POTUS ELECTION 2024

Quote: ams288

Because she’s not crazy enough. She’s more of a “moderate” republican. Not the kind of candidate that GOP primary voters go for.

McCain? Romney?

Hell...Trump? He’s basically Moderate with a couple extreme, “Views,” sprinkled in to appeal to people who aren’t even really the, “Republican base.”

Quote: Mission146

McCain? Romney?

Hell...Trump? He’s basically Moderate with a couple extreme, “Views,” sprinkled in to appeal to people who aren’t even really the, “Republican base.”

He's pretty much the wrong kind of Republican for me.

The few redeeming aspects of Republicans (foreign policy and being a decent down to earth person) he is totally off on....

Basically the few points I agree with some Republicans on, he is totally off base, so he does not even have that going for him....

I may be one of the few liberals on here who like both Bush and Obama.

I don't underatand why social conservatives are so obsessed with Trump, he basically violated every social norm that has ever existed....
If Obama had multiple wives, cheated nonstop (including paying for sex), ran (failed) casinos, ran controversial pagents, owed money to foreign lenders, the usual suspects would be having a field day with his "corruption" (heck some still go on about his Birth Certificate)....

I would take McCain or Romney over Trump any day (I would probably take McCain over some Dems)....

There is nothing redeeming in Trump's policies or personal life, in my view he is wrong on virtually everything....

Quote: Mission146

McCain? Romney?”

The GOP is a vastly different party than it was when they ran. It’s the party of Trump, QAnon, and the Proud Boys now.

Quote: ams288

The GOP is a vastly different party than it was when they ran. It’s the party of Trump, QAnon, and the Proud Boys now.

Yup
Ted Cruz is next in line
He has that mean streak the base is looking for

Quote: terapined

Yup
Ted Cruz is next in line
He has that mean streak the base is looking for

If forced to bet, I’d say Don Jr. is next.

Quote: ams288

If forced to bet, I’d say Don Jr. is next.

C'mon man, save the scary stuff for Halloween.

Quote: rxwine

C'mon man, save the scary stuff for Halloween.

Don Sr. was about the same age as Don Jr. when he first considered running.

Quote: Pacomartin

Don Sr. was about the same age as Don Jr. when he first considered running.

I’m rooting for Jaws.

Quote: Gandler

He's pretty much the wrong kind of Republican for me.

The few redeeming aspects of Republicans (foreign policy and being a decent down to earth person) he is totally off on....

Basically the few points I agree with some Republicans on, he is totally off base, so he does not even have that going for him....

I may be one of the few liberals on here who like both Bush and Obama.

I don't underatand why social conservatives are so obsessed with Trump, he basically violated every social norm that has ever existed....
If Obama had multiple wives, cheated nonstop (including paying for sex), ran (failed) casinos, ran controversial pagents, owed money to foreign lenders, the usual suspects would be having a field day with his "corruption" (heck some still go on about his Birth Certificate)....

I would take McCain or Romney over Trump any day (I would probably take McCain over some Dems)....

There is nothing redeeming in Trump's policies or personal life, in my view he is wrong on virtually everything....

I agree with the first part, but I meant more in the sense that he’s relatively moderate on economic issues.

I’m a Libertarian, but as far as Presidents go, I basically liked both Bush and Obama. I also liked Clinton. I don’t even dislike Trump as much as many others do; I just tend to think he doesn’t represent the country well and he’s also not a unifier...which are qualities #1 & #2 that I’d want in a POTUS.

Here’s the thing about the personal aspects, I have a few opinions:

1. I think some of your Evangelical Right is basically just along for the ride on this one. Kind of, “Anyone but a Democrat,” sort of thing. I certainly can’t imagine that most of your fervent church-goers have any high praise for his moral virtues—and, quite frankly—are probably sick to death of having to try to defend him all the time. What they perhaps lacked in 2016 was an alternate Republican candidate that they could have rallied behind.

The one possibly perceived as most likable was Ben Carson, who Trump, to his credit, wisely mostly left alone as he was never a real threat.

2. I think the remaining Evangelical Right basically doesn’t care, or, “Alpha,” Trump is secretly who they basically would like to be. I mean mostly the guys, of course. From the time I spent in churches in my youth, I certainly saw a whole lot of preaching and not quite as much practicing.

3. To some degree, probably a large one, he turned out a great many people who probably normally wouldn’t vote with his race virtue signaling. I think he does a bit of a balancing act where he says just enough to appeal to them, but not so much that you could really demonstrate that he’s a racist. He’s probably not a racist.

—As far as the bankruptcies and tax stuff, that’s just business. Like he basically said, he used the laws of this country to his advantage. Time will tell if he seriously violated any in the process, but nothing definitive in that regard as yet.

Beyond that, think of all the people who are and have been employed who might not have been without his entrepreneurial endeavors and spirit. Whether a success or a failure, even his casino ventures created innumerable jobs over the years, and multiple of those properties still exist in some form. (Golden Nugget and Hard Rock)

If I had to stand behind an opinion on him (aside from as POTUS) it would be neutral to borderline favorable. As POTUS, slight unfavorable mainly because I don’t like his border policies, tariff policies or how he represents/divides the country.

I also wonder how much of that might have been brought on by the Left, particularly the Far Left. Obviously, I don’t think he’s been treated as unfairly as he does, but that said, were they ever really going to give him a chance? Impeachment was telegraphed before he even took office.

Quote: Mission146

I agree with the first part, but I meant more in the sense that he’s relatively moderate on economic issues.

I’m a Libertarian, but as far as Presidents go, I basically liked both Bush and Obama. I also liked Clinton. I don’t even dislike Trump as much as many others do; I just tend to think he doesn’t represent the country well and he’s also not a unifier...which are qualities #1 & #2 that I’d want in a POTUS.

Here’s the thing about the personal aspects, I have a few opinions:

1. I think some of your Evangelical Right is basically just along for the ride on this one. Kind of, “Anyone but a Democrat,” sort of thing. I certainly can’t imagine that most of your fervent church-goers have any high praise for his moral virtues—and, quite frankly—are probably sick to death of having to try to defend him all the time. What they perhaps lacked in 2016 was an alternate Republican candidate that they could have rallied behind.

The one possibly perceived as most likable was Ben Carson, who Trump, to his credit, wisely mostly left alone as he was never a real threat.

2. I think the remaining Evangelical Right basically doesn’t care, or, “Alpha,” Trump is secretly who they basically would like to be. I mean mostly the guys, of course. From the time I spent in churches in my youth, I certainly saw a whole lot of preaching and not quite as much practicing.

3. To some degree, probably a large one, he turned out a great many people who probably normally wouldn’t vote with his race virtue signaling. I think he does a bit of a balancing act where he says just enough to appeal to them, but not so much that you could really demonstrate that he’s a racist. He’s probably not a racist.

—As far as the bankruptcies and tax stuff, that’s just business. Like he basically said, he used the laws of this country to his advantage. Time will tell if he seriously violated any in the process, but nothing definitive in that regard as yet.

Beyond that, think of all the people who are and have been employed who might not have been without his entrepreneurial endeavors and spirit. Whether a success or a failure, even his casino ventures created innumerable jobs over the years, and multiple of those properties still exist in some form. (Golden Nugget and Hard Rock)

If I had to stand behind an opinion on him (aside from as POTUS) it would be neutral to borderline favorable. As POTUS, slight unfavorable mainly because I don’t like his border policies, tariff policies or how he represents/divides the country.

I also wonder how much of that might have been brought on by the Left, particularly the Far Left. Obviously, I don’t think he’s been treated as unfairly as he does, but that said, were they ever really going to give him a chance? Impeachment was telegraphed before he even took office.

I honestly don't like Clinton, he strikes me as manipulative and I think he is guilty of sexual misconduct (he is just more cordial and likable than Trump, which in some ways can be more dangerous), he strikes me as a very manipulative man. I don't care much for his wife either. I think they both have been shady and manipulative.
I like both Bush and Obama because they are down to earth people and have done a lot of good (both during and after presidency, Bush specifically for his work in Africa).

1. That is probably true, I just love to point out their hypocrisy, again if a liberal did even half of what Trump did, well, you know....

2. This is also probably true, secret fantasy type thing. Other than weddings (and not counting historical walk-throughs), I have not been to church since a teen (I honestly don't remember when I stopped going, I pretty much told my parents that I had enough). And, I don't remember enough about individuals to know their hypocrisy, but it would not surprise me.

3. I think Trump is a light racist. By this I mean he does not hate various minorities, but he feels uncomfortable about them. I have heard stories from people I trust (long before he was in politics) that when he would visit AC casinos management would make sure all staff on the floor were white. I don't think he is a white supremist, but I think he prefers to be around white people. There is also the housing investigations from decades ago on his father (when Trump worked for him) which came to the conclusion that his developments discriminated against blacks (yes technically his father, not him, but he worked for him)...…




As for the rest, of him using laws to be a good businessman, I don't agree. His business credit score is 19/100, mostly for failure to pay money, or paying well past due dates. This is not a score that an "excellent businessman" would have.
Again he has foreign loans because that is all that he can get..... He would never be eligible for even a secret level security clearance because of his foreign interests, debt, and legal issues (absurd levels of civil lawsuits, and no, not the average that "most billionaires" experience as people here try to say....)

I don't understand how you can make the argument that he was a great (even good) businessman.... He was born wealthy, and had far more failed business than successful ones.... Even the Trump Taj Mahal, he knew he was going to lose money, he just wanted to build the biggest casino at the time in the U.S. for his ego.... The idea that he is self-made, and just had a "small loan" from his father is simply false.
Anyone can inherent 500 million and a huge business organization and lose lots of money and fail on a lot of projects, there is nothing exceptional about this....

"A 2016 analysis of Trump's business career in The Economist concluded that his performance since 1985 had been "mediocre compared with the stock market and property in New York". A subsequent analysis in The Washington Post similarly noted that Trump's estimated net worth of $100 million in 1978 would have increased to $6 billion by 2016 if he had invested it in a typical retirement fund, and concluded that "Trump is a mix of braggadocio, business failures, and real success."

(Trump has over 1.2 billion in debt, that we know of, much of it to China, German, and Russian banks).