Donald Trump Running for President

[mr166]

"They don't seem to believe that Trump will actually win. It's more like they see him as a cattle prod for the others."
If there is one group of politicians that needs a working cattle prod shoved where the sun doesn't shine it is the Republicans. They stand for nothing other than getting reelected.

I might not agree with the position of the Democrats but at least they tell you what they stand for and actually try to accomplish it. The Republicans, on the other hand, are so afraid of alienating any group that they wind up alienating everyone.

 

[Borg]

I might not agree with the position of the Democrats but at least they tell you what they stand for and actually try to accomplish it.

It's funny that you should say this. One of the guys at the party said that he thinks that the race will come down to Bush and Clinton. He then went on to say that IF he was forced to vote, he would vote for Clinton because she was the devil he knew. He is such a die-hard Democrat hater that I knew that I had been thrown into an alternate universe.

 

[WWGD]

I agree with mr166:I think ultimately people respect those without the ultra-slick , ultra-managed/researched campaigns, and want some authenticity, which the major candidates, Clinton and most Republicans lack. While many may disagree with Trump, at least they like his honesty, his willingness to deviate from the PC , expected positions. That's why Warren and Sanders on the left are popular, though I don't know how far they can go before crashing (Warren says she will not run).

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

While many may disagree with Trump, at least they like his honesty

What makes you think he is being honest? Remember, he's a salesman.

http://www.cnn.com/2015/07/21/politics/donald-trump-lindsey-graham-cell-phone/index.html

In my mind his campaign is designed to troll us. Do whatever, say whatever that will get you in the news.

 

[mr166]

"What makes you think he is being honest? Remember, he's a salesman."
Well at least he is trying to sell me a car that I would like to own like a Corvette and not a Chevy Volt like the rest of the Republicans.

"News flash, that Corvette is cardboard. Get it?"

That well may be true but B. Sanders will have me pulling someone in a rickshaw! And Hillary will steal my key's saying "What does it matter anyway.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

"What makes you think he is being honest? Remember, he's a salesman."
Well at least he is trying to sell me a car that I would like to own like a Corvette and not a Chevy Volt.

News flash, that Corvette is cardboard. Get it?

 

[WWGD]

What makes you think he is being honest? Remember, he's a salesman.

http://www.cnn.com/2015/07/21/politics/donald-trump-lindsey-graham-cell-phone/index.html

In my mind his campaign is designed to troll us. Do whatever, say whatever that will get you in the news.

Yes, I should have said he is trying to _appear_ honest, just like Clinton and Christie have tried; Christie has been more successful than Clinton at selling this appearance of frankness, but I think many are seeing through the façade.

 

[russ_watters]

If there is one group of politicians that needs a working cattle prod shoved where the sun doesn't shine it is the Republicans. They stand for nothing other than getting reelected.

I might not agree with the position of the Democrats but at least they tell you what they stand for and actually try to accomplish it. The Republicans, on the other hand, are so afraid of alienating any group that they wind up alienating everyone.

Nonsense. Any politician's primary job is getting re/elected and all will flip-flop or waffle as needed to accomplish that. While there are exceptions to that, they are rare and rarely prominent/successful. Since we're talking about Presidents, Obama has made some enormous and remarkable flip-flops.

 

[russ_watters]

Yes, I should have said he is trying to _appear_ honest...

I think I dislike a dishonest person trying to appear honest even more than I dislike a dishonest person being honest about it.

 

[Bystander]

I think I dislike a dishonest person trying to appear honest even more than I dislike a dishonest person being honest about it.

Is it even an attempt? Or, the usual imposition on people's manners --- "They'll never call me on it in public."

 

[russ_watters]

Is it even an attempt? Or, the usual imposition on people's manners --- "They'll never call me on it in public."

For Trump? No, I'm with Greg: I think this is all just Trump playing the rodeo clown for attention. Does he even believe the things he's saying? I'm really not sure, but I don't think it even matters because whether he's faking or he's really a nutjob, the effect is the same.

 

[mr166]

Well at least Trump is leading us away from the ONE party system that we have today.

 

[Finny]

"If there is one group of politicians that needs a working cattle prod shoved where the sun doesn't shine it is" ...the Washington big government elite of both parties.

None seem to know what 'government service' means.

If Trump promises to cut federal taxes and government busybody intrusions into the private sector I'd vote for him in a heartbeat. He knows more about profit, loss and bankruptcy than 99% of the politicians.

If anyone thinks Trump is a 'carnival show' and by contrast Washington is anything remotely serious,
"Houston, we have a problem". Of the two, I'd trust Trump a lot more than Washington.

Of course, that's a rather low bar to jump.

 

[Finny]

THE DONALD is reportedly going to the Mexican-American border?

I can hardly wait to see some video.

What Border?

Anyway, already has surpassed Obama!

People who work with Trump say this is characteristic of him: He shows up on his companies job sites, usually unannounced, to see what is really happening.

OMG! That's no politician. But if anything could 'turn' him in a blood sucking politician, it just might be Washington.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

People who work with Trump say this is characteristic of him: He shows up on his companies job sites, usually unannounced, to see what is really happening.

Great, so he has freshman level business skills. You do know 4 of his companies have gone bankrupt right?

 

[russ_watters]

[You know bankruptcy is legal, right? ]

Legal, yes, but at best it tends to reflect bad business practices. At worst, it reflects unethical business practices. My understanding is that Trump would build a building, then declare bankruptcy to avoid paying the contractors.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

Obama's score: A123, Abound Solar, Beacon Power, Ener1, Solyndra, Fisker.

Obama is much further removed from those companies he invested in than Trumps actual owned businesses.

 

[mr166]

You can say all the negative things you like about Trump and some of them will even be justified but his running just highlights the almost total lack of candidates that are willing to represent a conservative viewpoint. Cruz and Carson are exceptions to this.

 

[Finny]

One thing I did not see discussed: Any other candidate will certainly be the object of huge campaign contributions. Will Trump resist that temptation or will he become like all the others?? He sure can't ignore such influences totally or nobody in congress will support him if he ever did get elected; they are ALL beholding. Could be interesting...

I notice two more Russian Bear bombers were flying near California again...on our fourth of July. Think Putin would do that with a 'loose cannon' like Trump in charge? How soon do you think we'd have our bombers right next to Vlad?? Also could be interesting...

 

[Evo]

Everyone that wishes to be able to post in current events must read these rules now https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/must-read-current-events-guidelines.113181/

I will be strictly enforcing them starting now. We have problems every election year, so I want everyone to have a fair chance at participating. If you make a statement containing "facts" other than just a random opinion, you must cite valid sources. If it's a random opinion, you must state it is nothing but your opinion and be sure that it is not something that can be easily disproved, that is misinformation, we will not allow you to state misinformation and try to pass it off as "opinion". It's fine to just say "IMO". If it's something that is well known like Donald Trumps hairdo, you get a free pass, just basically use common sense when it comes to making statements. Also, think twice before posting, ask yourself, is this on topic for this thread? What value does this add? Let's stick with the rules and everyone can enjoy participating.

 

[Astronuc]

It seems that Trump overstates his wealth - http://finance.yahoo.com/news/donald-trump-wealth-details-released-federal-regulators-165854286--finance.html

His income is impressive.

 

[Bystander]

Overstates? Understates? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brewster's_Millions_(1985_film)
Even allowing 10% inflation for the past 30 years he's in the "Brewster" bracket where there's no way of knowing.

 

[WWGD]

It seems that Trump overstates his wealth - http://finance.yahoo.com/news/donald-trump-wealth-details-released-federal-regulators-165854286--finance.html

His income is impressive.

Still, a "meta" measure of his popularity is that the article on his wealth was posted yesterday at 11 p.m., and there are already 3471 comments about it.

 

[Finny]

I had forgotten just what Trump said about illegals that causes such a media kerfluffle.
Here is how CNN quotes Trump. [6/18/2015]

"When Mexico sends its people," Trump said during his presidential announcement, "they're not sending the best. They're not sending you, they're sending people that have lots of problems and they're bringing those problems. They're bringing drugs, they're bringing crime. They're rapists and some, I assume, are good people, but I speak to border guards and they're telling us what we're getting."
http://www.cnn.com/2015/06/17/opinions/kohn-donald-trump-announcement/

From that, one presumes, the CNN political commentator Sally Kohn concludes a few paragraphs later:

"In Trump's formulation, it's not just Mexicans who are evil -- they're all rapists and drug lords."

I would be far more impressed with CNN had they focused instead on the real issue: Balancing American's right to protect their own borders against the failures of many South American governments to protect and foster their own citizens:

"Immigrants don't generally leave their families, home countries and everything they've ever known just because they want to -- it's usually because they feel they have no choice..."

Likely for reasons similar to generations of other immigrants that have come here. Immigrants are not flocking to failed states.

One can make their own list of reasons why THIS is not headline news.

It's also instructive to learn how Mexico, for example, treats illegal immigrants on its soil.

 

[WWGD]

I had forgotten just what Trump said about illegals that causes such a media kerfluffle.
Here is how CNN quotes Trump. [6/18/2015]

"When Mexico sends its people," Trump said during his presidential announcement, "they're not sending the best. They're not sending you, they're sending people that have lots of problems and they're bringing those problems. They're bringing drugs, they're bringing crime. They're rapists and some, I assume, are good people, but I speak to border guards and they're telling us what we're getting."
http://www.cnn.com/2015/06/17/opinions/kohn-donald-trump-announcement/

From that, one presumes, the CNN political commentator Sally Kohn concludes a few paragraphs later:

"In Trump's formulation, it's not just Mexicans who are evil -- they're all rapists and drug lords."

I would be far more impressed with CNN had they focused instead on the real issue: Balancing American's right to protect their own borders against the failures of many South American governments to protect and foster their own citizens: <Snip>

.

I would have been more impressed if Fox had addressed the fact that Trump had gone broke 4 times , possibly avoided paying his creditors. And on how well someone who had gone broke 4 times will manage the economy. EDIT : Would also like to see discussions by Fox et Al., or maybe see you address claims that an open border allows (had allowed) Mexicans the flexibility to come work when there were jobs available and return home when they were not. Now they must come and stay here for good.
https://ideas.repec.org/a/ucp/ecdecc/doi10.1086-662575.html
. Not everyone wants to stay here for good; some want to come in for seasonal work and return home afterwards.

And other issues, like the fact that net Mexican immigration is even negative:
http://www.pewhispanic.org/2012/04/23/net-migration-from-mexico-falls-to-zero-and-perhaps-less/

And that fewer Mexicans (people in general) were entering illegally recently:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/polit...caf02c-006b-11e5-833c-a2de05b6b2a4_story.html

You may want to keep a skeptical attitude towards both CNN and Fox.

 

[Finny]

I would have been more impressed if Fox had addressed the fact that Trump had gone broke 4 times

For shame! That's exactly what EVO posted about:
"... If it's a random opinion, you must state it is nothing but your opinion and be sure that it is not something that can be easily disproved, that is misinformation, we will not allow you to state misinformation..."

I google searched: "Has fox news mentioned Trump's bankruptcies.." [A 0.7 sec search...]

Here are the first five headlines of many pages where Trumps bankruptcy is mentioned...

Trump Casino Group Files for Bankruptcy | Fox News
www.foxnews.com/.../trump-casino-group-files-for-b...
Fox News Channel
Feb 18, 2009 - CAVUTO: So, nothing has tarnished the Trump Organization or you?... Now, you mentioned the fact that this unit decided to file for bankruptcy, ...

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/06/16/trump-sets-record-for-longest-2016-gop-announcement-speech/
www.foxnews.com/.../trump-sets-record-for-longest-2...
Fox News Channel
Jun 16, 2015 - And he mever once mentioned all his loan defaults, bankruptcies, and loans he defaulted on ... @rssjr Trump has gone bankrupt twice.

http://www.foxnews.com/transcript/2015/07/05/donald-trump-punching-back/
www.foxnews.com/.../donald-trump-punching-back/
Fox News Channel
Jul 5, 2015 - Donald Trump has dominated the coverage of the presidential race this past week. ... Let me just mention that Trump put out a statement last night. ... debt, say, well, Trump's casino you need to clear bankruptcy about that.

http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2015/06/16/trump-s-in-and-2016-race-just-got-fun-could-be-right-man-at-right-time0.html
www.foxnews.com/.../trump-s-in-and-2016-race-just-...
Fox News Channel
Jun 16, 2015 - “He has business bankruptcies. ... Trump has already bravely pointed out that black unemployment is twice as high as white ... he has w/o taking money from special interest groups and lobbyists not to mention foreigners, ...

Fox News Guest Hilariously Skewers Donald Trump's ...
www.addictinginfo.org/.../fox-news-guest-hilariously-skewers-donald-tr...
Jul 5, 2015 - Usually, Donald Trump would expect Fox News to be in his corner. ...Trump has declared corporate bankruptcy FOUR times in the last 25 years. ... his broadcasting but conveniently never mention their beloved Bill Oreily who ...

For others who don't ever watch Fox News:
It is great sport to listen to any headline issue on MSNBC, CNN, any of the TV networks, read the AP or Reuters...whatever you like, then see for yourself how it's covered on Fox. Make you own comparisons.

 

[WWGD]

Good, the ones I have seen are hardly critical of Trump, just like the ones I _had_ read. Why don't you address my points?

 

[Finny]

The statistics headlined in post # 155 seem far off the topic of "TRUMP".

But it should be noted that with roughly 54 million Spanish US population {US Census, 2013] and about 122M total population in Mexico, {also 2013, World Bank} seems we have been rather 'open' admitting Spanish.

So I do think Trump can make a case for controlling our southern border.

 

[Finny]

Why don't you address my points?

They do not interest me.

 

[WWGD]

They do not interest me.

Right, because your outrage is selective, i.e., you are a hypocrite: you throw a tantrum when _your_ issues are not addressed to your satisfaction but you ignore the issues when _you_ are questioned . You drank the Kool Aid and you don't know what you're talking about. The links you gave, BTW, many of which I had seen, are _ softballs_ thrown at Trump to make him look good, to allow him to frame the issues in a way that makes him look good, allowing him to deflect the criticisms that will inevitably come up. Trump got more softballs from Fox than Stewart threw at Obama.