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Ezra Klein IMPLOSION: "The rise of Donald Trump is a terrifying moment in American politics"
Vox ^

Posted on 02/10/2016 11:20:10 PM PST by bryan999

"This, more than his ideology, is why Trump genuinely scares me. There are places where I think his instincts are an improvement on the Republican field. He seems more dovish than neoconservatives like Marco Rubio, and less dismissive of the social safety net than libertarians like Rand Paul. But those candidates are checked by institutions and incentives that hold no sway over Trump; his temperament is so immature, his narcissism so clear, his political base so unique, his reactions so strange, that I honestly have no idea what he would do - or what he wouldn't do."

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


TOPICS: Politics/Elections; US: Florida; US: New York
KEYWORDS: 2016election; election2016; ezraklein; florida; marcorubio; newyork; trump; vox
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To: beejaa

At least try and get his words correct. Your take on something you thought you heard won’t cut it. It is a lengthy answer and really quite reasonable


41 posted on 02/11/2016 1:02:57 AM PST by Nifster (I see puppy dogs in the clouds)
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To: JennysCool

“One thing I am certain Trump WILL do:

Abide by the Constitution.”

Talk about wishful thinking! I’ve never heard Trump refer to the Constitution. (Cruz does it all the time, so you really should be backing Cruz if that’s important to you).

With Trump what you will get is Trump. Unfortunately given all the past changes in his positions, no one knows what that is (probably not even Trump himself). He flies by the seat of his pants, he’s a pragmatist with no philosophical grounding.

I believe he’s sincere about wanting to make America great again. But I’m not real clear to what extent his vision of a great America jibes with mine. As to how he would do it, my gut tells me he would take as many shortcuts as Obama has - and destroy anyone that gets in his way even more so than Obama has.

I’m afraid we’re in a post constitutional era. It doesn’t make sense for our side to play by the rules while the other side gets to run roughshod over them. If we do that we’ll never get back to where we want to be.

I think most Trump backers believe he will do for our side what Obama did for the other side, and in the same way, cutting constitutional corners whenever possible. The $64K question is will he do what they think he’s going to do?


42 posted on 02/11/2016 1:05:54 AM PST by aquila48
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To: elhombrelibre
Trump’s true strength is he doesn’t deign to explain what he’ll do or how.

That is a bona fide strength.

He's not exactly the thinking man's candidate. Should he be elected he'll manage to betray conservatism while destroying it at the same time, and many "conservatives" will either have helped him or they will have overlooked his character flaws, values (constantly changing) and his words.

What an absolute crock. Projecting much?

By the way: Details, schmetails!

Even though Trump has indeed published position documents, based on eminently conservative principles, and which go into reasonable detail, this election isn't even remotely about "details" and wonky minutiae.

This election is about bold strokes, pointing this country back in the right direction, and making America great again!

And illuminating that reality is exactly why Trump has captured the passion and energy of much of the electorate.

The next President and Congress, with the backing, energy, and guidance of We the People, will take care of those sacrosanct "details" when the time comes.

Make no mistake. Trump is a flawed candidate.

But Trump is also a good American whose heart is absolutely in the right place. As is Ted Cruz.

And that means everything.

Either one of these flawed men would make a fine President, and detractors on whatever side need to get that through their thick skulls...

43 posted on 02/11/2016 1:15:51 AM PST by sargon
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To: Calpublican
P. T. Barnum is right. A sucker really is born among “Conservatives”. What a bunch of saps.

I don't think that it is so much "the conservatives", but rather those who feel that the direction of the country is wrong. It's pretty obvious to most that the current paradigm of uni-party stalemate that kicks every problem down the road by putting a little more on the tab is not sustainable.

That explains Trump and Sanders.

44 posted on 02/11/2016 1:18:21 AM PST by glorgau
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To: bryan999

Klein should take an enema..


45 posted on 02/11/2016 1:27:09 AM PST by sheik yerbouty ( Make America and the world a jihad free zone!)
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To: glorgau

46 posted on 02/11/2016 1:34:27 AM PST by Company Man ("An armed society is a polite society." -- Robert Heinlein.)
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To: sargon

Very well said.


47 posted on 02/11/2016 1:45:44 AM PST by Comment Not Approved (When bureaucrats outlaw hunting, outlaws will hunt bureaucrats.)
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To: bryan999

Trump’s doomed! (for 238th time)


48 posted on 02/11/2016 1:57:02 AM PST by 4Liberty (Prejudice and generalizations. That's how Collectivists roll......)
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To: Calpublican
-P. T. Barnum is right.-
49 posted on 02/11/2016 2:16:42 AM PST by RavenLooneyToon (Trump or Cruz, if you don't vote then STFU and leave the country, non-voters =non-Republic.)
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To: Netz
America is indeed at the crossroads and we need a tough, somewhat unpredictable (for our growing enemies list) leader. Trump is a huge risk but in a post-Obama world, it may perhaps be the remedy for our ongoing paralysis.

Well said. I agree and will be voting Trump.

50 posted on 02/11/2016 2:19:37 AM PST by rake ("more rubble, less trouble" VD Hanson)
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To: bryan999
Somebody needs a

And maybe a joyful turtle.

51 posted on 02/11/2016 2:20:06 AM PST by McGruff
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To: bryan999
What holds me back from supporting Trump, what really motivates me is that I simply don't trust him to make 4 Supreme Court nominations. He doesn’t have the background.

Could be wrong, hope I am. Just wish he would prove me wrong.

52 posted on 02/11/2016 2:20:45 AM PST by M.K. Borders (All I require of my government is the liberty my Grandfathers were born to.)
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To: bryan999

You ain’t seen nothing yet!


53 posted on 02/11/2016 2:31:53 AM PST by TigerClaws
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To: rake
Trump has SO MANY detractors because he is a threat, not to the national interest, (whatever that is) but to the status quo.

True, he is uncouth, brash, sometimes vulgar and insulting and this does upset our polite veneer. He should (and will) modify his speech and tone once he is elected.

We are simply not used to this type of Bronx, in your face megalomania. We ARE used to other, milder, forms of megolomnia like, Obama and previous Presidents.

We are on new ground here because there has been a radical and dangerous earthquake under our feet for the last 8 years.

The time is coming where the “We the People”, patriotic and Western-Judeo-Christian based values take the country back to it's original ideals.

54 posted on 02/11/2016 2:39:40 AM PST by Netz
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To: jonrick46
I wonder who is paying the Left Wingnuts to write this stuff?

It isn't just the left wingnuts. It involves media and "journalists", many whom outed themselves as establishment cheerleaders when a true reformer comes along. It's some of the Cruz posters here. It's friends, neighbors, and relatives who don't have the imagination to think about problems solved and life improving, because they've gradually succumbed to the mess we're in.

It's fascinating. People I thought I knew have become frightened and programmed drones.

55 posted on 02/11/2016 2:43:56 AM PST by grania
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To: Calpublican

You Trump Drones, don’t ever ever ever complain about DC politicians selling out. You are the biggest sellouts ever, ever, ever, ever.


I think you need one more “ever” for your post to be effective.


56 posted on 02/11/2016 2:52:09 AM PST by Flick Lives (One should not attend even the end of the world without a good breakfast. -- Heinlein)
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To: JennysCool

Frightening because he’s the parent and you and your ilk are the unruly children


57 posted on 02/11/2016 2:57:15 AM PST by ronnie raygun
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To: Netz

Excellent post. Thank you so much.


58 posted on 02/11/2016 3:37:07 AM PST by MarMema
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To: Calpublican

Really after the many dozens of times that Trump has railed against Common Core in his campaign, you are going to take one time when he quickly misspeaks while rattling off a litany of positions to claim the opposite of his position, even though Trump explained at the start of the speech that he only had one hour of sleep (and he has since reiterated his opposition to Common Core on Twitter). How dishonest of you. His attitude toward foreign trade is far more sophisticated than tariffs. Try reading his policy paper on China or better yet what he wrote on the subject in his books, Time to Get Tough and The America We Deserve. Of course, he’s been consistent over many years and often decades on the main issues he’s running on (as I showed a while back on another thread), he is not for bringing all the deported back but allowing them to apply to be legal immigrants like everybody can in the world, and he’s laid out several specific plans, but you’re not actually interested in what Trump supports clearly...


59 posted on 02/11/2016 3:38:21 AM PST by FenwickBabbitt
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To: bryan999; All

Sheesh, why don’t you give it a rest, you prove this author’s point. Listen to yourself.

“Hop on the Trump train... Trump’ s got our backs...” etc, etc ad nauseam. There isn’t one thing in most of the posts on this and many other threads that addresses the concerns of conservatives.

The Donald’ s positions are oft changed, and he does seem much less conservative than most posters used to accept.

I don’t want to be excited by a presidential campaign. I worked on the “Gipper”’s campaigns in ‘80 and 84 and Donald is no reincarnation of RR. I would like to see a sober assessment of Donald’ s conservative bone fides, as this used to be a conservative, as opposed to populist, website.

I’m sick of seeing Cinncinatus Wife and anyone else who dares to say anything other than complimentary about Trump get shouted down by Trumpkins who a year ago had nothing but praise for the people they now denigrate, it’s a shame.

I’ve said it before, I’ll pull the lever for Donald if he becomes our nominee. I sure wish I felt like he is a conservative at his core. I fear he is not.

Get a grip, some of us Freepers. Adulation looks scarily fascist.


60 posted on 02/11/2016 3:45:36 AM PST by LurkLongley (Ad Majoram Dei Gloriam-For the Greater Glory of God)
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