Donald Trump

[Michael Stuart Kelly]

More I think of it, more she makes sense to my far off but long-regarding eye on America. The "enthusiasts" - historically always religious (though it doesn't have to be) - have had bitter opposition from the "secular humanists", and for good reason. But things move on, and the humanists are now simply cynics and skeptics without any sure morality. That traditional passion came largely from the can-doers, for which the US is rightly still remembered. Now we have cynical 'can't-doers' dependent on government, up against them, who scorn such enthusiasms.

Tony,

Comments like that is one of the reasons I am proud of OL.

Wisdom.

Michael

[Peter]

What starts with a "T" and ends with a "p."? TRAP.

Can’t the debate have 9 candidates? Shouldn’t the only Republican woman running get special treatment?
Peter

Fiorina Fights to Get Invited to New Hampshire Debate by Zeke J. Miller. Feb. 3 at 3:33 pm EST. Former Hewlett Packard CEO Carly Fiorina is launching a public lobbying effort to gain a spot in Saturday’s Republican primary debate, a pivotal forum just hours before polls close in New Hampshire.
On a conference call with donors, supporters, and the press, Fiorina, the only woman in the GOP field, argued that she shouldn’t be excluded from the debate stage. The debate, hosted by ABC and sanctioned by the Republican National Committee, will not feature an undercard contest.
There are only three ways to make the stage: finish in the top three in Iowa, place in the top six in averages of national polls, on in averages of Granite State polls. Fiorina and former Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore would be the only remaining candidates excluded under those criteria.

[Michael Stuart Kelly]

Even though this is anti-Trump, it's so damn funny I have to post it.

 

Rush Limbaugh says Trump got schlonged by Cruz in Iowa.

 

 

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He had to withdraw that tweet and take the word "illegally" out of it.  There were legal consequences to that, so he pulled it back.

Posted by Rush Limbaugh on Wednesday, February 3, 2016

 

Michael

[william.scherk]

TONIGHT 7pET: @realDonaldTrump accuses @tedcruz of 'fraud' during the Iowa caucus #greta @FoxNewshttps://t.co/YzCaKv81QE

— Greta Van Susteren (@greta)

February 3, 2016

[william.scherk]

Here is how Trump acts when has been smacked in the nose: Cruz is a liar, he steals, and now he deserves a "do over". Not a pretty sight.

This is a real opportunity for Trump not to act like a sniveling son of a rich daddy who just got jabbed in the nose. So far it would appear he is not used to being on the recieving end of things. He better man up before New Hampshire. Calling in the lawyers ain't exactly manning up.

It is too late, David. Trump has gone haywire today -- he will deserve the lashings of scorn that follow his troubling tweets about fraud and doing a re-run of Iowa (!??) ...

Here is what the Young Grandpa Munster had to say (fair use):

Mr. Cruz was brutal in his response to Mr. Trump.

Asked about Mr. Trump’s remarks at a news conference in Goffstown, N.H., on Wednesday, Mr. Cruz assailed Mr. Trump as never before, taunting him as someone who “finds it very hard to lose” and saying a man with his temperament belonged nowhere near “the button.”

“We’re liable to wake up one morning and Donald, if he were president, would have nuked Denmark,” Mr. Cruz said. “That’s not the temperament of a leader to keep this country safe.”

He did not stop there.

“We need a commander in chief, not a twitterer in chief,” one dig began.

He’s losing it,” went another.

“My girls are five and seven,” Mr. Cruz said at one point. “And I’ve got to tell you, Caroline and Catherine are better behaved than a presidential candidate who responds by insulting everyone every day.”

Mr. Cruz also said he did not know anyone “who would be comfortable with someone who behaves this way having his finger on the button” and questioned whether Mr. Trump might skip this week’s New Hampshire debate, as well.

But Mr. Cruz was perhaps most forceful describing Mr. Trump’s history of left-leaning positions, accusing Mr. Trump of supporting “amnesty” for undocumented immigrants, noting the developer’s support for eminent domain and saying his opponent supported “Bernie Sanders-style socialized medicine.”

He repeated his invitation to debate Mr. Trump one-on-one.

“What Donald does, when he loses, is he blames everybody else,” Mr. Cruz said, wrapping up. “It’s never Donald’s fault.”

And here is an example of haywire:

In a radio interview with Howie Carr in Boston, Mr. Trump said he “probably” will sue over the results and made clear he believes this is why polls predicting his victory didn’t come true.

“It’s a total voter fraud when you think of it and he picked up a lot of those votes and that’s why the polls were so wrong, because of that,” Mr. Trump said. “I couldn’t understand why the polls were wrong.”

That is a hella stupid remark to make. He is all over the map since the tallies were tabulated. If I could catch his attention, I would direct him to the latest post in the Iowa Prediction thread, where the Poll Gap is made clear ...

I do feel sad for Trump, personally. Since I would choose his New York Values of tolerance over the Christian Fascish Cruz's plans for gay people and murrage, I wanted him to ace the second-place showing and its aftermath. He certainly does not have to reveal the actual campaign insider issues roiling his campaign today ... but I expected him to simply move forward, not complain, not explain, and get on with winning in New Hampshire.

If he doesn't understand why the polls were wrong, he needs to swiftly fire the people who did not see this coming, or who did not tell him why they did not see defeat coming ... or he needs to wake up and see the poll gap for what it is: a problem. A big problem. If he does not get 33% in New Hampshire, he is going to have to work hard in the subsequent heats.

"Why were the polls wrong, you shitheads? Huh?"

"Well, Mr Trump, you are bored with the briefings we put before you on the polls. You did not pay attention when we let you know what a margin-of-error means. We told you seven times in seven days, and you did not listen. You only follow and tweet and stump about polls that show you in a good light ... "

"You are fired. You fucked me up."

Sigh.

If Trump does not understand why the polls were off, then his campaign team is not doing its job. Get out the red button, Mr Trump.

"Passion is the fabric of America. Work ethic, dreams, drive, & faith in the all mighty..."

. . .

The game never changes.

That's not how the video loops. It does it like this:

Passion is the fabric of America. Work ethic, dreams, drive, and faith in the all my

Passion is the fabric of America. Work ethic, dreams, drive, and faith in the all my

Passion is the fabric of America. Work ethic, dreams, drive, and faith in the all my

Passion is the fabric of America. Work ethic, dreams, drive, and faith in the all my

Passion is the fabric of America. Work ethic, dreams, drive, and faith in the all my...

It's not "almighty" then "passion."

It's "all my passion." [...]

That's the crossword puzzle I was talking about when I discussed highbrow literary values somewhere around here.

Is it the case that "passion is the fabric of America"?

I don't think so. I can think of about 10-12 words that would be more accurate than "passion".

Palin really has become something of a caricature of herself.

More I think of it, more she makes sense to my far off but long-regarding eye on America. The "enthusiasts" - historically always religious (though it doesn't have to be) - have had bitter opposition from the "secular humanists", and for good reason. But things move on, and the humanists are now simply cynics and skeptics without any sure morality.

Bullschmutz. This is not a statement that makes cognitive sense. By lumping in critics with 'opposition' and then with an insalubrious 'cynics and skeptics' cohort/blob -- and assuming this blob of people are without any sure morality, well, that road leads to error. It forces you to think poorly of folks who do not share your views -- and misses several steps in rational assessment.

As to MSK's interpretation of the seven-second Vine video promoting Trump ... I don't know what he means. "All my passion."

Huh?

Sarah Palin's words were taken from stumping -- and it is not clear which rally was sampled for the Vine. But in her endorsement speech last week, similar words, verbatim. I don't see the odd looping 'nuance' that Michael perceives.

His power, his passion, is the fabric of America. And it’s woven by work ethic and dreams and drive and faith in the Almighty. What a combination.

It is going to take a special kind of Word People to nuance that sentence to mean Sarah was referring to herself (in the Vine). Passion is the Fabric of America ... woven by dreams and drive and FAITH IN THE ALMIGHTY.

Edited February 3, 2016 by william.scherk

[Backlighting]

Rand Paul is done - suspends campaign!!!!

At least he had some prime time time to express his views.

I hope he's re-elected to the Senate.

There's much about Rand Paul that I like.

-J

[Selene]

Rand Paul is done - suspends campaign!!!!

At least he had some prime time time to express his views.

I hope he's re-elected to the Senate.

There's much about Rand Paul that I like.

-J

I admire Rand, however he just does not present well on television.

[Backlighting]

Rand Paul is done - suspends campaign!!!!

At least he had some prime time time to express his views.

I hope he's re-elected to the Senate.

There's much about Rand Paul that I like.

-J

I admire Rand, however he just does not present well on television.

I agree Adam.

He could start the renovation by getting an ol fashioned barber.

The Shirley Temple look doesn't work for him.

[william.scherk]

This is my daily struggle. To post Twitter embeds without fail. Sigh. I will start again. If the Fearless Leader will delete this failed attempt, I will trade him back a devil smiley with his own wise and benevolent face embedded in it. Thank you. I'm here all week.

Here is the pre-transform devil smiley. I kinda like it, but it will look better sporting the unmistakable MSK mug.

Well, once again I hit the last gasp of a page before it turns over. This time it is Post #3159. I hate to post back-to-back, since it makes me look like a guy with no hobbies, but needs must. I promise the next two comments will be strictly on topic.

Edited February 4, 2016 by william.scherk

[Michael Stuart Kelly]

As to MSK's interpretation of the seven-second Vine video promoting Trump ... I don't know what he means. "All my passion."

Huh?

William,

Huh? Indeed.

Are we viewing the same montage that loops?

In the one I view, Sarah does not get to complete the word "almighty." It's chopped off.

Are you watching a version where she does complete it?

If it does chop off and you can't understand how this kinda morphs into "all my," I would say your progressive chops need a tune-up. This is the kind of stuff you guys always catch. And to me, it looks like this was done on purpose by the person who mashed up the video snippets.

Granted, you guys do this kind of double-meaning more in serious literature (serious art in general), but the process is the same...

Michael

[Brant Gaede]

Even though this is anti-Trump, it's so damn funny I have to post it.

Rush Limbaugh says Trump got schlonged by Cruz in Iowa.

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He had to withdraw that tweet and take the word "illegally" out of it. There were legal consequences to that, so he pulled it back.

Posted by

Rush Limbaugh

on

Wednesday, February 3, 2016

Michael

I didn't know you could "withdraw" a tweet. But I'm almost a complete twit about Twitter. I have an account--and one on Facebook--but that's mostly to keep someone else claiming my name saying it was me. The best place to find me--if someone should care--is here on OL.

--Brant

[william.scherk]

As to MSK's interpretation of the seven-second Vine video promoting Trump ... I don't know what he means. "All my passion."

Huh?

Huh? Indeed.

Are we viewing the same montage that loops?

In the one I view, Sarah does not get to complete the word "almighty." It's chopped off.

We are sort of talking about the same thing. I am noting the uttered phrase that I have heard in two Sarah Stump Speeches, and I directed readers to listen again for the phrase in her endorsement speech.

I am noting the phrase.

You people are noting a truncation. You people may not appreciate or not understand my point.

Are you watching a version where she does complete it?

No, yes. I am watching it in context of her fuller remarks on at least three occasions in which the phrase was uttered. You are watching the truncated seven second loop -- if not spellbound, then transfixed. I see your point but it is poetic, not political. I do apologize for leaving such a lure, an apparent discrepancy. But I think your mighty triune lance may have impaled only sand. Ephemera.

I do it a lot, myself.

... your progressive chops need a tune-up

... this is the kind of stuff you guys always catch

... it looks like this was done on purpose by the person who mashed up the video snippets

I disagree that the person who mashed up necessarily meant to truncate at that half-syllable. I don't use Vine. I don't know what limits obtain (a 7-second snippet, 15, 30, your choice. I suppose I should find out).

The guy who posted the tweet containing the Vine is not necessarily the guy who made the Vine in the first place -- meaning if the truncation was from a longer internet-platform video production of the Trump campaign, perhaps the truncation mark was arbitrary or sloppy.

Of course, if you are right that the truncation was made with express intent to cut off a half-syllable (and perhaps to loop artfully on 'my passion'), well, I still don't know what the intention was meant to achieve.

I mean, could it be a Trump staffer who snipped out a 7sec Vine from a 30sec Vine/Instagram/Facebook-formatted video, could it be that this guy didn't want anyone to hear "ALMIGHTY" in all its glory?

I mean, why? Sarah Palin's devotion is not in doubt nor a secret nor a shame to Trump, is it? Maybe for you people.

Anyhow, my tight-arse self asked its even more tight Id (Clem):

• Where is the clip from?
• What was the full phrase?
• (has she used it on the stump more than once?
• Who is the guy who posted the seven seconds?
• Is it relevant that the Vine loop cut off milliseconds of "Almighty"?
• Do I care enough to answer 1 through 5?
• If yes to six, what was the purpose of the person who mashed up the video snippets?
• Can we ask the person directly? (ie, on Twitter of person who posted the Vine above)
• If I promised you a rose garden, or a devilish emoji, would you bother answering one or several, if not all of the Authoritarian personality doohickey questions? (not making the 'score' public but just doing it)

I imagine a few onlookers might need to go back one page to answer the questions, so to save the trip:

The clip is from an official Trump release. The people on the cc: list in the tweet are all big Trump poobahs. So is the guy who posted the snippet. He is a Trump poobah. So, controversy will attach to the words, not to the Vine. The map is not the territory.

... you guys do this kind of double-meaning more in serious literature

... you guys do this kind of double-meaning more in serious art in general

...the process is the same...

You people sure are prone to making "you guys" kinds of generalities. It pains me and all my people.

***

Pain is fleeting, friendships can last almost forever. They are not ephemera, nor is our mutual commitment to understanding and advancing Reason.

Here is the trade back for the deletion request. I can tweak it to your specifications. I love it on a black background, me.

I'm here all week.

Edited February 4, 2016 by william.scherk

[Peter]

I think Cruz needs to bring out his imitation of Doctor Seuss. Trump up in New Hampster. Donald will have a Tan Trump if Cruz comes in second. Will Trump act like Julius Caesar after a New Hampshire win? His subjects will parade the emperor through the streets in a chariot pulled by Clydesdales (how classy) and have damsels called Trumpets throw rose petals in his path. Will Donald eat breakfast at a South Carolina diner and declare I do not like green eggs and ham? Will Trump hit a bump and slump in the South? It is after midnight here. And so I retire to a bed with no lumps, no bumps, and I am too old to late night hump.
That's all I got. yawn. Peter

[Michael Stuart Kelly]

I see your point but it is poetic, not political.

William,

Whew!

Finally the intelligent William we all know and love appears.

I was beginning to worry there for a bit. The kind of political hackery that blinds one's normal level of perception does not become you.

Of course, if you are right that the truncation was made with express intent to cut off a half-syllable (and perhaps to loop artfully on 'my passion'), well, I still don't know what the intention was meant to achieve.

Release your inner poet and the possibilities appear. And even if they were not intentional, the serendipity is delicious.

Go on. Let the beast out. You can do it. I have faith in you.

You people sure are prone to making "you guys" kinds of generalities. It pains me and all my people.

It's poetic, William. Not political.

Now that's poetic.

Michael

[Marc]

It's interesting that Trump refers to himself as . . . Trump. I do have to agree that both the bad voter letter and the retweeted message from CNN that Carson had dropped out done by the Cruz campaign were a low blow. I would think Cruz's people would be better than that. Yet that goes to show Cruz didn't hire the most charitable Christian campaign workers. He used some other criteria.

Peter

hahahha !!!!!!! love it , great post .

If low blows are going to bother any candidate they in the wrong game .

The game is the game .

#Rubio

[Marc]

Here is how Trump acts when has been smacked in the nose: Cruz is a liar, he steals, and now he deserves a "do over". Not a pretty sight.

This is a real opportunity for Trump not to act like a sniveling son of a rich daddy who just got jabbed in the nose. So far it would appear he is not used to being on the recieving end of things. He better man up before New Hampshire. Calling in the lawyers ain't exactly manning up.

I feel the same way totally .

Its politics , they all liars , motherfuckers , ruthless and power hungry . Altruists need not apply .

The game is the game

[Marc]

Here is how Trump acts when has been smacked in the nose: Cruz is a liar, he steals, and now he deserves a "do over". Not a pretty sight.

This is a real opportunity for Trump not to act like a sniveling son of a rich daddy who just got jabbed in the nose. So far it would appear he is not used to being on the recieving end of things. He better man up before New Hampshire. Calling in the lawyers ain't exactly manning up.

It is too late, David. Trump has gone haywire today -- he will deserve the lashings of scorn that follow his troubling tweets about fraud and doing a re-run of Iowa (!??) ...

Here is what the Young Grandpa Munster had to say (fair use):

Mr. Cruz was brutal in his response to Mr. Trump.

Asked about Mr. Trump’s remarks at a news conference in Goffstown, N.H., on Wednesday, Mr. Cruz assailed Mr. Trump as never before, taunting him as someone who “finds it very hard to lose” and saying a man with his temperament belonged nowhere near “the button.”

“We’re liable to wake up one morning and Donald, if he were president, would have nuked Denmark,” Mr. Cruz said. “That’s not the temperament of a leader to keep this country safe.”

He did not stop there.

“We need a commander in chief, not a twitterer in chief,” one dig began.

He’s losing it,” went another.

“My girls are five and seven,” Mr. Cruz said at one point. “And I’ve got to tell you, Caroline and Catherine are better behaved than a presidential candidate who responds by insulting everyone every day.”

Mr. Cruz also said he did not know anyone “who would be comfortable with someone who behaves this way having his finger on the button” and questioned whether Mr. Trump might skip this week’s New Hampshire debate, as well.

But Mr. Cruz was perhaps most forceful describing Mr. Trump’s history of left-leaning positions, accusing Mr. Trump of supporting “amnesty” for undocumented immigrants, noting the developer’s support for eminent domain and saying his opponent supported “Bernie Sanders-style socialized medicine.”

He repeated his invitation to debate Mr. Trump one-on-one.

“What Donald does, when he loses, is he blames everybody else,” Mr. Cruz said, wrapping up. “It’s never Donald’s fault.”

And here is an example of haywire:

In a radio interview with Howie Carr in Boston, Mr. Trump said he “probably” will sue over the results and made clear he believes this is why polls predicting his victory didn’t come true.

“It’s a total voter fraud when you think of it and he picked up a lot of those votes and that’s why the polls were so wrong, because of that,” Mr. Trump said. “I couldn’t understand why the polls were wrong.”

That is a hella stupid remark to make. He is all over the map since the tallies were tabulated. If I could catch his attention, I would direct him to the latest post in the Iowa Prediction thread, where the Poll Gap is made clear ...

I do feel sad for Trump, personally. Since I would choose his New York Values of tolerance over the Christian Fascish Cruz's plans for gay people and murrage, I wanted him to ace the second-place showing and its aftermath. He certainly does not have to reveal the actual campaign insider issues roiling his campaign today ... but I expected him to simply move forward, not complain, not explain, and get on with winning in New Hampshire.

If he doesn't understand why the polls were wrong, he needs to swiftly fire the people who did not see this coming, or who did not tell him why they did not see defeat coming ... or he needs to wake up and see the poll gap for what it is: a problem. A big problem. If he does not get 33% in New Hampshire, he is going to have to work hard in the subsequent heats.

"Why were the polls wrong, you shitheads? Huh?"

"Well, Mr Trump, you are bored with the briefings we put before you on the polls. You did not pay attention when we let you know what a margin-of-error means. We told you seven times in seven days, and you did not listen. You only follow and tweet and stump about polls that show you in a good light ... "

"You are fired. You fucked me up."

Sigh.

If Trump does not understand why the polls were off, then his campaign team is not doing its job. Get out the red button, Mr Trump.

"Passion is the fabric of America. Work ethic, dreams, drive, & faith in the all mighty..."

. . .

The game never changes.

That's not how the video loops. It does it like this:

Passion is the fabric of America. Work ethic, dreams, drive, and faith in the all my

Passion is the fabric of America. Work ethic, dreams, drive, and faith in the all my

Passion is the fabric of America. Work ethic, dreams, drive, and faith in the all my

Passion is the fabric of America. Work ethic, dreams, drive, and faith in the all my

Passion is the fabric of America. Work ethic, dreams, drive, and faith in the all my...

It's not "almighty" then "passion."

It's "all my passion." [...]

That's the crossword puzzle I was talking about when I discussed highbrow literary values somewhere around here.

Is it the case that "passion is the fabric of America"?

I don't think so. I can think of about 10-12 words that would be more accurate than "passion".

Palin really has become something of a caricature of herself.

More I think of it, more she makes sense to my far off but long-regarding eye on America. The "enthusiasts" - historically always religious (though it doesn't have to be) - have had bitter opposition from the "secular humanists", and for good reason. But things move on, and the humanists are now simply cynics and skeptics without any sure morality.

Bullschmutz. This is not a statement that makes cognitive sense. By lumping in critics with 'opposition' and then with an insalubrious 'cynics and skeptics' cohort/blob -- and assuming this blob of people are without any sure morality, well, that road leads to error. It forces you to think poorly of folks who do not share your views -- and misses several steps in rational assessment.

As to MSK's interpretation of the seven-second Vine video promoting Trump ... I don't know what he means. "All my passion."

Huh?

Sarah Palin's words were taken from stumping -- and it is not clear which rally was sampled for the Vine. But in her endorsement speech last week, similar words, verbatim. I don't see the odd looping 'nuance' that Michael perceives.

His power, his passion, is the fabric of America. And it’s woven by work ethic and dreams and drive and faith in the Almighty. What a combination.

It is going to take a special kind of Word People to nuance that sentence to mean Sarah was referring to herself (in the Vine). Passion is the Fabric of America ... woven by dreams and drive and FAITH IN THE ALMIGHTY.

Trump knows he is done , I can go find my own quotes here but why bother . The recap though is that as I said his best time to negotiate with Rubio and Sheldon now has passed . He will still make a deal ( deal makers make deals ) , but Rubio holds every single card today . Trumps play is money . He has actually crowdsourced this freaking INCREDIBLE run and he is nothing short of brilliant .

His net worth is skyrocketing due to the 5 million Twitter followers and the data collected by DT will basically add tremendous value to his net worth .

That being said , and to quote myself yet again " Its a war '' .

He is not a politician , he is a great businessman .

So is Sheldon , but Sheldon don't run for shit . Sheldon is the man behind the curtain .

I am considering changing my prediction for NH and a Marco win , followed by an exodus of wanna be Repub candidates .

As I said many times before .

This is not the stock market

This is not a baseball game

Polls mean exactly what ?

Results .

This is a civil war , and the establishment will stop at nothing .

The DT boat has sprung a leak and boats sink real fast .

[Marc]

Cruz talks for 10 minutes about how Trump is blah blah blah then he states that Rubio would lose to HC . First of all Cruz , that means you are the exact same as Trump with your blah blah blah bullshit because he knows absolutely for sure that Rubio beats HC . The issue is is if Cruz could beat HC . The more I see DT and TC , the more I am really really happy that President Rubio is basically President elect right now .

"On each of the issues you just listed, Marco's views are virtually indistinguishable from Hillary Clinton," Cruz replied. "Let me say this — if we nominate a candidate who's pro-amnesty, we'll lose. It's not complicated. It's real simple."

[Michael Stuart Kelly]

I am considering changing my prediction for NH and a Marco win , followed by an exodus of wanna be Repub candidates .

Marc,

I just heard a big gulp from a bunch of crows. They're asking me if you are moving the timeline up.

They're still begging for mercy...

Michael

[Peter]

Republican New Hampshire Presidential Primary, UMass / 7 News tracking poll from RealClearPolitics. Trump 36. Rubio15. Cruz 14. Bush 8. Kasich 7. Christie 5. Fiorina 3. Carson 4. The second, third, and fourth runners up would need to combine to beat Trump as of today.

On the Democrat side: Sanders is 58. Clinton 36. That is a 22 point lead for Bernie. Clinton is heavily leaning left (progressive, socialist, fascist) in Town Hall meetings to try and increase her percentage. I am sure they are being recorded and remembered for future Republican attack ads and debate quotes. The FBI will make a decision about prosecuting her this spring and recently Senator Feinstein who is in the know, said none of the emails in question were technically marked secret.

As to dirty political tactics, they need to stop with the mind games and not advance to mailings or other types of voter intimidation. If you go down the dirty brick road beyond misrepresentations and twisted truths / lies you end up with Brown Shirts and voter intimidation.

Peter

[PDS]

Here' s a little "inside baseball" on Cruz: I've mentioned that I'm not a big fan of his, but I do happen to know his top campaign manager. We are not great friends or anything, but I've known him 20+ years. The dude is a wizard. And he gives new meaning to the term "brass knuckles". I'm starting to wonder of Cruz may have this figured out.

Those Cruz taunts of Trump yesterday were pure gold. Talking about his twitter addiction--that's out-Trumping Trump. I know where that came from. The timing was perfect. And, is it just me, or does Trump look a little more red-faced than usual? I think his blood pressure might be a problem.

Here is a great article about Cruz. You can't help but admire the guy, even if you (like me) wouldn't vote for him.

[Selene]

Here' s a little "inside baseball" on Cruz: I've mentioned that I'm not a big fan of his, but I do happen to know his top campaign manager. We are not great friends or anything, but I've known him 20+ years. The dude is a wizard. And he gives new meaning to the term "brass knuckles". I'm starting to wonder of Cruz may have this figured out.

Those Cruz taunts of Trump yesterday were pure gold. Talking about his twitter addiction--that's out-Trumping Trump. I know where that came from. The timing was perfect. And, is it just me, or does Trump look a little more red-faced than usual? I think his blood pressure might be a problem.

Here is a great article about Cruz. You can't help but admire the guy, even if you (like me) wouldn't vote for him.

D man:

What most folks may not be aware of is that the Cruz campaign had been building his on the ground organization since the summer before 2015.

His folks were very precise and disciplined. His turnout was no surprise.

The Donald walked into Iowa thinking you did not have to do that.

My understanding is that there were virtually no spokespeople for The Donald at each caucus site and that is fatal. I am actually surprised he did as well without one.

The caucus is unique. Many experienced election people do not understand it well at all.

O'bama's organization was flawless in 2008 in out maneuvering Evita's poorly organized forces and the rest is the disaster we have today.

A...

[Peter]

I've seen his red face and volatility. As someone on two high blood pressure medications (which are working fine – 120/70 is my usual) I have been watching Trump. I think his medications have been increased at times but remember, he is traveling a lot. The constant motion of jets and limo’s has to have him nodding off at times even during rallies.

Nationally Trump has dropped from 33 to 25 percent nationally with the bigger gainer being Rubio. Now for some old predictions based on the latest data. I wonder how Cruz would do in a campaign head to head with Clinton? I think he would score better intellectual points than Trump or Rubio. Trump of course would be a fighter too, but Rubio is who I worry about. I would emphasize Rubio’s youth and experience as a Senator during a campaign. During debates Marco is definitely more likeable than Hillary, unless he gets snooty or snotty.

Iowa was Ted Cruz’s to lose. New Hampshire is Donald Trump’s to lose. South Carolina on Saturday February 20th? Rubio hopes to win it but Trump, even before NH, is 16 points ahead.
Peter

[Michael Stuart Kelly]

Here is a great article about Cruz. You can't help but admire the guy, even if you (like me) wouldn't vote for him.

David,

That's a very good article.

It confirms some impressions that I had of him before.

I used to know a guy in Brazil who said he loved being an idiot (he owned a video and DVD company). He was pretty rich, self-made, and quite predatory. He loved coming across as an idiot because it prompted people to get arrogant around him and lower their guard.

I always got that impression about Ted.

Michael

[Michael Stuart Kelly]

Now Trump's getting back on message.

 

 

The thing people resonate with here is that he responds not like a rehearsed talking point, but completely spontaneously from 100% belief in the idea. Starting with, "I don't think so darling..." and ending with, "People that came to this country legally and they worked their ass off and they've made the country great, that's the backbone."

 

Michael