Posted on 04/16/2011 11:30:25 AM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach
A top adviser for President Obama dismisses him as a "sideshow." Former Bush adviser Karl Rove calls him a "joke candidate."
But that hasn't stopped Donald Trump, who has captured national attention with his outspoken skepticism of Obama's citizenship, from surging in early presidential polls. He leads all potential GOP presidential candidates by nine points in a Public Policy Polling survey released Friday. He trailed only Mitt Romney in a NBC/Wall Street Journal poll released last week.
The real estate mogul and star of NBC's "The Apprentice" says he's encouraged by the polls, but won't make an announcement about his plans for a presidential bid until June. Yet he'll be in Florida this weekend to speak at a Tea Party Tax Day rally in his first political trip since he began making waves with talks of a possible presidential bid.
Despite Trump's early strong showing, many still aren't convinced of his electability and analysts say he will have to go beyond the so-called "birther" cause and define himself for Republican primary voters on social, fiscal and foreign policy issues.
Cary Covington, a political science professor at the University of Iowa, attributes Trump's high poll numbers more to a weak Republican field than to Trump's strengths as a potential candidate.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Only because people don’t really know him and they are responding to his demagoguery. I expect a big fall in the fall.
If polled i will vote Trump just to mess with Karl Rove.
We began defying “conventional wisdom” back in 2008 when we elected the Kenyan guy.
The logic is a bit hard to follow. If the field is weak a candiate taking on an issue the weaklings refuse to address would seem to indicate strength, strength which would make a good candidate. Isn't that what successful candidates do?
Are all the Presidential Contenders so completely dense as to not see that confrontational politics is the only way to get the people to pay attention. It is not if Trump is running for the office, it is that he is pointing out the way in bright colors. However, I won’t rule him out if the others are too afraid or stupid to go hard after Obama and his cabal. These are hard times and bold leadership is becoming a dear commodity.
Shows a lack of perspective. He is ignoring issues that can literally destroy the country.
The MSM is giving Trump air time in hoping people will think Trump is a nut case.
It is backfiring and they are getting nervous.
On the right the problem is with Trump peaking so soon, primary challengers are going to have to spend money to keep up while Trump gets free air time.
If Trump is such a joke, ignore him.
“We began defying “conventional wisdom” back in 2008 when we elected the Kenyan guy.”
You got that right!
Though I still like her and would vote for her, she is increasingly irrelevant. I would not vote for Trump any more than I would vote for Romney.
We can’t ignore him. We need to expose him.
I like his ball-busting, hard-assed, persona.
As long has he keeps the heat on the Kenyan Marxist I’m cool with it.
Understand that there is a pretty large gulf between liking the guy... and actually voting for him.
Even with all his warts, he has shot to the top of the heap. Why? Because the public is STARVING for a tell it like it is leader. They are willing to look beyond all of his negatives because he is so damned refreshing. The public is sick and tired of every parsed word, every lip bite, every ‘party first - America second’ candidate and The Donald is simply giving people what they want.
That is the way I see it.
Who is your pick that has a realistic chance to beat zero?
I wouldn’t say Palin back Trump. She support his right of free speech thats where the “more power to him” comes from
I want to hear him do some ball busting on important issue. Like slashing the budget, dismantling Federal Departments, killing entitlements.
Even if he is sympathetic to this view (there’s no evidence he does) apparently it’s not a passion for him.
Trumps popularity has more to do with the fact that he is taking it to Obama like nobody else is. I noticed in an interview this week Obama said he was born in Hawaii to which my next question would have been: Which hospital Mr President?
Tried that already. People want to ignore Trump's liberal past.
I say ridicule Trump for the ass-clown he is.
That is the way I see it also. We are sick and tired of politics as usual. If this piece of crap Kenyan Muslim can get elected in my beloved America, I sure as heck can give somebody like Trump a chance.
Just a symptom of how people have had with the two party [ so called ] system & are desperately looking for someone they think will be more in touch with the average folk. Which makes it so tragic as Trump is just demagoging to promote himself: the only thing is truly cares about. Well he is well suited to be politician in at least one sense as he is a perpetual self promoter.
It’s too early. Call that a cop out if you like but the campaign hasn’t even begun in earnest yet.
He has addressed China making a fool of us, OPEC being illegal and a threat and excessive spending ruining the country as well as total lack of world leadership. Exactly what issues has he ignored?
I disagree. The MSM is giving Trump air time because they are once again attempting to choose “our” candidate.
The Donald/Rudy 2012 Rino Supremo ticket
Trump is peaking too soon
All the issues that have made us so week that even the communist Chinese and seventh century savages can take advantage of us. That is what we have done to ourselves. That is what we need to fix ourselves.
Trump is silent on this.
I think that they are, for all practical purposes, completely indistinguishable. In fact, socially, Romney is perhaps a bit more conservative than Trump considering Romney isn't on his third wife.
Trump is popular because of the birther issue. That's it. And, I think it goes to show what a vacuous issue it is as a great number of its adherents can be so easily and QUICKLY fooled by someone who preaches the same.
Trump would be the LEAST conservative candidate in the field, and yet he's leading all comers. Why is that?
I think we can look to Mr. PT Barnum for our answer, sadly.
Exactly. The inability to do so is causing him to keep gaining strength and, it appears, will continue to do so. He is outsmarting the elites and understands their game better than they do.
I am Trump supporter on April 16th 2011. It is because I like his style of getting in your face. I have not seen any of the other contenders do that, YET. If some one else shows me the same pitbull personality, big cajones, and ability to spar fearlessly with media, I will change my mind.
I am dying to see one on one debate between the Kenyan socialist and Trump. Please no one like McCain again! I am sick and tired of “Obama is a fine man” types.
I like the way he is getting some real issues on the table...Obama’s followers will start applying the Alinisky Rules to him shortly ...like they did to Sarah Palin...except this time ...they are going to have a handful...of trouble.
His backing and support of the CLINTONS is what is left out of his gravitas. Sorry Hillry is NO different than the BamBamKennedy policy. AND it was Hillry that birthed the 'birthers'.
Rove shut up, you are a big part of this problem we have now,encouraging that NE Liberal Bush screw this place up so Bad that a completely worthless white hating Muslim could win the presidency.
“I disagree. The MSM is giving Trump air time because they are once again attempting to choose “our” candidate.”
Unless Conservatives stay home, Trump will destroy Obama. The only candidate who will not beat Obama is Romney and that is because of RomneyCare.
The MSM hasn't given a single candidate any more "time" than they have given Sarah Palin. Not one. Are you suggesting that they're trying to pick Sarah Palin as our next candidate?
They're covering Trump now for the exact same reason they covered Palin - MONEY. Trump is a well-known, and increasingly polarizing and flamboyant figure. That means "controversy". In the entertainment biz, of which journalist are card carrying members of, controversy drives ratings and click-throughs. That means money in the pockets of papers, websites & networks.
I won’t vote for Trump for several reasons.
Voting for the lesser of two evils is no longer an option I will consider.
If Hillary guy Berg birthed the birthers, does that make the constitutional fraud of Soetoro/Obama OK and not addressable? The logic of that is difficult to follow.
Well is there really any difference in the Clinton 'socialist' and the BamBamKennedy type socialists. Trump backed Hillry and it was Hillry that birthed the so called 'birthers'.... But after South Carolina and old Bill getting a 'racist' accusation the Clintons had to lay low on any questioning of the eligibility of young BamBamKennedy. See the 'social justice' wing of the liberals old Teddy Kennedy drew up young BamBam and anointed him as the second coming of JFK, hence the 'hot air' and destiny just deflated out of the Hillry 'I can do it better' campaign. Course the 'stupid' Republicans settled for the biggest across the aisle supporter in Congress old Lord McCain. It is almost hysterical to hear the 'donald' itch about the RED Chinese, given it was their funding that gave the Clintons a second term... HOT AIR!!!!
It just goes to show that Americans want to know Obama’s secret background.
We are tired of being lied to by this alledged president.
Show us the Damned Birth Certificate , how you got your Soccial security card, Your school records an make fools of all of us you Kenyan turkey.
It’s just proof that there is a vacuum in leadership for conservatives.
Conservatives are so damned starved for true leadership that they’ll rally behind anyone who has the balls to speak the truth.
It’s pathetic we’ve reached this point, but we have.
I made so much money in the stock market during 1992-2000, I was able to retire early. Jobs were going begging for skilled people like me during that time. Clinton was 1000 times better than Obama on economic policies. Of course Clinton had to contend with GOP congress who deserves most of the economic success. But Clinton at least went along with GOP Vs the Kenyan Socialist who uses Alinsky tactics every day.
I don’t know if Hillary is same as Bill, but the present occupier of WH is 1000 times worse.
So, in about 4 week time, Trump passes the entire field of politicians, mostly former Governors?
FOUR WEEKS?......Must have something going for him.
Defies nothing. Its a clear indicator that Early Presidential Pollsters (author's caps) either really like Trump, or like zer0bama and see helping him by paving the way for Trump to launch an indy run.
Bet a Debate like that would get a lot of eyeballs to watch it....
I think Obama would look like the phony he is...
That would help other candidates.
At this point the exact opposite seems to be the case for Trump.
Money is always the primary consideration, but only slightly more than ideology, on average.
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