[Hoot Gibson]

At this time, I still plan to vote for Trump if he wins the Republican nomination, but only to poke the GOP establishment in the eye. I hope that my fellow Republicans will be too smart to hand him the nomination. I believe that the signs that Trump's campaign is beginning to unravel have begun to emerge. I expect that Trump will lose in Iowa and I will not be shocked if he finishes third or fourth.

If Trump does not win Iowa, then the media will be forced to start giving more free coverage to another candidate or two. At that point, Trump will need to decide if he wants to start dipping into his own fortune to run a more conventional campaign with paid advertising.

Trump has almost universal name recognition, so I question whether saturating the airwaves with ads would really do much for his campaign anyway. Paid TV advertising is a little like air power in a war - if you don't have boots on the ground, it is difficult to capture and hold territory.

The Edge: Trump gets 25 times more media mentions than GOP field combined

[TheRealThing]

^
The ACLU is a hate group and should be defined as one if they want others to be labeled that way. They should be torn apart and stomped on.

The ACLU is responsible for establishing the legal cover for the modern day distorted view regarding the separation of Church and State. An ACLU lawyer presented an argument before the SCOTUS in 1947 that contradicted the understanding of conventional wisdom, which until then represented that it is the State which is limited from poking it's nose into the affairs to the Church, and not the other way around.

The new argument which holds that law limits the Church, has had the effect of separating the government of the US from the moral authority to govern. Ironically, after surviving against all odds to become a nation of our own, and after winning two world wars and becoming the world's premier Super Power, in 1948 we Americans suddenly found ourselves divested of the guiding force which had ensured our own greatness. That being God's Law. After all, our legal system is based on the precepts of God, and so are our notions of personal responsibility and equality. Incredibly, even though the first words of the US Declaration of Independence openly affirms the founder's belief that man is endowed with certain unalienable rights "by his Creator", those of the ACLU ilk still deny our society's own faith based foundations.

The Letter----

Letter to the Danbury Baptists

January 1, 1802

To messers. Nehemiah Dodge, Ephraim Robbins, & Stephen S. Nelson, a committee of the Danbury Baptist association in the state of Connecticut.


Gentlemen

"The affectionate sentiments of esteem and approbation which you are so good as to express towards me, on behalf of the Danbury Baptist association, give me the highest satisfaction. my duties dictate a faithful and zealous pursuit of the interests of my constituents, & in proportion as they are persuaded of my fidelity to those duties, the discharge of them becomes more and more pleasing.

Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between Man & his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legitimate powers of government reach actions only, & not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should “make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,” thus building a wall of separation between Church & State. Adhering to this expression of the supreme will of the nation in behalf of the rights of conscience, I shall see with sincere satisfaction the progress of those sentiments which tend to restore to man all his natural rights, convinced he has no natural right in opposition to his social duties.

I reciprocate your kind prayers for the protection & blessing of the common father and creator of man, and tender you for yourselves & your religious association, assurances of my high respect & esteem."


Th. Jefferson
----------------

The highlighted text above is the only part of the Danbury Letter, which I have presented here in it's entirety, that deals with the idea of separation between Church and State. Even the phrase "building a wall of separation between Church and State" has practical meaning as to what is being separated from what. Common for the cities of the ancients, all the way up until European cities of the 1900's, and in modern times where military fortresses are yet concerned, men have built walls around themselves to keep out things that threaten the good of the people. You don't build a wall around the enemy, you build the wall around that which you hold dear and defend them from that perspective. The quintessential example in my mind would be the walled city of Jerusalem. To others the walls of Troy may come to mind.

Thus, anybody whose mind is not clouded with prejudice can clearly see that it is the legislature which is limited from interfering with the affairs of the Church lying safely within those walls of protection as envisioned by Jefferson. It is not the Church which is limited from interfering with the affairs of State owing to being held out by jack booted political correct police who diligently man security gates to the temple of government. And yet, as is the case with all clever lawyers who use guile and persuasion to win an argument, SC Justice Hugo Black was completely converted by the argument proffered by ACLU lawyer Leo Piffer and America has suffered under an ever more dense cloud of confusion ever since. Once you leave the path, the only way to find your way again is to find that path again. Never, will the liberal admit he was wrong, we must as a people therefore decide if we are going to continue to follow the liberal's grope through the hopeless fog.

Where we once stood as a proud people living in shining alabaster cities on a hill, we are now bereft of meaningful purpose, having turned our backs on God and as such are left with only our petty grievances of racial tolerance and social justice from which to claim the authority to govern and adjudicate. That is why we have endless debate about what is right and what is wrong. And that is why we have congressional gridlock. Where there is not the authority of God, there remains only the argument of men. How small we have become, we lack the authority to govern because we forgot who we are and Who made this land great. The Lord.

Friends, that is why I would vote for Trump if nominated, and that is certainly why I will vote for Cruz if nominated.

[Hoot Gibson]

^I have changed my mind about Trump. If he wins the nomination, I will probably vote for a third-party candidate, but it is more likely that he will run as a third-party candidate. His bizarre statements have convinced me that he is in the race to give the election to Hillary one way or another.

If you look at the internals of the latest Iowa polls, it is obvious that Trump is polarizing Republican voters to the point that if Trump continues his childish campaign tactics, turnout will be depressed no matter which Republican gets the nomination, and his appeal among Democrats and independents will be minimal if he wins the nomination. Trump is smart enough to know that with his negatives equaling or exceeding Hillary's, all he will be able to do is play a spoiler for the GOP.

We may never know if Trump is acting on the Clinton's behalf, but if there is a deal in place, Trump is earning his money. Just today, he took shots at Cruz and Justice Scalia. This guy is a loose cannon but the country needs a presidential candidate who takes careful aim before firing. Trump is wounding more conservatives than he is hurting Hillary and the liberals.

[TheRealThing]

^^ I could see his maybe thinning the herd for Cruz, but I can't see him doing it for Hillary. As long as James Comey has anything to say about it, she might be lucky to avoid indictment. In any case, Cruz's drafting strategy has his chances peaking at just the right time.

I'll be interested to see how things stand in Iowa along about the middle of next month. New Hampshire and South Carolina will serve to clarify things significantly I would venture. Apart from that, he's the hit on the head that Republicans have needed. Like I said, this is the time for cool heads to prevail and horns to be pulled in, as the back door shenanigans from the RNC have been exposed.

[RunItUpTheGut]

^
You may not have to worry about it if the Republicans do what they are threatening.

I doubt anyone on this thread will be a Republican after the election if they have a brokered convention. The establishment is acting as whiny as the liberals.

As ive said from the beginning, Trump has my vote unless Cruz is bettered positioned to win. One of those two are the only two I will vote for in this presidential election.
If neither are the republican nominee, my vote will go to a 3rd party candidate.

[Hoot Gibson]

^Trump is running the campaign of a spoiler, not a winner. I think that a brokered convention will suit him just fine and it will please the Clintons as well. I have been worried since Trump launched his campaign that he is nothing but a stalking horse for Hillary.

If Trump wins the nomination, he will lose to Hillary and if he runs as a sore loser independent, he will also hand the election to Hillary. Hopefully, I will be proven wrong and Trump will plummet in the polls and then gracefully withdrawal for the good of his country.

[Demarcus ware]

^^ For a long time now, i've kept the thought of Trump running just too help Hillary in the back of my mind, i'm still standing by him for now. It's still early and things will eventually work themselves out. I also will only vote for Trump or Cruz, if they don't get the nod i will be going 3rd party. I see another investigation is firing up for Clinton this morning so i'm anxious to see where that leads. I do think Cruz tightens things up, but Trump has a pretty sizable lead in states not named Iowa. lol. As for the Republican party as a whole, it's just a freaking mess and about as aggravating as anything i've seen in awhile.

[RunItUpTheGut]

Even being as rich as he is, do you honestly think Trump would destroy his bran overseas and lose millions of dollars in arab countries just to help Hillary, who, for all intents and purposes may or may not even be eligible as new stuff comes out everyday?
I think everyone would have to be naive to not put that in the back of there mind, but Trump has a he'll of a lot more to lose than gain by being in some sort of conspiracy to help her.
Whether or not Trump is the right candidate and whether or not he believes what he says, his supporters do and it's shining a light on just how much the people of this country are becoming increasingly anti politicians.
If it did start out as Trump working for Hillary, make no mistake he sees his numbers and knows that he has a chance and now that power of being the most powerful man on the planet is to good to let go.

[Demarcus ware]

^^That's why i said i've just kept it in mind. Trump and the Clinton's go way back, do i think he would do it? Hell who knows these days, not very many that can be trusted. I would surely hope not, but with what the Clinton's would owe him if that were the case i wouldn't be surprised.

[TheRealThing]

Well, while Trump and Hillary could be in on a ruse such as is being suggested in the posts above, there are some flaws in that slaw from my perspective. As said, Trump and Hillary could collaborate, but the forces that move the needle are the establishment right, the establishment left, the koolaid aslosh media, and last but not least are the millions of voters who have taken a position on the Trump candidacy. And let's not forget, the media and the left are true believers. World transformers if you will.

Here's what I am saying. To get all the establishment players to fall in line, that being the afore mentioned right, left and media, and get them to do and say, what is necessary in order for Hillary to trick her way into the White House is out there in pretty far fetched territory if you ask me. However, nobody of the establishment could have predicted how the voters of this nation have reacted to the challenges Trump has made to the sacred cows of the Democratic Party. He's in their face about the politically correct insanity which has swept and neutered this land, and you can't tell me that is a planned or orchestrated phenomena. I mean, I have detailed the grudge slinger mentality of even FOX News in regard to the agency's vendetta on behalf of little Megyn, have I not? We're watching such events go down in real time, and the reactive media are fairly frothing like a pack of dogs in their efforts to down the Don. He is an outsider and a threat to both sides, which means he is not welcome by anybody. Hence my prediction that everybody would attack him with a fury unmatched in the recent past.

At any rate, the mistake I refuse to make is to allow the media to shape my convictions or direct my thinking about whom will eventually get my vote. Of course Mr Trump is all about himself. He thinks he is right and I tend to agree with the lion's share of what he has said, with the lone exception of his disagreement with Justice Scalia. Admittedly we are at odds on that one as Scalia was being candid and Trump should have let that one lie. I'm sure Trump's intent in saying anything, was to garner support from the black community and after all, he is a newbie to this politician thing.

[RunItUpTheGut]

New Monmouth poll out today is fascinating....

Done completely after the Muslim ban remarks...

Trump at his highest yet at 41%
Cruz 14%
Rubio 10%
Carson 9%

The rest in very low single digits.

[Demarcus ware]

Well, while Trump and Hillary could be in on a ruse such as is being suggested in the posts above, there are some flaws in that slaw from my perspective. As said, Trump and Hillary could collaborate, but the forces that move the needle are the establishment right, the establishment left, the koolaid aslosh media, and last but not least are the millions of voters who have taken a position on the Trump candidacy. And let's not forget, the media and the left are true believers. World transformers if you will.

Here's what I am saying. To get all the establishment players to fall in line, that being the afore mentioned right, left and media, and get them to do and say, what is necessary in order for Hillary to trick her way into the White House is out there in pretty far fetched territory if you ask me. However, nobody of the establishment could have predicted how the voters of this nation have reacted to the challenges Trump has made to the sacred cows of the Democratic Party. He's in their face about the politically correct insanity which has swept and neutered this land, and you can't tell me that is a planned or orchestrated phenomena. I mean, I have detailed the grudge slinger mentality of even FOX News in regard to the agency's vendetta on behalf of little Megyn, have I not? We're watching such events go down in real time, and the reactive media are fairly frothing like a pack of dogs in their efforts to down the Don. He is an outsider and a threat to both sides, which means he is not welcome by anybody. Hence my prediction that everybody would attack him with a fury unmatched in the recent past.

At any rate, the mistake I refuse to make is to allow the media to shape my convictions or direct my thinking about whom will eventually get my vote. Of course Mr Trump is all about himself. He thinks he is right and I tend to agree with the lion's share of what he has said, with the lone exception of his disagreement with Justice Scalia. Admittedly we are at odds on that one as Scalia was being candid and Trump should have let that one lie. I'm sure Trump's intent in saying anything, was to garner support from the black community and after all, he is a newbie to this politician thing.

Never said they were in a ruse, what i did say was i wouldn't be surprised if that was the case. I'm all for Trump, but i'm also careful of him or anyone else in the race. I do agree that the media will not direct my thinking as well. I would trust the Taliban before i would trust the american media.

[TheRealThing]

Never said they were in a ruse, what i did say was i wouldn't be surprised if that was the case. I'm all for Trump, but i'm also careful of him or anyone else in the race. I do agree that the media will not direct my thinking as well. I would trust the Taliban before i would trust the american media.

LOL, now that's funny. But only because it is so apropos. Lord knows we all need to be careful who we vote for and, what you and I have busied ourselves with here in this thread, albeit somewhat casually, the is the sacred duty of self governance. I believe millions of people who never bothered to get involved in their own political destinies before, are doing so this time around. Discussion and debate are key elements of freedom, and that fact is why the founders enshrined protection for the rights to freedom of religion, and freedom of expression from government interference in the First Amendment.

And speaking of the media, I just want to be brutally honest here. I can think of far worse outcomes than if Cruz got elected instead of Trump. I love the guy. But I also know that Cruz is target number two on the media hit list. Trump is number one, however, once he is dispatched you can bet it will be full on verbal outrage refocused on Cruz if the mantle looks to be falling to him. There is a very good reason that every time you hear a detractor come on against Trump or Cruz he/she will invariably give at least a parting boost to Rubio. It happens every time. I believe this is because they have accepted the reality that their first choice foe in the person of Jeb Bush, is just not going to materialize. The next RINO duck to pluck from their perspective would obviously be Marco Rubio.

[Hoot Gibson]

Well, while Trump and Hillary could be in on a ruse such as is being suggested in the posts above, there are some flaws in that slaw from my perspective. As said, Trump and Hillary could collaborate, but the forces that move the needle are the establishment right, the establishment left, the koolaid aslosh media, and last but not least are the millions of voters who have taken a position on the Trump candidacy. And let's not forget, the media and the left are true believers. World transformers if you will.

Here's what I am saying. To get all the establishment players to fall in line, that being the afore mentioned right, left and media, and get them to do and say, what is necessary in order for Hillary to trick her way into the White House is out there in pretty far fetched territory if you ask me. However, nobody of the establishment could have predicted how the voters of this nation have reacted to the challenges Trump has made to the sacred cows of the Democratic Party. He's in their face about the politically correct insanity which has swept and neutered this land, and you can't tell me that is a planned or orchestrated phenomena. I mean, I have detailed the grudge slinger mentality of even FOX News in regard to the agency's vendetta on behalf of little Megyn, have I not? We're watching such events go down in real time, and the reactive media are fairly frothing like a pack of dogs in their efforts to down the Don. He is an outsider and a threat to both sides, which means he is not welcome by anybody. Hence my prediction that everybody would attack him with a fury unmatched in the recent past.

At any rate, the mistake I refuse to make is to allow the media to shape my convictions or direct my thinking about whom will eventually get my vote. Of course Mr Trump is all about himself. He thinks he is right and I tend to agree with the lion's share of what he has said, with the lone exception of his disagreement with Justice Scalia. Admittedly we are at odds on that one as Scalia was being candid and Trump should have let that one lie. I'm sure Trump's intent in saying anything, was to garner support from the black community and after all, he is a newbie to this politician thing.

The only parties that need to be in on a ruse are Hillary and The Donald. Trump has said so many stupid things, which I believe that he is too smart to say unintentionally, that he is quickly widening the split between his supporters, conservatives, and the establishment candidates. If Trump's goal is to prolong the primary fights for delegates, possibly all the way to Cleveland, then he is doing a great job. By saying "stupid" things, for starters I would include:

1. Temporarily banning all Muslims from entering the country. A Rand Paul amendment in the Senate that Cruz, Mike Lee, and seven other Republicans supported in the Senate received just 10 votes in support. The chance that a total ban on Muslims entering the country would have zero chance to pass Congress, even with Republicans controlling Congress and Trump in the White House.

Unless Trump supporters want him to make laws with a pen and phone, a la Obama, his statement made no sense. I think Trump later started backing off what he said, which opens him up to flip-flopping charges (again). 8 years of an arrogant, aspiring dictator will be enough for me.

2. Promising to sign an Executive Order making the murder of a police officer a capital offense across the nation. This is another promise that he cannot possibly keep. Murder is a state crime and many states do not have a death penalty as an option, regardless of how heinous the crime or the occupation of the victim.

For a presidential candidate to believe that he can impose the death penalty with the stroke of a pen is even more alarming than Obama's actions. If Trump is really this ignorant of the law, then he needs to consult with a lawyer before he goes in front of a camera and makes a fool of himself and his supporters. This is the kind of thing that will eventually appear prominently in campaign ads, as well it should.

When I listen to Trump, I get the feeling that he believes I am stupid and that to get my support, he needs to say bold, stupid things. It is starting to remind me of the feeling I get when I listen to Obama.

[doubledown]

The only parties that need to be in on a ruse are Hillary and The Donald. Trump has said so many stupid things, which I believe that he is too smart to say unintentionally, that he is quickly widening the split between his supporters, conservatives, and the establishment candidates. If Trump's goal is to prolong the primary fights for delegates, possibly all the way to Cleveland, then he is doing a great job. By saying "stupid" things, for starters I would include:

1. Temporarily banning all Muslims from entering the country. A Rand Paul amendment in the Senate that Cruz, Mike Lee, and seven other Republicans supported in the Senate received just 10 votes in support. The chance that a total ban on Muslims entering the country would have zero chance to pass Congress, even with Republicans controlling Congress and Trump in the White House.

Unless Trump supporters want him to make laws with a pen and phone, a la Obama, his statement made no sense. I think Trump later started backing off what he said, which opens him up to flip-flopping charges (again). 8 years of an arrogant, aspiring dictator will be enough for me.

2. Promising to sign an Executive Order making the murder of a police officer a capital offense across the nation. This is another promise that he cannot possibly keep. Murder is a state crime and many states do not have a death penalty as an option, regardless of how heinous the crime or the occupation of the victim.

For a presidential candidate to believe that he can impose the death penalty with the stroke of a pen is even more alarming than Obama's actions. If Trump is really this ignorant of the law, then he needs to consult with a lawyer before he goes in front of a camera and makes a fool of himself and his supporters. This is the kind of thing that will eventually appear prominently in campaign ads, as well it should.

When I listen to Trump, I get the feeling that he believes I am stupid and that to get my support, he needs to say bold, stupid things. It is starting to remind me of the feeling I get when I listen to Obama.

1. Had not seen Rand Paul making this amendment as the Horse people in our state would more than likely go broke without the rag-head monies coming in.
2. Barry has got a lot of laws accepted (unlawfully) without congress approval why not Donald?
3. Grubber and Barry know were all stupid as how could he have been re-elected otherwise??

[Hoot Gibson]

1. Had not seen Rand Paul making this amendment as the Horse people in our state would more than likely go broke without the rag-head monies coming in.
2. Barry has got a lot of laws accepted (unlawfully) without congress approval why not Donald?
3. Grubber and Barry know were all stupid as how could he have been re-elected otherwise??

Hopefully, you are not serious. Even if murdering police officers was a federal offense, the President of the United States cannot change the punishment for a crime by signing an executive order and bypassing Congress. In this case, murdering local police officers is not a federal crime, so Trump would be creating legislation and the penalty for a federal crime that does not exist, all by bypassing the Constitutional process entirely. The Supreme Court would strike such an action down by a 9-0 vote and if Congress were doing its job, it would impeach any president who took such an action.

When you say we're all stupid, please do not include me. I knew what Obama was doing with Obamacare and I believe that I know what Trump is up to as well. Trump is making it difficult for a serious candidate to gather enough support to avoid a convention fight. Hillary will be the direct beneficiary of Trump's attempt to play his supporters for fools.

Hillary will not waste any money on ads attacking Trump because every time that he starts talking off the top of his head, he helps her campaign. The major networks, including FNC, are providing Trump with a fortune in free publicity and that free coverage comes at the cost of not adequately covering Hillary's crimes.

Tomorrow night's debate is going to be very interesting. I hope Trump really goes after Cruz, but I don't think Trump is a stupid man and personally attacking Cruz in a debate the way that he has personally attacked other candidates would be very stupid.

[doubledown]

Hopefully, you are not serious. Even if murdering police officers was a federal offense, the President of the United States cannot change the punishment for a crime by signing an executive order and bypassing Congress. In this case, murdering local police officers is not a federal crime, so Trump would be creating legislation and the penalty for a federal crime that does not exist, all by bypassing the Constitutional process entirely. The Supreme Court would strike such an action down by a 9-0 vote and if Congress were doing its job, it would impeach any president who took such an action.

When you say we're all stupid, please do not include me. I knew what Obama was doing with Obamacare and I believe that I know what Trump is up to as well. Trump is making it difficult for a serious candidate to gather enough support to avoid a convention fight. Hillary will be the direct beneficiary of Trump's attempt to play his supporters for fools.

Hillary will not waste any money on ads attacking Trump because every time that he starts talking off the top of his head, he helps her campaign. The major networks, including FNC, are providing Trump with a fortune in free publicity and that free coverage comes at the cost of not adequately covering Hillary's crimes.

Tomorrow night's debate is going to be very interesting. I hope Trump really goes after Cruz, but I don't think Trump is a stupid man and personally attacking Cruz in a debate the way that he has personally attacked other candidates would be very stupid.

Hoot-- was being not serious but being serious on a couple of reply's.
Know your not stupid as you make some great points and commentary on this site but point was the population as a whole on the Grubber deal.
His statement being upheld as looks like Hillary a shoe-in and a great number of voters supporting a socialist? What's up with this picture?

[Hoot Gibson]

Hoot-- was being not serious but being serious on a couple of reply's.
Know your not stupid as you make some great points and commentary on this site but point was the population as a whole on the Grubber deal.
His statement being upheld as looks like Hillary a shoe-in and a great number of voters supporting a socialist? What's up with this picture?

I don't disagree with Gruber and you about the stupidity of people who fell for Obamacare. The truth is Obamacare is much more like the system Hillary promised during her campaign against Obama than what he promised.

My problem with Trump is that he does not seem to be taking the campaign seriously. I encourage you to look at Trump's negatives buried in the details of recent polls. A new Wall Street Journal/NBC poll was released today that shows Trump losing head-to-head to Hillary by a 50-40 margin. The same poll shows Hillary beating Cruz by three but shows both Carson and Rubio beating her by narrow margins.

I believe that a good conservative can appeal to independents and moderate Democrats, just as Reagan did in the 80s. Trump is not a reliable conservative and his apparent tendency to speak before he thinks will cost him any chance of winning a general election, even against a criminal like Clinton.

Like Trump, Ben Carson is ill prepared to be president, but Carson seems to be working hard to get up to speed on issues and when I listen to him, I do not get the feeling that he is speaking down to me or assuming that I am as stupid as a typical Hillary supporter.

I hope that I am wrong about Trump, but it seems to me that he is simply relying on his celebrity and trying to play a presidential candidate without the benefit of a script. Time will tell.

[TheRealThing]

I don't disagree with Gruber and you about the stupidity of people who fell for Obamacare. The truth is Obamacare is much more like the system Hillary promised during her campaign against Obama than what he promised.

My problem with Trump is that he does not seem to be taking the campaign seriously. I encourage you to look at Trump's negatives buried in the details of recent polls. A new poll was released today that shows Trump losing head-to-head to Hillary by a 50-40 margin.

I believe that a good conservative can appeal to independents and moderate Democrats, just as Reagan did in the 80s. Trump is not a reliable conservative and his apparent tendency to speak before he thinks will cost him any chance of winning a general election, even against a criminal like Clinton.

Like Trump, Ben Carson is ill prepared to be president, but Carson seems to be working hard to get up to speed on issues and when I listen to him, I do not get the feeling that he is speaking down to me or assuming that I am as stupid as a typical Hillary supporter.

I hope that I am wrong about Trump, but it seems to me that he is simply relying on his celebrity and trying to play a presidential candidate without the benefit of a script. Time will tell.

Respectfully Hoot, you know I have stated several times that Trump speaks so extemporaneously, it is my contention that he would have gaffed by now in epic proportion if he had anything much up his sleeve. Therefore, I agree his statements are all off the cuff which is why I think apart from his limitations, (they all have some), he is being genuine. Take for instance his statement saying he would temporarily suspend Muslim immigration. I could not have been anymore surprised if the pressure cooker had exploded out in my kitchen. Bill O'Reilly proclaimed with earnest that was surely the end of Trump's run. Everybody and their brother have gone on TV avowing to a man that he could not legally do that. Surprise Bill, not only was that not his undoing, he's up in the national polls to 41% and as it turns out, under U.S. Code, the president does have the statutory authority to keep anyone out of the country, for any reason he thinks best. Per 8 USC §1182

“Whenever the President finds that the entry of any aliens or of any class of aliens into the United States would be detrimental to the interests of the United States, he may by proclamation, and for such period as he shall deem necessary, suspend the entry of all aliens or any class of aliens as immigrants or nonimmigrants, or impose on the entry of aliens any restrictions he may deem to be appropriate.” [Ben Swann]

How do we know he was speaking of a ban on explicitly temporary terms? His statement;
“Donald J. Trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country’s representatives can figure out what the hell is going on.”

Additionally, I do not believe a campaign designed to run interference for another politician as in the potential case of Trump for Clinton, that that person would be out saying things like Trump said today; “She is the one that caused all this problem with her stupid policies. She talks about me being dangerous. She’s killed hundreds of thousands of people with her stupidity.” ---Donald Trump. That is pretty darn stout.

Trump's demeanor and personality remind me of several rich or famous people that I know at a personal level.

[Hoot Gibson]

Respectfully Hoot, you know I have stated several times that Trump speaks so extemporaneously, it is my contention that he would have gaffed by now in epic proportion if he had anything much up his sleeve. Therefore, I agree his statements are all off the cuff which is why I think apart from his limitations, (they all have some), he is being genuine. Take for instance his statement saying he would temporarily suspend Muslim immigration. I could not have been anymore surprised if the pressure cooker had exploded out in my kitchen. Bill O'Reilly proclaimed with earnest that was surely the end of Trump's run. Everybody and their brother have gone on TV avowing to a man that he could not legally do that. Surprise Bill, not only was that not his undoing, he's up in the national polls to 41% and as it turns out, under U.S. Code, the president does have the statutory authority to keep anyone out of the country, for any reason he thinks best. Per 8 USC §1182

“Whenever the President finds that the entry of any aliens or of any class of aliens into the United States would be detrimental to the interests of the United States, he may by proclamation, and for such period as he shall deem necessary, suspend the entry of all aliens or any class of aliens as immigrants or nonimmigrants, or impose on the entry of aliens any restrictions he may deem to be appropriate.” [Ben Swann]

How do we know he was speaking of a ban on explicitly temporary terms? His statement;
“Donald J. Trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country’s representatives can figure out what the hell is going on.”

Additionally, I do not believe a campaign designed to run interference for another politician as in the potential case of Trump for Clinton, that that person would be out saying things like Trump said today; “She is the one that caused all this problem with her stupid policies. She talks about me being dangerous. She’s killed hundreds of thousands of people with her stupidity.” ---Donald Trump. That is pretty darn stout.

Trump's demeanor and personality remind me of several rich or famous people that I know at a personal level.

I never said that Trump's proposal to temporarily suspend all Muslim immigration is unconstitutional. I think that it is pretty clear that it is constitutional. What I am saying is that in political terms, the statement showed poor judgment. It is not a promise that he could possibly keep and framing the proposal as he did will alienate independents who might be persuaded to support a temporary suspension of immigration from countries harboring substantial terrorist activity.

Trump's statement about banning all Muslim immigration grabbed media attention, but I suspect that it also drove up his negatives in the opinion polls. Back peddling from the statement made matters worse.

How can a candidate for the presidency possibly propose making the death penalty for murderers of policemen across the nation mandatory through an executive order? Does that not show extreme ignorance of the U.S. Constitution?

The campaign is still pretty young and Trump shows no signs of putting any more effort into checking facts and federal law before he inserts his foot into his mouth.

I have tried to keep an open mind about Trump, but if he is as ignorant of the power of the presidency as it seems he is, then handing him the nuclear football would constitute an unforced fumble.

[TheRealThing]

I never said that Trump's proposal to temporarily suspend all Muslim immigration is unconstitutional. I think that it is pretty clear that it is constitutional. What I am saying is that in political terms, the statement showed poor judgment. It is not a promise that he could possibly keep and framing the proposal as he did will alienate independents who might be persuaded to support a temporary suspension of immigration from countries harboring substantial terrorist activity.

Trump's statement about banning all Muslim immigration grabbed media attention, but I suspect that it also drove up his negatives in the opinion polls. Back peddling from the statement made matters worse.

How can a candidate for the presidency possibly propose making the death penalty for murderers of policemen across the nation mandatory through an executive order? Does that not show extreme ignorance of the U.S. Constitution?

The campaign is still pretty young and Trump shows no signs of putting any more effort into checking facts and federal law before he inserts his foot into his mouth.

I have tried to keep an open mind about Trump, but if he is as ignorant of the power of the presidency as it seems he is, then handing him the nuclear football would constitute an unforced fumble.

Fair enough. But if the handoff comes down to a choice between Trump and Hillary, Trump gets the nod in my playbook.

[Hoot Gibson]

Fair enough. But if the handoff comes down to a choice between Trump and Hillary, Trump gets the nod in my playbook.

If that is the choice, Hillary will win no matter how you vote and The Donald will probably be celebrating the victory with her. Trump is a political saboteur, IMO.

[TheRealThing]

I would say that the deep blue population centers will vote in exactly the same way they did in 2012. Those people couldn't care less if it snowed straight up as long as their checks keep coming in. They wouldn't care if it was Satan himself on that ticket. The fact they are so hopelessly bought and paid for is the only reason Hillary polls well against Republicans. I don't know what the polls show right now but last I heard Rubio, Trump, Christie, Bush, Cruz and Carson would all beat Clinton. At any rate, I recognized last time around that establishment Republicans are not going to change the minds of the takers, at least not enough that they would ever vote against the sugar daddy Dem Du Jour. So, we might as well write off the takers and the brain dead boomers, and move on to new fields of harvest. I don't know you tell me, Independents, millenials, what's left?

But like you said, it is early and things have time to clear up. I expected this cycle to be a total mess and it is. Juan Williams said that the left is scared and mad because they think the right is forcing them into a corner. Supposedly "because Republicans are winning all the races these days, the left is mad." They're certainly lashing out against the right, I'll give them that one. Democrats even speak openly of registering as many latino non-citizens as they can prior to election day with a target goal of one million new voters.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015.../?page=all

We have to get somebody in there who will push voter ID, and who will lay off things like global warming and gun control. I don't see Jeb and corps doing any of that.

[RunItUpTheGut]

^
Its real simple as for my agendas and what id like to see done.

Now that gay marriage has run its course, the flaming liberals cannot tout that as a reason to vote for them.

Gun control, the mythical beast that is global warming or climate change or whatever, and immigration.

These three things alone should disqualify any democrat from winning, but we know how many stupid people reside in this country.

Maybe Obama and his Lynch will indict Hillary on her emails now that highly classified material has been found today.....nicker: Whats the chances of that haha

[TheRealThing]

^
Its real simple as for my agendas and what id like to see done.

Now that gay marriage has run its course, the flaming liberals cannot tout that as a reason to vote for them.

Gun control, the mythical beast that is global warming or climate change or whatever, and immigration.

These three things alone should disqualify any democrat from winning, but we know how many stupid people reside in this country.

Maybe Obama and his Lynch will indict Hillary on her emails now that highly classified material has been found today.....nicker: Whats the chances of that haha

Yeah, it's not getting a lot of press today is it? I finally heard a little bit about it on Lou Dobbs' show on FBN. Two Top Secret emails and 999 total emails (to date) have been deemed classified. The only reason we know a thing about them is because after a year of her stonewalling, the FBI finally got her private email server and in spite of the fact that she had scrubbed it, were able through sophisticated forensics to retrieve said classified emails.

James Comey may become as important to this nation in his time, as FDR did in his time. As Hoot has pointed out, the media is spending all it's energy obsessing on the Trump candidacy rather than focusing on Hillary's shenanigans.

[Demarcus ware]

^^^The only place I've seen much about it, are from news sites that I usually don't believe but after some digging I finally found it was true. It's a shame it takes that much effort to find such a story. This should be headline news just like when General Petraeus went through this.

[RunItUpTheGut]

In all seriousness, why hasn't she been picked up after this revelation today?
This is a strict no no. Exactly what is the protocol for handling this issue?

Am I crazy in that she should be sitting in a jail cell right now?

[Demarcus ware]

In all seriousness, why hasn't she been picked up after this revelation today?
This is a strict no no. Exactly what is the protocol for handling this issue?

Am I crazy in that she should be sitting in a jail cell right now?

Nope. Not crazy at all. That's exactly where she should be. It's going to be interesting to see how the government handles this, or should I dare say the administration

[TheRealThing]

The administration will never prosecute Clinton. Her back up is Bernie Commie Sanders for crying out loud. The Republicans could win running William Hung if she wasn't in it. The fact that it's her or nothing for the Dems shows you how far they have deteriorated owing to everybody having sailed off on the lunar schooner.

[Demarcus ware]

The administration will never prosecute Clinton. Her back up is Bernie Commie Sanders for crying out loud. The Republicans could win running William Hung if she wasn't in it. The fact that it's her or nothing for the Dems shows you how far they have deteriorated owing to everybody having sailed off on the lunar schooner.

TRT how hard do you think the FBI will push on this? Or will they be shutdown before even getting started?