Replies

Thank you for your opening comment. I appreciate it.

I am not a big fan of Jeb Bush. Seldom have I seen a guy step in it more than this guy. As bad as folks seem to think Trump is, he has not made disasterous policy statements one after another daily or even more than once a day at times. Bush has for months. Trump's policy statements have gone unchallenged by anyone. Once he declared, nobody has taken him to task on his stated policies. Either he has decent policies, or folks just aren't honest enough to listen to them and point out mistakes. The Left has had that opportunity, but no Leftist entity has done so. Neither has the GOPe and it's minions. They're scared to death to address him or his policies, on policy. I think we all know why.

Getting back to Bush, it seems to me you consider the primary season to be an honest contest between Bush and Cruz. You seem to think they will be evaluated based on which guy is the smartest, the best Conservative. That isn't the case. The fact is, the most Conservative (read that Tea Party) guy will be considered by moderate Republicans to be a terrorist, and by Democrats participating to be a radical right wing extremist. Rationality won't rule the day. McCain, McConnell, Boehner, the GOPe, have all laid the groundwork for a Conservative to be judged unacceptable. How do you counter that when your own party labels you a Tea Party terrorist?

Trump simply tells the public the Washington insiders are the problem, and the public buys off on it. Cruz says that, and folks think yeah sure, and dismiss him. You may not think so, but that's how I see it. Trump is not viewed as your typical Conservative Republican. As much as you guys hate his seemingly Liberal past, the public sees that as proof he's not an extremist Republican. They'll listen to him when they would dismiss Cruz saying the same thing. I don't like that. I still think something close to that dynamic is in play here. It's that "bigger than life" or whatever you want to call it factor that Reagan somehow tapped into. He shot straight with folks. They adored him for it. Dissmiss this if you like, but Cruz simply doesn't possess that dynamic. If he did, he would be at 25%, and his Drudge numbers would have been close to 50% after the debate.

You are right, I do defend him in the Megan Kelly flap. His response to her should have been, "You know Megan, Rosie and I had a spat. It was public, but it pertains to her and I, not the nation. We are here to talk about what I consider to be the most important policy changes in this nations recenty thirty years. There are at least 50 important contemporary issues that each of us needs to address tonight, and here you are asking about Rosie O'Donnell. That's just childish." If she shot back saying something like, "Well sir, some people say you were childish", I'd respond by saying, "I respect people coming to whatever conclusion they wish to. I'm not perfect. Sometimes I make a mistake. This issue is not a critical issue facing the nation, and so far you don't seem to be able to comprehend that. If you can't think of a single presidential policy question to ask me, we can simply skip your chance to ask one. I don't think people tuned in tonight to see a presidential candiate debate a junior high campus publication reporter." Then if she wouldn't let go, I'd just keep asking her if she had a presidential level policy question to ask, every time she tried to turn it back on me. Just make her eat it.

I'm tired of this bunk routine. The moderators get worse every two years. It's time they were put on notice, that the beauty queen gotcha comments won't fly any longer. I'd remind her right then and there, this isn't the View Megan. This is supposed to be a part of the selection process of the leader of the Free World. Would you like to step up your game?

Your comment about it all being unnecesary was right on. Megan should not have gotten away with that. If I were her boss, someone else would have been asking questions from the moment the camera first left her after that debachle.

This is the party that didn't mind John McCain leading it in 2008. You think Trump is risking the reputation of this party? Wow. Trump has not made mistake after mistake. The media has gamed the situation to make it seem that way, and for some reason, you now think the Lefist media is pristine and Trump is the problem. You know better than that. They've done their best to destroy him and he's still standing stronger than ever. Why are you falling for it?

His comment referencing blood instead of daggers shooting out of her eyes was silly. You know as well as I do he didn't rererence "women's problems" there. He was referencing her stare, the look on her face. She was determined to sink him. It didn't work. That's all. The media lied about it, made a big stink out of, because it had nothing else on him, and some folks are falling for it. There's nothing to it. It's a total fabrication.

Let me get this straight, they lie about him stating she was having her period, and you come to the conclusion he needs to accept blame for his mistake? I think you're misreading what has been taking place. Trump has not been making massive mistakes. They have been trying to frame him for making massive mistakes. There's a huge difference there.

Since I have pointed this out, I'm now a Trump-bot? If Trump has been making big mistake after big mistake, why do you think he's at the highest he has been in the polls? Why do you think he got close to 50% of the debate victory votes on Drudge? Do you think Trump-bots are gaming the Drudge site to con the nation?

If there is anyone who needs to come to graps and accept what is going on, I would submit is the Leftists and even FReepers who are misreading the tea leaves almost every step of the way. It is true that Trump seemed to be far more Leftist in the past. I can't tell you 100% what the deal is. I think he needs to be watched closely, and revealed to be who he is, if he is faking. Failing that, I'm voting for him. I don't think Cruz can beat rigged elections. I know he'll have to fight every entity that Trump is having to face now. I don't think he's resilliant enough to pull it off. You do. That's what our differeing voices are here for.

Cruz's numbers are lower than I would like to see right now. Perhaps they will pull up, and perhaps they won't. I will say, Walker showed astonishingly bad on Drudge. I thought Cruz's numbers were much better after the debate on Drudge. How imporant the Drudge poll is, I question. I don't think Trump has nearly 50% of the vote. I don't think Walker is just 5% or Cruz is actually 15%. We'll see in a few days what the reaction was. I expect to see Trump take a hit at some point, and the people who have been praying for it will find every excuse in the world to say, "See, I knew it.", when it happens.

I remain unconvinced that Trump will die of 1000 self-influcted cuts. Go look at the video of those who Black women defending Trump. First of all they are hilarious. Second of all, look at the comments over there.

I've seldom seen people more on fire for a political candidate. These are not your typical Republican Conservatives either.

I think some folks are completely missing the Trump phenominon, and I'm nowhere near as convinced as they are that he is a disaster in the making.

Thank you for your response. Hope I wasn't too critical for ya. Take care. I've always enjoyed your posts, and I apprecaite the debate here as well.

I agree with much of your premise written here. Most voters are not hard core conservative, nor progressive. They just want to get along with their lives and watch some football and hope their kids grow up right.

Trump is not a socialist. Of that much I think we can all agree. Is he a bona-fide conservative. I think not. Can he get elected. I think so. If the vast masses of low information voters turn out and decide to vote for The Donald then the conservative movement has won something. The GOPe would have been smashed. The uni-party would have been smashed.

In my opinion I think that Trump has that uniquely American characteristic of what should be right and what is wrong. He is rich and will tell you so, but the fly-over folks accept him as one of them. Why? Cause he has been in the news and on television for years. Folks know that something is wrong in this country and probably think that “What the Hell, he couldn’t do any worse...” You know what I mean? He appeals to the little guy much like Obama did with his “Hope and Change.” Folks voted for Obama cause after eight years of Bush it was time for a change. America does that...

A republican is poised to win this election because history tells us that the pendulum is swinging. Now are we going to give the mantle to the Uni-party represented by Yeb, or will America vote for Trump (providing he doesn’t crash and burn)

I hope that Trump has taken lessons to heart here in these past few days and will tailor his campaign and messaging. He should not stop the push back but perhaps do it a bit differently. But hey, he’s a New Yorker.

It’s three am now so I guess I want to say that I am seeing an undercurrent that will support Trump and really no other republican candidate in the general. If Trump can survive through the primary season and actually get the nomination, then I believe it will be his to lose. But he really has to modify his messaging...I am getting tired of his “he’s a loser, etc...” If he can stay upbeat and keep hammering away at his message of Make America Great Again, then he will win. If he stays in the gutter battling it out with the lowly pundits, then he will tire himself by throwing too many punches.

Time to retire...

Just what I see from here