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Trump: In Iowa, 'I Sort of Just Went Through the Motions'
NewsBusters ^ | Mark Finkelstein

Posted on 02/03/2016 4:48:53 AM PST by governsleastgovernsbest

Donald Trump normally projects the image of a guy with only one gear: warp drive. But on today's Morning Joe, Trump made an interesting admission, saying that in Iowa, "I sort of went through the motions a little bit." According to Trump, he went less than flat-out in the Hawkeye State because he had been told he couldn't win, until a poll at the very end of the campaign indicated that he could.

Note: there was an odd moment at the very beginning of the phone interview. When Mika Brzezinski began by asking "let's talk about Iowa. What happened?" there was an awkward pause on Trump's end. "O-k-a-a-a-y," he eventually responded. The pause was so strange that Joe Scarborough asked "can you hear us?" Trump said he could hear fine, and the interview went on from there. So . . . was Trump distracted, or might he have been annoyed by Mika's entirely reasonable opening question focusing on his second-place finish in Iowa?

View the video here.

(Excerpt) Read more at newsbusters.org ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: Iowa
KEYWORDS: donaldtrump; goingthroughmotions; iowacaucuses; morningjoe
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To: Pilgrim's Progress

the evangelicals also voted overwhelmingly for Carter over Ford in 1976,, so what?


41 posted on 02/03/2016 5:25:27 AM PST by Lib-Lickers 2
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To: mongrel

Cruz was only reporting what he heard on CNN.
*************
Steve King distorted and twisted what was reported on CNN for which he “regretted any miscommunications.” It was a nasty and dirty trick.

I was watching the show live this morning. It was my impression there was an issue with the phones at the beginning of the call. Nothing else read into it.


42 posted on 02/03/2016 5:26:10 AM PST by ironman
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To: sauropod

This is a problem. Most evangelicals will simply accept the appearance and talking points of a candidate that says they are of faith. There is very little discernment in play. So, even if Cruz is evil incarnate - as long as he talks the talk he will be embraced by the “Judge not lest ye be judged crowd” that totally miss the meaning of that verse.

Ben Carson comes across as a bible believer, except that he is identified with a religious group that many regard as a cult (the thing that hurt Romney).

So, who do believers vote for if their are no viable candidates? Either they pick the less of two evils or they vote for the one that comes closest to their value system. If they can, they often write in someone else.

You would think that Huckabee would have done well - but his Joel Olsteen Christianity has already been tested and found wanting. He did do well last go-round, but the voters have wised up.

Remember that Jimmmy Carter drove the “born again” label all the way into the white house, and we see what a tragedy that resulted in.


43 posted on 02/03/2016 5:26:14 AM PST by Pilgrim's Progress (http://www.baptistbiblebelievers.com/BYTOPICS/tabid/335/Default.aspx D)
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To: octex

I guess team Cruz is the only campaign that watches CNN since no other campaign told Carson voters “vote for me, your guy is dropping out.” I need to tell my guys to watch CNN from now on /s


44 posted on 02/03/2016 5:26:27 AM PST by jpsb (Never believe anything in politics until it has been officially denied. Otto von Bismark)
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To: jpsb

“I wonder if Cruz stole enough votes from Carson to put him over the top?”........

I watched Trumps rally in New Hampshire and have to agree with him when he said something about Cruz’s campaign saying Carson “left the race”, If that is the type of political “gotcha” moves Cruz pulls, I don’t support him one bit. I support a politician that states the truth, if there ever IS one. Carson has every right to be pissed at Cruz and IMO Cruz owes Carson an apology, big time.


45 posted on 02/03/2016 5:28:46 AM PST by DaveA37
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To: governsleastgovernsbest
Mr. Trump should understand that what he did was WONDERFUL! He woke people up to the political process. He provided rallies that were fun, where people bonded, and aspired to a better life. He gave many kids the time of their lives with helicopter rides and running through his plane. He brought his NYC family and friends to Iowa where they actually experienced things with real people. He raised over $6 million dollars in less than 24 hours, made us all who contributed feel like part of the endeavor, and it's already getting to Veteran's groups where it will do the most good. He created a situation where the tail didn't wag the dog...ie: the media didn't write the narrative. He's created a situation where people are less afraid to say "politically incorrect" stuff.

He's giving the country a chance for four years when the pols can sort it out and begin to clean out the DC sewer while he solves things on the presidential level without masters who've bought his every deed.

Wow. And you know what else has happened? We've seen the dark side of the candidates who needed to be exposed. Sure do hope that exposure means voters will smarten up to them.

46 posted on 02/03/2016 5:29:12 AM PST by grania
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To: ObozoMustGo2012

Trump creates momentum, as he has said in his books. He still has big mo nationally, despite Cruz being ahead by 1 delegate due to his tent revival preacher routine.


47 posted on 02/03/2016 5:29:23 AM PST by proust (Texan for Trump! The Art Of The Comeback!)
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To: pollywog

Should he?

To what end? For your amusement?

You get up, learn, and move on.


48 posted on 02/03/2016 5:29:40 AM PST by VanDeKoik
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To: grania

Exactly. With so much negativity aimed at him he should have finished in 11th place.


49 posted on 02/03/2016 5:30:47 AM PST by proust (Texan for Trump! The Art Of The Comeback!)
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To: WhiskeyX

The fact that Cruz sent out this message ....
*************************************
Cruz didn’t send the message. Some staffers did, along with Sen. King.


50 posted on 02/03/2016 5:30:58 AM PST by octex
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To: jpsb

i live in Iowa, and I did not even hear about this until the story broke in the media.

I was at our local caucus, and I did not hear one peep about this from caucus goers monday night.

I think everyone has/had their mind already made up when they went in to their caucus site. This event did not affect the outcomes one iota, in my opinion.

of course, that is only my assessment of the situation.


51 posted on 02/03/2016 5:32:31 AM PST by QualityMan (I will not comply.)
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To: jpsb

Carson’s RCP average was 7.7% and he got 9.3%, a great jump, just over an 18% increase in vote share. (Cruz ended up winning with a 13.5% jump.) Carson got 17,395 votes, if Cruz “stole” 6,239 (the number of votes he won by) then Carson would have received 23,634, putting him at 12.6%. A giant jump over his 7.7% RCP average, in fact a 39% increase in vote share.

No way he had 39% more support than the polls were suggesting. Rubio ended up with 27% more, and that is correctly seen as a stunning result.


52 posted on 02/03/2016 5:33:15 AM PST by Anitius Severinus Boethius (www.wilsonharpbooks.com - Sign up for my new release e-mail and get my first novel for free)
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To: octex

What most hilarious is the people who think that Carson supports saw the tweet (would have to be following a campaign operative for Cruz) and that they responded by giving up. Sheesh!


53 posted on 02/03/2016 5:33:24 AM PST by The_Victor (If all I want is a warm feeling, I should just wet my pants.)
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To: governsleastgovernsbest

The interesting question this raises. Will Trump’s supporters turn into votes, or, are a good percentage of them merely fans? Hard to tell with Iowa being a caucus state. NH and SC should answer this question.


54 posted on 02/03/2016 5:34:46 AM PST by IamConservative (There is no greater threat to our freedoms than Bipartisanship.)
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To: governsleastgovernsbest

Let’s see. He says he surrounds himself with smart people, but doesn’t listen to them?

Keep talking, Donald. Eventually a man’s word do reveal who he is.


55 posted on 02/03/2016 5:35:34 AM PST by don-o (He will not share His glory. And He will NOT be mocked!)
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To: elhombrelibre

I did some math yesterday with each county results in IA, and if you take all the republican caucus votes NOT cast for either cruz or trump in IA, split them evenly between the two of them, cruz would have won by a larger margin than he did.

now, there is no way to know which way the voters that did not vote for either cruz or trump would break, (ie. rubio), but it was the best that I could estimate.

there was little fire for trump in my local caucus...mostly cruz and rubio. just my .02 from what I saw, on the ground.


56 posted on 02/03/2016 5:36:47 AM PST by QualityMan (I will not comply.)
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To: miss marmelstein

No... Gov. Romney, much like Mr. Trump, thought big rallies were enough, and dropped the ball on GOTV.

Both failed at GOTV out of arrogance and an ignorance of how elections have actually been won the last 20+ years.

The Democrats are promising fabulous prizes when their base turns out... we have to do what the Cruz campaign did in Iowa and get ours to turn out as if their life depended on it.


57 posted on 02/03/2016 5:37:20 AM PST by rwilson99 (Please tell me how the words "shall not perish and have everlasting life" would NOT apply to Mary.)
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To: jpsb

I was wondering the same thing but there is no means of getting the exact number of course. Carson finished with a high 9% rate and 17,395 votes. DT with 24% and 45,427 and Cruz with 28% and ooooOOOOOoooo 51,666. if I was Cruz I would ask for a recount just to get a few more or less votes.

however, everyone thinks that the carson votes went to cruz when they could have gone to rubio or dt. never know.

In searching I found an article on Christian Post that said when Trump was in church he got some $ out of his pocket when the communion plate was being passed around. I guess he wasn’t listening. He laughed about it and said he thought it was the offering plate. At least he laughed at himself.

http://www.christianpost.com/news/donald-trump-communion-plate-thought-it-was-for-offering-156446/


58 posted on 02/03/2016 5:37:25 AM PST by huldah1776 ( Vote Pro-life! Allow God to bless America before He avenges the death of the innocent.)
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To: All

Uh oh, DT just tweeted:

Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump 37 seconds ago

Ted Cruz didn’t win Iowa, he illegally stole it. That is why all of the polls were so wrong any why he got more votes than anticipated. Bad!


59 posted on 02/03/2016 5:39:21 AM PST by proust (Texan for Trump! The Art Of The Comeback!)
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To: jpsb

Give it up, dude. Trump lost because he made poor decisions in the final weeks and didn’t invest in people on the ground. A month ago it looked like he had no chance in Iowa despite the national lead and in other early primary states. He made a huge surge in January and it looked like he might be able to run the table, but he did a combination of things to make that not true. If Cruz’s campaign got votes from Carson, it’s probably in single or double digits.


60 posted on 02/03/2016 5:39:34 AM PST by ilgipper
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