Page 5 of 85 FirstFirst ... 345671555 ... LastLast
Results 81 to 100 of 1693

Thread: The Don

  1. #81
    Very Flirtatious, but Doubts What Love Is. jpx7's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2013
    Posts
    11,910
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    47,867
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    6,443
    Thanked in
    3,831 Posts
    Quote Originally Posted by Hawk View Post
    I typed another response to this but my browser refreshed and lost it.
    That's too bad; I wouldn't have minded reading a few more words on the matter.

    Quote Originally Posted by Hawk View Post
    The essence of government is constantly evolving -- there's not a particular system that we can really treat in isolation as having received the kind of long-term stasis you allude to.
    I don't disagree—but that seems to make your initial assertion ("Fascism, historically, has been leaps and bounds more successful than Communism.") just as precarious as my qualification of it.

    Quote Originally Posted by Hawk View Post
    A better qualifier might be European Fascism / Marxist (Leninist) Communism.
    Sure.

    Quote Originally Posted by Hawk View Post
    But even still, can't discount that Communism has never been fully realized (and, broadly, that's due to Capitalism).
    Totally agree. Capitalism is a pretty insidious weed—which is not to say I think communism, qua Marxist* (or, especially, Leninst, or Maoist) dogma, works. I'm just a skeptic, and particularly a capital skeptic.

    *(I do think Marx had good insights into alterity and alienation; less so history.)

    Quote Originally Posted by Hawk View Post
    RE: Italian Fascism

    - Yes, culturally -- Nazism had a weird and overreaching obsession with 'purging' the state of certain mindsets (and people). Italian Fascism tended to embrace it as long as it didn't interfere with the governmental status quo.
    - Economically, though, Nazism was much more adept at intervening on the state level and enjoyed historically unparalleled financial success under circumstances which were not remotely conducive to growth.
    - I tend to believe, based primarily on the economic tactics witnessed in Germany, but also on the virtually impermeable solidity of their authoritarian structure, that Nazism would've enjoyed a longer shelf-life had Hitler not been a militarily inept megalomaniac who thought he could succeed in a 3-front World War (acknowledging, of course, that expansion is a component of Fascism).
    I'm forming and substantiating my opinion largely as a cultural observer; I simply don't have the background in economics to convincingly argue my point solely on those grounds.

    I do likewise think Mussolini was a much better demagogue than Hitler—or, perhaps I should say, a demagogue better positioned for long-term success in his context—and that weighs heavily in my analysis. To wit: there are two Mussolinis in the Italian consciousness, but there is only one Hitler in the German consciousness (and, again, I'm over-generalizing—but less so, this time).
    "For all his tattooings he was on the whole a clean, comely looking cannibal."

  2. #82
    It's OVER 5,000! Runnin's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2013
    Posts
    12,808
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    5,413
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    2,946
    Thanked in
    2,064 Posts
    http://trumpthemovie.com/
    the documentary
    Trump: What's the Deal?

  3. #83
    Making Atlanta Great Again!
    #MAGA!

    Promises MADE, Promises KEPT!
    The Chosen One's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2013
    Location
    School of Hard Cox
    Posts
    25,409
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    8,603
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    9,771
    Thanked in
    5,762 Posts
    Listening to Trump on Morning Joe.

    Good god I may actually consider voting for him just because of the fact everyone else is a professional politician.

    Last night's debate, you could tell the Don was just mouthing off and everybody else had prepared one liner answer zingers. I'm surprised how well he defended himself against Kelly.

    The fact he actually supported single payer at one point, he may actually support it again if the country keeps moving that direction.

    He may sound like an idiot on other things, but you cannot deny his honest answers are refreshing. We need more Trumps running to make the establishment **** itself.
    Forever Fredi


  4. #84
    It's OVER 5,000! Runnin's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2013
    Posts
    12,808
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    5,413
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    2,946
    Thanked in
    2,064 Posts

  5. #85
    Hessmania Forever
    Join Date
    Jul 2013
    Posts
    14,035
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    4,897
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    7,705
    Thanked in
    4,965 Posts
    I didn't watch the debate, but in reading all the recaps, I started to get the impression that he's setting himself up for a third party run. A lot will depend on if his poll numbers among Republican voters holds and the convention, led by the establishment, goes in a different direction.

  6. #86
    Making Atlanta Great Again!
    #MAGA!

    Promises MADE, Promises KEPT!
    The Chosen One's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2013
    Location
    School of Hard Cox
    Posts
    25,409
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    8,603
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    9,771
    Thanked in
    5,762 Posts
    Quote Originally Posted by 50PoundHead View Post
    I didn't watch the debate, but in reading all the recaps, I started to get the impression that he's setting himself up for a third party run. A lot will depend on if his poll numbers among Republican voters holds and the convention, led by the establishment, goes in a different direction.
    What a guy. Helping make sure Hillary or the Dems win.
    Forever Fredi


  7. #87
    Hessmania Forever
    Join Date
    Jul 2013
    Posts
    14,035
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    4,897
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    7,705
    Thanked in
    4,965 Posts
    Quote Originally Posted by Heywood View Post
    What a guy. Helping make sure Hillary or the Dems win.
    I don't think Trump has allegiance to anyone but Trump in the same way Perot had allegiance to no one but Perot. I think the differences are that the political landscape is much different now than it was in 1992 so the candidacies of Trump and Perot take on different shapes and that Trump really doesn't like anyone on either side of the spectrum. I saw something similar up close in Minnesota when Jesse Ventura won the gubernatorial race on somewhat of a fluke. I don't see the Donald winning if he does run as a third party candidate because a national race is a completely different genus and species than a statewide race, but I wouldn't be surprised if he outpaced Perot's numbers.

  8. #88
    Clique Leader weso1's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2013
    Location
    [Omitted]
    Posts
    6,696
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    1,295
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    3,056
    Thanked in
    1,708 Posts
    I don't know what to think about Trump anymore. I'm not sure anyone knows what to think. Hannity is pretty close to Trump and he seems to think Trump is just using the third party threat for leverage. I still think Trump is going to have a problem getting over his unfavorabilities, but I mean at this point you have to think he actually has a shot to win the republican nomination.
    thank you weso1!

  9. #89
    Hessmania Forever
    Join Date
    Jul 2013
    Posts
    14,035
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    4,897
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    7,705
    Thanked in
    4,965 Posts
    Quote Originally Posted by weso1 View Post
    I don't know what to think about Trump anymore. I'm not sure anyone knows what to think. Hannity is pretty close to Trump and he seems to think Trump is just using the third party threat for leverage. I still think Trump is going to have a problem getting over his unfavorabilities, but I mean at this point you have to think he actually has a shot to win the republican nomination.
    He has a real shot and maybe the third-party threat plays into that. I can see him setting up the argument against his Republican opponents that all they care about is Israel and fetuses and that he is taking a larger view of the challenges facing the country. That plays to a really base level and I don't know if the angry white guy voting bloc can be sufficiently mobilized to rack up enough delegates. But if the Republicans reject him, I think he will try to portray the Republican party as too narrow to lead and that only someone like him can save the country. The answer to whether or not that results in a third-party run is in the wind.

  10. #90
    It's OVER 5,000! Runnin's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2013
    Posts
    12,808
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    5,413
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    2,946
    Thanked in
    2,064 Posts
    I don't think he has a snowball's chance to win the nomination or the election. A lot of people that poll for him now can't be serious, can they? Can people really be that daft? Or maybe I'm the daft one but I think he'd be completely ineffective working out of the straight-jacket of the Oval Office and would want to quit within the first month. He'd fire half the government, alienate the country and end up being strangled by a cabinet member or killed by a Secret Service agent. People think he's smart because he's rich and knows how to use money and audacity to make more money, but that's not the kind of intelligence the office of President requires.

    The real question is is he smart enough to know how ill suited he is for the job? I think he is and I also think he doesn't even really want the job. He's just drawn to the bright lights of the campaign like a moth to a flame. The fact that he can get this deep into the presidential conversation shows how messed up the election process is. He's got nothing but money and balls. That should be his campaign slogan - "TRUMP in '16. Nuthin' but MONEY AND BALLS, but that's enough!"

  11. The Following 5 Users Say Thank You to Runnin For This Useful Post:

    acesfull86 (08-08-2015), BedellBrave (08-10-2015), jpx7 (08-09-2015), Prikichi (08-19-2015), weso1 (08-11-2015)

  12. #91
    It's OVER 5,000! Runnin's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2013
    Posts
    12,808
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    5,413
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    2,946
    Thanked in
    2,064 Posts
    Trump can call Megyn Kelly whatever he wants but the fact is she and Roger Ailes played him like a chump, Trump the chump. It took 24 hours for the bait to take hold but it finally got him. And it appears that he never saw it coming.

  13. The Following User Says Thank You to Runnin For This Useful Post:

    bravesnumberone (08-09-2015)

  14. #92
    It's OVER 5,000! bravesnumberone's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2013
    Posts
    17,280
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    3,351
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    3,002
    Thanked in
    2,023 Posts
    Meanwhile, the rest of the stage blew it when they didn't immediately pounce on Trump's reported sexism.

  15. The Following User Says Thank You to bravesnumberone For This Useful Post:

    jpx7 (08-09-2015)

  16. #93
    Hessmania Forever
    Join Date
    Jul 2013
    Posts
    14,035
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    4,897
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    7,705
    Thanked in
    4,965 Posts
    This is from Sunday's Minneapolis StarTribune and continues on the angle I talked about a few days ago. Trump is trying to mine a vein in the populous that's angry and not politically attached. His verbal gaffes are likely hastening his exit from he Republican side of the stage, but I think part of his goal all along has been portraying his Republican rivals as being out of touch with the concerns of ordinary Americans (which is fairly ironic given Trump's bio) and then making an exit on his own terms to a third-party movement. Ventura's victory in Minnesota was largely an accident (and his debate performance rivaled Trump's from the other evening in terms of ludicrous statements), but Minnesota is one state and not an entire nation. Trump would have to build some type of organization in all of the states to be successful and that takes hands-and-feet as much as money and advertisements. Not to say Trump couldn't totally screw it up for the Republican presidential candidate (but a Trump third-party candidacy may actually help the Republicans in congressional races by bringing more conservatives to the polls), but I wonder if he gets to Perot's numbers if he does run.

    StarTribune Link: http://www.startribune.com/trump-lik...ain/321097881/

    PS--Runnin, I agree that he might not want to win. I had the same impression watching Ventura run (and win unexpectedly) in Minnesota in 1998. He had a radio show and I think all he wanted to do was lose a close race to give himself the catbird's seat to criticize the winner and boost his ratings in the process. Trump's ultimate goal may be to position himself in a position where he can do the same to some extent (although he doesn't have a radio show) and increase his brand recognition (whatever that might be). In that sense, his attack on Megyn Kelly may be as calculated as Fox's zeroing in on him the other night).
    Last edited by 50PoundHead; 08-10-2015 at 08:05 AM.

  17. The Following User Says Thank You to 50PoundHead For This Useful Post:

    Runnin (08-10-2015)

  18. #94
    It's OVER 5,000! Runnin's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2013
    Posts
    12,808
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    5,413
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    2,946
    Thanked in
    2,064 Posts
    Quote Originally Posted by 50PoundHead View Post
    PS--Runnin, I agree that he might not want to win. I had the same impression watching Ventura run (and win unexpectedly) in Minnesota in 1998.... Trump's ............... attack on Megyn Kelly may be as calculated as Fox's zeroing in on him the other night).
    I think the job is A LOT harder and more demanding than people realize. Though it would never be worth it, it'd be funny to see what Trump's hair would look like after 4 years.

  19. #95
    It's OVER 5,000!
    Join Date
    Jul 2013
    Posts
    5,293
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    3,324
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    1,728
    Thanked in
    1,066 Posts
    Quote Originally Posted by 50PoundHead View Post
    He has a real shot and maybe the third-party threat plays into that. I can see him setting up the argument against his Republican opponents that all they care about is Israel and fetuses and that he is taking a larger view of the challenges facing the country. That plays to a really base level and I don't know if the angry white guy voting bloc can be sufficiently mobilized to rack up enough delegates. But if the Republicans reject him, I think he will try to portray the Republican party as too narrow to lead and that only someone like him can save the country. The answer to whether or not that results in a third-party run is in the wind.

    Downgrading the outrage over the PP killing of babies and selling their organs ain't a winner. Then again in this country now, maybe it is.

  20. #96
    I <3 Ron Paul + gilesfan sturg33's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2013
    Posts
    52,888
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    1,019
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    8,134
    Thanked in
    5,790 Posts
    Rand Paul with a scathing op-ed on the Don. LINK

    I ran for office because I was tired of being misled by Republicans who promised conservative government and gave us bank bailouts and more debt. The Wall Street bankers got richer and the American taxpayer got poorer.

    The Tea Party erupted over dissatisfaction with false conservatives. It amazes me that anyone in the Tea Party movement could possibly consider Clinton/Reid/Pelosi supporter Donald Trump for President.

    I honestly have no idea what Mr. Trump’s real philosophy is. He was liberal before he was conservative, and has openly professed for decades that his views are those of a Democrat.

    In 1990, he said if he ever ran for office, he’d do better as a Democrat. He became an independent briefly in 1999 before he switched back to registering as a Democrat. In 2004, he identified more of his beliefs as those of a Democrat, especially on economic policy, stating on CNN that“it just seems that the economy does better under the Democrats than the Republicans.” He only registered as a Republican in 2009 before dropping the party again in 2011, only to re-register in 2012.

    This is a guy who said in 1999 that he was a strong supporter of the United Nations. He was for partial birth abortion before he was against it. He lavished praise on the bank bailouts. He was for Obamacare before he was against it and has said he’s “liberal on health care.”

    In the debate, I reminded Trump that conservatives in the GOP have spent decades opposing a single-payer system like the socialized medicine of Canada and England. He responded that I hadn’t heard his answer. The problem is, I had heard his answer and, like many of his answers, it made absolutely no sense. What I heard was that he was once for a single-payer system—today, he’s against Obamacare but still kind of likes the concept of single-payer and isn’t sure it works.

    No conservative in America supports a single-payer government-run healthcare system, and yet around 25 percent of Republicans seem to favor Trump. How can this be possible? How can a quarter of the GOP support a guy who was a Republican, then an Independent, then a Democrat, and then a Republican again?

    Are conservatives really willing to gamble about what Donald Trump really believes in?

    It is refreshing to hear someone speak truth to power, to transcend Washington-speak, and cut through the staidness of our politically correct world but not when it is all blather, non-sequitur, and self-aggrandizing bombast.

    Donald Trump is showing he isn’t suited to lead the country, and I think we all need to discuss why.

    Frankly, it sounds too much like he is someone used to bullying to get his way. What do you do to a bully? You stand up to him. That’s what I did on the debate stage, and I was the only one.

    The only one to tell Donald Trump that if he is willing to possibly give the election to Hillary, he shouldn’t be on the stage. That should be our first and uniting principle.

    We don’t need a bully, and we don’t need another President who thinks he is King. We certainly don’t need someone who has driven his companies into bankruptcy four times yet smugly tells us he uses our nation’s Chapter 11 laws to his own personal advantage. All well and good for him – but what of the creditors and vendors he defaulted on?

    Voters are hungry for a plain-spoken critique of Washington. But I’m unsure how credible that voice is when it comes from the consummate insider, a man who buys and sells politicians like he does Lamborghinis.

    Trump has paid over 1.5 million dollars to politicians from both sides of the aisle, from Harry Reid to Rahm Emanuel to Jeb Bush. The majority of his donations were to Democrats until a few years ago when he began thinking more seriously of making a play for the Republican nomination.

    (For the record, Donald Trump has NEVER donated to any of my political campaigns, perhaps because he knows I can’t be bought. He has donated to an eye institute that sponsored the medical mission I took to Guatemala where the funding was directly spent on our surgical work restoring sight to over 200 men and women.)

    He has, however, put a significant down payment on Hillary Clinton—at least a $100,000 investment in the Clinton “Foundation” in addition to repeated donations to her campaigns—and acknowledges he spoke to Bill Clinton before he decided to pursue the Republican nomination. What kind of access was he purchasing?

    I asked him in the debate why he’s hedging his bets. If he doesn’t win the GOP nomination will he support Clinton? Will he run as a third party candidate? Ross Perot gave us Bill Clinton. Will Trump give us Hillary Clinton?

    Why give so much money to both sides?

    That’s the problem with the system. Big Government and Big Business get in bed together, and the ordinary taxpayer ends up with the short end of the stick while our country is driven deeper into debt.

    I for one don’t think you should run for President if you believe what Trump says about money in politics: “When you give, they do whatever the hell you want them to do.”

    Isn’t this buying and selling what’s wrong with Washington?

    Bill Clinton is under fire for accepting donations and high speaking fees from foreign governments while Hillary served as Secretary of State. I think it’s despicable that politicians like Hillary sell access. But isn’t it equally despicable for people like Trump to buy access?

    It makes me sad to think that Tea Party awakening could be hijacked or hoodwinked by a guy who supported the bank bailouts, supported Obamacare, and continues to support the Clintons.

    I was there at the first Tea Party in 2007 and I’ll be damned if I’m going to stand passively by and watch the movement destroyed by a fake conservative.

    I will stand up to anyone, Republican or Democrat, who tries to use government as their own personal piggy bank and I won’t be bought or sold.

    I will run this race on issues important to the American people. Unlike Trump, I have serious, specific proposals for the largest tax cut in American history and a five-year balanced budget. I offer real solutions to defeat the Washington Machine like ending corporate welfare, term limits and forcing Congress to read the bills.

    We owe the American people substantive answers like that, not bluster and bombast. I plan to stand up to anyone who doesn’t have the temperament or ideas to be President. Maybe it’s time for the GOP voters to tell Mr. Trump he’s fired so we can find a serious candidate who will bring real change.

  21. The Following User Says Thank You to sturg33 For This Useful Post:

    acesfull86 (08-11-2015)

  22. #97
    It's OVER 5,000! 57Brave's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2013
    Posts
    22,888
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    1,682
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    1,889
    Thanked in
    1,420 Posts
    Where Sen Paul see's the "Conservative" Movement as a monolith.

    If Bill Clinton is fuel for electoral fire what about Clarence Thomas' wife working for the Kochs who Thomas without recusing himself sits in judgement.
    I fortunately can't remember her name
    ////////

    Ginny. As in "carry me back ... "
    Last edited by 57Brave; 08-10-2015 at 02:20 PM.

  23. #98
    It's OVER 5,000!
    Join Date
    Jul 2013
    Posts
    5,293
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    3,324
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    1,728
    Thanked in
    1,066 Posts
    Quote Originally Posted by 57Brave View Post
    Where Sen Paul see's the "Conservative" Movement as a monolith.

    If Bill Clinton is fuel for electoral fire what about Clarence Thomas' wife working for the Kochs who Thomas without recusing himself sits in judgement.
    I fortunately can't remember her name
    ////////

    Ginny. As in "carry me back ... "

    ^^^ A classic 57 post. It has everything. :-)

  24. #99
    It's OVER 5,000!
    Join Date
    Jul 2013
    Posts
    5,293
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    3,324
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    1,728
    Thanked in
    1,066 Posts
    "Trump is a sham, of course, but for many Americans in 2015 the whole political process is a sham. Trump, however, is an entertaining sham, and some voters think that if the establishment is going to screw you no matter what you do, you might as well vote for the funny one."

    Mead may be on to something. Link

  25. The Following User Says Thank You to BedellBrave For This Useful Post:

    weso1 (08-11-2015)

  26. #100
    if my thought dreams could be seen goldfly's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2013
    Posts
    21,092
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    5,367
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    3,337
    Thanked in
    2,262 Posts
    Quote Originally Posted by BedellBrave View Post
    "Trump is a sham, of course, but for many Americans in 2015 the whole political process is a sham. Trump, however, is an entertaining sham, and some voters think that if the establishment is going to screw you no matter what you do, you might as well vote for the funny one."

    Mead may be on to something. Link
    For people that hate Hollywood. They sure love me when they have a R next to their name

    Let's assume all of that is 100% true that you quoted

    That is some childish **** when it comes to nuclear weapons, being in charge of wars etc etc etc
    "For there is always light, if only we are brave enough to see it. If only we are brave enough to be it." Amanda Gorman

    "When Fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross"

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •