[WideRight05]

Wrong, the voter spoke and you cannot accept that. Now you're pinning your hopes on a contested convention that no one, not even Rich Lowry at this point, has the stomach for. Cruz should be the Veep, that would be both classy and classic. He'd be at the top of the political world for the next 16 years.

Bob Dole, John McCain, and Mitt Romney all won the confidence of the voter. Just because someone wins the votes necessary to make it, doesn't mean they will necessarily be the best choice. I don't know enough about Dole's election, but I would bet that there were people that would have done a better job than all three of the previously mentioned candidates.

Anybody who has a shot at the presidency, especially being in a position like Cruz was, should go for that opportunity. You never know what will happen. If Chris Christie ran in 2012, he probably would have won the primary and went on to eventually win the presidency. Although him and Cruz are two different animals, if someone has the opportunity to make a deep run for the POTUS they should absolutely go for it.

Trump has acted classless this whole campaign. Whether it's bringing 90 year old Barbara Bush into an attack ad or his inappropriate comments on Twitter, there is no way he is in the same realm as any of the other 16 candidates when it comes to having class.

[WideRight05]

Ah I see the neverTrumper is still at it. You really should switch to democrat, because you're doing a fine job of cheering for Clinton. I guess you want abortions and gay marriage to continue. I mean there are only two options here, Trump or Clinton. Throwing a vote to anyone else is just being selfish and making yourself feel good. Maybe you want Hillary to determine the next 20 years of our country with her SCOTUS picks. We already know what she wants, Trump put out a very good list of judges, I'll take my chances with the unknown Trump over the known Hillary any day. Just don't come back whining over abortions and gay marriage when you've done nothing but berate the Presumptive nominee of the Republican Party. Is Trump perfect? No he isn't, but the man did beat 16 others to earn the nod.

Oh, there you are! I figured you stopped posting after you couldn't come up with anything against me a while back.

I don't agree with the likes of TRT, RIUTG, DeMarcus Ware and others in who they're voting for and how they've gone about it, but at least they actually post and contribute to the forum. All I see you do is poke your head in every now and then and drop an insult. You called us out by the way - and you stated you would return to provide an example but never did. :biglmao:

[Hoot Gibson]

Wrong, the voter spoke and you cannot accept that. Now you're pinning your hopes on a contested convention that no one, not even Rich Lowry at this point, has the stomach for. Cruz should be the Veep, that would be both classy and classic. He'd be at the top of the political world for the next 16 years. And BTW, it would just take one guy like him coming to his senses and accepting the people's will to turn the fortunes of this country around. Trump and Cruz, Make America Great Again.

I believe that Cruz is too smart to throw his political career by being part of the 2016 ticket.

Elections are not won on the strength of the VP nominee. Maybe you and others who fancy themselves as conservatives but supported a liberal in the primaries should have voted for Cruz instead. Most Cruz supporters, including me, would be very disappointed if Cruz accepted the VP slot on Don the Con's ticket.

[TheRealThing]

I believe that Cruz is too smart to throw his political career by being part of the 2016 ticket.

Elections are not won on the strength of the VP nominee. Maybe you and others who fancy themselves as conservatives but supported a liberal in the primaries should have voted for Cruz instead. Most Cruz supporters, including me, would be very disappointed if Cruz accepted the VP slot on Don the Con's ticket.

This is what I fancy. If Cruz is half as smart as he is supposed to be, and if he is one half the patriot he lets on, and if he wants to fast track his political fortunes, he will wind up on the ticket. Here's to your disappointment. :biggrin:

[TheRealThing]

Bob Dole, John McCain, and Mitt Romney all won the confidence of the voter. Just because someone wins the votes necessary to make it, doesn't mean they will necessarily be the best choice. I don't know enough about Dole's election, but I would bet that there were people that would have done a better job than all three of the previously mentioned candidates.

Anybody who has a shot at the presidency, especially being in a position like Cruz was, should go for that opportunity. You never know what will happen. If Chris Christie ran in 2012, he probably would have won the primary and went on to eventually win the presidency. Although him and Cruz are two different animals, if someone has the opportunity to make a deep run for the POTUS they should absolutely go for it.

Trump has acted classless this whole campaign. Whether it's bringing 90 year old Barbara Bush into an attack ad or his inappropriate comments on Twitter, there is no way he is in the same realm as any of the other 16 candidates when it comes to having class.

That is your opinion, even though it is not based in experience. If you had any idea what you're talking about you know how dangerous it is to try to depose the Presumptive nominee. Rich Lowry said only this evening that for such a move to be made at the convention, Trump would have to be freefalling in the polls, instead he's gaining. And that political elites would have to be deserting him in droves, instead they are moving behind him to support his eventual status as the Republican nominee. There has never been any kind of meaningful or honest challenge to that outcome. Only loose talk and contempt. You're joining that crowd now?

[WideRight05]

We disagree about Trump's chances of winning. To me, it seems like Trump is determined to lose. Selecting Newt as his VP candidate would help him achieve that goal. Newt is not a good campaigner. With Newt, potential voters would be treated to one candidate who speaks mostly in sentence fragments and prefers to communicate with voters in 140 character bits. Newt is the exact opposite. He is very intelligent but will bore the kind of people who might support Trump to tears with his long winded speeches.

The only thing that Cotton might bring to a Trump ticket would be to appeal to conservatives - but most people vote based on the top of the ticket and don't give much thought to the VP. And if Trump needs help winning Arkansas or any other state in the deep south, then no VP pick is going to enable him to avoid a massive loss.

The smart money is on Hillary. If members of Congress believed that Trump had a better than even chance of winning in November, there would not be so many holdouts. I don't think Trump won over many new converts during his recent visit with Republican House and Senate members.

I hope that no young conservative risks his or her career by accepting a spot on Trump's ticket. Newt, a political has-been, would be the perfect running mate for a candidate who will probably lose anyway. If circumstances required Newt to replace Trump, then he is very qualified to be president, unlike the top of the ticket.

Trump did invite Ted Cruz to speak at the convention and Cruz accepted the invitation (without endorsing Trump). That was a step in the right direction.

BTW, I have always respected Newt. He was the most outstanding Speaker of the House of my lifetime and he has a great understanding of what has made this country great. I thoroughly enjoyed a controversial U.S. History class that he taught while he served in the House.

My opinion differs. At this point I see Trump pulling it out just because of Hillary having all the red tape she does. I just don't see her pulling it out. Trump's base is much smaller than they want you to think, but they are fired up a great deal more. Although Trump has a few unenthusiastic voters, I would say that most of Hillary's base feels the same way about her that Mitt Romney's base felt about him in 2012. Not much enthusiasm, but they think she is better than what the opposition offers.

Overall, most people are disappointed in the outcome of the primaries. At least over the course of my lifetime, it has been tough to take either candidate seriously but this one really takes the cake.

I used to like Newt a lot but not as much now considering he has leaned a little bit to the left on a couple key issues in recent years. Newt is very, very smart - to the point where it impacts his ability to socialize and in speeches.

I do respect that Newt goes to such lengths in his speeches. He is the type that an informed political voter would enjoy listening to whether they agree with him or not.

I just can't see him picking Newt as his VP though. The reason, Newt is the type that will call something out if he sees it as wrong. Trump needs more of a "yes man."

Cotton isn't a "yes man" either, thus I honestly see it being someone like Mike Pence that runs with him.

[Hoot Gibson]

This is what I fancy. If Cruz is half as smart as he is supposed to be, and if he is one half the patriot he lets on, and if he wants to fast track his political fortunes, he will wind up on the ticket. Here's to your disappointment. :biggrin:

Trump is being trounced by Hillary in the polls. Serving as a VP or being associated with a strong presidential candidate can springboard a candidate into national prominence. Trump is the most unpopular presidential candidate in modern history. Hitching your wagon to a big loser is a career killer. Trump is a big loser.

[WideRight05]

That is your opinion, even though it is not based in experience. If you had any idea what you're talking about you know how dangerous it is to try to depose the Presumptive nominee. Rich Lowry said only this evening that for such a move to be made at the convention, Trump would have to be freefalling in the polls, instead he's gaining. And that political elites would have to be deserting him in droves, instead they are moving behind him to support his eventual status as the Republican nominee. There has never been any kind of meaningful or honest challenge to that outcome. Only loose talk and contempt. You're joining that crowd now?

You're acting like a petulant child, TRT. I just disagreed with you. But if you think I am going to take these kinds of remarks trying to dismiss me because of my youth, forget it. You can try to use your experience to dismiss me and elevate yourself all you want - but you certainly won't be able to dismiss that mistake you made in the back of that little head of yours.

If you had actually been reading my posts, you would have seen that I just posted that I thought Donald Trump would win the election over Hillary Clinton. I have said that several times now. The Republicans, yes, have really pushed their chances by electing him but I don't even think that Trump will lose to Hillary. This hoopla at the convention is just media hype. That won't happen. I didn't say anything about him freefalling in the polls. I know you're so obsessed with Hoot but you're dealing with a different animal here.

Second, I'll say this - you have taken shot after shot at my youth, but at least I have enough sense not to get so emotionally wrapped around a candidate that I can't see where they stand. It's evident TRT - if you had any idea of what you were talking about you would know that you had 15 of the 16 candidates that would have done more to protect life and marriage and you chose the one that is pro-transgender rights and has only mentioned abortion when pressed to by the pro-life wing of the party.

BTW, I find it hilarious how you preach how we will be held accountable for our vote. That's pretty tough to take seriously when you pick Trump over people like Mike Huckabee, Ted Cruz, or Marco Rubio. You should be hiding in a cave right now. :hilarious:

[Hoot Gibson]

My opinion differs. At this point I see Trump pulling it out just because of Hillary having all the red tape she does. I just don't see her pulling it out. Trump's base is much smaller than they want you to think, but they are fired up a great deal more. Although Trump has a few unenthusiastic voters, I would say that most of Hillary's base feels the same way about her that Mitt Romney's base felt about him in 2012. Not much enthusiasm, but they think she is better than what the opposition offers.

Overall, most people are disappointed in the outcome of the primaries. At least over the course of my lifetime, it has been tough to take either candidate seriously but this one really takes the cake.

I used to like Newt a lot but not as much now considering he has leaned a little bit to the left on a couple key issues in recent years. Newt is very, very smart - to the point where it impacts his ability to socialize and in speeches.

I do respect that Newt goes to such lengths in his speeches. He is the type that an informed political voter would enjoy listening to whether they agree with him or not.

I just can't see him picking Newt as his VP though. The reason, Newt is the type that will call something out if he sees it as wrong. Trump needs more of a "yes man."

Cotton isn't a "yes man" either, thus I honestly see it being someone like Mike Pence that runs with him.

I understand your position, but Trump is not displaying very good political instincts and he already trails by nearly 5 points in the RCP average of polls.

Hillary's campaign is going to outspend Trump by a wide margin. Interviews of families who have been ripped off by Donald Trump because of his serial bankruptcies and other failed projects (e.g., condos in which people invested heavily that were never built) will play a large role in this election. Small family business owners and employees will be sympathetic subjects of negative ads against Trump.

The fraud cases that are pending against Trump will also hurt him badly.

This should be a very easy election win for Republicans, but Trump is even a worse general campaign candidate than I expected he would be. The electoral map is looking very shaky for Trump.

IMO, it is very telling that so many Republican politicians are already distancing themselves from Trump. When the Speaker of the House is criticizing his own party's presidential candidate behavior, the road ahead is not going to be a smooth one.

[TheRealThing]

You're acting like a petulant child, TRT. I just disagreed with you. But if you think I am going to take these kinds of remarks trying to dismiss me because of my youth, forget it. You can try to use your experience to dismiss me and elevate yourself all you want - but you certainly won't be able to dismiss that mistake you made in the back of that little head of yours.

If you had actually been reading my posts, you would have seen that I just posted that I thought Donald Trump would win the election over Hillary Clinton. I have said that several times now. The Republicans, yes, have really pushed their chances by electing him but I don't even think that Trump will lose to Hillary. This hoopla at the convention is just media hype. That won't happen. I didn't say anything about him freefalling in the polls. I know you're so obsessed with Hoot but you're dealing with a different animal here.

Second, I'll say this - you have taken shot after shot at my youth, but at least I have enough sense not to get so emotionally wrapped around a candidate that I can't see where they stand. It's evident TRT - if you had any idea of what you were talking about you would know that you had 15 of the 16 candidates that would have done more to protect life and marriage and you chose the one that is pro-transgender rights and has only mentioned abortion when pressed to by the pro-life wing of the party.

BTW, I find it hilarious how you preach how we will be held accountable for our vote. That's pretty tough to take seriously when you pick Trump over people like Mike Huckabee, Ted Cruz, or Marco Rubio. You should be hiding in a cave right now. :hilarious:

I know you weren't around in 1976 to vote for Bob Dole, you likely made the age threshold for the election in which John McCain ran against Obama, did you vote in that one? At any rate, you'd have to make your vague assertion a bit more clear if you expect me to understand the nature of your, whatever it is.

Two things. Trump is the presumptive nominee, to try to depose him would not only be doomed to fail but would be political suicide for those behind it. Secondly, I did not pick Trump, the 15 million who actually voted for him did, and Mike Huckabee, Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio all dropped out of the race long ago so maybe you could clarify how it is that I picked Trump over them. BTW, just a little aside here, though I always vote Republican, I did not change my voter registration on which I am identified as a Democrat, therefore my vote in the Kentucky Republican Caucus was an abstention.

[WideRight05]

I understand your position, but Trump is not displaying very good political instincts and he already trails by nearly 5 points in the RCP average of polls.

Hillary's campaign is going to outspend Trump by a wide margin. Interviews of families who have been ripped off by Donald Trump because of his serial bankruptcies and other failed projects (e.g., condos in which people invested heavily that were never built) will play a large role in this election. Small family business owners and employees will be sympathetic subjects of negative ads against Trump.

The fraud cases that are pending against Trump will also hurt him badly.

This should be a very easy election win for Republicans, but Trump is even a worse general campaign candidate than I expected he would be. The electoral map is looking very shaky for Trump.

IMO, it is very telling that so many Republican politicians are already distancing themselves from Trump. When the Speaker of the House is criticizing his own party's presidential candidate behavior, the road ahead is not going to be a smooth one.

The one thing that could hurt Trump heavily is how much he has divided the party. After all the insults from Trump and his supporters, now everyone else is expected to swing over and follow them. I just don't see him being able to pull supporters over. It's just not the type of person he is. Trump's strengths are that he is good at punching away and taking a stand - the problem is, he is bad to go too far with it sometimes and he has done so to the point where he has damaged relationships in the party with people who would have been key allies.

I see him pulling a few disgruntled Republicans over though, at least just enough to where he can beat Clinton. The fraud cases, I don't see being too much of a factor. They will likely be settled.

Hillary will certainly go to deep lengths to tear into him though. My guess is she is going to go further than using people who have worked for Trump - you may have mentioned this before, but I could very well see her using a disabled person or even a veteran that worked for one of Trump's companies, and - even though Trump wouldn't know of the scenario - they would bash Trump because of how they were treated.

Most voters do not think highly of either candidate - but considering they have the choice of one or the other, more will probably go toward Trump.

[The Urban Sombrero]

⬆⬆ How does Trump get to 270? What states does he flip? Can he change the Obama/Romney map enough to get to 270? At this point, I don't see it. But, it's just early July.

[Hoot Gibson]

I know you weren't around in 1976 to vote for Bob Dole, you likely made the age threshold for the election in which John McCain ran against Obama, did you vote in that one? At any rate, you'd have to make your vague assertion a bit more clear if you expect me to understand the nature of your, whatever it is.

Two things. Trump is the presumptive nominee, to try to depose him would not only be doomed to fail but would be political suicide for those behind it. Secondly, I did not pick Trump, the 15 million who actually voted for him did, and Mike Huckabee, Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio all dropped out of the race long ago so maybe you could clarify how it is that I picked Trump over them. BTW, just a little aside here, though I always vote Republican, I did not change my voter registration on which I am identified as a Democrat, therefore my vote in the Kentucky Republican Caucus was an abstention.

All that time saying that you supported Cruz and now you disclose that you are actually a registered Democrat who did not care enough to switch your registration? I am not surprised at all that you are a Democrat. That explains your blind support of Trump. A Democrat lecturing a conservative about how he should vote. Ain't that precious! nicker:

[WideRight05]

I know you weren't around in 1976 to vote for Bob Dole, you likely made the age threshold for the election in which John McCain ran against Obama, did you vote in that one? At any rate, you'd have to make your vague assertion a bit more clear if you expect me to understand the nature of your, whatever it is.

Two things. Trump is the presumptive nominee, to try to depose him would not only be doomed to fail but would be political suicide for those behind it. Secondly, I did not pick Trump, the 15 million who actually voted for him did, and Mike Huckabee, Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio all dropped out of the race long ago so maybe you could clarify how it is that I picked Trump over them. BTW, just a little aside here, though I always vote Republican, I did not change my voter registration on which I am identified as a Democrat, therefore my vote in the Kentucky Republican Caucus was an abstention.

I think you meant to say 1996, yes I was around but not eligible to vote because of age and yes I voted for John McCain in the 2008 election.

You can keep trying to rub in the numbers to me all you want. I don't care what the people chose, I don't care if he won by 1 million, 5 million, or 50 million. Most of them made a decision based entirely on emotion with very little understanding of their surroundings.

So you didn't vote in the primary? And you're on here yapping about how not voting is a vote for Hillary Clinton? Wow. You clearly knew who to vote for, TRT. This was a very important primary to preserve the values that you claim to hold so dear. Instad, you got on here and advocated for Trump well before the primaries were decided. Well before even the earliest candidates dropped.

If anybody on here has been vague, it has been you. I should vote for Trump because....he won the primaries and people like Chris Christie are supporting him. Got it. nicker:

[TheRealThing]

I think you meant to say 1996, yes I was around but not eligible to vote because of age and yes I voted for John McCain in the 2008 election.

You can keep trying to rub in the numbers to me all you want. I don't care what the people chose, I don't care if he won by 1 million, 5 million, or 50 million. Most of them made a decision based entirely on emotion with very little understanding of their surroundings.

So you didn't vote in the primary? And you're on here yapping about how not voting is a vote for Hillary Clinton? Wow. You clearly knew who to vote for, TRT. This was a very important primary to preserve the values that you claim to hold so dear. Instad, you got on here and advocated for Trump well before the primaries were decided. Well before even the earliest candidates dropped.

If anybody on here has been vague, it has been you. I should vote for Trump because....he won the primaries and people like Chris Christie are supporting him. Got it. nicker:

Typo. I guess it escaped you but primary and caucus votes in Kentucky were closed to the opposing party. I didn't have to worry because as everybody knew the vote was going to be between Trump and Cruz, I liked both of them.

[WideRight05]

Typo. I guess it escaped you but primary and caucus votes in Kentucky were closed to the opposing party. I didn't have to worry because as everybody knew the vote was going to be between Trump and Cruz, I liked both of them.

You liked everybody else as long as they weren't running against Trump. Then all of a sudden they turned into establishment cronies.

[TheRealThing]

All that time saying that you supported Cruz and now you disclose that you are actually a registered Democrat who did not care enough to switch your registration? I am not surprised at all that you are a Democrat. That explains your blind support of Trump. A Democrat lecturing a conservative about how he should vote. Ain't that precious! nicker:

The only time registrations mean anything is for closed primaries and you know it. It was no secret that I was registered as a Democrat as I explained to TRV the circumstances of that very case and I would bet that you remember reading it on here. After all the poison you have spewed on here I could care less whether you approve of the disposition of my voter registration or not.

Your efforts on here to disparage Trump have been epic and shameful IMO. You cannot accept the fact that he is the presumptive nominee. You hope to smear him enough to help facilitate the absurd possibility that Cruz or somebody will get parachuted in to take Trump's place.

[TheRealThing]

You liked everybody else as long as they weren't running against Trump. Then all of a sudden they turned into establishment cronies.

Never said anything like that. But evidently unlike you, I understood that he had won a plurality of the delegates.

[Hoot Gibson]

The one thing that could hurt Trump heavily is how much he has divided the party. After all the insults from Trump and his supporters, now everyone else is expected to swing over and follow them. I just don't see him being able to pull supporters over. It's just not the type of person he is. Trump's strengths are that he is good at punching away and taking a stand - the problem is, he is bad to go too far with it sometimes and he has done so to the point where he has damaged relationships in the party with people who would have been key allies.

I see him pulling a few disgruntled Republicans over though, at least just enough to where he can beat Clinton. The fraud cases, I don't see being too much of a factor. They will likely be settled.

Hillary will certainly go to deep lengths to tear into him though. My guess is she is going to go further than using people who have worked for Trump - you may have mentioned this before, but I could very well see her using a disabled person or even a veteran that worked for one of Trump's companies, and - even though Trump wouldn't know of the scenario - they would bash Trump because of how they were treated.

Most voters do not think highly of either candidate - but considering they have the choice of one or the other, more will probably go toward Trump.

There are many small businesses that have been taken advantage of Trump over the years. Whether the fraud suits are settled or not won't make much difference. There will still be victims prepared to go on record to describe how Trump University defrauded them. They will show up in Hillary ads and they will be coached to appear as sympathetic as possible.

Don't forget the treasure trove of Trump videos from the primaries. How hard will it be to portray Trump as a conspiracy nut who believes everything that he reads in the National Enquirer? Suggesting that a political opponent's father may have been involved in the JFK assassination sounds pretty nuts no matter how you roll the tape.

The campaign ads from the Hillary campaign during the last month of the campaign are going to be brutal. I don't know how Trump will weather that storm.

I know that you did not suggest Cruz as a potential VP, but a few thoughts occurred to me as I visualized the kind of negative ads that Hillary and her Super PACs will be running against Trump.

Senator Cruz, "Was Donald Trump lying when he called you Lyin' Ted with every other breath, or did you earn that nickname?"

Senator, "Has Donald Trump apologized to your father for implying that he may have been part of the plot to kill JFK?"

Senator, "As a Hispanic American, how did you feel when Mr. Trump repeatedly referred to an American citizen presiding over a fraud suit against him as a Mexican?"

Even if Cruz were open to being Trump's VP, Trump has already disqualified him for the position. Cruz would be a liability to Trump because he is an honest man and answering questions about Trump honestly would not help Trump's chances at all.

[Hoot Gibson]

The only time registrations mean anything is for closed primaries and you know it. It was no secret that I was registered as a Democrat as I explained to TRV the circumstances of that very case and I would bet that you remember reading it on here. After all the poison you have spewed on here I could care less whether you approve of the disposition of my voter registration or not.

Your efforts on here to disparage Trump have been epic and shameful IMO. You cannot accept the fact that he is the presumptive nominee. You hope to smear him enough to help facilitate the absurd possibility that Cruz or somebody will get parachuted in to take Trump's place.

I have no problems with registered Democrats. You said that you supported Cruz, although consistently sided with Trump when Trump made false charges against Cruz. So, by supporting Cruz, you did not change your registration and vote for Trump. I am sure that Ted deeply appreciated your support.

It seems a bit hypocritical to personally attack another person who did support and vote for Ted Cruz at a time when it mattered, and not even bother to vote yourself. You had a chance to cast a vote against Hillary and passed. That is what I would expect a Democrat to do. :lmao:

[WideRight05]

Never said anything like that. But evidently unlike you, I understood that he had won a plurality of the delegates.

Go back and re-read some of the threads from the primaries. Your posts there say different.

[Hoot Gibson]

The only time registrations mean anything is for closed primaries and you know it. It was no secret that I was registered as a Democrat as I explained to TRV the circumstances of that very case and I would bet that you remember reading it on here. After all the poison you have spewed on here I could care less whether you approve of the disposition of my voter registration or not.

Your efforts on here to disparage Trump have been epic and shameful IMO. You cannot accept the fact that he is the presumptive nominee. You hope to smear him enough to help facilitate the absurd possibility that Cruz or somebody will get parachuted in to take Trump's place.

No, you are wrong again. As long as you respond to criticism of Trump with insults, then I will respond to your personal insults with criticism of Trump. Maybe you should write that down somewhere. I am pretty sure that I explained the system to you before.

[TheRealThing]

I have no problems with registered Democrats. You said that you supported Cruz, although consistently sided with Trump when Trump made false charges against Cruz. So, by supporting Cruz, you did not change your registration and vote for Trump. I am sure that Ted deeply appreciated your support.

It seems a bit hypocritical to personally attack another person who did support and vote for Ted Cruz at a time when it mattered, and not even bother to vote yourself. You had a chance to cast a vote against Hillary and passed. That is what I would expect a Democrat to do. :lmao:

Primary voting if you hadn't noticed, though stories on the subject at one time this year filled the news as Republican caucus and primary polling places were suddenly overwhelmed by people, many of whom had never or rarely, voted in a primary in their life. It was a small oversight on my part that I haven't lost a second's sleep over.

In your mind coming on here and filling up volumes with unsubstantiated character assassinations is perfectly fine, but my voter registration, now there's a scandal for you.

[WideRight05]

There are many small businesses that have been taken advantage of Trump over the years. Whether the fraud suits are settled or not won't make much difference. There will still be victims prepared to go on record to describe how Trump University defrauded them. They will show up in Hillary ads and they will be coached to appear as sympathetic as possible.

Don't forget the treasure trove of Trump videos from the primaries. How hard will it be to portray Trump as a conspiracy nut who believes everything that he reads in the National Enquirer? Suggesting that a political opponent's father may have been involved in the JFK assassination sounds pretty nuts no matter how you roll the tape.

The campaign ads from the Hillary campaign during the last month of the campaign are going to be brutal. I don't know how Trump will weather that storm.

I know that you did not suggest Cruz as a potential VP, but a few thoughts occurred to me as I visualized the kind of negative ads that Hillary and her Super PACs will be running against Trump.

Senator Cruz, "Was Donald Trump lying when he called you Lyin' Ted with every other breath, or did you earn that nickname?"

Senator, "Has Donald Trump apologized to your father for implying that he may have been part of the plot to kill JFK?"

Senator, "As a Hispanic American, how did you feel when Mr. Trump repeatedly referred to an American citizen presiding over a fraud suit against him as a Mexican?"

Even if Cruz were open to being Trump's VP, Trump has already disqualified him for the position. Cruz would be a liability to Trump because he is an honest man and answering questions about Trump honestly would not help Trump's chances at all.

That will present a problem. This was such a heated primary, she can easily find material from any of the other 16 candidates. I think Cruz will give Trump a pat on the back and move on, but the main ones behind him - Carson and Christie, my guess is that she comes up with footage of them attacking Trump. Carson would be the main one she uses because of the footage showing Trump comparing his psychology to a child molester.

I think the big mistake Hillary will make is trying to portray Trump as a racist. I think Trump is crazy in many ways, but he's not a racist. Hillary and her supporters love to sling those attacks on people who go against her. That, I think Trump will be able to overcome because of how tired people are getting of that term being slung around ever since Barack Obama ran. She may try to show him as someone who is just crazy, but I see her leaning toward the racial aspect which will end up helping Trump in the long run.

[TheRealThing]

Go back and re-read some of the threads from the primaries. Your posts there say different.

The only thing I said which tied any candidate to the establishment was with regard to Jeb Bush. He was their choice and I stick by that.

[Hoot Gibson]

Primary voting if you hadn't noticed, though stories on the subject at one time this year filled the news as Republican caucus and primary polling places were suddenly overwhelmed by people, many of whom had never or rarely, voted in a primary in their life. It was a small oversight on my part that I haven't lost a second's sleep over.

In your mind coming on here and filling up volumes with unsubstantiated character assassinations is perfectly fine, but my voter registration, now there's a scandal for you.

I know that hypocrisy does not bother you. The source of the articles to which I have linked does not matter to you. I recall you linking to Gateway Pundit, a former conservative blog turned Trump worship site. Yet, you ridicule me for posting links to Washington Post articles. As I said, you are not bothered in the least by hypocrisy.

I notice that you are fond of just characterizing all of the articles that I links as "unsubstantiated character assassinations." The fact that the articles come from every major media outlet in this country doesn't matter to you. I am sure that you don't bother to read any of the articles, including those that report direct quotes of Donald Trump.

Now, if you, a registered Democrat continue to engage in character assassination against Trump's critics, then I will happily continue to post factual information about Trump. Trump has earned his poor reputation. Trying to assassinate his character would be like shooting a corpse. I just report the facts and provide a little bit of context.

[WideRight05]

The only thing I said which tied any candidate to the establishment was with regard to Jeb Bush. He was their choice and I stick by that.

That is true, but you also did with the likes of Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz. Do you really think both of these guys are establishment cronies? The establishment can't stand either one of them.

[Bob Seger]

Hey guys, if I may, I would like to respectfully ask everyone to take a deep breath and step back for a brief timeout...I am afraid things are starting to get a little bit out of control...We all have our opinions, and I seriously doubt that anything anyone says will cause someone to change their thoughts on who they may support or who they may detest...There are about 4 or 5 of us who off this board are friends...Lets all take a moment to consider whether stating our opinions laced with personal injections is worth permanently ruining a friendship...If what we said on this board would be a factor in the outcome of this election, it would be one thing, but we all know that our opinions don't amount to a hill of beans in the outcome of Election 2016...How about it guys?

[WideRight05]

Hey guys, if I may, I would like to respectfully ask everyone to take a deep breath and step back for a brief timeout...I am afraid things are starting to get a little bit out of control...We all have our opinions, and I seriously doubt that anything anyone says will cause someone to change their thoughts on who they may support or who they may detest...There are about 4 or 5 of us who off this board are friends...Lets all take a moment to consider whether stating our opinions laced with personal injections is worth permanently ruining a friendship...If what we said on this board would be a factor in the outcome of this election, it would be one thing, but we all know that our opinions don't amount to a hill of beans in the outcome of Election 2016...How about it guys?

You're right Bob. You're absolutely right.

This is getting out of control - it's gotten way out of control for several months now and we should all take a step back - everyone, myself included. At the end of the day friendships are not worth ruining.

We're acting like a bunch of liberals.

[TheRealThing]

The only time registrations mean anything is for closed primaries and you know it. It was no secret that I was registered as a Democrat as I explained to TRV the circumstances of that very case and I would bet that you remember reading it on here. After all the poison you have spewed on here I could care less whether you approve of the disposition of my voter registration or not.

Your efforts on here to disparage Trump have been epic and shameful IMO. You cannot accept the fact that he is the presumptive nominee. You hope to smear him enough to help facilitate the absurd possibility that Cruz or somebody will get parachuted in to take Trump's place.

No, you are wrong again. As long as you respond to criticism of Trump with insults, then I will respond to your personal insults with criticism of Trump. Maybe you should write that down somewhere. I am pretty sure that I explained the system to you before.

No see you have to establish the first time I was wrong before you get to say that I'm wrong 'again.'

Are these your words or not? "A large majority of Republicans who voted in primaries and caucuses did not vote for Donald Trump. If, by some miracle of fate, the GOP delegates replace Trump with a strong candidate and a majority of the delegates, who themselves were elected to represent large numbers of other Republicans, unite behind another candidate, then how will the "will of the people" have been thwarted?"

And with deference to what Seger said, my concern here has been to protect the outcome of the primary season. Country should come first, and being truthful don't hurt either.