News Breaking Down the 2016 POTUS Race Contenders & Issues

[Kevin McHugh]

In Trump's book, Art of the Deal, He states " I play to people's fantasies. People may not always think big themselves, but they can still get very excited by those who do. That's why a little hyperbole never hurts." /QUOTE]

Yeah, it's called pandering, and all polis do it.

 

[jim hardy]

Never again will I vote for any Republican.

i believe we have to quit re-electing the same old hacks from both parties.
That's why i made a few hundred of this bumpersticker last cycle

Trump and Sanders are in my book both non-establishment candidates. I'd vote for either of them on that point alone.
Both have enough sense to not push Putin so hard he'll draw first. Hillary and Cruz both scare me to death on that point.

 

[Astronuc]

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Florida's attorney general personally solicited a political contribution from Donald Trump around the same time her office deliberated joining an investigation of alleged fraud at Trump University and its affiliates.
. . . .
The money came from a Trump family foundation in apparent violation of rules surrounding political activities by charities. A political group backing Bondi's re-election, called And Justice for All, reported receiving the check Sept. 17, 2013 — four days after Bondi's office publicly announced she was considering joining a New York state probe of Trump University's activities, according to a 2013 report in the Orlando Sentinel.

After the check came in, Bondi's office nixed suing Trump, citing insufficient grounds to proceed.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/florida-ag-asked-trump-donation-nixing-fraud-case-224334807--election.html

 

[jim hardy]

So Trump says that judges are not immune to bias ? I guess he'd know.
Is this the same G. Curiel?

FDR tried to pack SCOTUS
Obama himself attacked the Citizens United decision in a State of the Union address with the justices sitting right in front of him.

 

[mheslep]

So Trump says that judges are not immune to bias ? I guess he'd know.
Is this the same G. Curiel?
View attachment 101785

FDR tried to pack SCOTUS
Obama himself attacked the Citizens United decision in a State of the Union address with the justices sitting right in front of him.

True, both events were outrageous, though Obama didn't suggest the court ruled as they did in Citizens United because of the particular ethnic heritage of the judges, i.e. that they were "typical white" people.

 

[Astronuc]

Hillary Wears $12,000 Suit During Income Inequality Speech (It's now down to $7500)
http://www.sfgate.com/living/article/Hillary-Clinton-7968441.php

Maybe she's relating to constituents on Wall Street?

 

[mheslep]

Maybe she intends for everyone to have such a suit, a type of suit equality, or minimum Armani.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

i believe we have to quit re-electing the same old hacks from both parties.
That's why i made a few hundred of this bumpersticker last cycle
View attachment 101749

Trump and Sanders are in my book both non-establishment candidates. I'd vote for either of them on that point alone.
Both have enough sense to not push Putin so hard he'll draw first. Hillary and Cruz both scare me to death on that point.

I am worried more about character, experience, an adherence to science and logic, and temperament, than I am incumbency or being an insider. None of the accusations against Hillary are half as bad as many of the things Trump himself has actually said or said he would do. This latest debacle and many of his statements tell me he is the most dangerous Presidential candidate in my lifetime - dangerous to the Constitution and liberty, and all of humanity [The one thing he can do as President without Congressional approval is start WWIII]. First they gave us Bush II, then Palin, and now Trump. Like I said, I'm done. But I will try to keep an open mind: Maybe global warming really is a hoax perpetrated by the Chinese and Obama is a Kenyan.

 

[jim hardy]

[The one thing he can do as President without Congressional approval is start WWIII].

 

[Hornbein]

 

[gleem]

McConnell in an interview expressed his hope that Trump will change. Yesterday He and Ryan expressed their displeasure at Trump's attack on Judge Curiel. And last night Trumps told them to "get over it." I doesn't look as if a change is imminent. Senator Mark Kirk (R-IL) rescinded his support of Trump.
Is this the beginning of the end of the Republican Party as we thought we knew it?

 

[phinds]

I was watching "Morning Joe" this morning and I've never seen Joe Scarborough livid the way he was this morning. He was ranting at the top of his lungs, red in the face, text-book apoplectic. He's a small-government conservative, dyed-in-the-wool Republican and he is disgusted with the fact that Paul Ryan and other Republicans are, in his view, destroying the Republican party by not standing up to Trump and utterly denouncing him as a racist (among other bad things).

Mika Brezinski (on the same show) has been saying all along, and started saying long before any others of the news show talking heads, that despite Trumps disgusting behavior (her words from time to time) from the very beginning none of it was going to hurt his standing with the electorate and that the continual predictions that he had finally gone too far were wrong every time. Now even she has changed her tune and says this time he really HAS gone too far and needs to be denounced in the strongest possible terms (which she proceeded to do).

 

[jim hardy]

meh

Vehemence is the expression of a blind effort to support and uphold something that can never stand on its own...Whether it our own meaningless self we are upholding, or some doctrine devoid of evidence, we can do it only in a frenzy of faith.

The more vehement the less righteous.

 

[phinds]

meh

So you disagree w/ them about Trump? Do you think he is not a racist or that he is not harming the Republican party or both of those?

 

[Tobias Funke]

A little off topic, but almost every single Twain quote I've ever seen online has been fake. This one is a borderline non sequitur and Twain was one of the most vehement writers I've ever read. Source?

 

[CalcNerd]

I think everyone is probably mistaking Trump's comments as racist when in reality, he is simply an elitist, pompous, egotistical, self entitled real estate mongrel NOW presidential candidate who happens to make politically incorrect comments. I suspect he would say (and has said) the same about any underlings, be they whatever color or religion (except Muslims and Mexicans, he does seem to have a bias against them!). Trump is kind of like Count De Money in History of the World part 1 (perhaps Donald is a nephew?)
.
He hasn't changed his basic image much during the campaign. Again, if Hilleary were even a tad bit better, we wouldn't have to worry about Donald. And if Donald continues to lambaste everyone, eventually he will assure Hilleary the election. Don't know whether to or about that! Suspect that I will and regardless of the winner as I already know who the LOSERS are!
.
Edited to add egotistical, don't want to leave THAT out.

 

[mheslep]

... He's a small-government conservative, dyed-in-the-wool Republican ...

No he's not. He's a Republican perhaps, a TV talking head, there to throw a bone to the idea that NBC has GOP viewpoints on air.

Mika Brezinski (on the same show) has been saying all along..

Might as relay what crazy aunt Alice in the basement has to say.

 

[mheslep]

... And if Donald continues to lambaste everyone, eventually he will assure Hilleary the election. ...

Which is roughly what 16 accomplished GOP candidates and legions of pundits chanted about the primary.

 

[jim hardy]

So you disagree w/ them about Trump? Do you think he is not a racist or that he is not harming the Republican party or both of those?

I don't see what possible value my opinion could have
but since you ask,
Yer' darn tootin i do .

Republican party began slow Hari Kari when they passed Nafta in '92, repealed Glass-Steagal in '99 and failed to reinstate it under Bush. They allowed the Healthcare/Insurance /Finance cabal to capture Congress and feast at the public trough

they gave Hank Paulson a half billion dollar tax break and bailed out his Wall Street buddies.

They've failed to either declare or rein in the last several wars
and Mikah's Dad promoted "exporting democracy" to mideast in his "Grand Chessboard" suggesting Iraq as a Normandy like Beach-head
but i don't remember whether he was a signatory to PNAC
...
Republican party's wounds are self inflicted.

And to spare you a long diatribe,,,
that's my opinion.

 

[phinds]

So you disagree w/ them about Trump? Do you think he is not a racist or that he is not harming the Republican party or both of those?

Yer' darn tootin i do.

I agree w/ you that our opinions have no effect on the results but it's still good to pay attention to what's going on and vote our conscious. I am surprised that you don't think Trump is a racist. Questioning someones ability to do a job purely because they are of some particular heritage just seems like a text-book definition of racism.

By the way, I do tend to forget that a lot of Republicans think Scarborough is a RINO. I've always hypothesized that it's because he is willing to compromise to get things done as opposed to being rigidly ideological, but that is just the way I look at it and I have no idea if it even has anything to do with why Republicans don't like him. Do you have some sense of what that's all about? I suspect I'm missing something on that.

 

[jim hardy]

Questioning someones ability to do a job purely because they are of some particular heritage just seems like a text-book definition of racism.

Well, when you think your ox is getting gored... it's natural to resent that.
Trump says he doesn't think the judge is being fair to him.
Not knowing the facts of the case i have no idea if that's so
Atlantic had an article about it which i think i linked earlier.

I feel the brouhaha is an opportunistic attack on Trump by party loyals and sensation seeking "journalists" . Ever since Watergate it seems every wannabe reporter covets to "bring down a big one" ..
I also feel it was very poor judgement for Trump to speak about a case not yet adjudicated.. and worse yet to antagonize the judge. If he wants a change of venue he should have his lawyers ask for it. It's up to his legal team not his publicists to make sure he gets an impartial judge .
I'm optimistic, still believe most people are good and judges are generally among the more thoughtful and introspective among us. Judge Curiel has benefit of doubt in my book. That he's somehow involved with helping Hispanic students shouldn't affect his judgement. Unless Trump makes him really mad...I don't know enough about Joe Scarborough to be of help with that one.
Mikah is very well spoken (not to mention pretty) and she certainly has an effective mentor on foreign affairs. But i very seldom catch that show.

old jim

 

[Astronuc]

I also feel it was very poor judgement for Trump to speak about a case not yet adjudicated.. and worse yet to antagonize the judge. If he wants a change of venue he should have his lawyers ask for it. It's up to his legal team not his publicists to make sure he gets an impartial judge .

There is no evidence to suggest that Curiel isn't impartial. Certainly Trump showed poor judgment, or simply revealed his lack of character. Trump chose not to let his legal team do it's job, but instead verbally disparaged the judge based on his ethnicity/heritage, and basically expressed contempt for the court/judge. The judge took up the case well before Trump made his statement about building a wall.

He just postponed the trial so as not to interfere with Trump's campaign.

As for his involvement in Trump U - where he or it went wrong - when its boss (Trump owned 90%) lunged for bigger profits
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/trump-university-went-wrong-when-donald-trump-wanted bigger-profits-200841110.html

The judge determined that there was material evidence to proceed with the case. The what a judge is supposed to do.

Trump formally announced his candidacy for the upcoming race for president in the 2016 election on June 16, 2015.

The Makaeff case (against Trump U) was filed on April 30, 2010, and transferred to Judge Curiel on January 30, 2013, about 2 years and 5 months before Trump declares his candidacy.
http://www.litigationandtrial.com/2016/06/articles/attorney/consumer-protection/curiel-trump/

 

[phinds]

Yes, but those are all just facts, which are irrelevant to Trump.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

The Makaeff case (against Trump U) was filed on April 30, 2010, and transferred to Judge Curiel on January 30, 2013, about 2 years and 5 months before Trump declares his candidacy.
http://www.litigationandtrial.com/2016/06/articles/attorney/consumer-protection/curiel-trump/

Well yes, but he's Mexican!

I keep noticing that even many Democratic pundits refer to Trump's style as the issue. I think that is completely missing the point and it makes me want to pull my eyeballs out. The problem with Trump is substance. It is how he thinks. These aren't slips due to inexperience [some people say he is making amateur "mistakes"!]; and they aren't misstatements, and his message isn't being misconstrued by the liberal media. The problem is what Trump says and his vast lack of knowledge about the issues. I really can't believe people keep making excuses for this guy. This is shockingly dangerous stuff. Horrifying! I'm not a big Hillary fan by any means and I would love to have a different option, but Trump has gone far beyond anything I've ever seen from a serious candidate. It is really unbelievable.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Jimmy Fallon: Do you think the Republicans are happy with their choice?
Obama: I don't know but we are!

 

[Astronuc]

Public calls for Republicans to replace Trump grew Wednesday.

“I want to support the nominee of the party, but I think the party ought to change the nominee. Because we’re going to get killed with this nominee,” Hugh Hewitt, a nationally syndicated conservative radio talk show host, said. “They ought to get together and let the convention decide. And if Donald Trump pulls over a makeover in the next four to five weeks, great, they can keep him.”

https://www.yahoo.com/news/talk-grows-replacing-trump-convention-000000790.html

If only Hunter S. Thompson was still alive, he'd pen "Fear and Loathing in Cleveland".

 

[mheslep]

There is no evidence to suggest that Curiel isn't impartial..

Impartiality is always difficult, if not impossible to actually prove. Judges don't recuse themselves because they are "proven" to be impartial, they are obliged to do so because of apparent conflict of interest.

 

[mheslep]

Sanders a couple days ago on Clinton and the Clinton Foundation. He's about a year late coming to the plate with this:

"If you ask me about the Clinton Foundation, do I have a problem when a sitting secretary of state and a foundation run by her husband collects many millions of dollars from foreign governments, many governments which are dictatorships… yeah I do," Sanders said in an interview Sunday morning with Jake Tapper on CNN’s 'State of the Union.'

"You don’t have a lot of respect there for opposition points of view for gay rights or women’s rights," he said about countries she accepted money from, like Saudi Arabia.

Sanders replied: "Yes, I do," when asked if the Clinton Foundation's activities represented a potential "conflict of interest."

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2016/06/05/bernie_sanders_clinton_foundation_is_a_problem_took_money_from_dictatorships.html

 

[Hornbein]

Sanders a couple days ago on Clinton and the Clinton Foundation. He's about a year late coming to the plate with this:

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2016/06/05/bernie_sanders_clinton_foundation_is_a_problem_took_money_from_dictatorships.html

Conflict of interest is so 20th century. Everybody's doing it. It's the happening thing. It's groovy, it's boss!

 

[Hornbein]

Impartiality is always difficult, if not impossible to actually prove. Judges don't recuse themselves because they are "proven" to be impartial, they are obliged to do so because of apparent conflict of interest.

Very 20th century. Just ask Thomas and Scalia. Ooops, too late!