Is Ted Cruz Satan? Discuss.

[SEC_Chick]

This pretty well sums up that, while I am probably more likely to vote for the Libertarian candidate than actually pull the lever for a Dem, I fully acknowledge that such a collective action could hand the presidency and 3 SC nominations to HRC, and it is by far the least of the many evils.
#NeverTrump

http://bloombergview.com/articles/20...say-nevertrump

[Hank Chinaski]

Originally Posted by SEC_Chick

This pretty well sums up that, while I am probably more likely to vote for the Libertarian candidate than actually pull the lever for a Dem, I fully acknowledge that such a collective action could hand the presidency and 3 SC nominations to HRC, and it is by far the least of the many evils.
#NeverTrump

http://bloombergview.com/articles/20...say-nevertrump

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epo...tial_race.html

the bitch is that Cruz and especially Rubio, match up better against Hil than Donald, but he is not that far behind.

[Greedy,Greedy,Greedy]

Originally Posted by SEC_Chick

This pretty well sums up that, while I am probably more likely to vote for the Libertarian candidate than actually pull the lever for a Dem, I fully acknowledge that such a collective action could hand the presidency and 3 SC nominations to HRC, and it is by far the least of the many evils.
#NeverTrump

http://bloombergview.com/articles/20...say-nevertrump

Someone here told me that knowledge is knowing that Frankenstein is not the monster and wisdom is knowing that Frankenstein is the monster.

[ThurgreedMarshall]

Originally Posted by Pretty Little Flower

Trump supporters are fanatical in a way that makes Trump impervious to the absolutely undeniable criticisms that he is an unrepentant liar, a failure as a businessman, and a thin-skinned, xenophobic bully...

...with tiny hands.

TM

[Tyrone Slothrop]

Originally Posted by Hank Chinaski

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epo...tial_race.html

the bitch is that Cruz and especially Rubio, match up better against Hil than Donald, but he is not that far behind.

I guess I'm surprised by those polls because I do not believe Cruz can win a national election against a Democrat, even Sanders. He is extreme and he is a jackass, and people who know him do not like him ("A Bush alumnus told the New York Times’ Frank Bruni, ‘Why do people take such an instant dislike to Ted Cruz? It just saves time.’")

Meanwhile, Rubio is an incredible lightweight. It is amazing that he made it this far.

Trump is very, very good at what he does. And he offers the potential to bring new and crossover voters, something Cruz and Rubio do not. OTOH, lots of people hate him.

[Mmmm, Burger (C.J.)]

Originally Posted by Tyrone Slothrop

Trump is very, very good at what he does. And he offers the potential to bring new and crossover voters, something Cruz and Rubio do not. OTOH, lots of people hate him.

Lots of people hate Hillary too. So it sets up an election of who has more haters and whom do the majority of voters hate less. (None of this is to ascribe merit to the reasons for the hate of either candidate).

[Greedy,Greedy,Greedy]

Originally Posted by Mmmm, Burger (C.J.)

Lots of people hate Hillary too. So it sets up an election of who has more haters and whom do the majority of voters hate less. (None of this is to ascribe merit to the reasons for the hate of either candidate).

Hillary's haters are overwhelming white men, most of them already Republicans. They are a lot of loud, crass assholes, but generally not swing voters.

They overlap heavily with the Obama haters.

[SEC_Chick]

I defense of the GOP, I think it will be more difficult for Trump from here on out. I have seen a fairly strong argument that it is not really Republicans, but Dixiecrats who are putting him over the top in the open primaries. Trump has not yet won an open primary, and Nevada, though it in theory has a closed caucus, also had election workers wearing Trump attire and failing to check id, and it's Nevada, so I don't think anyone is shocked at voting irregularities.

There are only 10 open primaries left, and there are a number of upcoming closed primaries that are winner-take-all. I am putting my faith in the fact that Trump hasn't broken 30% and has performed poorly with real Republicans in closed primaries. I think he knows this, and that explains his post-Super-Tuesday kinder and gentler Donald Trump that has emerged.

Between that, and the fact that the rules of the convention will be set in the future, I am hopeful that we can pull off a brokered convention and put in anyone but Trump. Heck even Romney, even though he was a crap candidate last time. At least I would vote for him.

[Adder]

Originally Posted by SEC_Chick

I have seen a fairly strong argument that it is not really Republicans, but Dixiecrats who are putting him over the top in the open primaries.

The question is: what's a republican?

I am putting my faith in the fact that Trump hasn't broken 30% and has performed poorly with real Republicans in closed primaries.

Not to rain on your parade, but his worst performance on Tuesday was in Minnesota. It doesn't get any more open than a Minnesota caucus (aside from being a caucus instead of a primary). It's literally walk in off the street and cast a ballot.

[SEC_Chick]

Originally Posted by Adder

The question is: what's a republican?

Someone who is actually registered as a Republican voting in a primary open only to registered Rs, as opposed to someone registered as a Democrat, who votes in an open primary.

Originally Posted by Adder

Not to rain on your parade, but his worst performance on Tuesday was in Minnesota. It doesn't get any more open than a Minnesota caucus (aside from being a caucus instead of a primary). It's literally walk in off the street and cast a ballot.

My understanding is that Minnesota is a modified open caucus, which means that Rs and independents can participate. And if you note, my point was that the 4 states Ted Cruz has won are all closed primaries (and that the one he didn't was riddled with illegalities), not that Trump has won every single open primary state. So you are not raining on my parade at all.

[I fully understand, though, that hope is not a strategy...]

[sebastian_dangerfield]

If you have not seens John Oliver's show from Sunday night, do so. It is almost poetic how ruthlessly he takes down Trump.

Agreed. It is quite funny.

And the internet snickered with glee, using words like "demolishes," "annihilates," "destroys, " etc. It was hilarious and eye-opening to even those most jaded about Trump.

The Internet is polluted with so much hyperbole because of shit sites like Upworthy and Buzzfeed that wherever a strong verb or adjective is used, one should stop reading after the first line. "Marco Rubio Bought a Coffee at Starbucks This Morning. What Happened Next is Amazing!"

And it does not matter. Trump supporters are fanatical in a way that makes Trump impervious to the absolutely undeniable criticisms that he is an unrepentant liar, a failure as a businessman, and a thin-skinned, xenophobic bully.

Except that he is worth over a billion, and has built a solid brand, garish as it is, so that part about business acumen... #justsayin And no. That he screwed people in r/e development workouts does not undo his success. First, that's an essential part of that business. Second, that only proves the guy can artfully work through a really tough deal.

In fact, as Ty's article suggests, it is his precisely his thin-skinned, xenophobic, bullying tendencies that are at the root of his appeal.

Only half of it. He's appalling. But the way he's totally blowing up the GOP is incredibly entertaining. If only Bernie would get traction and do the same to that crooked stuffed pantsuit and her soldiers on the D side. (I disagree with Sanders on almost everything, but he is the only person out there with integrity.)

Still, I like one thing Trump is doing. Among the lies, there are occasional kernels of candor that are fantastic. His defense of Planned Parenthood (even though he has to claim he'll defund it to placate the Jesus Crazies) is great. And telling a bunch of corporate Bush stooges that W lied to get us into Iraq and did not keep the country safe was excellent. If nothing else, that pumpkinhead killed the Bush dynasty, and for that we all owe him a debt.

It simply does not matter to Trump supporters how many times he lies. It does not matter that anyone with even an atom of common sense knows that the idea of building a giant wall and making Mexico pay for it is so unbelievably far-fetched that to characterize it as ludicrous would be extremely generous. These people are acting out of baser instincts that make the completely devastating criticisms of those like John Oliver wholly irrelevant.

Oh, that's overwrought. A lot of people know he's full of shit but view him as the only "hand grenade" candidate who can actually get enough votes to get to DC and truly make a mess of the system.

They are actually the very same poisonous instincts that, in different ways, political operatives from both parties have been cultivating for years. When the real issues are terribly complicated and the world seems frightening, it is much easier to prey upon people's fears and anger than to explain complicated ideas.

Bullshit. Trump's attracting lower middle class voters who want protectionism. Our media is focusing on the David Dukes and the Mexican wall nonsense because nobody in the Establishment wants to address the criticism that globalization fucks over a lot of average people. It's all about money. It's always all about money. Trump is fueled primarily by poor folks who want to roll back globalization.

The Republicans always seemed to be better at it, but now it seems to have completely gotten away from them, and the result is absolutely fucking scary.

Trump's full of shit. He'd run the country as a moderate. He'd drop the useful idiots like a hot rock the minute he was elected and start cutting deals. Yeah, it'd be fucking embarrassing to have him in office. But any more than having W in office? We've been an embarrassment for a long time. And you can look forward to many more Trumps in the future because this is the shit you get after decades of politicians promising shit they could never hope to deliver, and engaging in wars they couldn't hope to win. It's a rich tapestry of shit to which we've all contributed through apathy, greed, and stupidity. I can't think of a better gold plated figurehead to run this garbage scow of a country into the iceberg it deserves that a king clown like Trump.

[Adder]

Originally Posted by SEC_Chick

My understanding is that Minnesota is a modified open caucus, which means that Rs and independents can participate.

There is no such thing as "registered" with a party affiliation in Minnesota. Anyone who wants to can participate in a caucus (or vote in a primary, when we have those, which we don't for president). I'm not sure I've ever voted for a republican, but I could have joined the GOP caucus on Tuesday if I wanted to.

And I accept that Minnesota might be an outlier, and that Trump is certainly pulling in new voters who have not previously been registered with the party, but I'm skeptical that being closed is going to save the GOP.

[Adder]

Originally Posted by sebastian_dangerfield

Except that he is worth over a billion, and has built a solid brand, garish as it is, so that part about business acumen... #justsayin

Donald Trump astutely took a fortune and built it into... a slightly smaller fortune than if he'd have invested his inheritance in an index fund.

Trump is fueled primarily by poor folks who want to roll back globalization.

A lot of those people also just happen to not like Mexicans, the Chinese and Muslims too, though.

[sebastian_dangerfield]

Originally Posted by Greedy,Greedy,Greedy

Hillary's haters are overwhelming white men, most of them already Republicans. They are a lot of loud, crass assholes, but generally not swing voters.

They overlap heavily with the Obama haters.

I was not a Hillary hater (frankly, she'll run things like a moderate Reagan Democrat, so the GOP hatred for her is baffling). But the way she's gamed the system to screw Bernie? And her plagiarism of his speeches? Fuck her.

Sanders is nuts, but he's addressing the root problems in the country. And his followers, however naive they might be, saw hope in the guy. As they begin to realize Hillary and the D Establishment had it gamed in terms of superdelegates and the timing of debates so that Bernie had not one but both arms tied behind his back, they inevitably become cynical. They learn the lesson that, no, in America, we do not tackle the nasty issues with any frankness. The best we give them is lip service.

Criminal justice reform? That died with Bernie and Rand Paul. Avoidance of pre-emptive wars and unnecessary interventions? Again, dead with Paul and Sanders. (Think Hillary is not going to be hawkish in the Middle East? Think she won't put boots on the ground? You're fucking deluded. It'll be hard finding daylight between her foreign policy and that of a neocon. Bank on it.) Oh, and wealth inequality? Hillary's owned by the rentier capitalists as much if not more than W, H.W., and Obama.

You can't win in this election. Whichever way you vote, you get Nix-- No. Wait. That's an insult to Nixon, who'd be seen as an unelectable liberal in either party today. No... This time around, the best you'll get is a stooge bought and paid for by special interests. The House always wins.

I must go now... people tell me Mitt Romney's going to say something important soon. I wouldn't want to miss that. I've had terrible insomnia lately, and there is no more effective cure.

[Greedy,Greedy,Greedy]

Originally Posted by sebastian_dangerfield

I was not a Hillary hater (frankly, she'll run things like a moderate Reagan Democrat, so the GOP hatred for her is baffling). But the way she's gamed the system to screw Bernie? And her plagiarism of his speeches? Fuck her.

Sanders is nuts, but he's addressing the root problems in the country. And his followers, however naive they might be, saw hope in the guy. As they begin to realize Hillary and the D Establishment had it gamed in terms of superdelegates and the timing of debates so that Bernie had not one but both arms tied behind his back, they inevitably become cynical. They learn the lesson that, no, in America, we do not tackle the nasty issues with any frankness. The best we give them is lip service.

Criminal justice reform? That died with Bernie and Rand Paul. Avoidance of pre-emptive wars and unnecessary interventions? Again, dead with Paul and Sanders. (Think Hillary is not going to be hawkish in the Middle East? Think she won't put boots on the ground? You're fucking deluded. It'll be hard finding daylight between her foreign policy and that of a neocon. Bank on it.) Oh, and wealth inequality? Hillary's owned by the rentier capitalists as much if not more than W, H.W., and Obama.

You can't win in this election. Whichever way you vote, you get Nix-- No. Wait. That's an insult to Nixon, who'd be seen as an unelectable liberal in either party today. No... This time around, the best you'll get is a stooge bought and paid for by special interests. The House always wins.

I must go now... people tell me Mitt Romney's going to say something important soon. I wouldn't want to miss that. I've had incurable insomnia lately, and there is no more effective cure.

How did she game anything with Bernie?

He seems to have lost this fair and square. He's getting votes in caucuses among the party hardcore, she's getting them in primaries, where larger populations come out; he's getting them in the North, she's getting them everywhere; he just didn't have the horses. And they've had more than enough debates for my taste, and I've only seen about half of them.

Some of that is being new to the national stage, some of it is the message, some of it is the messenger.