A man you can bait with a Tweet

[BigRedBuster]

Which...makes me laugh and feel sorry for people who adamantly defend the guy and are voting for him.

They are being absolutely buffaloed by a piece of crap.

 

[mrandyk]

Ironically the longer this sham of a campaign goes on one can argue it actually devalues the Trump brand. Everyone, Trump included, would have been better off if he had gotten that respectable 2nd-3rd place he was seeking in the primary.

 

[knapplc]

Think of the utterly fascinating movie this is going to make. A candidate who never wanted the office, who snowed a bunch of voters into buying in to his nonsense, and who has been doing everything he can to destroy his own candidacy - but the True Believers won't let him.

Trump is going to do something that utterly annihilates his chances of being president. Some amazingly stupid gaffe or terrible comment.

But even if he drops out, there'll be 10%-15% of the population who writes him in. They truly believe in what Trump is espousing.

 

[BigRedBuster]

Ironically the longer this sham of a campaign goes on one can argue it actually devalues the Trump brand. Everyone, Trump included, would have been better off if he had gotten that respectable 2nd-3rd place he was seeking in the primary.

Well, he finds himself in a no win situation. He doesn't want to be President and the longer he goes the worse it is for his brand. BUT....if he drops out, it goes against everything his brand was built on and he's viewed by some as a quitter that would eat a huge hole in his ego.

PS....I'd be perfectly fine if the Trump brand was made insignificant.

Knapp.....that 10-15% is truly scary.

 

[TGHusker]

He's already, 95 days from the election mind you, saying the election is rigged. He knows he doesn't have a snow balls chance of winning and to protect his brand, he has to create the reason why he lost.

What is scarier than the 10-15% that might actually vote for him as a write in if he dropped out, is what actually DID occur - a major political party nominated him to this position. Ever wonder how a dictator gets 'elected'. Well maybe

we've witnessed the process. Play on voters fears, give generalities and not specific proposals, demean your opponents and others who disagree, and label whole groups of people as 'undesirables' - all of which plays on

the worse of us and not the best of us.

Trump sees Clinton machine stealing the election:

http://www.newsmax.com/Headline/trump-conspiracy-rigged-election/2016/08/08/id/742584/

Trump has ended his love affair wt the presidency says this writer. This writer says the same thing about protecting his 'brand'.

http://www.newsmax.com/Politics/trump-love-affair-presidency/2016/08/08/id/742627/

Quoted article:

Donald Trump no longer wants to be president and is doing "everything possible to show that he wants out," Chicago Tribune columnist Dahleen Glanton writes in Monday's editions.




"Like a schoolboy falling for a girl the very first time, Trump was bewitched by the grandeur of the title 'Mr. President,''' Glanton says.

"Potential supporters … fell in love with his brash demeanor, his uncensored voice and his irreverent behavior. But for Trump, the feelings never ran as deep. For him, it was merely a crush.



"Since the Republican National Convention, he has made blunder after blunder. He seems to be doing everything possible to show that he wants out."

And that, Glanton says, has Republican Party leaders "in a panic" looking into options for replacing him if he takes a powder.

And if he does make it through to November, "Trump already has begun to try and ease the heartache his followers will undoubtedly feel," she writes.




"It won't be their fault, he assured them. And it certainly won't be his. If he doesn't get to be president next year, it will be because America's election system is rigged."

 

[TGHusker]

I'm going to get on my

and rant a bit. I'm thinking that there may be some Trump supporters or others who read the often negative comments about Trump in these forums and conclude that this is a Democratic Party opinion page. It is not. The fact is that many of us who are negative on Trump are far from being liberal democrats or supportive of Hillary. I'll talk specifically of myself now. I have been a long term republican - since 1976. I have voted for the the repub presidential candidate since then (occasionally vote for a dem for House, Senate and other local/state offices). I consider myself to be a constitutional conservative. So in pointing out Trump's negatives, I am in no way giving an endorsement of Hillary. I think you all know I have a strong distaste for Hillary (understatement I know - as I occasionally post knee jerk posts about her) I think many people's frustration wt Trump is knowing the republican party could have done so much better with a number of qualified candidates - the party let us down and allowed Trump to control the narrative that led to his election. The party should have had the balls to disavow Trump in the early stages and not allow Trump to define the party into his image. Most of us already know Hillary -she is a crook and also not worthy of the position. Yes, there is enough info on Hillary to fill this forum up, but we already know what we got in her. I think my frustration is that she is the worse candidate on the Dem side since at least 1988 if not since 1976 yet the Repubs blew the chance by nominating an even worse candidate on their end. We as voters deserve better. Even those of you who support Hillary, I believe, know that there should have been better candidates presented to the voters - even if you liked her policies 100% - her trustworthiness alone should tell you there are better people who could represent her policies.

So as a long term repub presidential voter, I'm left wt voting for a 3rd party candidate who will not get elected and in so doing, I may inadvertently end up helping to elect someone I cannot stomach.

Fortunately for me in Oklahoma, I can take cover in knowing that our electoral votes will end up going to Trump & not Hillary as every county in our state went to Romney last time around - the 'reddest of the red states'. So, I know my vote won't push Oklahoma over to the Hillary side. But, elsewhere, voters have the real dilemma knowing that their vote for a 3rd party candidate could help to elect Hillary. I hope that the Senate and House remain Republican if that were to occur to balance her out. End of Rant

 

[NM11046]

I'm going to get on my

and rant a bit. I'm thinking that there may be some Trump supporters or others who read the often negative comments about Trump in these forums and conclude that this is a Democratic Party opinion page. It is not. The fact is that many of us who are negative on Trump are far from being liberal democrats or supportive of Hillary. I'll talk specifically of myself now. I have been a long term republican - since 1976. I have voted for the the repub presidential candidate since then (occasionally vote for a dem for House, Senate and other local/state offices). I consider myself to be a constitutional conservative. So in pointing out Trump's negatives, I am in no way giving an endorsement of Hillary. I think you all know I have a strong distaste for Hillary (understatement I know - as I occasionally post knee jerk posts about her) I think many people's frustration wt Trump is knowing the republican party could have done so much better with a number of qualified candidates - the party let us down and allowed Trump to control the narrative that led to his election. The party should have had the balls to disavow Trump in the early stages and not allow Trump to define the party into his image. Most of us already know Hillary -she is a crook and also not worthy of the position. Yes, there is enough info on Hillary to fill this forum up, but we already know what we got in her. I think my frustration is that she is the worse candidate on the Dem side since at least 1988 if not since 1976 yet the Repubs blew the chance by nominating an even worse candidate on their end. We as voters deserve better. Even those of you who support Hillary, I believe, know that there should have been better candidates presented to the voters - even if you liked her policies 100% - her trustworthiness alone should tell you there are better people who could represent her policies.

So as a long term repub presidential voter, I'm left wt voting for a 3rd party candidate who will not get elected and in so doing, I may inadvertently end up helping to elect someone I cannot stomach.

Fortunately for me in Oklahoma, I can take cover in knowing that our electoral votes will end up going to Trump & not Hillary as every county in our state went to Romney last time around - the 'reddest of the red states'. So, I know my vote won't push Oklahoma over to the Hillary side. But, elsewhere, voters have the real dilemma knowing that their vote for a 3rd party candidate could help to elect Hillary. I hope that the Senate and House remain Republican if that were to occur to balance her out. End of Rant

Well said TG.

I don't think we should underestimate the impact of those who can vote 3rd party. While it may better fit their current emotions and desire for leadership, I think that there is a gap in understanding that depending on the state one is in (or county etc) that vote may actually help Trump get into office.

I wish there was a way to communicate that succinctly - that essentially (as a general rule) a vote for 3rd party is a vote for Trump in many/most cases.

SaveSave

 

[zoogs]

I'd be happy to see GOP supporters who can't come around to Hillary divide themselves up into Johnson/independent run/etc, honestly. As long as it splits the Trump vote and has the effect of delivering states to Hillary anyway.

Trump is not going to be the last guy who can't win an election (if, indeed, he can't) and then tries to claim that he was cheated of it. He will encourage the erosion of our confidence in institutions -- which, earned or not, is an important part of our stability -- for self-serving, face-saving reasons.

The long-term implications of that are frightening. We should be considering how to save our democracy from itself before it's too late. Disruptive change can be good, and is often needed, but rarely is it peaceful -- especially if it is wrought by necessity.

 

[TGHusker]

I'm going to get on my

and rant a bit. I'm thinking that there may be some Trump supporters or others who read the often negative comments about Trump in these forums and conclude that this is a Democratic Party opinion page. It is not. The fact is that many of us who are negative on Trump are far from being liberal democrats or supportive of Hillary. I'll talk specifically of myself now. I have been a long term republican - since 1976. I have voted for the the repub presidential candidate since then (occasionally vote for a dem for House, Senate and other local/state offices). I consider myself to be a constitutional conservative. So in pointing out Trump's negatives, I am in no way giving an endorsement of Hillary. I think you all know I have a strong distaste for Hillary (understatement I know - as I occasionally post knee jerk posts about her) I think many people's frustration wt Trump is knowing the republican party could have done so much better with a number of qualified candidates - the party let us down and allowed Trump to control the narrative that led to his election. The party should have had the balls to disavow Trump in the early stages and not allow Trump to define the party into his image. Most of us already know Hillary -she is a crook and also not worthy of the position. Yes, there is enough info on Hillary to fill this forum up, but we already know what we got in her. I think my frustration is that she is the worse candidate on the Dem side since at least 1988 if not since 1976 yet the Repubs blew the chance by nominating an even worse candidate on their end. We as voters deserve better. Even those of you who support Hillary, I believe, know that there should have been better candidates presented to the voters - even if you liked her policies 100% - her trustworthiness alone should tell you there are better people who could represent her policies.

So as a long term repub presidential voter, I'm left wt voting for a 3rd party candidate who will not get elected and in so doing, I may inadvertently end up helping to elect someone I cannot stomach.

Fortunately for me in Oklahoma, I can take cover in knowing that our electoral votes will end up going to Trump & not Hillary as every county in our state went to Romney last time around - the 'reddest of the red states'. So, I know my vote won't push Oklahoma over to the Hillary side. But, elsewhere, voters have the real dilemma knowing that their vote for a 3rd party candidate could help to elect Hillary. I hope that the Senate and House remain Republican if that were to occur to balance her out. End of Rant

Well said TG.

I don't think we should underestimate the impact of those who can vote 3rd party. While it may better fit their current emotions and desire for leadership, I think that there is a gap in understanding that depending on the state one is in (or county etc) that vote may actually help Trump get into office.

I wish there was a way to communicate that succinctly - that essentially (as a general rule) a vote for 3rd party is a vote for Trump in many/most cases.

SaveSave

Interesting thought. So are you saying there may be many more frustrated Dem voters who may vote for a 3rd party candidate that could tip the scales the other way? I guess I didn't see it that way but it is indeed possible. Stein has picked up support. Berine's supporters are not Hillary lovers by any means. I wonder which states may be at that tipping point - purple states that might tip red if the 3rd party candidate takes enough votes from Hillary??

 

[BigRedBuster]

I'm going to get on my

and rant a bit. I'm thinking that there may be some Trump supporters or others who read the often negative comments about Trump in these forums and conclude that this is a Democratic Party opinion page. It is not. The fact is that many of us who are negative on Trump are far from being liberal democrats or supportive of Hillary. I'll talk specifically of myself now. I have been a long term republican - since 1976. I have voted for the the repub presidential candidate since then (occasionally vote for a dem for House, Senate and other local/state offices). I consider myself to be a constitutional conservative. So in pointing out Trump's negatives, I am in no way giving an endorsement of Hillary. I think you all know I have a strong distaste for Hillary (understatement I know - as I occasionally post knee jerk posts about her) I think many people's frustration wt Trump is knowing the republican party could have done so much better with a number of qualified candidates - the party let us down and allowed Trump to control the narrative that led to his election. The party should have had the balls to disavow Trump in the early stages and not allow Trump to define the party into his image. Most of us already know Hillary -she is a crook and also not worthy of the position. Yes, there is enough info on Hillary to fill this forum up, but we already know what we got in her. I think my frustration is that she is the worse candidate on the Dem side since at least 1988 if not since 1976 yet the Repubs blew the chance by nominating an even worse candidate on their end. We as voters deserve better. Even those of you who support Hillary, I believe, know that there should have been better candidates presented to the voters - even if you liked her policies 100% - her trustworthiness alone should tell you there are better people who could represent her policies.

So as a long term repub presidential voter, I'm left wt voting for a 3rd party candidate who will not get elected and in so doing, I may inadvertently end up helping to elect someone I cannot stomach.

Fortunately for me in Oklahoma, I can take cover in knowing that our electoral votes will end up going to Trump & not Hillary as every county in our state went to Romney last time around - the 'reddest of the red states'. So, I know my vote won't push Oklahoma over to the Hillary side. But, elsewhere, voters have the real dilemma knowing that their vote for a 3rd party candidate could help to elect Hillary. I hope that the Senate and House remain Republican if that were to occur to balance her out. End of Rant

TG...all of what you said is basically why I'm so pissed off this election.

I have a different view with one part though. I don't necessarily blame the party. I seriously blame the voters who voted this idiot to be the nomination. I'm talking about the ones who voted for him in the first half of the primaries. What a bunch of lazy illogical voters. Because of their love of watching him act like a 2 year old in debates, the rest of the Republican voters really had no choice in the matter. Those voters are the ones that turned this election into the crap pile it is.

One of the things that really fries my cookie is when I say I'm not voting for Trump and the first reaction is...."How can you support Hillary?" I have made it clear here that I have absolutely no desire for her to be in office. But, the Republicans then need to nominate someone better. Epic FAIL!!!!!

Quite frankly, even if I were in a swing state, there is absolutely no way in hell I could vote for Trump. Pull your heads out of your asses if you want me to vote for your nominee.

PS.....glad I'm not as old as you. I've only been a Republican since 1985.

 

[BigRedBuster]

Right now, Johnson is by far the strongest 3rd party candidate but he isn't someone who Dems or Bernie supporters are going to be excited to vote for.

 

[BigRedBuster]

I'm going to get on my

and rant a bit. I'm thinking that there may be some Trump supporters or others who read the often negative comments about Trump in these forums and conclude that this is a Democratic Party opinion page. It is not. The fact is that many of us who are negative on Trump are far from being liberal democrats or supportive of Hillary. I'll talk specifically of myself now. I have been a long term republican - since 1976. I have voted for the the repub presidential candidate since then (occasionally vote for a dem for House, Senate and other local/state offices). I consider myself to be a constitutional conservative. So in pointing out Trump's negatives, I am in no way giving an endorsement of Hillary. I think you all know I have a strong distaste for Hillary (understatement I know - as I occasionally post knee jerk posts about her) I think many people's frustration wt Trump is knowing the republican party could have done so much better with a number of qualified candidates - the party let us down and allowed Trump to control the narrative that led to his election. The party should have had the balls to disavow Trump in the early stages and not allow Trump to define the party into his image. Most of us already know Hillary -she is a crook and also not worthy of the position. Yes, there is enough info on Hillary to fill this forum up, but we already know what we got in her. I think my frustration is that she is the worse candidate on the Dem side since at least 1988 if not since 1976 yet the Repubs blew the chance by nominating an even worse candidate on their end. We as voters deserve better. Even those of you who support Hillary, I believe, know that there should have been better candidates presented to the voters - even if you liked her policies 100% - her trustworthiness alone should tell you there are better people who could represent her policies.

So as a long term repub presidential voter, I'm left wt voting for a 3rd party candidate who will not get elected and in so doing, I may inadvertently end up helping to elect someone I cannot stomach.

Fortunately for me in Oklahoma, I can take cover in knowing that our electoral votes will end up going to Trump & not Hillary as every county in our state went to Romney last time around - the 'reddest of the red states'. So, I know my vote won't push Oklahoma over to the Hillary side. But, elsewhere, voters have the real dilemma knowing that their vote for a 3rd party candidate could help to elect Hillary. I hope that the Senate and House remain Republican if that were to occur to balance her out. End of Rant

Well said TG.

I don't think we should underestimate the impact of those who can vote 3rd party. While it may better fit their current emotions and desire for leadership, I think that there is a gap in understanding that depending on the state one is in (or county etc) that vote may actually help Trump get into office.

I wish there was a way to communicate that succinctly - that essentially (as a general rule) a vote for 3rd party is a vote for Trump in many/most cases.

SaveSave

I'm scratching my head to figure out how my vote for Johnson would help Trump even if I were in a swing state. There is no way in hell I'm voting for Hillary. So, the only option is the Republican nominee or 3rd party. So, if I vote 3rd party, I'm helping Hillary not Trump.

Now, your view would be true if I were more inclined to vote for Hillary and then voted for Johnson.

 

[NM11046]

I'm going to get on my

and rant a bit. I'm thinking that there may be some Trump supporters or others who read the often negative comments about Trump in these forums and conclude that this is a Democratic Party opinion page. It is not. The fact is that many of us who are negative on Trump are far from being liberal democrats or supportive of Hillary. I'll talk specifically of myself now. I have been a long term republican - since 1976. I have voted for the the repub presidential candidate since then (occasionally vote for a dem for House, Senate and other local/state offices). I consider myself to be a constitutional conservative. So in pointing out Trump's negatives, I am in no way giving an endorsement of Hillary. I think you all know I have a strong distaste for Hillary (understatement I know - as I occasionally post knee jerk posts about her) I think many people's frustration wt Trump is knowing the republican party could have done so much better with a number of qualified candidates - the party let us down and allowed Trump to control the narrative that led to his election. The party should have had the balls to disavow Trump in the early stages and not allow Trump to define the party into his image. Most of us already know Hillary -she is a crook and also not worthy of the position. Yes, there is enough info on Hillary to fill this forum up, but we already know what we got in her. I think my frustration is that she is the worse candidate on the Dem side since at least 1988 if not since 1976 yet the Repubs blew the chance by nominating an even worse candidate on their end. We as voters deserve better. Even those of you who support Hillary, I believe, know that there should have been better candidates presented to the voters - even if you liked her policies 100% - her trustworthiness alone should tell you there are better people who could represent her policies.

So as a long term repub presidential voter, I'm left wt voting for a 3rd party candidate who will not get elected and in so doing, I may inadvertently end up helping to elect someone I cannot stomach.

Fortunately for me in Oklahoma, I can take cover in knowing that our electoral votes will end up going to Trump & not Hillary as every county in our state went to Romney last time around - the 'reddest of the red states'. So, I know my vote won't push Oklahoma over to the Hillary side. But, elsewhere, voters have the real dilemma knowing that their vote for a 3rd party candidate could help to elect Hillary. I hope that the Senate and House remain Republican if that were to occur to balance her out. End of Rant

Well said TG.

I don't think we should underestimate the impact of those who can vote 3rd party. While it may better fit their current emotions and desire for leadership, I think that there is a gap in understanding that depending on the state one is in (or county etc) that vote may actually help Trump get into office.

I wish there was a way to communicate that succinctly - that essentially (as a general rule) a vote for 3rd party is a vote for Trump in many/most cases.

SaveSave

Interesting thought. So are you saying there may be many more frustrated Dem voters who may vote for a 3rd party candidate that could tip the scales the other way? I guess I didn't see it that way but it is indeed possible. Stein has picked up support. Berine's supporters are not Hillary lovers by any means. I wonder which states may be at that tipping point - purple states that might tip red if the 3rd party candidate takes enough votes from Hillary??

I do think there are some. I was a Bernie supporter and def looked at the libertarian and green parties - once I read about their stance on issues it was easy to commit to Hillary, but sadly I don't think all folks do adequate research to come to that conclusion, or think of the ramifications of splitting the vote.

Edit: I'd think NH, ME, VT might be purpleish states based on how they approach politics. I'd really have to think about others.

 

[Danny Bateman]

Mrandyk, this has DEFINITELY caused their brand damage:


BRB, I'm more aligned with your point of view rather than TG's. I certainly understand being upset about the two major candidates this year. But I too tend to put the blame on the GOP primary electorate.

For as much crap as the superdelegate system has gotten (and it's now probably getting substantially scaled back due to the current populist rage against it), it allowed the Dems a check in the event of a godawful candidate like Trump.

But the GOP had no such check, and by whatever means and ways, their electorate chose to opt him. Perhaps they'll realize now they were sold a bill of goods. There were people saying it all along the way, but Trump marketed himself as such a remarkably break from the norm as a politician that they thought conventional political rules didn't apply.

They had their system, with its arcane rules and procedures set in place from the get-go, and still wound up with him. The party simply let it play out, even though it was obvious all along they wanted anyone besides Trump. This one's on the voters.

As an aside, I'll eat hat if Jill Stein winds up with more than 1 or 2 percent of the popular vote. Bernie voters have largely assimilated behind Clinton, even if they don't love it. Stein isn't even on the ballot in all 50 states. I think it's likely only the die-hards, anti-establishment crowd, and true far left socialists will vote for her, and I presume that's a rather small slice of the electorate.

 

[NM11046]

I'm going to get on my

and rant a bit. I'm thinking that there may be some Trump supporters or others who read the often negative comments about Trump in these forums and conclude that this is a Democratic Party opinion page. It is not. The fact is that many of us who are negative on Trump are far from being liberal democrats or supportive of Hillary. I'll talk specifically of myself now. I have been a long term republican - since 1976. I have voted for the the repub presidential candidate since then (occasionally vote for a dem for House, Senate and other local/state offices). I consider myself to be a constitutional conservative. So in pointing out Trump's negatives, I am in no way giving an endorsement of Hillary. I think you all know I have a strong distaste for Hillary (understatement I know - as I occasionally post knee jerk posts about her) I think many people's frustration wt Trump is knowing the republican party could have done so much better with a number of qualified candidates - the party let us down and allowed Trump to control the narrative that led to his election. The party should have had the balls to disavow Trump in the early stages and not allow Trump to define the party into his image. Most of us already know Hillary -she is a crook and also not worthy of the position. Yes, there is enough info on Hillary to fill this forum up, but we already know what we got in her. I think my frustration is that she is the worse candidate on the Dem side since at least 1988 if not since 1976 yet the Repubs blew the chance by nominating an even worse candidate on their end. We as voters deserve better. Even those of you who support Hillary, I believe, know that there should have been better candidates presented to the voters - even if you liked her policies 100% - her trustworthiness alone should tell you there are better people who could represent her policies.

So as a long term repub presidential voter, I'm left wt voting for a 3rd party candidate who will not get elected and in so doing, I may inadvertently end up helping to elect someone I cannot stomach.

Fortunately for me in Oklahoma, I can take cover in knowing that our electoral votes will end up going to Trump & not Hillary as every county in our state went to Romney last time around - the 'reddest of the red states'. So, I know my vote won't push Oklahoma over to the Hillary side. But, elsewhere, voters have the real dilemma knowing that their vote for a 3rd party candidate could help to elect Hillary. I hope that the Senate and House remain Republican if that were to occur to balance her out. End of Rant

Well said TG.

I don't think we should underestimate the impact of those who can vote 3rd party. While it may better fit their current emotions and desire for leadership, I think that there is a gap in understanding that depending on the state one is in (or county etc) that vote may actually help Trump get into office.

I wish there was a way to communicate that succinctly - that essentially (as a general rule) a vote for 3rd party is a vote for Trump in many/most cases.

SaveSave

I'm scratching my head to figure out how my vote for Johnson would help Trump even if I were in a swing state. There is no way in hell I'm voting for Hillary. So, the only option is the Republican nominee or 3rd party. So, if I vote 3rd party, I'm helping Hillary not Trump.

Now, your view would be true if I were more inclined to vote for Hillary and then voted for Johnson.

I'm stealing this from a website instead of retyping it myself, now this was published before the mayhem of Trumps last week, but I believe the theory still holds true:

1. A swing of even 1-2 percent of third party voters to Trump or Clinton may decide the election.
   
2. Clinton’s share of the vote almost always drops in polls where third parties are included―third party candidates are hurting her more than Trump.
   
3. Gary Johnson will not be elected President. Jill Stein will not be elected President.
   
4. The genuine growth of a third party will be based on actually winning elections at the lower levels and building a base of support locally. Random performance in presidential elections is not the crux of the effort.
   
5. Very marginally indicating support for a third party candidate’s agenda is far less important than adding your weight to prevent President Trump. This year is not normal.