Posted on 02/27/2016 2:44:25 PM PST by applpie
"Data from the Federal Election Commission and state elections offices provided by the two websites show that Trump has given $584,850 to Democrats and $961,140 to the GOP over the last 26 years." (this is at the Federal level and does not include state or local)
(Excerpt) Read more at politifact.com ...
IMHO, this says it all....we wonder no more why pols are afraid to take him on.
All that time he was donating, Trump was not running for anything and used politicians to get business done. The calculating pols knew this, so Trump was on the politicians/ hit list as a sucker who/d write a check, no questions asked.
These same pols are running scared now....
I would not be surprised if the candidates confided in Donald about their love life, spilled damaging opposition research WRT their opponents and damning stuff about well-known pols---in order to get bigger donations.
They/re wishing now they hadn't said the things they did....b/c Donald knows plenty.
You stole that from “Back to School”
I like the way You think,
I’ll be watching You!
photos,,!?
what photo.
” He has played the game.”
As did my very Conservative father. He was a housing developer, and when he wanted to build in a democrat controlled town, he donated to dem politicians, as there was no Republican opposition. He payed off all the people that Rodney mentioned. It was the only way to do business! I remember him having me go out at 6am, and put a bottle Jack Daniel’s at every water hookup he needed. Without the booze, the Cleveland water guys would make only one connection. With the booze? They’d do a dozen! You play, you pay!
but that is not what i am saying. Ted Cruz may not be a businessman—he chose a different path—law and policy. I agree that Donald Trump has made a lot of money but that is part of the question—he greases the skid by making political donations. Why attack others who do the same thing and act like you don’t? They are all doing this.
You realize that makes no sense?
I am not much of a Trump supporter but I’ll answer your question as I see it.
Trump is saying as a businessman he felt like he had to grift politicans in the form of contributions. He is saying that he will not accept them if elected.
Maybe you believe that, maybe you don’t. That’s your answer, though.
So?
I don’t understand the question
He’s on the giving end, greasing the skids for his business, instead of on the receiving end.
The thing is, he know how it works and since no one is giving to him he’s not obligated to do favors.
Honestly he doesn’t say he wasn’t a part of it. He would say he did it out of necessity. He runs a billion dollar company and he like most other companies similar size tend to make sure that palms are greased on both sides. The big difference is he’s defected. He didn’t create the big money influence system but he should be commended for coming forward to help end it. Trump has been called some of the worst things but the most baseless one is that he is some how preying on gullible people. The problem with that assertion is Trump does not need anything from anyone. He is truthfully only beholden to his voters. This is the first time in history this dynamic has occurred.
We have never had a President that is 100% from the private sector. We’ve never had one who has taken a multi-million dollar company and turned it into a multi-billion dollar one and built a company that had been one locally involved primarily in low income housing into a prime real estate corporation with operations worldwide.
You put it very well. Right on!
First of all, I would vote for Trump or Cruz. I don’t pretend to believe either of them or any other politician are virtuous as you say. My main issue is illegal immigration. I think it is the root of many, many other problems with this country & specifically in California, where I live. So when Trump has the balls to even mention the words “illegal immigrants”, line up victims of illegal immigrants, and say he is going to build a wall, that goes a long, long way for me. I’m not sure he can do it, but he brought the issue to the forefront, I have hope he will at least do something. I have no hope any other candidate, except maybe Cruz, will even attempt to do anything but make the illegal immigration problem worse.
I pretty much think all politicians are liars and out for themselves at the cost of screwing us. It is a sure thing that we keep sending “Conservative Republicans” to Washington & we keep getting stabbed in the back. So why the hell not try something different? I don’t think he can be any worse than the Republicans we have now or what I have seen in the past.
Plus he is pissing off all the right people & it’s pretty funny to see them whine & piss all over themselves.
I’m pretty sick of all the PC crap that has developed over the last decade & he seems to be doing a pretty good job of destroying that too.
Can’t wait to see Hillary be destroyed by him.
Classic!
Trump plays “the game” very well, doesn’t he?
Saw this after I wrote the last post. Lol
I don’t think he is a virtuous outsider.
He is a traitor to the insiders. He is rude, vulgar and on a personal level, immoral.
He played the game of buying favors to further his business interest and admits it. That is why he is funding his own campaign, so that he is not beholden to special interest, or those who make large donations.
He has admitted that he donated to democrats because he lives in a state controlled by democrats and it was in his interest to buy influence.
I think was in the first debate where Trump was asked why the Clinton’s were invited and came to his third wedding. His reply, without hesitation was, “Because I paid her”
He is an outsider because, as I said above he is a traitor to ruling political class. He has stopped playing the insiders game and exposed the seamy underside of political patronage.
The original question is one of examples of 1/2 truths used against Trump. 26 years? How old was Ted Cruz 26 years ago? I never see article claim the author does not trust Ted Cruz because of something he did, said or believed 26 years ago. If you look at the donations Trump made more recently since about 2008 or, the overwhelming amount goes to Republicans.
I have seen the system first hand as it currently works .... it’s all “pay to play” with the politicians, from the county level on up. If you don’t do it, your subdivision, building or whatever doesn’t happen. I blame it on government entities rather than those trying to make a living by building things. It’s gotten ridiculous, actually. Throw in the ever restrictive EPA & other regulations & it’s d@mn near impossible.
I agree. But I am afraid of the future with or without him as President.
I am a contractor and work every day with politicians, political appointees, bureaucrats and corporate executives. All the big ones have something in common.....they are all hopeless self promoters and spend most of the time crawling over the next guy and scratching each others back. I had a front seat view and watched the billions of dollars and where they went from Obamacare. I saw consortia consisting of the same crowd shamelessly take it.
I wish there truly was an outsider up for election other than misplaced Ben Carson.
Honest question: Would you prefer another George Bush, Bob Dull, Juan McQueeg or Milt Romley over Trump?
he is not part of the “pay for political favors” game
Because I haven’t heard any politician, pundit or Trump himself identify any ‘favors’ he has been granted.
I see Trump as putting his personal name and personal brand on the line. His livelihood and the future of his kids and grandkids. I think Trump is risking more (not just counting his own money) than any other DC insider (which is all the rest of the field).
If someone can point to some ‘favor’ Trump has received subsequent to a pay-off from him, or in exchange for a pay-off, I’ll listen.
Other than that, I don’t see a problem. I’d rather he be on the end of being the payor than the person who needs to money.
Hope that makes sense.
Trump has never held public office.
As a businessman he had issues that came before zoning, utilities, building, and other regulatory and permitting agencies.
As an international businessman, he had international issues as well.
He wanted access to government officials so he could prevail upon them to help move things along, so he could achieve his goals in a timely manner.
While he does bluster about it, but fact is that people can’t list a whole bunch of things he got for his donations that were out of line.
More importantly, his tens of thousands of employees relied on him to keep his operations going, moving ahead.
His donations were legal. There is no evidence of illegality.
His donations to Republicans didn’t make him Conservative.
Some folks still maintain that his donations to Democrats had to have made him a Liberal.
Folks see what they want to.
Trump lived in the real world having to produce. The others live in a fantasy land never having to deal with what we do, and never having to produce.
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