The 2nd Biggest Political Mush in Poli history has made a Definitive statement. Cruz has just been declared Dead by normal folks. Fred Thompson and Duncan Hunter say hello from the grave, literally and figuratively.ointer:
How do you think Cruz won Iowa and placed third in New Hampshire despite the headwinds? Cruz spent less than 600K in New Hampshire.
Cruz will do very well in South Carolina.
Time to pull the plug on Nate (how many "roads" in SC?) and invest in a new tout.
ointer:He won Iowa because Trump was an idiot and missed the Iowa debate. He was supposed to finish 2nd or 3rd in NH, and he did, getting destroyed by Trump and KasichHow do you think Cruz won Iowa and placed third in New Hampshire despite the headwinds? Cruz spent less than 600K in New Hampshire.
Cruz will do very well in South Carolina.
Time to pull the plug on Nate (how many "roads" in SC?) and invest in a new tout.
. If he doesn't finish 2nd in SC, if Rubio beats him, that's a bad sign. Nate is 4-0 in the Primaries so far. Hard to beat perfection. I was hoping Cruz wins the nomination, but as of today, unfortunately that's impossible, now that you've stopped his campaign in his tracks. Loser!@#0
How do you think Cruz won Iowa and placed third in New Hampshire despite the headwinds? Cruz spent less than 600K in New Hampshire.
Cruz will do very well in South Carolina.
Time to pull the plug on Nate (how many "roads" in SC?) and invest in a new tout.
If you really think Cruz has a chance in S Carolina he's such a longshot that 20 on Cruz will get you 190.
Just because Trump is -1800 to win SC & I usually bet on underdogs here goes:
Rubio to be 2nd ahead of Cruz, just a little to make it interesting. As a Trump supporter I'm far more worried
about Rubio than Cruz
| 361201270-1 | 2/14/16 11:36pm | $10.00 | $43.50 | Pending | 2/20/16 6:00am Politics Other Sports 853 Marco Rubio 2nd place in South Carolina +435* vs Any other result |
+7
Hot of fa poll showing him at the top of the Republican presidential field for the first time since early November, Ted Cruz branded himself the 'new national front runner' at a town hall this evening in South Carolina
.
The survey was released to the public at 5pm just after Cruz took the stage.
'For the first time in many months, there's a new national front runner on the Republican side,' Cruz said to cheering and hollering from his audience.
After the Texas senator finished reading off the survey's findings he told them, 'So the sound you're hearing is the sound of screams coming from Washington, D.C.'
At that point the sound his audience was hearing was silence, as they awkwardly reacted to his dismissal of Rubio, who he's aggressively trying to take down as a supporter of amnesty for illegals.
The NBC poll's results are unlike any other survey published in months, and stands in stark contrast with other measurements – all of which show The Donald leading the pack by wide margins.
But taken at face value, it ends a streak of 31 straight national GOP polls where Trump has occupied the top slot.
.Trump press secretary Hope Hicks told DailyMail.com that the new poll is an 'outlier,' suggesting it's a blip in the radar that shouldn't be taken seriously. She noted that the pollsters contacted an unworkably 'small sample of conservatives,' including only 400 Republicans in all, which might skew the results.
.
Trump: I’ll be ‘neutral’ on Israel and Palestine
By Mark Hensch
GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump on Wednesday refused to pick sides in the conflict between Israel and Palestine
“You know, I don’t want to get into it,” he told hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski during a MSNBC town hall in Charleston, S.C.
“If I win, I don’t want to be in a position where I’m saying to you [my choice] and the other side now says, ‘We don’t want Trump involved,'" Trump said of potentially winning the presidency and then brokering a lasting peace deal.“Let me be sort of a neutral guy,” the billionaire added. "I have friends of mine that are tremendous businesspeople, that are really great negotiators, [and] they say it’s not doable.
“You understand a lot of people have gone down in flames trying to make that deal. So I don’t want to say whose fault it is – I don’t think that helps.”
Trump said he would seek harmony in the Middle East as commander in chief no matter the difficulty.
“That’s probably the toughest deal in the world right now to make,” he said. "It’s possible it’s not makeable because don’t forget, it has to last.
“A lot of people say an agreement can’t be made, which is OK, sometimes agreements can’t be made [and they are] not good. I will give it one hell of a shot. I would say if you can do that deal, you can do any deal.”
Trump added that the biggest obstacle between Israel and Palestine making amends is the cycle of hatred between both factions.
“You have one side in particular growing up and learning that ‘these are the worst people, these are the worst people, etc., etc.,” he said.
“I was with a very prominent Israeli the other day and he said it’s impossible because the other side has been trained from the time they’re children to hate Jewish people. I’m going to give it a shot."
http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/269806-trump-ill-be-neutral-on-israel-and-palestine
By Mark Hensch
GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump on Wednesday refused to pick sides in the conflict between Israel and Palestine
“You know, I don’t want to get into it,” he told hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski during a MSNBC town hall in Charleston, S.C.
“If I win, I don’t want to be in a position where I’m saying to you [my choice] and the other side now says, ‘We don’t want Trump involved,'" Trump said of potentially winning the presidency and then brokering a lasting peace deal.“Let me be sort of a neutral guy,” the billionaire added. "I have friends of mine that are tremendous businesspeople, that are really great negotiators, [and] they say it’s not doable.
“You understand a lot of people have gone down in flames trying to make that deal. So I don’t want to say whose fault it is – I don’t think that helps.”
Trump said he would seek harmony in the Middle East as commander in chief no matter the difficulty.
“That’s probably the toughest deal in the world right now to make,” he said. "It’s possible it’s not makeable because don’t forget, it has to last.
“A lot of people say an agreement can’t be made, which is OK, sometimes agreements can’t be made [and they are] not good. I will give it one hell of a shot. I would say if you can do that deal, you can do any deal.”
Trump added that the biggest obstacle between Israel and Palestine making amends is the cycle of hatred between both factions.
“You have one side in particular growing up and learning that ‘these are the worst people, these are the worst people, etc., etc.,” he said.
“I was with a very prominent Israeli the other day and he said it’s impossible because the other side has been trained from the time they’re children to hate Jewish people. I’m going to give it a shot."
http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/269806-trump-ill-be-neutral-on-israel-and-palestine
Ever since the so-called debate in which Trump detractors wanted to depict Trump
as a 'Code Pinker' odds in the books have favored Trump more & more. Except for
one outlier poll with scant participants in which NBC lost all credibility, it didn't dent
the sportsbooks at all, quite to the contrary but it did give Cruz supporters a bit of
hope sort of like a dying ant grasping on to a straw. That poll was so far off the
perhaps NBC mistakenly included citizens of Alberta, & British Columbia in the group.
If some dislike Trump to that extent why not latch onto someone that has a real chance
like Rubio, he's the one I'm worried about!
Cruz is a one trick pony he has no constituency except the far, far right wing of the party
& has no support within the moderate group as revealed in recent polling.
Self Identified Moderate Republicans-
TRUMP- 32%
BUSH- 20%
KASICH- 18%
RUBIO-17%
CARSON-6%
CRUZ-4%
[h=6]- FEBRUARY 18, 2016 -[/h][h=1]DONALD J. TRUMP RESPONSE TO THE POPE[/h]If and when the Vatican is attacked by ISIS, which as everyone knows is ISIS’s ultimate trophy, I can promise you that the Pope would have only wished and prayed that Donald Trump would have been President because this would not have happened. ISIS would have been eradicated unlike what is happening now with our all talk, no action politicians.
The Mexican government and its leadership has made many disparaging remarks about me to the Pope, because they want to continue to rip off the United States, both on trade and at the border, and they understand I am totally wise to them. The Pope only heard one side of the story - he didn’t see the crime, the drug trafficking and the negative economic impact the current policies have on the United States. He doesn’t see how Mexican leadership is outsmarting President Obama and our leadership in every aspect of negotiation.
For a religious leader to question a person’s faith is disgraceful. I am proud to be a Christian and as President I will not allow Christianity to be consistently attacked and weakened, unlike what is happening now, with our current President. No leader, especially a religious leader, should have the right to question another man’s religion or faith. They are using the Pope as a pawn and they should be ashamed of themselves for doing so, especially when so many lives are involved and when illegal immigration is so rampant.
The Mexican government and its leadership has made many disparaging remarks about me to the Pope, because they want to continue to rip off the United States, both on trade and at the border, and they understand I am totally wise to them. The Pope only heard one side of the story - he didn’t see the crime, the drug trafficking and the negative economic impact the current policies have on the United States. He doesn’t see how Mexican leadership is outsmarting President Obama and our leadership in every aspect of negotiation.
For a religious leader to question a person’s faith is disgraceful. I am proud to be a Christian and as President I will not allow Christianity to be consistently attacked and weakened, unlike what is happening now, with our current President. No leader, especially a religious leader, should have the right to question another man’s religion or faith. They are using the Pope as a pawn and they should be ashamed of themselves for doing so, especially when so many lives are involved and when illegal immigration is so rampant.
http://www.redstate.com/leon_h_wolf/2016/02/17/ted-cruz-donald-trump-bring-frivolous-lawsuit-video/
The Trump/Cruz lovefest seems ancient at this point.
Rubio has to be smiling as he observes this.
The Trump/Cruz lovefest seems ancient at this point.
Rubio has to be smiling as he observes this.
It is a good time to take a look at who the media “winners” and “losers” are in the wake of Trump’s remarkable NH victory.
First, here are the biggest “losers.”
Eric Erickson. Erickson made an interesting “bet” early in the process when he disinvited Trump to an
event he was hosting after the first debate. It was obvious to me at the time that he did this because he
thought it was a good career move. He got lots of publicity for standing up to the bully and also curried favor
with Megyn Kelly and Fox News. I am sure he never thought Trump would end up winning New Hampshire
and transform into the favorite to win the nomination (he actually picked him to finish third in Iowa).
It doesn't look like that round, if in fact Cruz may have won it which is debatable, matters:
According to Bookmaker Cruz is dropping to 3rd place behind Rubio
| REPUBLICAN SOUTH CAROLINA PRIMARY WINNER | ||||
| JEB BUSH | Odds +11500 | 1k USD No Parlay | ||
| DONALD TRUMP | -2611 | | ||
| MARCO RUBIO | +1296 | | ||
| BEN CARSON | +25000 | | ||
| JOHN KASICH | +17500 | | ||
| TED CRUZ | +1446 |
Did Trump lie about being against the Iraq War before it started. Yes. Who proves it? Donald Trump. Will it matter one iota? Nope. Trump is right in that he could shoot a man on 5th Ave and still get his 30%-40% of the wingnut base. But this type stuff WILL matter to the general electorate, who aren't the mind numbed robots he's attracting now, when/if he becomes the nominee.
3:40-3:50 Trump gives a half hearted approval for Invading Iraq.
http://gawker.com/donald-trump-advocated-for-invading-iraq-in-2002-howard-1760028072
[h=1]Donald Trump Advocated for Invading Iraq in 2002 Howard Stern Interview[/h]
Lately, Donald Trump has claimed, repeatedly and emphatically but without providing any evidence, that he opposed the 2003 invasion of Iraq not only after it became clear that it was a mistake, but before it even hapened. But in a 2002 interview with Howard Stern, uncovered by BuzzFeed News, when asked whether he would support an Iraq invasion, Trump said that he would. “Yeah I guess so,” Trump replied. “I wish the first time it was done correctly.”
Trump has never provided any evidence that he was against the war. In fact, he has insisted that, while his opposition was “loud and strong,” reporters did not feel they needed to document his political opinions because he was not a politician at the time. (There is, however, evidence that Trump expressed mild—if confused—skepticism about the war subsequent to the January 2003 invasion.)
The Howard Stern interview was conducted on September 11, 2002. Not only does he advocate for invading Iraq, Trump makes no mention of the “thousands and thousands of people” he now remembers cheering for the towers’ destruction in Jersey City.
3:40-3:50 Trump gives a half hearted approval for Invading Iraq.
http://gawker.com/donald-trump-advocated-for-invading-iraq-in-2002-howard-1760028072
[h=1]Donald Trump Advocated for Invading Iraq in 2002 Howard Stern Interview[/h]
Lately, Donald Trump has claimed, repeatedly and emphatically but without providing any evidence, that he opposed the 2003 invasion of Iraq not only after it became clear that it was a mistake, but before it even hapened. But in a 2002 interview with Howard Stern, uncovered by BuzzFeed News, when asked whether he would support an Iraq invasion, Trump said that he would. “Yeah I guess so,” Trump replied. “I wish the first time it was done correctly.”
Trump has never provided any evidence that he was against the war. In fact, he has insisted that, while his opposition was “loud and strong,” reporters did not feel they needed to document his political opinions because he was not a politician at the time. (There is, however, evidence that Trump expressed mild—if confused—skepticism about the war subsequent to the January 2003 invasion.)
The Howard Stern interview was conducted on September 11, 2002. Not only does he advocate for invading Iraq, Trump makes no mention of the “thousands and thousands of people” he now remembers cheering for the towers’ destruction in Jersey City.
If I didn't have a candidate I picked right from the beginning this is how I'd pick one:
Candidate whose views on issues are most closely aligned with mine
1) Trump 10
2) Carson 9
3) Cruz 9
4) Bush 5
5) Rubio 5
6) Kasich 5
7) Clinton 2
8) Sanders 1
Candidate who by their 'Girth of Being' & powers of persuation could get things done that
I'd like to see done.
1) Trump 9
2) Rubio 7
3) Bush 6
4) Kasich 5
5) Clinton 4
6) Carson 3
7) Cruz 2
8) Sanders 1
Candidate who unlike Obama I'd actually enjoy watching for 4 years his speeches
from the Oval Office, from the Rose Garden, at the State of the Union & forums
with the press core.
1) Trump 10
2) Rubio 7
3) Bush 7
4) Carson 5
5) Sanders 5
5) Kasich 4
6) Cruz 3
7) Clinton 1
Total
1) Trump 29
2) Rubio 19
3) Bush 18
4) Carson 17
5) Kasich 14
6) Cruz 14
7) Clinton 7
8) Sanders 7
Candidate whose views on issues are most closely aligned with mine
1) Trump 10
2) Carson 9
3) Cruz 9
4) Bush 5
5) Rubio 5
6) Kasich 5
7) Clinton 2
8) Sanders 1
Candidate who by their 'Girth of Being' & powers of persuation could get things done that
I'd like to see done.
1) Trump 9
2) Rubio 7
3) Bush 6
4) Kasich 5
5) Clinton 4
6) Carson 3
7) Cruz 2
8) Sanders 1
Candidate who unlike Obama I'd actually enjoy watching for 4 years his speeches
from the Oval Office, from the Rose Garden, at the State of the Union & forums
with the press core.
1) Trump 10
2) Rubio 7
3) Bush 7
4) Carson 5
5) Sanders 5
5) Kasich 4
6) Cruz 3
7) Clinton 1
Total
1) Trump 29
2) Rubio 19
3) Bush 18
4) Carson 17
5) Kasich 14
6) Cruz 14
7) Clinton 7
8) Sanders 7
Except you're not. Maybe you should stick to, and start fixing stuff of the ACTUAL Hypocrites down here, most of whom share similar Political views to you. Because I am not supporting, nor voting for Hillary for precisely that reason. Will you say the same for PROVEN, repetitive liars Trump, Cruz, and Rubio?
[h=6]- FEBRUARY 18, 2016 -[/h][h=1]DONALD TRUMP IS A BIGGER FRONTRUNNER TO BE THE REPUBLICAN NOMINEE THAN YOU THINK[/h]Washington Post
Barring some sort of cataclysm, Donald Trump is going to easily win Saturday's Republican presidential primary in South Carolina. It would be his second straight large victory out of three contests so far in the presidential contest. In the other -- the Iowa caucuses -- Trump got the second most votes of any Republican candidate ever, but he finished second behind the guy who got the most votes in the history of the caucuses: Ted Cruz. Three days after the South Carolina vote, the race will move to Nevada where a poll released on Wednesday showed Trump ahead by almost 30 points. Then comes the March 1 "SEC" primary, when voters in 13 states across the country — including six Southern states — vote. Polling puts Trump first in most, if not all, of those states.
Al of which raises a simple but profound question: Why isn't Trump being covered as the overwhelming favorite to be the Republican nominee?
Substitute any other Republican in the race into Trump's current position. There is a 100 percent chance that that person would be touted as the prohibitive favorite or the odds-on nominee. Imagine Marco Rubio -- he of the third-place finish in Iowa and fifth-place finish in New Hampshire -- with the same poll numbers as Trump in South Carolina, Nevada and beyond. The coronation would be on. Hell, Rubio is now seen as a likely third-place finisher in South Carolina -- behind Trump and Cruz -- and laurels are virtually being thrown at his feet.
Why isn't Trump getting the credit and coverage he deserves? Because, at root, there is still a belief within the party establishment and the ranks of the media that he will somehow implode or voters will "wise up" or "get real" or something. The problem with that theory is that, well, Trump has done lots and lots of things that would a) be described as "gaffes" and b) would have ended or severely compromised other campaigns. And yet, none of it has touched him. In fact, his willingness to say anything -- no matter the underlying facts -- seems to affirm to his supporters just how "independent" from the political system he really is.
Trump has been the front-runner -- in South Carolina and nationally -- for a very long time. And nothing seems to move his numbers.
Here's South Carolina.
Now ask yourself: What could Trump possibly do or say that would somehow be considered a large enough mistake to peel away large amounts of support from him? There is some internal polling done for rival candidates in South Carolina that suggests Trump is losing some altitude in the state after his not-good-at-all performance in the debate last Saturday. Okay, maybe. But, losing some altitude in a single state where you are ahead by 20-plus points is not exactly a campaign-ending problem.
The idea that Trump will either derail himself or be derailed given the steadiness of his numbers seems like the most wishful of thinking by establishment Republicans. Ditto the idea -- that I still hear nearly every day in D.C. -- that the establishment will "figure out" a way to stop Trump. Trust me: If they could have stopped Trump, they would have done it a long time ago. They can't.
Wishful thinking is not the same thing as plausible strategy. And, at this point, it appears that wishful thinking is what is keeping Trump from getting the coverage he deserves as the clear front-runner for the Republican nomination. Front-runners can -- and do -- lose on occasion. And it's possible that Trump -- perhaps when/if the race narrows to a one-on-one contest with Rubio -- loses.
But, it is an undeniable fact that Trump has by far the easiest path to the Republican nomination from here on out. Waiting and hoping for him to collapse is, to borrow a Trump-ism, a loser's game.
Barring some sort of cataclysm, Donald Trump is going to easily win Saturday's Republican presidential primary in South Carolina. It would be his second straight large victory out of three contests so far in the presidential contest. In the other -- the Iowa caucuses -- Trump got the second most votes of any Republican candidate ever, but he finished second behind the guy who got the most votes in the history of the caucuses: Ted Cruz. Three days after the South Carolina vote, the race will move to Nevada where a poll released on Wednesday showed Trump ahead by almost 30 points. Then comes the March 1 "SEC" primary, when voters in 13 states across the country — including six Southern states — vote. Polling puts Trump first in most, if not all, of those states.
Al of which raises a simple but profound question: Why isn't Trump being covered as the overwhelming favorite to be the Republican nominee?
Substitute any other Republican in the race into Trump's current position. There is a 100 percent chance that that person would be touted as the prohibitive favorite or the odds-on nominee. Imagine Marco Rubio -- he of the third-place finish in Iowa and fifth-place finish in New Hampshire -- with the same poll numbers as Trump in South Carolina, Nevada and beyond. The coronation would be on. Hell, Rubio is now seen as a likely third-place finisher in South Carolina -- behind Trump and Cruz -- and laurels are virtually being thrown at his feet.
Why isn't Trump getting the credit and coverage he deserves? Because, at root, there is still a belief within the party establishment and the ranks of the media that he will somehow implode or voters will "wise up" or "get real" or something. The problem with that theory is that, well, Trump has done lots and lots of things that would a) be described as "gaffes" and b) would have ended or severely compromised other campaigns. And yet, none of it has touched him. In fact, his willingness to say anything -- no matter the underlying facts -- seems to affirm to his supporters just how "independent" from the political system he really is.
Trump has been the front-runner -- in South Carolina and nationally -- for a very long time. And nothing seems to move his numbers.
Here's South Carolina.
Now ask yourself: What could Trump possibly do or say that would somehow be considered a large enough mistake to peel away large amounts of support from him? There is some internal polling done for rival candidates in South Carolina that suggests Trump is losing some altitude in the state after his not-good-at-all performance in the debate last Saturday. Okay, maybe. But, losing some altitude in a single state where you are ahead by 20-plus points is not exactly a campaign-ending problem.
The idea that Trump will either derail himself or be derailed given the steadiness of his numbers seems like the most wishful of thinking by establishment Republicans. Ditto the idea -- that I still hear nearly every day in D.C. -- that the establishment will "figure out" a way to stop Trump. Trust me: If they could have stopped Trump, they would have done it a long time ago. They can't.
Wishful thinking is not the same thing as plausible strategy. And, at this point, it appears that wishful thinking is what is keeping Trump from getting the coverage he deserves as the clear front-runner for the Republican nomination. Front-runners can -- and do -- lose on occasion. And it's possible that Trump -- perhaps when/if the race narrows to a one-on-one contest with Rubio -- loses.
But, it is an undeniable fact that Trump has by far the easiest path to the Republican nomination from here on out. Waiting and hoping for him to collapse is, to borrow a Trump-ism, a loser's game.
