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Steyn: Party Pooper
SteynOnline ^ | August 8, 2015 | Mark Steyn

Posted on 08/08/2015 10:49:31 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet

On Friday night I swung by Sean Hannity's show on Fox News to chew over Thursday's GOP debates. You can see the video here.

We discussed Hillary Clinton's weakness re Bernie Sanders, and then moved on to the Republican side of things. The debate attracted an audience of 24 million people, the highest cable-news rating of all time, versus an audience of three-and-a-half million for the allegedly iconic Jon Stewart's farewell show (his second highest audience ever) and the highest non-sport cable rating in history.

Much of it was generated, presumably, by non-political types tuning in to check out frontrunner Donald Trump. Of course, much of the party doesn't accept him as a genuine "frontrunner". On Thursday, a lackluster Jeb Bush and Scott Walker, the Number 2 and 3, seemed to see themselves as the real frontrunners, playing it safe. I don't think that was a smart move, as I said to Sean:

"Donald Trump — you would have to drive a stake through him. So simply because no one did drive a stake through him, he survived, and therefore, he won. So he's still in the game and he's still locking down whatever it is, 25 percent, 32 percent I think it is in South Carolina now. So he's the guy to beat. I thought most of the others did well within their own terms, although they're actually quite narrow terms. And the disappointment, I think, was with the number two and number three because I think Jeb Bush and Scott Walker, in a sense, were both sitting on their non-leads. They both of them, I think, took a sort of conscious decision to kind of do a low-key don't-frighten-the-horses thing and hope that when Trump implodes, that they're still in the number two or number three slot....

(Excerpt) Read more at steynonline.com ...


TOPICS: Campaign News; Issues; Parties
KEYWORDS: bush; debates; trump; walker
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Why do some blame the GOPe, the party “elders,” etc., for the nomination of Romney or McCain? They got the most votes, didn’t they?

Blame the stupid voters who vote for the name they’ve heard most often.

For the stupidity, blame the parents who are satisfied with the public indoctrination camps, and the media that constantly push the herd to the left.

Mr. Trump has the juice to build his own media empire, plus the appeal (even to the stupid). Why doesn’t he? A Trump alternative to MSNBC and the other alphabets would pay for itself in no time, and would advance the beliefs he says he holds now. Especially the one about making America great again.


81 posted on 08/09/2015 6:03:51 AM PDT by Buttons12
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Later


82 posted on 08/09/2015 6:12:34 AM PDT by gaijin
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To: re_nortex
'What does it matter what Canadians think?'

The tell the truth- the truth that dumbed down American cannot see.

Canada Free Press nailed it long ago:

Do you fear Barack Obama?

Canada Free Press

http://www.canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/12999

(snip)

Every member of the Supreme Court, every member of congress, every member of the Joint Chiefs, most members of the DOD, CIA, FBI, Secret Service and state run media, ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, PBS, NPR, MSNBC, Fox and print news, knows that Barack Hussein Obama does NOT meet Article II – Section I constitutional requirements for the office he holds. By his own biography, there is NO way he can pass the test. The hard evidence is so far beyond overwhelming, it is ridiculous.

(snip)

But not ONE member of America’s most powerful people will dare confront Obama and his anti-American cabal on the subject. The Constitution does NOT stand.

(snip)

Half of the people you expect to stop this insanity are quiet co-conspirators in the silent coup. The other half is paralyzed by fear, motivated only by political self-preservation.

(Snip

Americans keep asking what they can do because they see that none of their leaders are doing anything to stop the demise of their beloved country. It’s the right question, because those leaders are NOT going to stop this thing.

(Snip)

Who will save freedom?

A brave few… This is how it was in the beginning, how it has always been and how it will be.

83 posted on 08/09/2015 7:03:51 AM PDT by patriot08 (NATIVE TEXAN (giasrl type))
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To: BigEdLB
He can sing a couple of Christmas carols and maybe a little disco-era Rod Stewart. But I absolutely draw the line at anything from Oklahoma!
84 posted on 08/09/2015 7:35:17 AM PDT by ponygirl (An Appeal to Heaven.)
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To: Tau Food
I remember in 2012, there were many people who warned GOP leadership that a Romney nomination would cause many people to vote third party. Of course, party leaders didn't listen.

To the GOPe leadership, the only thing that matters is that either their handpicked candidate or the Dem candidate wins because in either case the cartel wins.

It's like Colgate not caring if the consumer buys Fab or Ajax because in either case Colgate profits. The only thing that puts the fear of God in them is a viable third party. The GOPe has had a majority in the House and Senate but they assured the cartel that things will continue as usual by retaining McConell and Boehner as leaders..............

85 posted on 08/09/2015 8:04:45 AM PDT by varon (America for Americans first!)
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To: Fresh Wind

That is for Cruz to determine. It’s up to him to make himself heard.

If you have limited time to speak, then what you say had best matter and have significant impact.


86 posted on 08/09/2015 9:07:46 AM PDT by chris37 (Heartless)
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To: chris37

You might watch his Red State speech. The link has been posted on FR or you can search at Red State. Cruz is capable of impassioned speech and as the campaign wears on others will get to see this. He whipped up that crowd of bloggers pretty well.


87 posted on 08/09/2015 9:15:44 AM PDT by Calpublican
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To: pepsionice
Kirsten *Gillibrand* (Mattress--NY) ??

Hack *cough* *spit*


88 posted on 08/09/2015 9:16:00 AM PDT by grey_whiskers (The opinions are solely those of the author and are subject to change without notice.)
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To: Albion Wilde

Thanks for your “well-meaning” advice.

Steyn often has something worthwhile to say.


89 posted on 08/09/2015 9:16:37 AM PDT by Calpublican
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To: re_nortex
Levi was a teenager; Trump is almost 70.
90 posted on 08/09/2015 9:19:05 AM PDT by grey_whiskers (The opinions are solely those of the author and are subject to change without notice.)
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To: chris37

I meant you can search at YouTube.


91 posted on 08/09/2015 9:20:50 AM PDT by Calpublican
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To: Buttons12
Why do some blame the GOPe, the party “elders,” etc., for the nomination of Romney or McCain? They got the most votes, didn’t they?

It is because of the deliberately obscure, arcane, and labyrinthine regulations put into place to make sure that only a member of the insiders' club gets to the nomination.

This happens even at the state level, as well: former Minnesota governor Jesse "The Body" Ventura (yes,the wrestler) wrote about it somewhere.

92 posted on 08/09/2015 9:22:28 AM PDT by grey_whiskers (The opinions are solely those of the author and are subject to change without notice.)
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To: Albion Wilde
At this point and despite his many flaws (which his detractors -- particlularly the professional politicians and the self-described "MSM" -- persistently point out) and acknowledged inconsistencies, with the possible exception of Ted Cruz (who really needs to beef up his game, I think -- but it's early yet), I would put my trust in Donald Trump above the professional politicians. This may change in time, but this is where I am right now.

If Trump were to drop out early from the non-stop pressure from the leaders of both major parties or because he becomes bored with the whole "political thing", I think it would be a very depressing time indeed.

93 posted on 08/09/2015 9:24:08 AM PDT by glennaro
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To: Calpublican

I know that he is. I know that he believes what he says, and that he is passionate about his beliefs.

Now is the time for Mr. Cruz to BRING IT.

I will watch his speech later today. I did miss it yesterday.


94 posted on 08/09/2015 9:26:26 AM PDT by chris37 (Heartless)
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To: re_nortex
I'm still undecided about Trump and haven't yet concluded if he's the real deal or just stringing us along. The phenomenon does take me back to seven years ago (there I go again, Windflier with my FR history) and how quite a few FReepers were gaga over none other than Levi Johnston.

Yeah, I can recall FR love affairs with any number of public figures who later turned out to be duds. The list is long and inglorious.

That said, we can only judge these public figures with whatever observations and data we have to hand. Most of the losers have moved from plus to minus on our approval scale, while (more rarely) others, having started out as losers in our view, have moved from minus to plus.

Some have even caused our approval meters to move from one side to the other and back again. We're even split in our opinions of some public figures, but such is the variety of personal points of view. We're never going to be in 100% agreement on any politician.

I'm not done with my due diligence on Donald Trump, but from all the data I've recently absorbed about him, I feel comfortable that the majority of positions he holds on the major issues of the day, are honest and are what's good for America.

He's also a political outsider who is unbought and unbowed. He's got a long and storied record of success as a CEO of major operations and projects, which are the exact sort of skills that are desperately needed in the White House today.

As far as temperament goes, he's obviously a fighter who's unafraid to tackle any foe, or deal with recalcitrant underlings who can't shape up. The man is also goals oriented, and will work hard to achieve anything he sees as vital to a major project (like the very survival of his country). In most cases, he achieves whatever he sets his sites on.

I could go on, but I think you get the drift. The guy is a force of nature, and I think we're lucky that he's chosen to side with The People in this battle to overcome the DC cabal.

95 posted on 08/09/2015 12:17:06 PM PDT by Windflier (To anger a conservative, tell him a lie. To anger a liberal, tell him the truth.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

A party that hates it’s own base is dead even if they don’t know it.


96 posted on 08/09/2015 2:46:00 PM PDT by Caipirabob (Communists... Socialists... Democrats...Traitors... Who can tell the difference?)
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To: Caipirabob

And the Republican Party hates us more that they hate the Democrats. In fact, they only hate us, which it took me until 2014 to admit to myself. The Republican Party loves the Democrat Party, it is only us they hate.


97 posted on 08/09/2015 2:51:02 PM PDT by sport
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To: chris37

I am a Cruz supporter and my comments on this have been to this effect: Cruz HAS been standing on all these issues and anyone who has been following him would know that. Trouble is he is condemned by both parties as grandstanding and being a nuisance. Instead of rallying around him, even Rand Paul and some of the others, except Mike Lee, Steve King and Louis Gohmert, have wanted to make him look like the odd guy out. So the Rand Paul people and others have not paid any attention to him. He is one of the finest senators we’ve had in dozens of years. He gets little air time except in a negative way. Too bad people have NOT been following him all along or they’d be on his side, rallying behind him now. Americans are their own worst enemies. They believe the liar before they believe the truth-teller. The negatives get out there and people actually believe that he’s some unhinged rabble-rouser, instead of a principled man who is concerned and doing everything he can to thwart the Enemy. He wasn’t given much a chance to say anything useful the other night. The questions were not intended for us to find out policy beliefs or anything profitable. It was mostly show, to make the other networks think that Fox took on the republicans and made them squirm.


98 posted on 08/09/2015 4:01:20 PM PDT by Shery (Pray for righteousness to be restored and for the peace of Jerusalem.)
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To: Albion Wilde

Well stated!


99 posted on 08/09/2015 4:37:51 PM PDT by mbrfl (fightingmad)
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To: Shery

Being condemned by both parties is a resume enhancement. Both parties are the same party. Cruz is on the outside of that club, so that is a good place to be.

And it is too bad that Americans are not following him and rallying behind him, however it is up to him to lead, it is not up to others to follow, leading comes first, and it is also his job to rally. He must have that skill.

It is true what you say about Americans believe a liar before a truth-teller. We are indeed our own worst enemy, and soon we will have defeated ourselves.

And it is also true that he wasn’t given much in the debate. That was by design, but it is his job to overcome.

Ronald Reagan bypassed the media and spoke directly to the American people in his own words, and his character, honor and love of America was obvious to all who heard.

It is up to Cruz to find a way to do this. If he cannot, then he was not the one.


100 posted on 08/09/2015 4:45:48 PM PDT by chris37 (Heartless)
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