US Politics

[Desertfalcon]

The whole Trump phenomenon explained in one short video...

 

[Moonlight]

The whole Trump phenomenon explained in one short video...

His fan following is what actually irritates me.

 

[24 Hours]

I'm pretty much convinced that Trump and Hillary have got the nominations down.

 

[heisenberg]

what if donald trump becomes US president and nothing bad as anticipated occurs

 

[ultron]

what if donald trump becomes US president and nothing bad as anticipated occurs

Trump is very liberal. He's pretty much a Democrat except he does not like wars in the Middle East and does not believe in global warming.

 

[T-72M1]

His fan following is what actually irritates me.

if the insinuation is that they're all 'racists and bigots', given his popularity, poll numbers and primary wins, could it be that you're scapegoating millions of people here ?

 

[RabzonKhan]

Bravo, hopefully more and more DECENT Republicans will speak out, I just watched on CNN (I’ll post it here, once it’s on the YouTube) the former Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney severely criticized Trump, calling him “a pony”, “a fraud” “a misogynist and a bully who threatens America’s future”

“Ronald Reagan used to quote a Scottish philosopher who predicted that democracies and civilizations couldn’t last more than about 200 years. John Adams wrote this: “Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide.” I believe that America has proven these dire predictions wrong for two reasons.

First, we have been blessed with great presidents, with giants among us. Men of character, integrity and selflessness have led our nation from its very beginning. None were perfect: each surely made mistakes. But in every case, they acted out of the desire to do what was right for America and for freedom.

The second reason is because we are blessed with a great people, people who at every critical moment of choosing have put the interests of the country above their own.

These two things are related: our presidents time and again have called on us to rise to the occasion. John F. Kennedy asked us to consider what we could do for our country. Lincoln drew upon the better angels of our nature to save the union.

I understand the anger Americans feel today. In the past, our presidents have channeled that anger, and forged it into resolve, into endurance and high purpose, and into the will to defeat the enemies of freedom. Our anger was transformed into energy directed for good.

Mr. Trump is directing our anger for less than noble purposes. He creates scapegoats of Muslims and Mexican immigrants, he calls for the use of torture and for killing the innocent children and family members of terrorists.He cheers assaults on protesters. He applauds the prospect of twisting the Constitution to limit first amendment freedom of the press. This is the very brand of anger that has led other nations into the abyss.

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

His domestic policies would lead to recession. His foreign policies would make America and the world less safe. He has neither the temperament nor the judgment to be president. And his personal qualities would mean that America would cease to be a shining city on a hill.

America has greatness ahead. This is a time for choosing. God bless us to choose a nominee who will make that vision a reality.”

 

[Desertfalcon]

calling him “a pony”

?

I watched as well as Gov. Mitt Romney, the 2012 Republican Party (conservative) nominee for president, launched into a scathing critique of Donald Trump, (given at my alma mater, the University of Utah ). Thank you, Gov. Romney for speaking up for we conservatives who will NOT vote for Mr. Trump under any circumstances! His speech below...

 

[Nattmara]

?

I watched as well as Gov. Mitt Romney, the 2012 Republican Party (conservative) nominee for president, launched into a scathing critique of Donald Trump, (given at my alma mater, the University of Utah ). Thank you, Gov. Romney for speaking up for us conservatives who will NOT vote for Mr. Trump under any circumstances! His speech below...

A question if you'd entertain one; what's a Clinton presidency mean for the US military in Europe? I've seen that Mrs. Clinton is noted as being a Hawk, primarily with ongoing US threats in the Middle East and East Asia, does she support a greater US role in Europe too? Funding for NATO militaries? Arms sales? Additional US troops in Europe? Exercises in greater frequencies? What's her stance on the US military in Europe as it stands and how does she plan to address the US military in Europe as Europe, the US and Russia grapple for leverage?

I consider Trump to be too divisive to be elected in a general election. That Cruz and Rubio together are gaining more votes than Trump in the primaries and caucuses indicates Trump isn't too popular with the Republican Party as a whole, just parts of it, very vocal and angry parts at that. I've concerns about his commitment to the US military in Europe given his bonhomie with Vladimir Putin, or at least his perceived admiration. Trump seems to ascribe his ire to China instead.

 

[Desertfalcon]

A question if you'd entertain one; what's a Clinton presidency mean for the US military in Europe? I've seen that Mrs. Clinton is noted as being a Hawk, primarily with ongoing US threats in the Middle East and East Asia, does she support a greater US role in Europe too?

As a conservative, I will try my best to give an objective answer, as I positively loath the woman but Sen. Clinton is from the more moderate side of her party than Mr. Obama is. I also think she would be a stronger leader (despite her Benghazi criticism.), whereas one of the biggest complaints of Mr. Obama is that he is weak and feckless leader. Sen. Obama will be fully committed to NATO and good relations with all the countries of the EU. There is also little taste in either Party for any sort of America going it alone idea, so closer coordination with NATO and the UN in all things.

I consider Trump to be too divisive to be elected in a general election. That Cruz and Rubio together are gaining more votes than Trump in the primaries and caucuses indicates Trump isn't too popular with the Republican Party as a whole, just parts of it, very vocal and angry parts at that.

I also think that Mr. Trump is probably unelectable, (although, I admit I was wrong in that I thought he would never get this far! So I could be wrong again.). You cannot win a national election in America without winning a significant amount of the non-white vote, for example. It just can't be done. Any nominee for president must win a certain percentage of the Latino, black, and Asian vote, in that order, as they are a huge part of the demographics of the American people, and so that is just one reason why I think Trump cannot win against Mrs. Clinton. The problem is, Trump has tapped into a seething anger that is very similar to the National Front in France, the Party of Freedom in the Netherlands, or the Swiss People's Party. It can be hard to get people to listen to reason and think about what is moral, right, and good, in politics, when they are filled with rage. (See my, 'I'm mad as hell' video a few posts above. ).

 

[SQ8]

The whole Trump phenomenon explained in one short video...

I had the exact same video popping into my head when he first started gathering momentum.

 

[Sky lord]

can be hard to get people to listen to reason and think about what is moral, right, and good, in politics, when they are filled with

Would you mind if I ask what are people so angry about? America seems to be doing just fine, better than most countries in Europe at any rate....and it has always been a country of immigrants..the immigrants may be coming from further away that's all.

Also how come all the republican candidates are pro assault weapons ? Is it possible for a republican candidate to win if s/he comes out against the more extreme weapons at least? Why does the NRA have this much clout?

 

[Desertfalcon]

Would you mind if I ask what are people so angry about? America seems to be doing just fine, better than most countries in Europe at any rate....and it has always been a country of immigrants..the immigrants may be coming from further away that's all.

All I can do is guess as I'm not in that angry crowed, but I think it has two main factors: 1. Economic, gone are the days when a non-college educated American male could get a union job with good benefits, and work for the same company until retirement, living a solid middle class life. Today, people with only a high school education, have to work many different jobs over their working lifetime, with few benefits, little job security, and without seeing middle class incomes go up much in the last several decades. They have to constantly be trying to acquire skills and education just to remain competitive in the job market and all those things create fear and anxiety about their future. 2. America's changing demographics and society. White males aged 35 and older are the core of that angry American group. Every minute of every day, America is becoming more and more different from them. America is becoming less white and more racially and ethnically diverse, less Protestant Christian, and more atheist, agnostic, as well as more Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, etc. Less rural and more urban, less socially conservative and more socially liberal and diverse, etc. That angry group no longer recognizes the America they live in.

Also how come all the republican candidates are pro assault weapons ? Is it possible for a republican candidate to win if s/he comes out against the more extreme weapons at least? Why does the NRA have this much clout?

Because individual gun ownership is as fundamental an American right as free speech or freedom of religion. So, no; no Republican can ever win the nomination if they do not defend gun rights. Even Democrats can fast get into political trouble if they go too far in trying to push gun control. It's hard for non-Americans to understand but from rural white guys shooting their assault rifles on the weekends, (And I am one of them with my AK-47 ), to urban black males defending their "hood", Americans just love their gun rights and will fight to keep them.

 

[RoadRunner401]

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — In an extraordinary display of Republican chaos, the party's most recent presidential nominees, Mitt Romney and John McCain, lambasted current front-runner Donald Trump on Thursday, calling him unfit for office and a danger for the nation and the GOP.

"His is not the temperament of a stable, thoughtful leader," Romney declared. He called Trump "a phony" who is "playing the American public for suckers," a man whose "imagination must not be married to real power."

The vicious feud marked a near-unprecedented scenario pitting the Republican Party's most prominent leaders, past and present, against each other as Democrats begin to unite around Hillary Clinton.

The criticism set the tone for a primetime debate in which Trump lashed back, calling Romney "a failed candidate" who lost to Barack Obama four years ago because he was such a poor candidate. The loss, Trump charged, was "an embarrassment."

And yet, in reply to the last question of Thursday night's debate, each of the remaining candidates — Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio and John Kasich — said they would support Trump if he was the presidential nominee of their party.

Underlying the clash is a bleak reality for panicking Republican officials: Beyond harsh words, there is little they see to stop Trump's march toward the presidential nomination. Party leaders are poring over complicated delegate math, outlining hazy scenarios for a contested national convention and even flirting with the idea of a third-party effort.

Romney confidant Ron Kaufman, a senior member of the Republican National Committee, openly embraced the possibility of a contested convention: "If that's the only way to stop Trump, it makes sense," he told The Associated Press.

In the most notable verbal attacks against Trump to date, Romney and his 2012 running mate, House Speaker Paul Ryan, urged voters in the strongest terms to shun the former reality television star for the good of country and party.

The GOP's 2008 nominee, Arizona Sen. McCain, joined in, raising "many concerns about Mr. Trump's uninformed and indeed dangerous statements on national security issues." That echoes the worries of dozens of leading conservative defense and foreign policy officials.

As Kaufman suggested, Romney embraced what might seem a long-shot approach to deny Trump the delegates necessary to secure the nomination, though he did not call on Republicans to unify behind a single alternative.

"Given the current delegate selection process, this means that I would vote for Marco Rubio in Florida, for John Kasich in Ohio and for Ted Cruz or whichever one of the other two contenders has the best chance of beating Mr. Trump in a given state," Romney said.

http://bigstory.ap.org/article/999a...gop-sees-options-stopping-trump-not-good-ones
Romney advisers have recently sought information on a contested convention, though there appeared to be no concrete planning for that possibility and it was unclear whether their efforts signaled Romney's own interest in becoming the GOP nominee through a floor fight, according to a Republican familiar with the efforts. That person was not authorized to discuss the plans publicly and spoke only on condition of anonymity.

Another idea rumbling through power corridors in Washington was the prospect of a late third-party candidate to represent more mainstream conservatives.

Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry has been approached by "a mixture of people" about being part of a third-party bid, said Jeff Miller, who managed Perry's failed GOP presidential campaign. But Miller said Perry found the idea "ludicrous."

Suggesting that Romney may continue to have 2016 ambitions of his own, Trump said the 2012 nominee had "chickened out" earlier when he understood he'd be going up against the billionaire businessman.

"He doesn't have what it takes to be president," Trump said at a Portland, Maine, rally. "I made so much more money than Mitt."

Romney's views are irrelevant, he said. "Look, Mitt is a failed candidate."

The back-and-forth came as the Republican candidates prepared for their first post-Super Tuesday debate, Thursday night in Detroit.

Four years ago, Romney and Trump stood side by side in Las Vegas, with Trump saying it was a "real honor and privilege" to endorse Romney's White House bid. Romney at the time praised Trump's ability to "understand how our economy works and to create jobs for the American people."

On Thursday, Trump said Romney "was begging me" for an endorsement that year.

"I could have said, 'Mitt, drop to your knees.' He would have dropped to his knees," Trump said.

Earlier Thursday, in Utah, Romney assailed Trump's temperament, his business acumen and his ability to keep America safe.

"If we Republicans choose Donald Trump as our nominee, the prospects for a safe and prosperous future are greatly diminished," he said.

During his Capitol Hill press conference, Ryan dismissed comments Trump made this week that if the Wisconsin Republican didn't get along with him, Ryan would "pay a big price."

"I just laughed out loud," Ryan told reporters. "Sometimes, reality is stranger than fiction around here these days."

The speaker added that "conservatism is being disfigured" by some of Trump's ideas and statements.

Voters have not so far responded to such warnings.

Trump padded his delegate lead with victories in seven Super Tuesday contests, with Cruz claiming three states and Florida Sen. Rubio picking up his first victory of the 2016 race.

Still, the front-runner is not yet on track to claim the nomination before the party's national gathering in July, according to an Associated Press delegate count. He has won 46 percent of the delegates awarded so far, and he would have to increase that to 51 percent in the remaining primaries.

The GOP mayhem contrasts sharply with a clearer picture on the Democratic side, where Clinton is drawing broad support from voters and her party's leaders. Rival Sen. Bernie Sanders has vowed to keep up his fight, though his path to the nomination has become exceedingly narrow.

 

[Dalit]

The more they attack Trump the more invincible he becomes. The common white man is very angry. Trump is the answer to the woes of the common white man. Trump has won the GOP nomination and the Republican elders need to accept this. If the Republicans fail to accept Trump as their prime candidate, the party is going to be taken apart.

When Trump talks about making America great again, he really means to make America great again for the aggrieved white common male.