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Why Trump Has Already Won Tomorrow's Debate (Without Showing Up)
thehill.com ^ | January 27

Posted on 01/27/2016 8:21:05 PM PST by Helicondelta

Tomorrow night, Republican front-runner Donald Trump might become the first presidential candidate ever to win a debate he didn't show up for. The other candidates will show up like they're supposed to, and they'll stand at their podiums answering questions. Some opinion writers will spin theories like, "Trump doesn't really want to win" or "This will be what finally does Trump in."

Some anti-Trump Republicans will believe this is the other candidates' chance to shine. They'll talk about their first-month-in-office goals. They'll talk about their policies and tax plans. Nobody will mention that Sen. Rand Paul (Ky.) and Ohio Gov. John Kasich are on the ends because they barely got in, but there may be some old-school prepackaged zingers. Someone will unleash one of those zingers and think it will make a great sound bite for the media to play over and over. He won't understand that "the zinger" is a dead art; a relic for future archaeologists. They'll dust it off and discover Trump's teeth marks on it.

Trump won't miss making news by skipping the debate. Trump is the news. I wrote last week in The Hill that the Republican Party and the media don't pull Trump's strings; he pulls theirs. This is what I meant. This is Trump pulling the media's strings. After the debate, the big story isn't going to be what former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio argued civilly about or whose flat tax proposal The Wall Street Journal likes best.

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


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: 2016election; cruz; debate; debates; elections; trump
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To: Helicondelta
The other candidates are desperate to keep playing by the old rules, but Trump destroyed those rules. I woke up yesterday morning excited about tomorrow's debate. Today, I woke up excited to see what Trump will do instead of the debate. That's why Trump has already won.

The last paragraph from the article above nails it. Exactly how I felt.

41 posted on 01/27/2016 8:52:37 PM PST by DouglasKC
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To: Helicondelta

I hope someone counts how many times each candidate’s name is spoken. It would be funny if Trump had the highest count.


42 posted on 01/27/2016 8:53:19 PM PST by matt1234 (Note to GOPe lurkers: I and thousands like me will NEVER vote for Jeb Bush)
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To: bigtoona

Shot Caller


43 posted on 01/27/2016 8:53:41 PM PST by IwaCornDogs
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To: biggredd1

750 to 150k. If I weren’t on my mobile, I’d put up that Muttley .gif...


44 posted on 01/27/2016 8:56:55 PM PST by BigEdLB (Take it Easy, Chuck. I'm Not Taking it Back -- Donald Trump)
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To: Red Steel

Wow! Go Trump!


45 posted on 01/27/2016 9:02:11 PM PST by BlackFemaleArmyColonel ("God only is my Rock and my Salvation; He is my Defence." (Psa 62:2))
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To: Helicondelta
Fascinating to watch this unfold. In military terms, Trump has seized the initiative, in fact, he seized it quite some time ago. Not over his competition, over the media, if that doesn't turn out to be the same thing. There are two possible reactions to this: first, the opponent can begin reacting to him, and we've seen some of this. But far worse, the opponent can continue down the same pathway oblivious to the fact that he's dancing to someone else's tune, and I think that most of the media fit that category. That's why Trump always appears so far ahead of them. He is.

Cruz is running along the same pathway as Trump, but behind. His real opponents also are the media, and to a limited degree he also has an opportunity to seize the initiative here. Were he to abandon the debate the thing would fall apart. He also would set himself, with Trump, apart from the rest of the field. Against that he has to weigh the real enmity he would receive from Fox - not much of a factor, really, but it counts - and whatever boost from them he might otherwise get from gratitude for not slam-dunking the debate. He is, after Trump, the only obvious leader even on stage with the others, who six months from now we'll all be struggling to remember, and on stage with them he'll be unmistakably alpha, at least in that pool. It's an "optic" that's hard to beat.

Abandoning the debate, however, unless the other candidates do too, turns the thing into a two-man race which it probably really is at the moment anyway. That's also a pretty powerful optic. Both the media and the GOPe would be apoplectic. But it's definitely an all-in move, and he may regard it as too early for that yet. And although it might boost his image to parity with Trump's, it isn't certain if it will boost his poll numbers enough to justify the risk. Tough call, really.

46 posted on 01/27/2016 9:04:08 PM PST by Billthedrill
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To: Billthedrill

The media might like Trump because he is a good story, but his act will get real old, real fast; and the media will turn against him.

While the media may not like Cruz as much, Cruz has not been rude to them and he’s much easier to get along with.


47 posted on 01/27/2016 9:07:06 PM PST by SeaHawkFan
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To: RC one

The media constantly states that most people have not made up their minds.I have not believed that in the last 4 presidential elections.The media are the ones that benefit from a continued campaign soaking up as much possible advert dollars.You always hear pundits say it.


48 posted on 01/27/2016 9:08:13 PM PST by HANG THE EXPENSE (Life's tough.It's tougher when you're stupid.)
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To: Kenny

One of the tree stooges is a Sanders supporter.
Why would the GOP allow a Sanders support in a GOP debate?
A Trump set up. That’s why.


49 posted on 01/27/2016 9:09:00 PM PST by tennmountainman ("Prophet Mountainman" Predicter Of All Things RINO...for a small pittancez)
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To: SeaHawkFan

The point of this is that it may not matter what the media think. That’s the end game for both men, and it’s what makes this such an interesting campaign.


50 posted on 01/27/2016 9:10:53 PM PST by Billthedrill
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To: Helicondelta

Good synopsis. Bill O’Reilly was pleading with Trump tonight. Nobody is going to pay much attention to the debate tomorrow night but afterward everyone will be desperate to interview Trump.


51 posted on 01/27/2016 9:12:17 PM PST by Georgia Girl 2 (The only purpose of a pistol is to fight your way back to the rifle you should never have dropped)
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To: Helicondelta

It would be a great laugh if Drudge kept Trump in the “who won the debate” poll.


52 posted on 01/27/2016 9:12:36 PM PST by Rebelbase (A new batch of harpies has hatched in time for the 2016 election.)
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To: Helicondelta

I just want to know if the middle podium is going to be empty or will Cruz be in it? I guess we’ll find out tomorrow!


53 posted on 01/27/2016 9:14:19 PM PST by US_MilitaryRules (The last suit you wear has no pockets!)
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To: TigerClaws

Just change the question to: Who won the night?


54 posted on 01/27/2016 9:14:58 PM PST by Will88
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To: Helicondelta

One of the lead staff for Trump said that some of the other candidates are considering leaving the Debate also because of this latest revelation that Megyn had planned a massive attack on trump, using several internet bloggers (ladies).

Now, that would be interesting.


55 posted on 01/27/2016 9:27:44 PM PST by CyberAnt
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To: biggredd1

Is it going to be on a channel? Or is it just streaming? I can do both but just wondering if you had any info. Thanks.


56 posted on 01/27/2016 9:28:02 PM PST by napscoordinator
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To: Helicondelta

Ronald Reagan didn’t win the Iowan Caucus because he didn’t attend the last debate but won New Hampshire and from there on and beat George Herbert Walker Bush...

Trump is Trump, let Trump be Trump....every time he does something that ‘other’ candidate don’t say or do, a few days later, bingo, Trump was right on the mark, and he will be that way over this also...

GO.TRUMP.GO!!!


57 posted on 01/27/2016 9:28:39 PM PST by HarleyLady27 ("The Force Awakens"!!! TRUMP;TRUMP;TRUMP;TRUMP!!! 100%)
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To: perfect_rovian_storm

Where was Rinse Prius the GOP RNC chairman to make sure the hosting network Fox treated of all people the GOP frontrunner and likely nominee fairly?

The media has taken out our best like Herman Cain, Nute Gingrich before and the RNC did nothing. Why even have an RNC, why give them money. They certainly only cared to make Donald J. Trump sign a Loyalty pledge. Loyalty goes both ways in my book. RNC is a POS. Not worth writing a check to any ore.


58 posted on 01/27/2016 9:31:35 PM PST by Zenjitsuman (A)
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To: The Final Harvest
One of the lead staff for Trump said that some of the other candidates are considering leaving the Debate also because of this latest revelation that [Megyn Kelly] had planned a massive attack on trump, using several internet bloggers (ladies).

I haven't read about this anywhere else. Has anybody posted a link to such a story?

59 posted on 01/27/2016 9:33:47 PM PST by sargon
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To: perfect_rovian_storm

Two hours less of watching Meg, Chris and Bret is a bit of a victory. How incompetent is Fox Snooze?

Pray America wakes


60 posted on 01/27/2016 9:36:35 PM PST by bray (Trump/Palin 2016)
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