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Donald Trump will soon betray the GOP
The Week ^ | 1/28 | Paul Waldman

Posted on 01/28/2016 8:22:06 AM PST by TangledUpInBlue

I say that because there's no reason to think that Trump won't turn on a dime the instant he has to face a general electorate, and begin advocating a whole new set of policies. He adopted an entirely new set of beliefs for this race, one attuned to what his current audience wants — not just xenophobic, but fervently pro-life, pro-gun, pro-God, and pro-whatever else he thinks primary voters want to hear. Trump panders shamelessly to whoever he's talking to, he has no genuine ideology, and he won't feel tied to anything he's said before, any more than he's tied to his previous positions on health care or abortion.

Unlike other politicians who struggle to explain any hint of contradiction between what they're advocating now and what they've advocated before, Trump waves it all away. Remember all the painful contortions Mitt Romney went through to convince Republicans he was in complete agreement with them and had renounced his prior hints of moderation? Trump doesn't bother with that. Who cares what I said then? This is what I'm saying now, and anyone who has a problem with it is a low-energy loser.

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


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To: TangledUpInBlue
I have a great idea for a political cartoon. Trump would be dressed as a brick mason and he would be building a wall. On his side of the unfinished wall, the side with Trump on it, would be the American people. On the other side the Establishment: MSM, GOPe, pundits the CHEAP LABOR EXPRESS etc.

Donald and the American people on one side vs the Establishment cabal on the other.

101 posted on 01/28/2016 8:53:55 AM PST by central_va (I won't be reconstructed and I do not give a damn.)
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To: SubMareener

You go to Trumps own website to get his positions, which HE can update at anytime?

He’s a master as adding caveats and exception clauses.


102 posted on 01/28/2016 8:55:36 AM PST by the_boy_who_got_lost (ThingsITrustMoreThanHillary.com - GodBlessAmerica.us)
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To: stratboy
Teddy has been in congress for 3 years serving as an outlier and has done nothing to advance the conservative agenda.

A total crock. He's done EVERYTHING to advance the conservative agenda. His shutdown directly led to a sweep of Republicans in Congress. Even Trent Lott practically admitted that.

Exactly how is it a criticism of Cruz to say he's so conservative that he's an outlier? That's a criticism of all the liberals and RINOs in congress. Do you think Rush Limbaugh should be taken off the air because his show hasn't led to total conservative majorities in the government? Your standards are phony and ridiculous.

103 posted on 01/28/2016 8:55:43 AM PST by JediJones ("Beautiful, famous, successful, married - I've had them all, secretly." -Trump on women in 2007 book)
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To: Cboldt

Chuckle


104 posted on 01/28/2016 8:55:48 AM PST by AFreeBird
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To: the_boy_who_got_lost

Based on what?


105 posted on 01/28/2016 8:56:59 AM PST by Jay Thomas (If not for my faith in Christ, I would despair.)
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To: TangledUpInBlue

Exactly right.


106 posted on 01/28/2016 8:57:15 AM PST by GodGunsGuts
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To: stratboy

And Trump has done NOTHING, I repeat NOTHING to advance the conservative agenda despite having a media empire and tons of money to influence politicians. Name me one thing conservative thing that was done in government because of Trump.


107 posted on 01/28/2016 8:57:32 AM PST by JediJones ("Beautiful, famous, successful, married - I've had them all, secretly." -Trump on women in 2007 book)
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To: TangledUpInBlue

“Are we being scammed?”

Conservatives are big time, the GOPeers not so much they want most of what the democrats want anyway. When the “deal making” starts the democrats and GOPeers will at least get touch back amnesty more crony capitalism the lobbyist will be okay. Donald will probably discover he was right before about abortion, what kind of appointments will he make? will he revert back to his previous stand on the Second Amendment. When did he actually become a Conservative? I assume it would be after he endorsed DeBlasio, two years ago? Is no one bothered by his narcissism? his vindictiveness? his mocking of those who either are afflicted or don’t agree with him? his use of superlatives instead of pertinent descriptive language. I would at least like to believe that someone who may become President is mentally stable.


108 posted on 01/28/2016 8:57:33 AM PST by duffee (CRUZ 2016)
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To: Lib-Lickers 2

109 posted on 01/28/2016 8:57:43 AM PST by entropy12 (Trump - only candidate not in pockets of ultra-rich donor class. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!)
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To: TangledUpInBlue

Trump is our Wendell Willkie, a lifetime dim who switched parties and lost badly in his 1942 run for president.

I agree with what Senator James Watson of Indiana told Willkie and it applies to Trump: “Well Wendell you know back home in Indiana it’s all right if the town whore joins the church but they don’t ask her to lead the choir on the first night.”


110 posted on 01/28/2016 8:57:54 AM PST by fungoking (Tis a pleasure to live in the Ozarks)
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To: stratboy

Cruz led the fight to stop the Gang of 8 amnesty bill and succeeded. If that’s not the conservative agenda, I don’t know what is.


111 posted on 01/28/2016 8:58:35 AM PST by JediJones ("Beautiful, famous, successful, married - I've had them all, secretly." -Trump on women in 2007 book)
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To: WKUHilltopper

The Donald has a very firm set of convictions. They all involve going into a negotiation and coming out with something of value for the side on which he is negotiating, without giving up more than what the other side can use or should have.

Believe it or not, not all negotiations are entirely one-sided. In a well-matched confrontation, each of the parties gives something up in exchange for something that is of equal or greater value to himself, and an honest negotiator on the other side approaches the table with the same or similar objectives.

What we have been getting out of the Current Regime is a wholesale preemptive surrender, giving the other side MUCH more than they had originally hoped to get, while getting virtually nothing in exchange. Further down the food chain, the Republican Majority in the Senate AND House HAVE BEEN GETTING ROLLED TIME AND AGAIN, by this same Current Regime that gives up so easily to Islamic terrorists.

The world is crying out for a return to “arms’ length” negotiations. This is the promise of The Donald.


112 posted on 01/28/2016 8:59:59 AM PST by alloysteel (If I considered the consequences of my actions, I would rarely do anything.)
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To: odawg

by watching the ones where he was

Pro Gun Control

Pro Abortion

Pro Govt Takeings (kelo)

Pro single payer health

Pro Nancy Policy

Pro Obama

Its not really all that hard.


113 posted on 01/28/2016 9:00:13 AM PST by Bidimus1
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To: TangledUpInBlue

You already have been scammed over and over again by the lying
GOP house and senate members.
They keep lying to you and people like you keep sending them back.


114 posted on 01/28/2016 9:00:20 AM PST by tennmountainman ("Prophet Mountainman" Predicter Of All Things RINO...for a small pittancez)
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To: TangledUpInBlue

Listen to me very carefully.

EVERY single politician runs hard left or right during the primary. And EVERY single politician “softens” the rhetoric for the general.

This is a 100% rule - no exceptions. We all know to expect it. If Cruz gets the nomination, he’ll have to do it, too.

Will Trump do it? Wouldn’t surprise me one bit because that’s been the winning formula.

As Trump is rewriting the rule-book, he may surprise us and keep going as he is. That would be refreshing.


115 posted on 01/28/2016 9:00:41 AM PST by Marie (TRUMP TRUTH https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gw8c2Cq-vpg)
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To: libbylu
What will Teddy do after losing Iowa? Set up another debate in Calgary with Donny?


116 posted on 01/28/2016 9:01:27 AM PST by entropy12 (Trump - only candidate not in pockets of ultra-rich donor class. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!)
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To: JediJones

That’s your viewpoint, and you are welcomed to it, I respectfully disagree.

Trump certainly has celebrity that does get him attention.. but he’s also using it insanely effectively. Trump is far smarter than his detractors give him credit for.

Your criticism of Trump are pretty empty, and aren’t going to influence anyone to change their minds. Trump was a business man, and as such he did what was required to get what he needed to get done. Building buildings in Large Cities.... wow, shocking, you have to grease the skids of the local politicians to get things done.... That’s how the game is played, for good or ill. Holding that against him is a dubious argument... Would you prefer he avoided such things and was ineffective?

Cruz IMHO has zero chance in a general election, and that was before he turned himself into a circus sideshow by getting in bed with Beck. Folks know what Cruz did, he put this nation on the brink of default, and yes, in spite of the idiotic claims Mr Hannity and others made, the US was going to default at the end of the month had not an agreement been reached. They has far more bond payments due than they had cash on hand. Don’t think the social security set doesn’t know that.

Cruz excites a lot of folks with his ideological rhetoric, but he has absolutely no personality which is why Trump dominates every single time he is on stage with the rest of the lot. Only 2 of the Republican candidates have the X factor, one obviously is Trump, and the other is Christie. The rest just look like cardboard cutouts when put in the presence of the other two.

Cruz preaches to the choir, but when I look at the EC map, I see no major path for him to win, he won’t open up the map, nor will any other Republican besides Trump. Cruz does not cross over at all, and he doesn’t get much support in the independent side of things either... If he is the candidate, or anyone else besides Trump for that matter, you are looking at at best a squeaker election with no coattails that could go either way.

Conservatives have to wake up to the fact that ideological purity hasn’t won them an election in, forever. Even Reagan did not win on being Ideologically pure. Getting 20% of the electorate to be rabidly behind you gets you nowhere.

Could most folks here live with a Cruz presidency? Sure, but he answers to the same money men as the rest, if you think he won’t sell out when its needed you are naive. Cruz however won’t open up the map, he won’t put the upper midwest, mid atlantic and new england states into play.. he won’t break the Democratic firewall in any way shape or form. Frankly I can’t seem him winning a general, even against Hillary... We can’t afford another squeaker election with it boiling down to who has the better GOTV in a handful of states.

Your supposition that Cruz isn’t getting the support he deserves because people don’t know what he did, I think is a nice self delusion.

Thankfully this whole primary bickering will be over shortly and FR can return once again to its normal self rather than the crazy place it is every primary season.


117 posted on 01/28/2016 9:01:32 AM PST by HamiltonJay
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To: Marie

Reagan never ran to the left.


118 posted on 01/28/2016 9:03:32 AM PST by skeeter
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To: Buckeye McFrog
I would rather give Trump one chance to betray me than give the GOP their 17th.

Post of the day, brother, post of the day.

119 posted on 01/28/2016 9:04:13 AM PST by NurdlyPeon (I'm going with Trump.)
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To: Marie

If we do the same as 2008, 2012 and expect a different result that would be insanity.

So far, different HAS taken out the media, bill Clinton, jbush, and all the GOPe candidates.

Cruz reminds me of Mondale.


120 posted on 01/28/2016 9:04:26 AM PST by longtermmemmory (VOTE! http://www.senate.gov and http://www.house.gov)
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