Presidential race 2016

[blueberryhill]

He speaks like a real person, not like a PC politician worried about votes. To me it sounded like he was talking tongue-in-cheek, not actually advocating a barbaric torture policy. He never said anything about that or forcing military to violate laws so of course when everyone freaked out he defended himself, I don't see where he retracted his statements on how he feels personally though. Which I think more people find that admirable than dangerous. That's why Trump is going to be your boy, suckers!

Yes, he speaks like a real, crazy person....He retracts statements, flip flops from speech to speech sometimes between two sentences...You don't know what is policy is from one minute until the next minute....depends on the applause level. I find nothing about him admirable....he stirs the pot to divert attention away from his phony, rip off college.....and the white sheet in his back pocket.

Con artists are good at conning their "sheep," ......umm......I mean followers.

If the IRS ever finishes his tax audit, he might end up in jail rather than the White House.

[HairOfTheDog]

No sally, Trump explicitly said, in all seriousness, that the U.S. (military, presumably) should target the family members of suspected terrorists, and he's also said we should use waterboarding or worse to get information. I've heard him say it more than once, including at the Las Vegas debate.

When he made those statements, he was in fact advocating a policy which would violate international law. That's why he needed to issue a statement today saying that he wouldn't REALLY break the international laws or order others to break them. He backtracked, wisely.

I found a link to one of the exchanges I remember:

"The other thing with the terrorists is you have to take out their families, when you get these terrorists, you have to take out their families," Trump said on Fox and Friends on Dec. 2, 2015. "They care about their lives, don't kid yourself. When they say they don't care about their lives, you have to take out their families."

Trump got a challenge on this at the CNN presidential debate in Las Vegas. CNN aired a pre-recorded question from Josh Jacob, a student at Georgia Tech: "Recently Donald Trump mentioned we must kill the families of ISIS members. However, this violates the principle of distinction between civilians and combatants in international law."

Trump doubled down on his position: "I would be very, very firm with families" and repeating his sentiment that even though people think "they may not care much about their lives … they do care, believe it or not, about their families' lives."

Later in the debate, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul took Trump to task for that approach.

"If you are going to kill the families of terrorists," Paul said, "Realize that there's something called the Geneva Convention we're going to have to pull out of. It would defy every norm that is America."
Link: http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/...onald-tru/

Trump doesn't speak like any real person I know and I don't think advocating policies to kill presumed innocent people in order to get information from presumed or proven guilty people has anything to do with 'PC'.

Anyway, if Trump is elected President, I expect he would have advisers schooling him about international laws and treaties to avoid making such statements in the future, assuming he made his previous statements out of ignorance. If he instead made them just to excite and get the votes of disgruntled suckers, it might well work. But, they'll be disappointed when he doesn't carry through -- he wouldn't have the sole power to order those actions as President and he would be roundly contested if he tried.

[Donovan]

Donovan, you are officially a whack job.

Comparing Trump to any of those monsters and the countries where they committed their atrocities, makes you look incredibly stupid or paranoid.

I am comparing methods to historical precedent. In many cases they are identical

This is the United States of America. Trump isn't taking over in some sort of coup, he'd be freely elected by the people.

Gonna make me go Godwin, aren't you?

I understand reasonable people not liking Trump.

But to compare him to Pol Pot?

In direct response to Blindgreed's comments about despots and getting killed, I provided recent historical precedent about the standard method of silencing one's enemies in a dictatorial regime. First, the journalists, teachers and educated. Then, political or popular opposition. Often, the maligned "boogeyman" group is also targeted. Usually by the mob rule morons who pushed the despot into office.

You can call me whackjob if you like, but I'm not incorrect. I have no illusions of my own invincibility if things went sideways in this country, I'd almost certainly be among the dead and pretty quickly.

But don't make the mistake of thinking we are somehow above the entropy and destruction and decline that has laid waste to hundreds of empires before ours. We just aren't that special, and if you look around you'll see we aren't even all that free any more. It would take very little effort for Trump or someone worse to seize control of this country. Our free press is not only compromised, it's nearly decimated. Our primary form of information is narrowed to a very few easily controlled and monopolized channels. Fully half our citizens have spent decades being whipped into a xenophobic, racist frenzy. Control the media, control the press, control the mob...we've seen this before. Many times.

[sally]

he wouldn't have the sole power to order those actions as President and he would be roundly contested if he tried.

Yes and I'm pretty sure Trump himself and everyone other than Donovan knows that.

[HairOfTheDog]

he wouldn't have the sole power to order those actions as President and he would be roundly contested if he tried.

Yes and I'm pretty sure Trump himself and everyone other than Donovan knows that.

I don't know, sal. Maybe Trump was aware that what he was advocating was illegal and stupid and he was just trying to get votes from suckers.

Or, maybe he was just unaware of the international laws when he first seriously made the statement on Fox and ran with it for a while after/until he learned better.

In either case, he definitely hasn't made the statements tongue-in-cheek when I've seen him deliver them, and the thousands of his supporters at each of his rallies across the country cheer and clap when he tosses that shit at them. I don't doubt them when they say that they believe the man means what he says.

[Donovan]

authoritarian governments wiki. enjoy.

This is the reader's digest version of what I have been saying.

[Adub]

The bigger question, for me at least, is why isn't the GOP embracing their man Trump. What is up with all the obstructing?

[Adub]

authoritarian governments wiki. enjoy.

This is the reader's digest version of what I have been saying.

Sounds rather GOPish. So what's the problem? Trump is winning. He is their man. Why is the GOP trying so hard to call him out? What are they afraid of? Seems that Trump should be viewed as manna from heaven if you are a GOP. It brings to mind that biblical phrase of you reap what you sow.

[Adub]

Or, maybe it all comes down to the butterfly effect. With Trump being the innocent little butterfly causing chaos.

http://www.wisegeek.org/what-is-the-butt...effect.htm

[Duchess]

authoritarian governments wiki. enjoy.

This is the reader's digest version of what I have been saying.

It's said that's the profile his supporters fit. It's hilarious and terrifying.

[username]

The bigger question, for me at least, is why isn't the GOP embracing their man Trump. What is up with all the obstructing?

Christie's endorsement surprised and disgusted me but thank God some of the more sane one's in the GOP are still out there being vocally anti-Trump.

I think Christie and some see Trump as a disgusting means to an end. The thought being he will sweep in a new Republican tide. Make the party "big" again. And he seemingly kind of is. He's got this weird movement going and many in the GOP will acquiesce to that just for the power. Just to get a "Republican" in the white house.

Thank goodness the founder's established the checks and balances they did but still...I can not for the life of me imagine what a Trump presidency would look like or how it would play out. I just can't get my head around that occurring (although I see it as a real possibility now). It was all just a joke to me initially--impossible. Not anymore.

[Carsman]

The bigger question, for me at least, is why isn't the GOP embracing their man Trump. What is up with all the obstructing?

Christie's endorsement surprised and disgusted me but thank God some of the more sane one's in the GOP are still out there being vocally anti-Trump.

I think Christie and some see Trump as a disgusting means to an end. The thought being he will sweep in a new Republican tide. Make the party "big" again. And he seemingly kind of is. He's got this weird movement going and many in the GOP will acquiesce to that just for the power. Just to get a "Republican" in the white house.

Thank goodness the founder's established the checks and balances they did but still...I can not for the life of me imagine what a Trump presidency would look like or how it would play out. I just can't get my head around that occurring (although I see it as a real possibility now). It was all just a joke to me initially--impossible. Not anymore.

At first six months ago, this photo was a joke, now, not so much!

[BlueTiki]

The bigger question, for me at least, is why isn't the GOP embracing their man Trump. What is up with all the obstructing?

Christie's endorsement surprised and disgusted me but thank God some of the more sane one's in the GOP are still out there being vocally anti-Trump.

Adub's question is spot-on.

Who are he "sane" GOP members, of which you speak?

[Maggot]

Can "anyone" become president or just the ones that are hand picked and baptized by the status quo? This election is very telling of the Washington mentality and the frail mindset of the established politicians. What it really does is take away from the real power seats of the representatives and senators. That is where both parties should be more concerned.

[F.U.]

You know the answer to that Maggot. They must be hand picked, politically correct, properly dressed little robots. Or they will never get in. The entire system is that way. I have a friend that is a Dem Candidate for Iowa House District 58 and you should hear the shit the party tells him to do. What to where, when and what public events to attend, how to deal with and what to and not to post on social media, what his fiancé should wear, where she should work or rather not work and how to act. Its a bunch of shit. They don't want free thinkers that speak their minds. They want robots that will do as they are told. Entire fucking system is corrupt.

[Donovan]

[Donovan]

he wouldn't have the sole power to order those actions as President and he would be roundly contested if he tried.

Yes and I'm pretty sure Trump himself and everyone other than Donovan knows that.

I don't know, sal. Maybe Trump was aware that what he was advocating was illegal and stupid and he was just trying to get votes from suckers.

Or, maybe he was just unaware of the international laws when he first seriously made the statement on Fox and ran with it for a while after/until he learned better.

In either case, he definitely hasn't made the statements tongue-in-cheek when I've seen him deliver them, and the thousands of his supporters at each of his rallies across the country cheer and clap when he tosses that shit at them. I don't doubt them when they say that they believe the man means what he says.

And this is exactly why people should be terrified of him being anywhere near any sort of genuine power. His followers are a powderkeg of stupidity and hate. He's the orange-headed match.

As for whether he can or can't: enjoy this little comparison between our Patriot act, already legally in place since Bush II, and the Enabling Acts Hitler signed into law shortly after his rise to power. And for those of you swearing it couldn't happen here, please remember that both pre-Hitler Germany and pre-Stalinist Russia were extremely democratic progressive style societies.

http://www.newmediaexplorer.org/chris/20...ng_act.htm

[Duchess]

Oh..my..God!

Funny, not funny.

[Maggot]

Archie is what makes America great!!

[HairOfTheDog]

Can "anyone" become president or just the ones that are hand picked and baptized by the status quo? This election is very telling of the Washington mentality and the frail mindset of the established politicians. What it really does is take away from the real power seats of the representatives and senators. That is where both parties should be more concerned.

Not anyone can be become president, they have to meet the minimum reasonable requirements established in the Constitution, as you know. Despite Donald Trump's suggestions to the contrary, everyone in the 2016 running meets those requirements.

Any American who meets those requirements has the opportunity to pursue the presidency. It takes a hell of a lot of determination and passion to make a serious run. I used to think it had gotten to a point where it also took a hell of a lot of backing from the party establishment and tens of millions of dollars up front to make a serious run. But, Bernie Sanders has proven me wrong by raising the necessary money through donations from individual Americans who support his message and platform.

Donald Trump, like Ross Perot before him, has the personal wealth to self-finance a campaign and make a serious bid, and he has the added benefit of being a celebrity who gets a lot of media attention. Trump has every right to run, his supporters have every right to cheer him on, and his detractors (in and outside the political establishment) have every right to denounce him and encourage voters to choose another candidate if they view Trump as unfit to run the country.

As I see it, the system is working as it should; the DNC and RNC tweaks designed to keep outsiders at bay have failed in the face of the will of the people.