Is The Trump Thing Serious?

[Nordic]

It's 100% bullshit. Show business as usual.

And who in their right mind would think Trump "built" anything? He's a rich kid, who inherited a bunch of monopoly money to play with.

I think we should ban people above a certain net worth from being in politics AT ALL.

[SonicG]

Yeah, he really seems to be throwing his lot in with the Birfers, touting stuff like the interview with Obama's grandmother and fake Kenya BCs...At a Birfer-watch site, they mainly think he is trying to do it to pump up his ratings...Throwin in with the birfers, who are basically con-persons, racists and/or senile, isn't going to get Trump very far...

[The Consul]

This talk of Donald "bankrupt" Trump makes me feel like I'm not a person living in a serious country but a kid in a choir practice where everyone is blasting out snot trying not to laugh, wondering who farted.

This is just publicity to him which keeps his show on top which generates more ratings share which generates higher advertising revenue which generates more in pocket ca$h which is all he cares about. That scumbag uses all those charities to further enrich himself. I wouldn't leave him alone in a room with my dog.

[8bitagent]

This talk of Donald "bankrupt" Trump makes me feel like I'm not a person living in a serious country but a kid in a choir practice where everyone is blasting out snot trying not to laugh, wondering who farted.

This is just publicity to him which keeps his show on top which generates more ratings share which generates higher advertising revenue which generates more in pocket ca$h which is all he cares about. That scumbag uses all those charities to further enrich himself. I wouldn't leave him alone in a room with my dog.

Thanks to a link someone posted, he has stated recently that he is firmly against gay marriage and is against/for things which completely go against core values I believe in. Not that I woulda voted for him anyways, just that there's certain litmus criteria I look at just to know where someone is.

But I personally would not be surprised if he becomes the main Republican frontrunner, least for awhile. Someone compared this time to 1995, yet you have to believe the Republicans will post someone with a bit more charisma than Bob Dole.

[Nordic]

I wouldn't leave him alone in a room with my dog.

[stefano]

Obama obviously gets a 2nd term, everything happening right now is a replay of 1995 right down to Gingrich calling the shots and "shutting down" DC.

I'm not so sure. Long ways to go yet before next November, and the national mood isn't going to get any cheerier between now and then. Nor is the economy going to improve. Lots of emotion that a well-marketed pol with skilled speechwriters can ride. I mean McCain-Palin wasn't a particularly impressive ticket and 58 million people voted for that. I can't see it being Trump either, though, maybe David Petraeus or Jeb Bush.

[The Consul]

This talk of Donald "bankrupt" Trump makes me feel like I'm not a person living in a serious country but a kid in a choir practice where everyone is blasting out snot trying not to laugh, wondering who farted.

This is just publicity to him which keeps his show on top which generates more ratings share which generates higher advertising revenue which generates more in pocket ca$h which is all he cares about. That scumbag uses all those charities to further enrich himself. I wouldn't leave him alone in a room with my dog.

Thanks to a link someone posted, he has stated recently that he is firmly against gay marriage and is against/for things which completely go against core values I believe in. Not that I woulda voted for him anyways, just that there's certain litmus criteria I look at just to know where someone is.

But I personally would not be surprised if he becomes the main Republican frontrunner, least for awhile. Someone compared this time to 1995, yet you have to believe the Republicans will post someone with a bit more charisma than Bob Dole.

Then there is the whole thing with his hair which is well combed $1,000 road kill - and what's worse than that is his mouth. I'm sorry, but every time he speaks he looks like one of those weird inflatable dolls. I'm surprised he doesn't do commercials for KY jelly.
The question's whether the slogan should be "vote for me and I'll blow you" or "Vote for me or I'll blow you?"
The guy's a total monster.

[Nordic]

Obama obviously gets a 2nd term, everything happening right now is a replay of 1995 right down to Gingrich calling the shots and "shutting down" DC.

I'm not so sure. Long ways to go yet before next November, and the national mood isn't going to get any cheerier between now and then. Nor is the economy going to improve. Lots of emotion that a well-marketed pol with skilled speechwriters can ride. I mean McCain-Palin wasn't a particularly impressive ticket and 58 million people voted for that. I can't see it being Trump either, though, maybe David Petraeus or Jeb Bush.

You seem to be of the belief that these things are actually left up to the people of this country.

Are you? Really?

I'm just kind of surprised that anyone here would still think that. When there is massive evidence that these things are scripted and stolen. 2000, 2004 .... you think they're gonna stop? Why? Because they feel guilty?

[stefano]

You seem to be of the belief that these things are actually left up to the people of this country.

Are you? Really?

I'm just kind of surprised that anyone here would still think that. When there is massive evidence that these things are scripted and stolen. 2000, 2004 .... you think they're gonna stop? Why? Because they feel guilty?

The elections are crooked, there's a lot of fraud, but it's not decided in advance. 2000 took a lot of work by Republicans, it wasn't easy and it very nearly (but very nearly) didn't go their way. 2004... I know there was fraud in Ohio at least but I think Kerry lost it anyway. But the margins are so small and the country is so huge that all of those efforts can be wiped out by a relatively small increase in voter turnout. If you think it's worth it just to get a Democrat in, which maybe in 2012 it will be. I mean I'm less optimistic about the chances of getting a real multiparty democracy off the ground.

Elections look different in places where they really are scripted.

These maps show the amount of attention given by the campaigns to the close states. At left, each waving hand represents a visit from a presidential or vice-presidential candidate during the final five weeks. At right, each dollar sign represents one million dollars spent on TV advertising by the campaigns during the same time period.

[Nordic]

Elections look different in places where they really are scripted.

They used to. Pre - 2000.

I am certain that Kerry won in 2004. Even if you ignore all the obvious shenanigans, exit polls had never lied in the past, but suddenly they were WAY the hell off? Oh yeah, it must be the exit polling that was wrong. He won by a pretty substantial margin, but they stole it and he went along with it, after promising he wouldn't.

Yeah, they always put the money into a few states, that's part of the illusion, so they can claim it was a "hard fought" race in a "close" state and all of that crap, and that it comes down to a few counties and whatnot. In 2000 it was Florida and in 2004 it was Ohio. Hell, in 2000 they had the governor of the state fix it for them, the governor being Bush's BROTHER for cryin' out loud, and in 2004 they had Blackwell.

If this kind of crap happened in some "third world" country we'd be laughing and rolling our eyes about it. How obvious does it have to be? But since it's the good ol' United States of Brainwashed America, everybody STILL THINKS that somehow our vote counts and we live in the "greatest country in the world" because "we have a Constitution!" and all that rot that's drilled into our head since 1st grade.

It's gone. It may never have been here, the whole thing is likely as illusory in retrospect as it is in the present day.

But the idea is a good one, and it works in other countries, so we should make it work here, but we don't. IT's weird to see, really, how ever election cycle people get caught right back up into election fever, like it's for real. Somehow they're able to make everybody forget about the stolen elections. We're like battered wives who really do believe that Bubba loves us, and won't ever hit us again!

[RocketMan]

I've just delved into the world of Twitter and one of the people I'm following is William Gibson (his handle is GreatDismal ). He had this to say about Trump in one of his recent tweets:

Trump's job in this election is to make the rest of them look less like douchebags. As he marginalized himself, he demarginalizes them.

If you ask me, that's a very Jeffwellsian sentence, by the way.

[82_28]

^^^^Totally. Excellent point.

I was wondering how the corporate media would handle such a "trump". Trump could easily run and say, "yeah, I fucked her", "yeah, I did coke", "yeah I killed babies and ate them", "no, I don't believe in God", but you know what, "you're fired". Applause.

Having a Trump in the race or non-race but just sending the memie-ness of the trump brand out there legitimizes all kinds of right wing kooks to be as they may once again.

They can't be Gary Hart-ed anymore -- the way they were able to "discredit" Democratic populism back in the day. They win again. They've made greed, promiscuity, carelessness, antipathy and christianity all cool again. And they are untouchable.

It's just amazing how proficient the imaginaeers of the right are at mind control. Fall in line assholes. We're headed for a crash.

[23]

There is only one way that Obama can be re-elected in 2012: he will need to be perceived as the lesser evil. He cannot win on the merits of being Obama.

Trump can be a significant asset towards creating the perception that Obama is the lesser
evil.

And as we all know, it's not difficult to get people to vote for a lesser evil.

http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2011/04/1 ... omination/
Trump Will ‘Probably’ Run as Independent If He Doesn’t Win GOP Nomination
(video included in link)

Donald Trump will “probably” run as an independent candidate for U.S. President in 2012 if he does not receive the Republican party’s nomination, he told the Wall Street Journal in a video interview on Monday.

“I hate what’s happening to the country,” said Mr. Trump, a real estate tycoon and host of the NBC show “Celebrity Apprentice.” He will not formally make a decision until June, however, when this season of his television show is over. “I can’t run during the airing of that show,” Mr. Trump said, “I’m not allowed to.” But he said he would make an announcement “by June” and his candidacy looks increasingly likely.

Mr. Trump’s candidacy would complicate matters for the GOP as it looks to front someone who can unite the fractious party and mount a serious challenge to President Obama’s reelection bid. A recent Wall Street Journal/NBC poll recently found Mr. Trump tied for second place with former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee among likely voters in a GOP primary. Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor who moved a step closer to formally declaring his own candidacy Monday, is still the frontrunner, though not by a wide margin.

“I think the Republicans are very concerned that I [may] run as an independent,” Mr. Trump said. His support is highest among the conservative wing of the party, not least because he is among the so-called “birthers” who doubt that President Obama in fact was born in the U.S. “It’s a very important issue,” Mr. Trump said of demanding that President Obama show his birth certificate, which has separately been reviewed by the media and deemed legitimate. “I’m not ashamed of having raised that issue.”

“I am very conservative,” said Mr. Trump. “The concern is if I don’t win [the GOP primary] will I run as an independent, and I think the answer is probably yes.” Mr. Trump said he thought he “could possibly win as an independent,” adding, “I’m not doing it for any other reason. I like winning.”

As for foreign policy, Mr. Trump said he is “only interested in Libya if we take the oil,” and that if he were President, “I would not leave Iraq and let Iran take over the oil.” He remains sharply critical of the Chinese, asserting that as President, “I would tell China that you’re either going to shape up, or I’m going to tax you at 25% for all the products you send into this country.”

“I’m all for free trade, but it’s got to be fair trade,” he said. “China has taken advantage of this country for a long time.” Regarding the $300 billion he said China stands to make from trade with the U.S. this year, Mr. Trump said, “What’s protectionism? …I want to be protected if that’s the case.” As for pending trade deals with Colombia, Korea and other countries, he said he would only sign them if they were the right deals for the U.S. “If it’s a bad deal, I wouldn’t sign it,” he said.

As for whether his candidacy is an elaborate hoax, or a publicity stunt, Mr. Trump said, “I don’t need to do this for ratings on the Apprentice. This is too important, our country is in trouble, our country is not being properly led. It needs help.”

[Wombaticus Rex]

It's just amazing how proficient the imaginaeers of the right are at mind control. Fall in line assholes. We're headed for a crash.

Disagree, strongly.

They win because they're playing to basic human primate biology. Not because of talent, but because they're taking the easiest road. If the left could figure out a way to harness the same hardwiring they'd achieve similar success, but that's the trap, innit?

Easy to win when you're perfectly happy burning everything to the ground.

[Luther Blissett]

Elections look different in places where they really are scripted.

They used to. Pre - 2000.

I am certain that Kerry won in 2004. Even if you ignore all the obvious shenanigans, exit polls had never lied in the past, but suddenly they were WAY the hell off? Oh yeah, it must be the exit polling that was wrong. He won by a pretty substantial margin, but they stole it and he went along with it, after promising he wouldn't.

Yeah, they always put the money into a few states, that's part of the illusion, so they can claim it was a "hard fought" race in a "close" state and all of that crap, and that it comes down to a few counties and whatnot. In 2000 it was Florida and in 2004 it was Ohio. Hell, in 2000 they had the governor of the state fix it for them, the governor being Bush's BROTHER for cryin' out loud, and in 2004 they had Blackwell.

If this kind of crap happened in some "third world" country we'd be laughing and rolling our eyes about it. How obvious does it have to be? But since it's the good ol' United States of Brainwashed America, everybody STILL THINKS that somehow our vote counts and we live in the "greatest country in the world" because "we have a Constitution!" and all that rot that's drilled into our head since 1st grade.

It's gone. It may never have been here, the whole thing is likely as illusory in retrospect as it is in the present day.

But the idea is a good one, and it works in other countries, so we should make it work here, but we don't. IT's weird to see, really, how ever election cycle people get caught right back up into election fever, like it's for real. Somehow they're able to make everybody forget about the stolen elections. We're like battered wives who really do believe that Bubba loves us, and won't ever hit us again!

Since we know that the media is complicit, how easy would it be for them to cook the revenue made from political advertisements off as part of the game? Is the political class recompensed back, or is it just written off as part of the illusory game? Does this election cycle function like a corporation with budget-recovery departments, where revenue is just shuffled around within the organization like play money for internal services?