... I'll give ya a clown show!



With the Donald taking all the oxygen out of the room (did you know John Kasich announced today???), the other clowns are starting to get desperate for attention.

Rumor has it Rubio is going to get shot out of a cannon and fly over Cuba dropping freedom fries and Ted Cruz is going to set fire to a immigrant detention center (actually one of those abandoned WalMarts in BF, Texas used as a Jade Helm staging ground) while singing Feliz Navidad in Spanglish!

At some point, this is going to become pathetically sad, but for now, awesome entertainment!!!

-------------------------------

Breaking News!

Mike HuckinJesus just announced he's going to ride a dinosaur through the streets of Jerusalem as soon as he gets permission to fly a velociraptor from El Al's Airlines! Sure thing to nail down the Evangeline vote in Iowa!!!

Originally Posted by playwrite

With the Donald taking all the oxygen out of the room (did you know John Kasich announced today???), the other clowns are starting to get desperate for attention.

This does seem to be Trump's primary impact on the race. If there is a worthy republican candidate with ideas worth listening to -- this is just a hypothetical, mind you, I am not saying it is so -- said candidate is going to have a heck of a rough time getting name recognition.

I can't see Trump winning the general election. Heck, I have trouble imagining him as the Republican nominee.

Lack of imagination?

Um... Isn't the leading T in "The Donald" supposed to be upper case?

Originally Posted by playwrite

... I'll give ya a clown show!

Memo to Rand ... careful with that chipper, boyeee!

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epo...lls/president/

Originally Posted by B Butler

This does seem to be Trump's primary impact on the race. If there is a worthy republican candidate with ideas worth listening to -- this is just a hypothetical, mind you, I am not saying it is so -- said candidate is going to have a heck of a rough time getting name recognition.

I can't see Trump winning the general election. Heck, I have trouble imagining him as the Republican nominee.

Lack of imagination?

Um... Isn't the leading T in "The Donald" supposed to be upper case?

You're correct across the board - including the big "T"

Former RNC Chairman Michael Steele recently stated with a very worried look on his face that if Trump's polling survives the big McCain gaff and he's on the 1st debate stage the level of frustration of the others candidates is going to be running sky high and each ready to outdo the others in taking on The Donald - problem is, they're out of his league in that situation - he'll mop the floor with them in the eyes of the true believers.

August 6 is going to be the most-watched political debate of our times - total numbers and percentage-wise including the Kennedy-Nixon debates. Grab the popcorn at the grocery stores early, it's gonna sell out!

Originally Posted by XYMOX_4AD_84

Memo to Rand ... careful with that chipper, boyeee!

He better not come to Fargo with that thing, he might end up in it!

Originally Posted by playwrite

Former RNC Chairman Michael Steele recently stated with a very worried look on his face that if Trump's polling survives the big McCain gaff and he's on the 1st debate stage the level of frustration of the others candidates is going to be running sky high and each ready to outdo the others in taking on The Donald - problem is, they're out of his league in that situation - he'll mop the floor with them in the eyes of the true believers.

August 6 is going to be the most-watched political debate of our times - total numbers and percentage-wise including the Kennedy-Nixon debates. Grab the popcorn at the grocery stores early, it's gonna sell out!

I often avoid clown car debates, but I'll have to watch for this one and tune it in!

Something like watching televangelists tell how liberals, secularists, and non-Christians are going to hell for believing in "evil-lution".

But where is Trump on tax reform - or hasn't he even thought about it yet?

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/26/op...f=opinion&_r=1

Hillary shoots herself in the butt
http://thefederalist.com/2015/07/23/...ies-are-scary/

Donald Trump is now going after the paleocon vote:

http://therightscoop.com/trump-doubl...ious-blowhard/

http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/...repreneurship/

Originally Posted by Wallace 88

http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/...repreneurship/

Many of the small businesses are professional practices, which likely explains the small size of surviving small start-ups. Professional practices usually don't grow in staff.

It is hard to beat the retail and restaurant chains at what they do well -- lackadaisical, unimaginative service at a low price. One practically needs an upscale clientele -- something lacking as middle-income jobs disappear or become low-paying activities.

The Kochs held a recent gathering of major Republican donors, and invited some reporters inside, though without cameras, cell phones or other recording devices. CNN's report is Could Koch brothers take out Donald Trump? Still, I didn't get the feeling that Trump was dominating the agenda. It just makes a good for today headline.

One paragraph ran against the Koch stereotype. I don't know how real it is, or how much it is just for the reporters...

Originally Posted by CNN

At the top of that agenda, Koch told attendees this weekend, is convincing elected officials to phase out "corporate welfare" in the form of subsidies, regulations "trapping people in poverty," as well as mandates and preferences for businesses "that enrich the haves at the expense of the have nots."

They know how they are perceived. Given the way the issues are lining up, it seems reasonable that they try to change this perception. How real is it? Much less clear. If they talk the talk, will the donors and their supported Republicans be forced to walk the walk? Have they recognized that over supporting the robber barons will in the long run kill the Republicans? If they moderate the Republican position, can they preserve the current version of the two party system?

I might prefer for them to wear black top hats and capes and twirl their handlebar mustaches while evilly muttering "nyut ha ha" in their best Snidely Whiplash imitation. A clean upheaval might be nice. It might be that they aren't quite that stupid.

Originally Posted by B Butler

The Kochs held a recent gathering of major Republican donors, and invited some reporters inside, though without cameras, cell phones or other recording devices. CNN's report is Could Koch brothers take out Donald Trump? Still, I didn't get the feeling that Trump was dominating the agenda. It just makes a good for today headline.

One paragraph ran against the Koch stereotype. I don't know how real it is, or how much it is just for the reporters...

<Kill subsidies comment deleted>

They know how they are perceived. Given the way the issues are lining up, it seems reasonable that they try to change this perception. How real is it? Much less clear. If they talk the talk, will the donors and their supported Republicans be forced to walk the walk? Have they recognized that over supporting the robber barons will in the long run kill the Republicans? If they moderate the Republican position, can they preserve the current version of the two party system?

I might prefer for them to wear black top hats and capes and twirl their handlebar mustaches while evilly muttering "nyut ha ha" in their best Snidely Whiplash imitation. A clean upheaval might be nice. It might be that they aren't quite that stupid.

The Kochs want solar and wind energy subsidies killed. I'm not surprised by that.

Originally Posted by B Butler

One paragraph ran against the Koch stereotype. I don't know how real it is, or how much it is just for the reporters...


They know how they are perceived. Given the way the issues are lining up, it seems reasonable that they try to change this perception. How real is it? Much less clear. If they talk the talk, will the donors and their supported Republicans be forced to walk the walk? Have they recognized that over supporting the robber barons will in the long run kill the Republicans? If they moderate the Republican position, can they preserve the current version of the two party system?

As I see it, it's going to take at least one more 4 year cycle of demographic change before a serious remaking of the party has to take place. IOW, if the past is any indication the ''change'' will be more of the same. For example, when you see words like ''ending regulations that trap people in poverty'' that is generally free market dog whistle speech for trying to end minimum wage and worker safety laws. Why shouldn't 13 year olds be free to work as scrap sorters in toxic landfills? Child labor laws are exploiting them.
And so far backing the robber baron position hasn't costed them a thing. There are a lot of mostly older white people in this country that are convinced that the robber barons are on their side...And these angry old people vote 'till they die.

Originally Posted by herbal tee

As I see it, it's going to take at least one more 4 year cycle of demographic change before a serious remaking of the party has to take place. IOW, if the past is any indication the ''change'' will be more of the same. For example, when you see words like ''ending regulations that trap people in poverty'' that is generally free market dog whistle speech for trying to end minimum wage and worker safety laws. Why shouldn't 13 year olds be free to work as scrap sorters in toxic landfills? Child labor laws are exploiting them.

Congratulations for seeing through the Orwellian doubletalk. They want people free to work to exhaustion for near-starvation pay with no safety protections.

And so far backing the robber baron position hasn't costed them a thing. There are a lot of mostly older white people in this country that are convinced that the robber barons are on their side...And these angry old people vote 'till they die.

A few more die every year. Meanwhile, the Millennial Generation becomes a larger segment of the electorate -- and starts running for (and starts winning) high offices.

BREAKING NEWS

Fox News just announced the 10 Republicans who will qualify for Thursday’s first GOP debate:
Trump, Carson, Paul, Bush, Cruz, Walker, Kasich, Rubio, Huckabee, Christie.

Originally Posted by Eric the Green

BREAKING NEWS

Fox News just announced the 10 Republicans who will qualify for Thursday’s first GOP debate:
Trump, Carson, Paul, Bush, Cruz, Walker, Kasich, Rubio, Huckabee, Christie.

I just might tune in to this just for the laughs.

The Tech crowd are starting to fund Rubio. Among these clowns, he is the least worst. So I can see why the money is starting to favor him. I'm anxiously awaiting who they fund on the Dem side.

Of course, there is no shortage of experts handicapping the presidential primaries and general election, everyone from TV pundits on both ends of the dial to pollsters like Nate Silver.

Here is an opinion piece that appeared recently in MarketWatch entitled "How to Separate the Viable Presidential Candidates from the Trolls and Also-Rans."

...a fascinating lecture on the 2016 elections by Wendy Schiller, chairwoman of the political science department at Brown University...

Schiller divides the vast Republican field into serious contenders, vice-presidential wannabes, talk-show trolls and also-rans. She had some sharp observations on Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, too...

Real, viable candidates:

Jeb Bush. Despite Bush fatigue, Schiller thinks the family name is a much bigger strength than a weakness, from its vast donor network (Bush has raised more than $100 million) to its deep connections with local party officials. “This family knows how to win the White House. They are formidable,” she said.

Scott Walker. The Wisconsin governor has fired up Republican voters with his defeat of public-service unions in the Badger State. But his nomination, said Schiller, “would mobilize labor in a way we’ve never seen. I don’t see how he wins Ohio” in a general election.

Marco Rubio. The Florida senator has plenty of youth and charisma. But although “he hasn’t struck the chord his campaign wants him to reach,” he is “the biggest challenger to Jeb Bush and Scott Walker,” and maybe Hillary Clinton.

Second tier:

Ted Cruz. “He’s running for president as a pure ideological conservative,” said Schiller, and he’s raised almost $50 million altogether. But she thinks he can’t get beyond a narrow base and “sees this as a way to improve his status in the party.”

Rand Paul may not be able to break out of the libertarian niche that supported his father. “He’s gotten overtaken by other candidates,” she said. “He’s not raising the money he needs to raise.”

Also-rans and talk-show trolls:

Chris Christie. “He’s done on all fronts. Trump has stolen all his bombastic thunder.”
Mike Huckabee. “He’s doing this just to get speaking fees” and talk-show gigs, as is Rick Santorum, she said.
Carly Fiorina. “It’s a vanity trip for her. She has nothing else to do.”
Ben Carson. The former Johns Hopkins neurosurgeon seems to have faded, and Rick Perry’s stance on immigration may doom his comeback bid.

And then there’s Donald Trump, who despite (or maybe because of) his outrageous statements leads the national polls. Likely GOP primary voters can’t get enough of the Teflon Donald, but Schiller doesn’t think Trump is a serious candidate.

“I don’t believe he’s going to sacrifice his business empire for a nomination or general election he knows he can’t win,” she said. “If push comes to shove in a primary, you need county Republican chairs, state Republican chairs, and that’s where Trump’s gaping hole is.”

If he ran as an independent, he probably wouldn’t match H. Ross Perot’s 19% of the popular vote in 1992, but he could mortally wound the Republican candidate. She said the 97,000 votes Ralph Nader got in Florida in 2000 doomed Al Gore’s candidacy.

Which brings us to Hillary Clinton, who is facing a spirited challenge by old leftie Bernie Sanders and whom Schiller sees as deeply flawed.

The continuing email drama, questions about the Clinton Foundation, and Clinton’s own huge speaking fees have caused her unfavorability ratings to spike. Taking $250,000 a speech was “a very big mistake, making more money in one hour than many people in this country make in 10 years,” said Schiller.

A Bush-Clinton race, she argued, would have epic-low turnout. “People are tired of the same old, same old. There’s a real opening for someone younger, like Marco Rubio, who can provide a fresh perspective.”

If he can get past the 15 other Republican candidates who are equally hungry to live in a certain house on Pennsylvania Avenue.

Personally, I think Rubio will be viewed as another young Senator with too little experience, much like Barack Obama. He waffled too much on the immigration issue as well, which leaves him open to attack on both flanks--by Trump and Bush. I think the GOP will go with someone who has executive experience as a governor: Bush or Walker. If Hillary's negatives continue to cut into her big lead among Democratic candidates, Biden might be emboldened enough to throw his hat in the ring as the alternative establishment candidate.

Kasich may be the least crazy -- for now.

I don't get why Hillary getting high speaking fees is a no-no. How can Republicans criticize someone for making money, when that is their own chief value in life? Free market, right?

Hillary may not generate enthusiasm in some quarters, like for-example the folks here, but Democrats in general like her a lot, and boy the women will come out for her in droves. Biden is just not popular enough to be an alternative. He doesn't wear well with people.

She is not a shoe-in; she will have bumps in the road, and already has of course. I think she would win against Bush, but admittedly that is as much a hope as a dispassionate look at the cosmic and electoral odds.

Bush and Trump have the best odds of winning the nomination, according to the cosmic indicators. Rubio is my 3rd place bet. Paul will have some longevity. Walker will fade away, and Christie will move up for a while. Christie may get some traction in the debate tomorrow. If Trump has to play nice, that opens the door for Christie to be the charismatic loudmouth instead of Trump. But, don't look for Trump to fall right away. He may actually win the nomination, and give Hillary a run for her money too. Although I am still predicting Bush to win the nomination, Trump actually has slightly better odds from the purely-horoscope perspective. Bush has superior organization and broad popular and establishment support.

Sanders has some chance of knocking off Hillary. Sanders has long odds of beating Bush, but the cosmic indicators actually favor him, and he probably beats Trump too.

I never would have predicted Trump to do well until I saw his horoscope. I changed my mind, and predicted he would do well. Events have proven me right again.

New Hampshire Poll Puts Sanders, Hillary in Dead Heat
By Melissa Clyne | Wednesday, 05 Aug 2015 09:38 AM
http://www.newsmax.com/Politics/hill...t_nbr=65v5ih5d

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders are in a statistical tie in New Hampshire, according to the results of the most recent WMUR Granite State Poll conducted by the University of New Hampshire Survey Center.

Sanders, a self-described socialist, has been gaining on Clinton in the Granite State. Thirty-six percent of Democratic primary voters said they would vote for him, compared with 42 percent for Clinton. The poll's 3.6 percent margin of error places them in a statistical dead heat.

Vice President Joe Biden garnered 5 percent support, while former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley and former Virginia Sen. Jim Webb each received 1 percent. Former Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee received -5 percent support.

As Sanders' net favorability ratings — the percentage of likely voters who have a favorable opinion minus those who have an unfavorable opinion — have increased, Clinton's have declined, according to the survey results.

Sanders is the most popular Democrat in the state, with 69 percent of likely Democratic primary voters holding a favorable view of him, though it dips to 59 percent when factored with those who hold an unfavorable view or are neutral or unsure.

Clinton, who had previously held that distinction, now has a net favorability rating of 54 percent.

Sanders' campaign told CNN that the senator's message is resonating with Americans.

"The more people know about Bernie the more they like him and his ideas for helping the middle class and taking on the billionaire class," spokesman Michael Briggs said.

Clinton's campaign did not respond to requests for comment.

Voters age 65 and over, women, moderates and people living along the Massachusetts border comprise the bulk of Clinton's support, while men, liberals, 35-to-49-year-olds and those living in the Connecticut Valley are Sanders' stalwarts, according to the poll results.

Most New Hampshire primary voters have yet to commit to a candidate, the survey found, which is status quo at this point in the election cycle.

"New Hampshire primary voters typically decide who they will vote for in the last weeks, or days of the campaign and it is no surprise that few voters have made up their minds about who they will support in 2016," according to the pollsters.

Presently only 20 percent of likely Democratic primary voters say they have decided who they will support, while 27 percent are leaning toward a candidate. A plurality — 35 percent — are still weighing their options.

The WMUR Granite State Poll was conducted by the University of New Hampshire Survey Center. Pollsters interviewed 722 randomly selected adults by landline and cellphone between July 22 and July 30.