Red Mosquito

guys, did you ever stop to think that right now Donald Trump is the only thing standing between Ted Cruz and the nomination? Maybe we should all start being a little nicer to him.

stip wrote:guys, did you ever stop to think that right now Donald Trump is the only thing standing between Ted Cruz and the nomination? Maybe we should all start being a little nicer to him.

Nah, Rubio is on the rise, too, and is way more moderate than both of them. I think the smart money is on him right now.

After Bush jr. I no longer prefer the idiot to the smart, evil guy. So Trump is still worse.

In a lot of ways Rubio is just as batshit offensive (or feels utterly beholden to that view). He's just slicker about it. But I don't think there is enough of an establishment voting block to support his candidacy this year. He'll be back in 2020 as the front runner.

The difference is that Ted Cruz actually believes everything he says. I think Donald Trump desires to be thought of as a hero. If Trump was elected I think there are times he could be moved to do the right thing because he'd want to be the hero. Not cruz.

I don't believe Trump is socially conservative in the least. It's an act.

I don't think he has any sincere political beliefs, one way or the other.

The Argonaut wrote:I don't think he has any sincere political beliefs, one way or the other.

yeah probably.

Here we go.

that's one of the reasons why there hasn't been a big establishment push against him. He's backed the party into a corner.

Did I read correctly that the GOP all signed an agreement saying they would support trump if he were the nominee?

Strat wrote:Did I read correctly that the GOP all signed an agreement saying they would support trump if he were the nominee?

At the first debate all the other candidates said they'd support whoever the nominee was.

The GOP would be absolutely stupid to start going back on that now, or do things to kick him out of the party. Their best bet is to simply see him lose as a Republican in the primaries, and hope to hell he doesn't run as an independent.

If the rest of the field publicly states that they'd not support him as the nominee, or the GOP tries to push him out before the primary process is over, they all but guarantee an independent run and have handed the presidency to the Democrats.

I read Trump's Tweet as telegraphing in a pretty overt way that he'll shortly be running as an independent (or it's a threat at the very least).

Strat wrote:Did I read correctly that the GOP all signed an agreement saying they would support trump if he were the nominee?

I'll admit I find the US political system pretty unfathomable but I'm astonished that the Republican Party haven't simply ejected Trump from the party and disendorsed him. It seems extraordinary to me.

Birds in Hell wrote:I read Trump's Tweet as telegraphing in a pretty overt way that he'll shortly be running as an independent (or it's a threat at the very least).

Strat wrote:Did I read correctly that the GOP all signed an agreement saying they would support trump if he were the nominee?

I'll admit I find the US political system pretty unfathomable but I'm astonished that the Republican Party haven't simply ejected Trump from the party and disendorsed him. It seems extraordinary to me.

Its absolutely maddening as an American.

Birds in Hell wrote:I read Trump's Tweet as telegraphing in a pretty overt way that he'll shortly be running as an independent (or it's a threat at the very least).

Strat wrote:Did I read correctly that the GOP all signed an agreement saying they would support trump if he were the nominee?

I'll admit I find the US political system pretty unfathomable but I'm astonished that the Republican Party haven't simply ejected Trump from the party and disendorsed him. It seems extraordinary to me.

See chud's post right above you

I think my surprise reflects the relative strength of party discipline in system like Australia's.

Perhaps surprise is the wrong word as I'm aware that it's due to the essential differences in our systems of government but it's nonetheless mind-boggling that the only option is to wait and see how things turn out.

I don't know anything about campaign finance in Australia, but the obliteration of spending limits and changes in media consumption habits have really given candidates here a degree of independence from the parties that is unprecedented in modern American politics. It wasn't always like this

96583UP wrote: