Politics –
GOP Debate = Comedy Of Errors
Last Thursday saw the very first GOP Debate of the 2016 presidential election. With Donald Trump as the circus ringmaster, the event was nothing less than a comedy of errors.
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It was the highest rated GOP Debate ever — and rightly so. Watching the Republican Party prop up its Top 10 contenders on stage in front of Republican puppets Fox News personalities, while trying to keep Trump in check was worth every second of the nearly 2 hour talk fest.
As expected, Donald Trump did not disappoint. His irreverent brand of reality television show soundbites kept everyone onstage and off on the edge of their seats. In fact, Trump, who still remains far ahead of the pack in the polls, stole the first 5 minutes of the GOP Debate by making it crystal clear he will never get in line behind whoever wins the Republican nomination…unless it is him.
Moderator Bret Baier posed a general question to all the candidates (although it was clear the question was directed at Trump), asking if there was anyone on stage who would not pledge their allegiance to the eventual nominee, or not mount an independent campaign if they didn’t win. Donald Trump immediately and unapologetically raised his hand, standing firm in his pledge that if he does not win the GOP nomination, he will run as an Independent. And he means it!
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When confronted about his tendency to describe women he dislikes as “fat pigs,” “slobs” or “disgusting animals,” he initially claimed he only called Rosie O’Donnell those names, prompting O’Donnell to respond swiftly via Twitter. However, when Trump was reminded that he has referred to many women in derogatory terms, he dismissively replied that neither he nor the United States has “time for political correctness.” Priceless!
Although the GOP Debate did little to whittle down the large cadre of candidates, it did present some standouts and a few disappointments.
Ohio Gov. John Kasich held the home court advantage, benefitting from the debate being held in his state at the home of the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers. Senator Marco Rubio of Florida also gave a strong showing, appearing knowledgeable and presidential. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and New Jersey’s Gov. Chris Christie surprisingly appeared weak and uninteresting, almost lost in the sheer number of candidates on the stage.
The evening ended the same way it began — with everyone talking about Donald Trump and his “impossible-to-control” style of politics that the Republican Party doesn’t seem to know what to do with. For a party that is fractured into ill-fitting factions, the GOP’s illogical road to the White House appears to be headed for a long and bumpy ride.
Watching the Republican Party prop up its Top 10 contenders on stage in front of Republican puppets Fox News personalities, while trying to keep Trump in check was worth every second of the nearly 2 hour talk fest. […]
HAH. DJ you have made my morning with this post. Thank You! 🙂
And by now you're probably aware of the madness that continued over the weekend thanks to further um…*comments* made by "The Donald" regarding Megyn Kelly during his interview on CNN with Don Lemon…..and it's still playing out this morning.
To say nothing of the fact, that this morning, post-debate polls shows Trump still leading the pack, and by a sizable margin, which I say is a strong indication that this nightmare if FAR from over for the Repubs.
But back to the debate………
Let me say that I have NEVER witnessed any so-called "debate" like that IN. MY. LIFE. And I doubt if I'll ever sit through another Repub debate. But last Thursday was one for the history books and NOT just because of Trump (though he was the obvious *star* of the show) but ALL of the other candidates had their stand-out *moments* too – albeit NOT nearly as many moments as Trump.
On a serious note: Last week, prior to the debate I kinda mentioned on a related post that John Kasich, in my opinion, is the only Repub candidate that could possibly be a problem for Hillary were he to get the Repub nomination. Post debate, that feeling is even stronger now.
Thankfully, Kasich AIN'T hardly mean or ignorant or hateful enough for rank and file Repub base voters….so he will lose in the primary.
I would also add…………
The GOP establishment (GOPe) and so-called political "leaders" should NOT kid themselves. Donald Trump is NOT their primary problem. He is NOT the root cause of the deadly "Virus" (I borrowed that word from DJ) unleashed within that party.
Trump is a SYMPTOM of that "virus" and his emergence as a "Leader" in the Repub party with, what appears to be, a solid base of support (including Rush Limbaugh and his ilk)..speaks VOLUMES about the Present-day AND Future of that party.
UPDATE- Fox News president says they’ll treat (Trump) fairly
Trump tweeted about a phone conversation he had with Ailes this morning:
"Roger Ailes just called. He is a great guy & assures me that “Trump” will be treated fairly on @FoxNews. His word is always good!"
H/T: TheHill
LOL DJ you are on point with everything you said. Donald Trump is a big problem for the Repubs, he is still leading in the polls no matter what he says or does, and the Repub leaders can't do a damn thing about it. I love watching them shake in their boots every time he opens his mouth. This should be a fun election to watch.
"With a real opportunity to capture the presidency in 2016, those leading in the race for the GOP nomination seem to be among the LEAST likely to amass 270 electoral votes. But those most acceptable to the establishment seem, as each month passes, to generate LESS and LESS enthusiasm." Pat Buchanan, 8-11-15
TAC Reader:
Judging by Roger Ailes call to Trump, Fox News failed to slay the dragon. I think the other 14 real candidates (not Gilmore or Pataki) are going to have draw straws to try to slay the dragon.
So far the DNC Primary does not constitute any major trend and the battles are fairly minimal at this point. We have four non-HRC and outside of Bernie the other three are not going anywhere. In reality, Obama is fairly popular within the Party and HRC is linking herself to her husband & Obama administrations.. [….]
H/T: The American Conservative