[The Urban Sombrero]

⬆⬆ Sadly enough, everything that follows your "unfortunately" is impossible to deny. I cannot help but think in the time of Reagan and O'Neil that tort reform (one example) could have been forged. The result would have been imperfect, but improved. In my view, the polarization and demonization on both sides have often let the "perfect" be the enemy of the good, and so we get bitter stagnation instead of improvement by gradation.

[Hoot Gibson]

I remember when Trump was constantly tweeting poll results. Trump's poll numbers are sinking like a rock and the crowds attending his rallies are doing the same. I have been reading tweets about how biased all of the polls are against Trump. It's just more wishful thinking.

No, The Polls Aren’t Biased. Clinton Really Is Leading Trump

The conservative blogosphere is lighting up again with accusations of polling bias against Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump in his race against Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton. However, Trump supporters should avoid giving into this temptation to assume unfavorable results must be biased results. Clinton really is leading Trump, and by nearly 6 percentage points.

The blogospherian argument goes something like this: Clinton is leading Trump by 5 to 7 points in certain polls because the pollsters oversampled or over-weighted Democrats by about 5 to 7 points. If the polls are “corrected” to include fewer Democrats then the race is actually tied, they say.


For instance, one blogger argues that a recent CBS News poll inflated the number of Democrats in the poll, comprised of 28 percent Republicans and 35 percent Democrats. Citing one pollster’s calculation, she thinks party identification in the United States is closer to parity, with 28 percent Republicans and only 29 percent Democrats rather than a seven-point Democratic advantage. She reasons that if you erase the partisan gap that would erase Clinton’s six-point lead over Trump.

For Trump supporters, this is a tempting narrative to believe. But this simply isn’t so. The fact is there just are more Democrats out there than Republicans, and this has largely been the case at least since the New Deal. That obviously doesn’t mean Democrats always win, but it’s unwise to assume a pollster is biased because its sample included more Democrats than Republicans.

HuffPollster, which aggregates hundreds of polls across nearly 100 different pollsters, finds that averaging across 2016 polls, 34.8 percent of Americans identify as Democrats and 28.7 percent identify as Republicans—roughly a six-point Democratic advantage. This is very similar to the CBS poll’s partisan composition. Democrats maintain this advantage even among the national electorate. HuffPollster finds on average that among likely voters 38 percent are Democrats and 32.9 percent are Republicans—a 5.1-point Democratic advantage.

[jetpilot]

I'm starting to think Hoot is a bot. An insane bot.

[RunItUpTheGut]

I remember when Trump was constantly tweeting poll results. Trump's poll numbers are sinking like a rock and the crowds attending his rallies are doing the same. I have been reading tweets about how biased all of the polls are against Trump. It's just more wishful thinking.

He literally tweeted poll results today.

lol what kind of fictional make believe world do you live in. It always sounds great.

[Hoot Gibson]

The man who promised so much winning that his followers would get tired of winning has now lost 21 straight national polls (RCP) to Hillary Clinton.

It's hard to boast about winning when a man is on a 21 poll losing streak. I wonder if Trump will ever win another major national poll. His best chance will be just after the GOP convention.

The GOP could not have done much worse by holding a lottery to select their nominee.

[RunItUpTheGut]

lol

[Hoot Gibson]

Trump says that he is pro-choice. Jake Tapper corrects him. :biglmao:

Trump goes silent on Supreme Court abortion ruling

More than nine hours after the Supreme Court ruled to overturn two provisions of a Texas anti-abortion law on Monday, the Republican Party's presumptive nominee has yet to comment.

The 5-3 decision in Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt, which marks the biggest victory for abortion rights advocates in the past 20 years, ruled that the Texas law would have shut down clinics and keep women from accessing abortion treatment.

Donald Trump, who has said in the past that he is "very pro-choice," has struggled to clearly explain his position on abortion during the 2016 campaign.

He veered sharply right on the issue amid the hothouse Republican primary, at one point remarking to MSNBC host Chris Matthews, “there has to be some form of punishment” for women seeking to get abortions. He later clarified in a written statement that "the doctor or any other person performing this illegal act upon a woman would be held legally responsible, not the woman."
“My position has not changed — like Ronald Reagan, I am pro-life with exceptions," Trump said in the statement.

Nor was that the first time Trump had stumbled on the issue. During one of his early interviews with CNN anchor Jake Tapper, Trump was asked to confirm that he is "opposed to abortion."

[SIZE="3"]"Right. I’m pro-choice," Trump responded.

"You’re pro-choice or pro-life?" Tapper asked.

"I’m pro-life. I’m sorry," Trump said.[/SIZE]

[TheRealThing]

The man who promised so much winning that his followers would get tired of winning has now lost 21 straight national polls (RCP) to Hillary Clinton.

It's hard to boast about winning when a man is on a 21 poll losing streak. I wonder if Trump will ever win another major national poll. His best chance will be just after the GOP convention.

The GOP could not have done much worse by holding a lottery to select their nominee.

Still light years better than listening to the man who cannot stop whining.

[Hoot Gibson]

Donald the Draft Dodger complains again that waterboarding is not a tough enough tactic to deal with ISIS. Where was Ducking Donald when his peers were fighting the Viet Cong? Trying to avoid STDs stateside.

For a man who has heaped praise on Obama and his former Sec. of State, Hillary Clinton, for their job performance in the past, Trump sure is talking tough now. Or, he was yesterday. Today's a new day and Trump has not "clarified" his statement yet.

Trump's record is one of moral cowardice. This is the man who claims he warned everybody that invading Iraq was a mistake, but did not even know that the U.S. went to war with Afghanistan before going to war with Iraq.

Donald Trump on Terror: You Have to 'Fight Fire With Fire'

ST. CLAIRESVILLE, Ohio — Donald Trump on Tuesday prescribed fighting "fire with fire" when it comes to battling terrorism, seemingly making the case for using similarly brutal tactics as terror groups like ISIS have in the past.

The GOP's presumptive nominee has been outspoken on enhanced interrogation, telling Tuesday's enthusiastic crowd once again that he doesn't think waterboarding is "tough enough" and that it's "peanuts" compared to what terrorists have done in the past. Trump lamented being limited by laws when fighting terror, allowing that waterboarding is "not the nicest thing," but advocating for its use when "the enemy" is "chopping off people's heads."

"You have to fight fire with fire," Trump decided. "We have to be so strong. We have to fight so viciously. And violently because we're dealing with violent people viciously."

Painting a picture, Trump told the few-thousand gathered in the Ohio University Eastern gymnasium that "they eat dinner like us. Can you imagine them sitting around the table or wherever they're eating their dinner, talking about the Americans don't do waterboarding and yet we chop off heads? They probably think we're weak, we're stupid, we don't know what we're doing, we have no leadership. You know, you have to fight fire with fire."

It was unclear if Trump was advocating for the United States to allow the same kind of behaviors that ISIS and other terror groups employ. A request for clarification went unanswered by the Trump campaign.

[Hoot Gibson]

Sounds like the GOP Convention is going to be a circus befitting a clown nominee. Elephants are all that is missing - but planning for the event is still in progress.

Trump Campaign Lining Up Tyson and Ditka for Convention
Several sports personalities and musical entertainers have agreed to appear at this summer's convention.

ESPN has nothing on this summer's Republican national convention.

Donald Trump’s campaign aides are lining up a slate of iconic sports figures to appear at the national convention in Cleveland next month—including former undisputed world heavyweight champion Mike Tyson, legendary Chicago Bears coach Mike Ditka, former Indiana University basketball coach Bobby Knight and NASCAR chief Brian France, people familiar with the planning told Bloomberg Politics.

Talks are in the works with a broad slate of other celebrities and top athletes, so the list of those appearing at the convention will grow, organizers said.

But much of Trump’s current list of sports champs seems to be more targeted at male voters age 45 and older, rather than minority and female voters.

Trump has boasted in the past about his endorsement by Tyson, who has re-emerged in popular culture in recent years with roles in popular movies like “Hangover” and the publishing of a well-received memoir.

"Mike Tyson endorsed me, I love it,” Trump said in April in Indiana. “You know, all the tough guys endorse me. I like that.”

Following the Indiana rally, Trump was criticized for touting the endorsement of the former boxer who had served three years in prison after being convicted in the state for raping a beauty pageant contestant.

The sports stars’ specific roles at the convention have not yet been finalized, and it is unclear whether they will speak on stage to delegates and television cameras. Representatives of those lined up to appear did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Trump has said on the campaign trail that he wants the event to be a gathering of “winners”—and not politicians, like at past conventions. “We’re going to do it a little different, if that’s OK,” he said in Virginia earlier this month. “I’m thinking about getting some of the great sports people who like me a lot.”

Trump frequently credits the endorsement from the chair-throwing Knight for his Indiana primary victory. Tyson and France have publicly backed Trump, and Ditka has voiced strong support for the presumptive Republican nominee.

Separately, third-party groups have booked musicians to perform at venues throughout Cleveland during the July 18-21 convention: the quintessential 1960s-era surfer band The Beach Boys; 1970s-era rock band Journey; Bret Michaels, the frontman of the 1980s-era metal band Poison; 80s hitmaker Rick Springfield: country singer Martina McBride, who rose to stardom in the 1990s; country band Rascal Flatts, who formed in Ohio in 1999; and The Band Perry, a siblings trio known for country pop songs.

The cost for the musical performances will be covered by various private groups, not the Republican National Committee or the convention's host committee, said Kirsten Kukowksi, convention spokeswoman. She declined to comment on program details.

The organizations hosting the concerts are Concerts for a Cause, the Creative Coalition, the Cleveland Clinic's educational foundation, law firm Jones Day’s foundation and others.

The design for the stage, with curving white staircases and a huge digital screen made up of more than 600 LED panels, was unveiled at a news conference Tuesday inside Quicken Loans Arena.

[Pick6]

You have got to be kidding? There is NOTHING in Trumps background that even remotely compares to attending political spin meetings while knowing Americans were under attack, compromising Americas Security for the sake of convenience and obfuscation of her service to The Clinton Foundation while serving as Sec. of State , and, accepting contributions from many parties, including The Peoples Republic of China!

There will be NO jobs left in America if HRC is elected! HRC is a PROVEN INCOMPETENT in matters of National Security, and Economics. HRC is a CLOSET NEOCON who will invade Syria and overthrow its government, while avoiding references to Islamic Terror as if foreign interventionism didn't promote radicalization.

There is NO CHOICE for the rational voter.

[Pick6]

Much of what you have posted here is UNTRUE!

[The Urban Sombrero]

Much of what you have posted here is UNTRUE!

"My candidate is a god; the other is a devil.". Please.

[Pick6]

And Trumps sins are what exactly?

Building a billion dollar business from a million dollar seed?
Insisting that people from hostile locations be vetted prior to admission to the country?
Enforcing Immigration law and taking action to close the border to illegal migration and drug traffic?
Reversing stupid trade deals that hemorrhage jobs?
Reversing environmental regulation that kills the coal industry?
Funding his campaign through personal funds and small donations?

[Pick6]

[Image: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CmIDGfvWQAIENIr.jpg:large]

[Pick6]

With Trump spending no money and Crooked Hillary having spent $70 million! Can't wait for the debates where HRC has to defend her record!

[Granny Bear]

^
There won't be any......bet on it!

Hoot, I would like to know your opinion, on what a viable option is for American voters.

[The Urban Sombrero]

And Trumps sins are what exactly?

Building a billion dollar business from a million dollar seed?
Insisting that people from hostile locations be vetted prior to admission to the country?
Enforcing Immigration law and taking action to close the border to illegal migration and drug traffic?
Reversing stupid trade deals that hemorrhage jobs?
Reversing environmental regulation that kills the coal industry?
Funding his campaign through personal funds and small donations?

I'm no fan of NAFTA, etc., but it is also true that isolationism as economic policy costs jobs, and as foreign policy threatens security. In my view, balance and fairness is needed, not extremism in either direction.

[TheRealThing]

You have got to be kidding? There is NOTHING in Trumps background that even remotely compares to attending political spin meetings while knowing Americans were under attack, compromising Americas Security for the sake of convenience and obfuscation of her service to The Clinton Foundation while serving as Sec. of State , and, accepting contributions from many parties, including The Peoples Republic of China!

There will be NO jobs left in America if HRC is elected! HRC is a PROVEN INCOMPETENT in matters of National Security, and Economics. HRC is a CLOSET NEOCON who will invade Syria and overthrow its government, while avoiding references to Islamic Terror as if foreign interventionism didn't promote radicalization.

There is NO CHOICE for the rational voter.

Key word; rational

[TheRealThing]

I'm no fan of NAFTA, etc., but it is also true that isolationism as economic policy costs jobs, and as foreign policy threatens security. In my view, balance and fairness is needed, not extremism in either direction.

There were a number of alternatives open to the US in the Iran nuclear negotiations other than total capitulation or war. But not if one listened to Mr Obama. Likewise, there are infinite alternatives open to the US versus NAFTA/TPP movement. The UK just did us a big favor in showing us how a nation cuts it's ties with blood sucking neighbors. England found her resources being syphoned off to the other 27 member nations of the EU in exchange for narrowing freedoms and personal opportunity.

The US should bail out of NAFTA (burn the TPP agreement to ashes and then bury them in a nuclear waste dump) then, with the same assurances and intentions England has made to her trade and defense partners, reclaim her sovereign right to control her own borders and trade in a way that makes sense for both sides, not just Mexico for example.

The short of it is this, we certainly had other options than war with Iran, and we have other options other than NAFTA and TPP.

[Hoot Gibson]

You have got to be kidding? There is NOTHING in Trumps background that even remotely compares to attending political spin meetings while knowing Americans were under attack, compromising Americas Security for the sake of convenience and obfuscation of her service to The Clinton Foundation while serving as Sec. of State , and, accepting contributions from many parties, including The Peoples Republic of China!

There will be NO jobs left in America if HRC is elected! HRC is a PROVEN INCOMPETENT in matters of National Security, and Economics. HRC is a CLOSET NEOCON who will invade Syria and overthrow its government, while avoiding references to Islamic Terror as if foreign interventionism didn't promote radicalization.

There is NO CHOICE for the rational voter.

You are right about one thing. There is no good choice for a rational voter. Neither Trump nor Hillary Clinton are qualified or trustworthy enough to be president. You can flip a coin and choose the lesser of two evils, but if you think you are casting a vote for somebody who has earned it, you are just fooling yourself.

[Hoot Gibson]

Much of what you have posted here is UNTRUE!

If you want to be a little more specific, then I will be glad to either agree with you or refute your position.

[Hoot Gibson]

And Trumps sins are what exactly?

Building a billion dollar business from a million dollar seed?

This claim is not true. Trump's father played a far greater role in his success than the $1 million loan that Trump likes to talk about. Fred Trump left his children roughly $200 million, co-signed loans for Trump, and even bought $3 million in chips from a Trump casino to bail young Donald out. Trump did not start with nothing and become a success without a great deal of help from his family. Trump is just not a person who likes to share credit where it is due.

Insisting that people from hostile locations be vetted prior to admission to the country?

Trump has not done this. It is one of his "suggestions."

Enforcing Immigration law and taking action to close the border to illegal migration and drug traffic?

Again, this is a Trump suggestion. He also recently said that Obama has deported more illegal aliens than any president in history, which is not true, and said that he would be more "compassionate." Trump's suggestions change depending on his audience.

Reversing stupid trade deals that hemorrhage jobs?

Again, Trump has not done this. He has suggested that he might do it if elected. Trump's actual record has been to employ foreign workers in this country and to have products manufactured off shore.

Reversing environmental regulation that kills the coal industry?

This would be great if Trump would actually do this if he is elected, but over the past eight years, Obama has filled the EPA, MSHA, OSM, and other federal agencies with socialists like himself and getting rid of bureaucrats is not easy. Trump is totally unqualified and inexperienced with running a bureaucracy and I doubt that putting coal miners back to work is high on his list of priorities.

Funding his campaign through personal funds and small donations?

This claim is mostly false. Trump is forfeiting loans to his campaign worth tens of millions of dollars in a campaign that may require $1 billion or more to be competitive. Trump is soliciting funds from many of the same donors that have contributed to Hillary Clinton and other wealthy donors that have contributed to past Republican nominees. Ten percent of Trump's campaign expenditures have been to Trump's own companies and his campaign finance manager is from Goldman Sachs and a former employee of George Soros.

[64SUR]

Posters let's be honesty, Trump wants to get fired during the convention. :popcorn::popcorn::popcorn:

[Hoot Gibson]

With Trump spending no money and Crooked Hillary having spent $70 million! Can't wait for the debates where HRC has to defend her record!

Will Ducking Donald debate Hillary? If he does, it could get ugly for him. She speaks in full sentences and when he had an opportunity to debate one or two opponents during the primaries, Trump bailed.

Neither Trump nor Hillary are great debaters, but if you are counting on the mainstream media moderators letting Trump run out the clock by filling the time with personal insults, then you will be disappointed. The questions will be stacked against Trump and the moderators will have Hillary's back. Trump is to inexperienced to handle Hillary and adversarial moderators in a debate.

[Hoot Gibson]

^
There won't be any......bet on it!

Hoot, I would like to know your opinion, on what a viable option is for American voters.

I have answered that question repeatedly, Granny. I don't see a viable option. A rational person who is a liberal will probably vote for Hillary. Most rational voters who are Republicans will probably vote for Trump. Many rational conservatives will vote for Trump, others will vote for the most conservative candidate on the ballot, and others will stay home.

The most likely options that will be available to voters in November will result in a dishonest liberal candidate becoming our next president. I personally do not believe either candidate would be a president that anybody will be proud of helping elect four years from now.

[Hoot Gibson]

Posters let's be honesty, Trump wants to get fired during the convention. :popcorn::popcorn::popcorn:

If that happens, then Trump will waste no time in adding to his long list of pending lawsuits. Trump has created thousands of jobs for lawyers. He is a walking, talking, ad for tort reform. :biggrin:

[Pick6]

Will Ducking Donald debate Hillary? If he does, it could get ugly for him. She speaks in full sentences and when he had an opportunity to debate one or two opponents during the primaries, Trump bailed.

Neither Trump nor Hillary are great debaters, but if you are counting on the mainstream media moderators letting Trump run out the clock by filling the time with personal insults, then you will be disappointed. The questions will be stacked against Trump and the moderators will have Hillary's back. Trump is to inexperienced to handle Hillary and adversarial moderators in a debate.

Over 25 books have been authored documenting the character deficit, inability to be truthful, and the sole motivation of HRC to serve HERSELF. Pick 2 or 3 and read.

Trump has 0 such books written about him. In fact, no one called him a racist or bigot until he ran for office. But then again we all know that the new definition of racist or bigot is :

"Disagreeing with a liberal"

When people talk about how much she spends on attack TV adds, I say "Who watches TV?".

[Hoot Gibson]

Over 25 books have been authored documenting the character deficit, inability to be truthful, and the sole motivation of HRC to serve HERSELF. Pick 2 or 3 and read.

Trump has 0 such books written about him. In fact, no one called him a racist or bigot until he ran for office. But then again we all know that the new definition of racist or bigot is :

"Disagreeing with a liberal"

When people talk about how much she spends on attack TV adds, I say "Who watches TV?".

Negative ads are effective in politics and Trump cannot win the election without spending heavily to counter Clinton's ads. Trump is also relying almost entirely on the GOP's own ground organization because he has not invested in one of his own.

You are right about the books that have been written about the Clintons. Most of them have been very unflattering and should be enough to convince anybody not to vote for Hillary. But even with all of the negatives, most of which her strongest supporters are already aware, Clinton has now led Trump in the last 22 national polls listed by Real Clear Politics.

In contrast to Hillary, most voters are not aware of the details of Trump's background, so if Hillary is allowed to spend hundreds of millions of dollars more attacking Trump than he spends to respond and make counter attacks, Trump's poll numbers will go down.

Trump was the beneficiary of more free, positive publicity during the GOP primaries than all of his opponents combined. That is not happening since Trump became the presumptive Republican nominee. Nor is it going to happen between now and November.

If Trump wants to win, he will have to buy positive media coverage in large blocks. The media will always side with liberal Democrats over Republicans in a general presidential campaign. Trump is not immune to basic political facts. If he cannot spend about as much on his campaign as Hillary does, then he will get trounced. (Assuming Hillary stays out of jail until after the election.)

[Pick6]

Negative ads are effective in politics and Trump cannot win the election without spending heavily to counter Clinton's ads. Trump is also relying almost entirely on the GOP's own ground organization because he has not invested in one of his own.

You are right about the books that have been written about the Clintons. Most of them have been very unflattering and should be enough to convince anybody not to vote for Hillary. But even with all of the negatives, most of which her strongest supporters are already aware, Clinton has now led Trump in the last 22 national polls listed by Real Clear Politics.

In contrast to Hillary, most voters are not aware of the details of Trump's background, so if Hillary is allowed to spend hundreds of millions of dollars more attacking Trump than he spends to respond and make counter attacks, Trump's poll numbers will go down.

Trump was the beneficiary of more free, positive publicity during the GOP primaries than all of his opponents combined. That is not happening since Trump became the presumptive Republican nominee. Nor is it going to happen between now and November.

If Trump wants to win, he will have to buy positive media coverage in large blocks. The media will always side with liberal Democrats over Republicans in a general presidential campaign. Trump is not immune to basic political facts. If he cannot spend about as much on his campaign as Hillary does, then he will get trounced. (Assuming Hillary stays out of jail until after the election.)

Again, who watches TV? Not millennials. True, the media is united against Trump. Public approval of the media is 0. It is universally acknowledged that there is no longer such a thing as unbiased press. Everything that has hurt Trump has been done by Trump to himself. Nothing that Hillary has done or said has stuck. Her constituency is largely a population that depends upon government for survival. The fact the traditional 1 percenter GOP donors are not donating to Trump is not a liability, it is an ASSET. It only reinforces the point that Hillary is owned , and Trump, is not.