I will keep doing, but not worth it! The 2016 Presidential Primary Voting Thread

lol curtis

So what I don't really get is this. Is the National Review crowd so fervently anti-Trump because a) they think he would be a bad President, or b) they think his nomination would mean the Democrats would win up and down the ticket? Or is it both?

Clinton is so (seemingly) phony and (definitely) calculating that I really do think trying to out maneuver Trump on stage would be like trying to fight a rabid dog. He's got nothing to lose and steamrolls right over any facts/arguments. His strategy is to just shut things down, either via insult or by stonewalling. Meanwhile, her amped laugh is, shall we say, not her strongest suit - does Trump ever laugh? just that grimace, right? - and when Clinton gets tough she both ends up over-exaggerating for effect and hurting some of her lefty support. Plus, they've travelled in similar social/economic circles for some time, which makes her look worse than it does Trump. And Trump I don't thing will pull punches because he's debating a woman, especially since it hasn't really hurt him so far.

As has seemed likely from the start but definitely the last few months, Dem turnout will be key to Clinton's victory, not anything she says or doesn't say to counter Trump. They're both known quantities, in a sense, at different ends of the DGAF spectrum. And further to that point, getting back the senate is essential. I wish there was more noise on that front.

(Like, how does she counter Trump and not come off like Gore in that first debate v. Bush?)

xp eephus, a.) primarily, but also c.) his nomination would signal a "sea-change" in republican voters' priorities, and trumpism will replace conservatism as the party's guiding ideology

they've travelled in similar social/economic circles for some time, which makes her look worse than it does Trump

dingdingding

yeah, i don't think it's a given that clinton would better trump in a debate, and i definitely think it's unwise to view that outcome as a certainty, as a lot of people seem to do.

i felt like trump was crushed last night, but apparently exit polls are saying trump won?

that's his great honer

That's just it, by the standards of facts and logic he's been terrible from the start, and that's why people said he wouldn't last. But clearly he is not doomed, or failing, or falling, he's thriving. And betting, after all these months, that this consistent trend will somehow suddenly stalls seems like a huge strategic risk.

are you people really, REALLY not getting an ice-cream headache from all this shit, with about 35 weeks to go? where is your breaking point?

Hillary just needs to ditch the policy positions and get a coach to help her out-bloviate the Don. "Mr. Trump has talked a lot about his health care plan. But it's a weak plan for losers. Total trash. My plan is the one that will make America great again. It's sensational. Just fantastic."

http://i.imgur.com/BYzvc2V.png

Is the Dem party really content just let the dust settle before trying to bring him down? I'd really like to think they have a plan, but I have a feeling they're focused on short term goals. Now seems like the time to try and hurt him, because it won't seem like it's coming directly from Clinton, with so many competitors in play.

democrats badly want him to win the nom

xp eephus, a.) primarily, but also c.) his nomination would signal a "sea-change" in republican voters' priorities, and trumpism will replace conservatism as the party's guiding ideology

Eh, many republican voters' priorities are dying, Trump is propping it up (and yeah turnout is a big worry - down in all the Democratic contests so far, up in all of Republican) but his fans are, well, his fans - they won't stick around once he goes, the question is whether he's done enough damage to their other bases.

I mean, wtf is Trumpism other than a belief in him as a Great Man.

d) is that NRO considers itself classy.

Yeah I don't buy that "trumpism" is an "ideology" -- it's more just like the pure id of the frustrated.

democrats badly want him to win the nom

i felt like trump was crushed last night, but apparently exit polls are saying trump won?

yeah, it's so hard to get a good read on who "won", because even to the extent that policies and facts came up, they really just don't matter. so throw that out the window. (america!) then there's the audience reaction, the cheering and clapping and booing, but that's also misleading because it's not like the crowd is a representative sample. after one of the recent GOP debates when trump repeatedly claimed that the crowd (which seemed anti-trump for sure) was full of RNC operatives and lobbyists, it turned out that he was actually correct. i don't know if that was true of last night as well, but it wouldn't be surprising. even if you try to ignore the crowd's reaction, it's hard not to be swayed a bit, but it's misleading. then there's the way the media spins it post-debate. the NYT headline is "G.O.P. Debate Turns Raucous as Rubio Lays Into Trump", with this lede: "Senator Marco Rubio, responding to the rise of Donald J. Trump, delivered the onslaught that Republican leaders had desperately awaited." well...yeah, rubio did attempt to lay into trump and mentioned some things that should have been mentioned months ago, like Trump University. and just observing the debate, i did think "wow rubio's finally trying to stand up to him a little". but they're really ignoring the reality of trump's advantages right now, which i think josh marshall summed up pretty well:

Let's state the point clearly: Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz failed utterly to put a dent in Donald Trump or his seemingly clear path to the Republican nomination. In their defense, it was a huge challenge. If Trump does as well on Tuesday as the current polls suggest, he will likely be unstoppable. Not necessarily because the numbers will make him inevitable but because the pageantry of winning will continue to elevate Trump and overwhelm Rubio and Cruz. To prevent that, one or the other needed to land a devastating blow - something on the level of what Chris Christie did to Rubio before New Hampshire. Frankly, it needed to be even worse. They didn't come close.

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/trump-s-dominating-performance

Republican candidates never really went after Trump before though either. Why did Rubio wait till last night to go after Trump?

Washington Post columnist says Rubio won the debate last night, but that's an opinion not an audience poll

donald trump is not going to be president

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Close thread.

"trumpism" is definitely an ideology. protectionist economy + severe restrictions on immigration is the policy platform, barely concealed white nationalism and blatant anti-islamic bias is the mood xp

oh yeah, and deals.

xxp Good to know.

donald trump is not going to be the republican nominee

- everyone, summer 2015

^^^^

- everyone else, summer 2015

i predict that scalia will die in February 2016 and that the republicans will refuse to participate in the process to appoint his successor. also the royals will win the world series over the mets in 5 games

- me, summer 2015

http://rs279.pbsrc.com/albums/kk143/faeini1/CrystalBallHands.gif~c200

Be careful what you wish for.
― Josh in Chicago, Friday, February 26, 2016 10:58 AM (18 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

wow ominous

national review is willing to use the rabble, but is deeply afraid of populism

‏@dick_nixon
Rubio showed a basic command of English, so now he is "strong." When in reality he looked like a guy trying to save his keys from the sewer.

I defy those of you who count Rubio as winning tonight to name a single thing he or anyone else did that would cause Trump to lose votes.

Republican candidates never really went after Trump before though either. Why did Rubio wait till last night to go after Trump?

― curmudgeon, Friday, February 26, 2016 11:00 AM (19 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

they thought he wld just go away and didnt realize until it was prob too late that they had to make him go away, if republicans had spent the last three months talking about what a piece of shit he is i suspect the race wld look different now

best moment of the election cycle so far was christie's attempted murder-suicide of rubio. such an arbitrary target

lol poor rubes

I wonder if that was sort of spur-of-the-moment or if he regrets it. If you watch the clip, it doesn't feel like Christie started out wanting to go for the kill, it's more like Rubio set himself up and instinct set in. And then he dropped out soon after. I doubt Christie had an interest in clearing a path for Trump.

r u kidding? it was a true "you're going over the cliff with me, sonny" moment

Hardly arbitrary though - everyone was talking about rubio/christie/jeb/kasich as "only one will survive"

more stupid than arbitrary. the best way christie could have distinguished himself was by humiliating trump. he was the only other skilled bully in the field

the rest are just a bunch of weasels

Hardly arbitrary though - everyone was talking about rubio/christie/jeb/kasich as "only one will survive"

― Andrew Farrell, Friday, February 26, 2016 11:32 AM (1 minute ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Yeah but he took out Rubio and then dropped out. So unless he backed Kasich or Jeb it makes little sense from any broader strategic point of view. Unless he really still thought he had a shot, and I doubt it.

If you watch the clip, it doesn't feel like Christie started out wanting to go for the kill, it's more like Rubio set himself up and instinct set in.

Agree. Christie is exactly the kind of bullying dickbag who can't not punch someone who's displaying weakness. I could totally picture him in high school walking down the hall and shoving some smaller kid into a locker without even breaking stride, just because obviously you hit someone like that, because what else are they there for?

http://www.theblaze.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/christie-hs.jpg

Why'd you hit yourself?

er

http://www.theblaze.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/christie-hs.jpg

is he wearing a tablecloth?

i had that sweater

it's amazing to me that christie's only material achievement in this race as been to cut marco rubio's hamstrings and hand trump and even bigger margin in NH.

― goole, Wednesday, February 10, 2016 12:27 PM (2 weeks ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I think everyone who lives/lived in a northern state owned that sweater at one time or another

chris christie was on fame, that's great

Is the National Review crowd so fervently anti-Trump because a) they think he would be a bad President, or b) they think his nomination would mean the Democrats would win up and down the ticket? Or is it both?

Both and: they do want to win, but they would prefer for someone like them to do the winning.

I have seen some righties saying something like: things are about to get really bad. When the country goes down the tubes, they'd prefer Democrat fingerprints to be on the disaster, so some future Republican can ride in as a sensible savior, saying "we told you so."

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CcJ4ft6W4AAoLf7.jpg

lol marco