Posted on 02/13/2016 10:23:41 AM PST by NKP_Vet
"Trump bankrolled politicians to steamroll the little guy, a pattern of sleaze stretching back decades. Worse? Trump still supports eminent domain today."
Who knew such a wonky topic would find its way into political attacks in the Republican presidential race? An ad released this week by Ted Cruz's presidential campaign lodged a renewed attack on Donald Trump's support for eminent domain and alleged use of the government's powers for private gain, to bully an elderly woman out of her home.
There are two problematic aspects of this ad: the misleading headlines that accompany the narration and the cherry-picked footage of Trump's answers that misrepresent the context of his statements. We took a look at these two elements, the context of the ad and the actual sources of the quotes and footage the ad used.
The Facts
The case
In 1994, the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority, a government agency, attempted to seize an elderly widow's home. The agency tried to invoke "eminent domain," which refers to the government's right to acquire private property for public use.
The house was located near the Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City. The agency wanted to turn the house and two other properties over to the Trump Organization. Trump had planned to landscape the area and build a new parking lot, with a waiting area for limousines.
The woman, Vera Coking, was in her 70s and had lived in her home for 37 years. She refused to give it up. Then, a four-year court battle ensued.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Are you nuts?
The Wall Street Journal has been non-stop Trash-Trump 24/7 for eight months now.
Just one hint, the WSJ is for open borders.
Please tell me again how they want Trump more than Cruz. LOL
I don’t know why she decided this. I would have grabbed The Donald’s offer. AC was and remains a wreck. Of course, it was her decision in the end. Nothing anybody could do.
Yeah, ignore the content and attack the messenger. Just like Hillary does when she gets caught red handed.
You should check up on “Godwin’s Law”
You're sounding as credible as Ted Cruz about this.
I bet he just about committed hari-kari when the estate sold for a pittance compared to the original offers mommy dearest received and turned down.
I can speak from raw experience, our family went through a two-year eminent domain law suit process. What Cruz is peddling about Mr. Trump is flat-out lies.
Leni
Yes, and she wasn’t going to sell her home to such bad men as Trump and Guccione. That was her right, and her choice. The point for this campaign is that the Cruz ad about this is misleading at best, or a out and out lie at worst.
It certainly is not something that one would expect from a principled, consistent Conservative. Once again, Donald Trump is smoking out the snakes in the wood pile.
So we should be able to make people do what they don’t want just because you offered them money they didn’t want. I get it. Screw principles when money is involved. Makes sense given that you support Trump. Principles don’t matter.
I think “Jebber” may not do this tonight. A day after the last debate info was let out that the Bush family was involved in a land grab via eminent domain for a baseball field. Not exactly a school or a road.
Well, let's look at it from an economic perspective. She "paid" (using your figures) about $1.5 million to $4.5 million to keep her property until she saw fit to leave. We'd have to ask her if she thinks it was worth it. Only then could we determine who was the smart one.
Freedom can be summarized in one word: No!
In 1993, Donald Trump bought several lots around his Atlantic City casino and hotel, intending to build a parking lot designed for limousines. Coking, who had lived in her house at that time for about 35 years, refused to sell. When Coking refused to sell to Trump, the city of Atlantic City condemned her house, using the power of eminent domain. Her designated compensation was to be $251,000, about one quarter of what Guccione had offered her 10 years earlier.
It WILL be his job as a gaovernment official.
Considering the shenanigans that go on between Trump and Cruz supporters, your screen name and post are ironically hilarious.
“.... Trump spent 4 years in court attempting to steal the woman’s home, but was unsuccessful.”
You either didn’t read the article, or failed to comprehend, or chose to read into it what you wanted. Note: an individual such as Trump cannot sue under eminent domain. Got it? Trump did not sue the woman, the city did. The suit was brought by the agency overseeing the development of Atlantic City.
You may not have visited ACNJ before gambling was ok’d and the casinos started to be built. It was ramshackle houses, dilapidated buildings and just a wasteland. Much as it is today because gambling never quite cut it in ACNJ. You might call it a $hithole. That is what the government of AC and its agencies were trying to overcome.
But, by all means, let this poor 70 year old lady turn down $1M for her dump of a house. Let ACNJ stay the dump city it is. We can’t have businesses coming along and trying to make them into something desirable, something that employs tens of thousand of people, and brings revenue to the area, making it into an economic powerhouse. Just can’t have that.
No body made Vera do anything she didn’t want to do! The legal system worked. Her Constitutional right not to make a good deal was protected.
What “principle” did Donald Trump violate? The Constitution and laws of New Jersey allowed a government agency supporting Donald Trump to bring the case. That was his right under the Constitution. Do you want to deny him his rights under the Constitution because a mean little old lady is involved?
As it turned out, you could say that God protected Donald from getting further in the hole on the Trump Tower project, by hardening Vera’s heart against Donald. Now God is using this incident to expose Ted Cruz for the fraud he is. Got to ask yourself whose side is God on and are you on the same side?
Yeah, ignore the content and attack the messenger. Just like Hillary does when she gets caught.
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Didn’t ignore the content at all.
The compost decided that since Trump and the state lost the case everything was fine.
Trump and the state irked to force her to sign or they would seize the property.
The fact the Trump lost to her has nothing whatsoever to his attitude that it is ok for him to take the private property of anther American for his personal enrichment.
Cruz was Princeton and Harvard Law educated and he clerked for a SCOTUS justice right after law school. He is a former member of the Bush admin. Ted Cruz has been in government the vast majority of his post school life. His wife is a Harvard educated, former CFR member and a current Goldman Sachs exec. He seems pretty thoroughly establishment to me. What would you think of any other professional politician with the same credentials and life history?
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