend dollars and cents and where he doesn't smell a profit, he's not interested. This is not the world he's used to dealing in and his normal MO doesn't fit here.

You can argue that Kennedy helped to provoke the Cuban Missile Crisis. Should he have not made the moves he did with the Russians that helped to create that crisis? No, he should have done what he did and it was his skill, judgement and determination that allowed us to push back the Russians from Cuba to Berlin to Asia and other places we faced off against them. He prevailed in direct showdowns, which were necessary in order to fight and win the Cold War.

Too much "moderation," of the Trump or Obama varieties, is a bad thing as is over-aggressiveness. It's tough to find the right balance and that's why making money and making deals don't alone qualify anyone to be president. He has leadership qualities, just not the right ones for this job.

What leadership qualities do you see in Cruz or Rubio?  Neither of them have had any executive experience, so how would you know how they would manage a crisis?  I won't even ask about about Clinton or Sanders.

[SciFiAuthor]

John McCain sucks worse than Noory. As does his boyfriend, Lindsey Graham.

Yeah, he's useless. Hillary has a more conservative voting record than McCain, yet we got stuck with him as a "conservative" presidential candidate because it was his turn. The Republican establishment must go.

[21st Century Man]

Yeah, he's useless. Hillary has a more conservative voting record than McCain, yet we got stuck with him as a "conservative" presidential candidate because it was his turn. The Republican establishment must go.

I hated voting for him in 2008.  I complained and shook my head at the voting booth but I really disliked Obama so you do what you got to do.  I liked Romney a lot more than McCain but he was still an Establishment politician. They all have to go.  I'm sick and tired of them.

[FightTheFuture]

If elected, Trump will, undoubtedly, be the dumbest President in the history of this country. The man knows a good bit about real estate. So what? He`s a buffoon. He has no plan for anything. When pressed on healthcare, he has no answer. Just that the government will pay for it. He knows absolutely nothing about foreign policy or how the military functions. He`s clueless on the US Constitution. He thinks he`s going to impose punitive tax rates on businesses that relocate overseas! He`s an idiot who can`t spell, for God`s sake. I`ve never seen anything like this in my life.

[21st Century Man]

If elected, Trump will, undoubtedly, be the dumbest President in the history of this country. The man knows a good bit about real estate. So what? He`s a buffoon. He has no plan for anything. When pressed on healthcare, he has no answer. Just that the government will pay for it. He knows absolutely nothing about foreign policy or how the military functions. He`s clueless on the US Constitution. He thinks he`s going to impose punitive tax rates on businesses that relocate overseas! He`s an idiot who can`t spell, for God`s sake. I`ve never seen anything like this in my life.

But it is going to be incredible when he is elected.  He will make America great again and you will be very happy.  Trust me.

[The King of Kings]

If elected, Trump will, undoubtedly, be the dumbest President in the history of this country. The man knows a good bit about real estate. So what? He`s a buffoon. He has no plan for anything. When pressed on healthcare, he has no answer. Just that the government will pay for it. He knows absolutely nothing about foreign policy or how the military functions. He`s clueless on the US Constitution. He thinks he`s going to impose punitive tax rates on businesses that relocate overseas! He`s an idiot who can`t spell, for God`s sake. I`ve never seen anything like this in my life.

[FightTheFuture]

But it is going to be incredible when he is elected.  He will make America great again and you will be very happy.  Trust me.

Yeah, fantastic. Everybody loves him...just fantastic. He`s fantastic.

[The King of Kings]

But it is going to be incredible when he is elected.  He will make America great again and you will be very happy.  Trust me.

Yeah, Ted Cruz who is not liked by either party somehow will make a great President.  He will really change Washington with his coalition of one!

Rubio will be too busy hosting foam parties with shirtless young men in the Washington DC area to care about politics.

[Value Of Pi]

What leadership qualities do you see in Cruz or Rubio?  Neither of them have had any executive experience, so how would you know how they would manage a crisis?  I won't even ask about about Clinton or Sanders.

None of the people you list have what it takes, IMO. Kasich, I'd be willing to gamble on. This is the problem. We haven't got a viable candidate who is qualified. I'm not sure what I'll be doing on November 5, but it is not a given that I have to vote one of these people into office. If I can't help to save the country, I can at least salvage my self-respect.

[GravitySucks]

If elected, Trump will, undoubtedly, be the dumbest President in the history of this country. The man knows a good bit about real estate. So what? He`s a buffoon. He has no plan for anything. When pressed on healthcare, he has no answer. Just that the government will pay for it. He knows absolutely nothing about foreign policy or how the military functions. He`s clueless on the US Constitution. He thinks he`s going to impose punitive tax rates on businesses that relocate overseas! He`s an idiot who can`t spell, for God`s sake. I`ve never seen anything like this in my life.

And which of two first term senators that have never managed anything know more about this how?

Kasich has more experience than any of them, but he is unelectable, even within his own party.

[21st Century Man]

Yeah, fantastic. Everybody loves him...just fantastic. He`s fantastic.

Make a few slight adjustments to the lyrics and you have Trump's campaign song.  Trump should just do a cover because you know I'm sure he thinks he's a better singer than Ringo anyway.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_vKu2xoJaM

[FightTheFuture]

Only one person has done exactly what he said he would do when he arrived in Washington. That person is Ted Cruz. He rattled cages from the moment he stepped foot in the senate. He proved he is a strict Constitutionalist.

[FightTheFuture]

And which of two first term senators that have never managed anything know more about this how?

Kasich has more experience than any of them, but he is unelectable, even within his own party.

Kasich is not a conservative. Period. He has no chance, and never will. From his own mouth, "I should be running as a democrat."

[FearBoysWithBugs]

Do you ever regret getting that "tramp-stamp" tattoo?

[GravitySucks]

Kasich is not a conservative. Period. He has no chance, and never will. From his own mouth, "I should be running as a democrat."

You didn't answer my question.

[SciFiAuthor]

Trump may feel that it doesn't pay to antagonize the Russians simply in order to counter their growing influence in the Middle East and save some civilians. He might make the same calculation about Ukraine. I'm not sure that makes him more moderate than other candidates. The problem is that these are issues that transcend dollars and cents and where he doesn't smell a profit, he's not interested. This is not the world he's used to dealing in and his normal MO doesn't fit here.

I think it makes him more pragmatic. In regards to Ukraine, the fact is Putin won. Anything else in foreign policy, short of a war, will just be lip service because he's not going to give it up. In regards to Syria, it was already under Russian influence long before this all began. The objective should be to create stability, not chaos, and our policy with Syria so far has been to create chaos and hope that in the process the Assad regime gets ousted by the right group of rebels. That is not sound policy. We should let Putin defeat ISIS and the other groups in Syria and stabilize that country while we focus on defeating ISIS in Iraq and restoring stability there. 

You can argue that Kennedy helped to provoke the Cuban Missile Crisis. Should he have not made the moves he did with the Russians that helped to create that crisis? No, he should have done what he did and it was his skill, judgement and determination that allowed us to push back the Russians from Cuba to Berlin to Asia and other places we faced off against them. He prevailed in direct showdowns, which were necessary in order to fight and win the Cold War.

The responsible policy would have been to never allow it to reach the brink of nuclear war to begin with, but instead a series of irresponsible events took place on both sides that set us up for confrontation. The only reason we are here now is not because of Kennedy, but because of a submarine officer named Vasili Arkipov who refused to fire a nuclear tipped torpedo at a US ship. Kennedy would not be so highly looked upon today if we were wandering around in a nuclear wasteland which damned nearly happened. Ensuring that the bay of pigs worked would have been Kennedy's best policy decision.

We are at the stage with Russia in Syria where we can avert any sort of potential nuclear conflict by not imposing a no-fly zone. We do not need to be ratcheting up tension just to support John McCain's rebel groups. The only candidates that seem cognizant of this are Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders.

Too much "moderation," of the Trump or Obama varieties, is a bad thing as is over-aggressiveness. It's tough to find the right balance and that's why making money and making deals don't alone qualify anyone to be president. He has leadership qualities, just not the right ones for this job.

Honestly, I don't think anyone is qualified to be POTUS. It's a job where anyone is going have to wing it because of the extraordinary nature of it.

[FightTheFuture]

And which of two first term senators that have never managed anything know more about this how?

Because it`s their job to know it. Think about it. These guys are career  politicians. It`s all they do 24 hours/day. They know foreign policy, they know how the government works, and they know what it takes to get things done. Some are better than others, obviously. Ted Cruz has the brain power to handle the rigors of running this massive bureaucracy and still be able to right the course. And we know he will not circumvent the Constitution in order to pursue some kooky ideological agenda.

[GuerrillaUnReal]

Why do we want to risk nuclear conflict with Russia over a piece of shit country like Syria?

Out of all the Republicans, Trump's opinions on foreign policy are the only ones that sound reasonable and don't scare the bejeezus out of me. Cruz and Rubio come across like blithering morons in these matters to me. What would committing tens of thousand American "boots on the ground" possibly accomplish in that shithole?

I find it next to impossible to believe either one of them would stand a hope in hell in a national election.

This election cycle has shown how disgusting the Republican Party truly is. You have an oily conman who's openly pulling dirty political tricks and now even being slick about it. And you have a circus midget robot with virtually no good or original ideas. With the entire party out to destroy the most powerful and command force within the party. I imagine this is a make or break moment for the Republican Party in the history books as I don't see them being relevant again if they fuck this up.

[FightTheFuture]

I think it makes him more pragmatic. In regards to Ukraine, the fact is Putin won. Anything else in foreign policy, short of a war, will just be lip service because he's not going to give it up. In regards to Syria, it was already under Russian influence long before this all began. The objective should be to create stability, not chaos, and our policy with Syria so far has been to create chaos and hope that in the process the Assad regime gets ousted by the right group of rebels. That is not sound policy. We should let Putin defeat ISIS and the other groups in Syria and stabilize that country while we focus on defeating ISIS in Iraq and restoring stability there. 

The responsible policy would have been to never allow it to reach the brink of nuclear war to begin with, but instead a series of irresponsible events took place on both sides that set us up for confrontation. The only reason we are here now is not because of Kennedy, but because of a submarine officer named Vasili Arkipov who refused to fire a nuclear tipped torpedo at a US ship. Kennedy would not be so highly looked upon today if we were wandering around in a nuclear wasteland which damned nearly happened. Ensuring that the bay of pigs worked would have been Kennedy's best policy decision.

We are at the stage with Russia in Syria where we can avert any sort of potential nuclear conflict by not imposing a no-fly zone. We do not need to be ratcheting up tension just to support John McCain's rebel groups. The only candidates that seem cognizant of this are Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders.

Honestly, I don't think anyone is qualified to be POTUS. It's a job where anyone is going have to wing it because of the extraordinary nature of it.

Putin is not trying to defeat ISIS. Pretty obvious when all he does is attack our allies in the region, don`t you think? Come on. What kind of hairbrained scheme is it to allow Putin to run roughshod over the entire region at his discretion?? Really? That`s nuts.

[SciFiAuthor]

I hated voting for him in 2008.  I complained and shook my head at the voting booth but I really disliked Obama so you do what you got to do.  I liked Romney a lot more than McCain but he was still an Establishment politician. They all have to go.  I'm sick and tired of them.

Yeah, I did the same. I voted for McCain simply because he wasn't Obama. Romney I liked better, I didn't feel dirty voting for him because I think he's a decent guy at heart. But, as you say, he's as establishment as they come and the time for the establishment is over.