[Hoot Gibson]

Trump is not my first choice. Offbeat silly sarcasm is a trait of many Americans but usually not heard from presidential candidates. It means nothing and IMO is harmless. Is it different? Certainly. Right or wrong, something "different" is what many voters are hungry for.

So, having a smartass POTUS that feels 10 feet tall and bullet proof might not be such a bad thing. What we've been settling for has certainly been a bad thing.

I settled for Bush. I settled for McCain. I settled for Romney. There is no way that I am going to settle for an arrogant, dishonest liberal RINO.

BTW, I realize that Trump was being sarcastic, but I don't like his WWE style campaign speeches and constant stream of inappropriate tweets. It is not my idea of a good presidential campaign and I do not think it will be effective in the general campaign. The only reason that Trump might have a chance to win in November is that the Democrats really cannot field a decent candidate.

Hillary will probably be spending time in front of a judge and Bernie is a Marxist. Any other Republican candidate would coast to a win against either one of those losers. Trump's big mouth is his greatest asset and his greatest liability. Trump will depress Republican turnout among conservatives if he wins the nomination because of the kind of campaign that he is running against fellow Republicans.

[SKINNYPIG]

I settled for Bush. I settled for McCain. I settled for Romney. There is no way that I am going to settle for an arrogant, dishonest liberal RINO.

BTW, I realize that Trump was being sarcastic, but I don't like his WWE style campaign speeches and constant stream of inappropriate tweets. It is not my idea of a good presidential campaign and I do not think it will be effective in the general campaign. The only reason that Trump might have a chance to win in November is that the Democrats really cannot field a decent candidate.

Hillary will probably be spending time in front of a judge and Bernie is a Marxist. Any other Republican candidate would coast to a win against either one of those losers. Trump's big mouth is his greatest asset and his greatest liability. Trump will depress Republican turnout among conservatives if he wins the nomination because of the kind of campaign that he is running against fellow Republicans.

I guess all us conservatives look at it differently. I'm as staunch as any conservative out there, therefore Ted is my guy even though he is covered in Senate Slime. Outside of Cruz there are no candidates that meet my conservative needs. The rest IMO (other than Trump) are so covered in political slime I can't even see them.

If Cruz can't get it done in the primary then I will be all in for Trump. Is it because I think he's a conservative? Absolutely not. It's because I believe what the rest will bring, the same ole same ole.

If The Don gets the nomination I will be a bit nervous, but not near as nervous as I would with any outside of Cruz.

Other than Cruz and Trump, the rest will pose/dance around spewing political correctness and very little will change. At least with Trump/Cruz we will have an inkling of what's on their mind.

I may be terribly wrong Hoot, but it's how I feel at the moment.

[TheRealThing]

I settled for Bush. I settled for McCain. I settled for Romney. There is no way that I am going to settle for an arrogant, dishonest liberal RINO.

BTW, I realize that Trump was being sarcastic, but I don't like his WWE style campaign speeches and constant stream of inappropriate tweets. It is not my idea of a good presidential campaign and I do not think it will be effective in the general campaign. The only reason that Trump might have a chance to win in November is that the Democrats really cannot field a decent candidate.

Hillary will probably be spending time in front of a judge and Bernie is a Marxist. Any other Republican candidate would coast to a win against either one of those losers. Trump's big mouth is his greatest asset and his greatest liability. Trump will depress Republican turnout among conservatives if he wins the nomination because of the kind of campaign that he is running against fellow Republicans.

I know you don't like Trump and I can dispassionately accept that. But, how do you know ^^this? I saw film footage today taken at his two scheduled rallies in Iowa. The line to see Trump literally went out of sight on a side walk going over the top of a hill. And when I say out of sight, it was at least the length of a football field. And for the record, it was cold today in Iowa, 28 degrees with a stiff 25 mph gusting wind.

By the time the Kentucky primary happens, Super Tuesday will be in the books and we will likely have an excellent picture about what's going down. I mean, we have mountains of evidence where Hillary is concerned along with an FBI investigation of which Director Comey has recently decided to "broaden." And we don't have to wonder one whit where Sanders is concerned. On the other hand, we are looking at either Cruz or Trump as the Republican nominee. Like Skinny has said, folks may have a twinge of nervousness where Trump is concerned. And yet, that twinge compared to the record of those on the left and the past 7 years seems more like a no brainer to me.

[Hoot Gibson]

I know you don't like Trump and I can dispassionately accept that. But, how do you know ^^this? I saw film footage today taken at his two scheduled rallies in Iowa. The line to see Trump literally went out of sight on a side walk going over the top of a hill. And when I say out of sight, it was at least the length of a football field. And for the record, it was cold today in Iowa, 28 degrees with a stiff 25 mph gusting wind.

By the time the Kentucky primary happens, Super Tuesday will be in the books and we will likely have an excellent picture about what's going down. I mean, we have mountains of evidence where Hillary is concerned along with an FBI investigation of which Director Comey has recently decided to "broaden." And we don't have to wonder one whit where Sanders is concerned. On the other hand, we are looking at either Cruz or Trump as the Republican nominee. Like Skinny has said, folks may have a twinge of nervousness where Trump is concerned. And yet, that twinge compared to the record of those on the left and the past 7 years seems more like a no brainer to me.

Trump will depress conservative turnout because so many of us are fed up with holding our noses every four years to vote for a RINO. Trump will tack to the left during the general election and maybe he will pick up enough support from liberals and independents to win the general election. Maybe "know" is too strong of a word, but this has been the pattern of every election since at least 1992. I am confident that Trump will not maintain his conservative act after he has sewn up the nomination.

Trump is already struggling to stay in character as a "conservative" Republican and the first caucus has not even been held. Once he has the nomination in hand, there will be nothing to constrain Trump from pandering to liberals because he will not lose many Republicans to Bernie or Hillary.

This election is a golden opportunity for Republicans and it would be a shame if they nominate a liberal to run in a campaign that would be very difficult for a true conservative to lose.

Do yourself a favor and check out Trump's record prior to June and then ask yourself how much different his positions were before he started considering entering a presidential campaign in 2012 compared to those of Hillary and Obama.

I can understand settling for the lesser of two evils. I did so in 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, and 2012. In 1992 I cast a protest vote for Perot. I promised myself that I will not be forced to choose between evils again after watching Romney hand the last election to Obama. I am going to keep that promise.

[TheRealThing]

Trump will depress conservative turnout because so many of us are fed up with holding our noses every four years to vote for a RINO. Trump will tack to the left during the general election and maybe he will pick up enough support from liberals and independents to win the general election. Maybe "know" is too strong of a word, but this has been the pattern of every election since at least 1992. I am confident that Trump will not maintain his conservative act after he has sewn up the nomination.

Trump is already struggling to stay in character as a "conservative" Republican and the first caucus has not even been held. Once he has the nomination in hand, there will be nothing to constrain Trump from pandering to liberals because he will not lose many Republicans to Bernie or Hillary.

This election is a golden opportunity for Republicans and it would be a shame if they nominate a liberal to run in a campaign that would be very difficult for a true conservative to lose.

Do yourself a favor and check out Trump's record prior to June and then ask yourself how much different his positions were before he started considering entering a presidential campaign in 2012 compared to those of Hillary and Obama.

I can understand settling for the lesser of two evils. I did so in 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, and 2012. In 1992 I cast a protest vote for Perot. I promised myself that I will not be forced to choose between evils again after watching Romney hand the last election to Obama. I am going to keep that promise.

Understood. But when your team is behind with time on the clock, folks usually don't want to see their QB necessarily throwing a bomb on a third and short. I will settle therefore for the conservative voter's rise, and if that rise finds that we have elected Trump, so be it. I just cannot subscribe to your interpretation of Trump's motives or predictions as to how he would govern. And that is not to say that you aren't correct. It's just that I don't see things in that light.

But for the moment, let's say you are indeed spot on with your analysis. If he is smart enough to have seen an opportunity to become President as a liberal playing the role of a conservative, he would have initiated his plan to do so knowing he was running against a host of high power Republicans and ultimately there would have been Hillary looming as his inevitable foe. Just about everybody on this forum and across the various media venues I frequent, have been saying Hillary had the Presidency practically in the bag. And they've been saying that up until very recently. So, if this really is about him wanting to become the most powerful man in the world and he doesn't actually care that much about fixing America, one would have thought he'd have picked out a stream with out so much white water to fight against.

This especially in light of the fact that as the pundits have been alluding, Cruz and Trump are vying for the same constituency. That being right wing conservatives, because he surely never suspected he could win over that many Hillary supporters. And then there is the fact that he has unabashedly alienated what ever Muslim population we have. No, he's managed to hit on the hot topics and who in their right mind would have ever supposed that so many would rise up in support of his anti-PC opinions? And frankly, he's right. The politically correct insanities have been pushing the conservative's buttons until now, we see a willingness to rise up in opposition. In any event, he needs votes to get elected and he hasn't shrunk back much lately that I have seen. From the wall on the border to a freeze on immigration, he has not blinked.

I want to see God restored to His rightful place in the hearts and minds of Americans. But in all honesty, Mr Trump is likely to be able to get us only part of the way home. In saying the voter has risen, I mean that they want the America they used to have back again, and they think Trump can either deliver, or give a meaningful start to that process. So, is he a genuine conservative? I believe he is genuine to the extent he is genuinely alarmed to realize the horrors of the "transformation", and he wants to get us back on course. And I believe that in the back of his mind, he believes that the Reagan-esque successes of governance seen with his own eyes, looks to be more appealing than the tax and spend tomfoolery of the left. And frankly, it is more than likely that we will need a guy who is old enough to remember America's glory days in order to focus our efforts to get back.

Lastly, it is credible to think that the conservatives of the past governed in the conservative vein because they thought that to be better for the country, while at the personal level they may have felt differently. Trump has said things in the past that I doubt he would want to be a part of proliferating once he assumes responsibility. Inherently, I believe all men know the truth. And having received the call, many a man has straightened up to fly right given the weight of responsibility.

[Hoot Gibson]

Despite the childish campaign that Trump is running, I don't doubt that he is a very intelligent man. I believe that he was pretty confident that his friend Hillary Clinton was facing some serious legal issues before he decided to run. Trump is not targeting the same voters as Cruz. There is an overlap between the two candidates' target constituencies, but Trump's simplistic populist message plays on voters' hopes and fears. His pitch does not appeal to voters' core values. You hope that he will be the conservative that he never was. Liberals who support Trump think that he is just saying what he needs to say to get elected, but will rule as the liberal that he was before 2015.

All the evidence that one needs that Trump will say whatever it takes to be elected is his support of mandating the use of more ethanol in our cars. It takes three gallons of gasoline or diesel to produce four gallons of ethanol. Ethanol produces more poisonous pollutants than gasoline. It also damages engines that have not been specially designed to burn ethanol.

Iowans who have grown dependent on ethanol subsidies and higher corn prices would have been perfectly content if all the candidates had continued to support the current federal mandates on ethanol use. Yet, Trump decided to support forcing us to burn more ethanol and pay higher prices for gas and food.

Advocating greater ethanol usage is the worst kind of pandering. Burning corn for fuel is inefficient and expensive and it drives up the cost of all meat, poultry, and processed food products, either as a direct result or as the result of higher fuel prices. The only reason for Trump's position on higher ethanol use is to beat Ted Cruz in the Iowa primary. Will he keep his promise to Iowa farmers? Probably not, because he will not need Iowa's support in November to beat Bernie Sanders or whatever other loser Democrats choose to run. Compare that to Cruz's principled position of phasing out ethanol subsidies and mandates and allowing the free market decide the issue.

The worst result of electing Trump over any of the other Republicans is that it is doubtful that he would make any real effort to appoint conservatives to the Supreme Court. His criticism of Scalia and comments about what a great SC Justice his pro-abortion sister would be demonstrates that this is not a priority for Trump. Trump's positive comments about Justice Thomas after he slammed Scalia was just more pandering. Trump could get a more liberal judge confirmed before a Republican Senate than Bernie Sanders could, and he might just do so.

I respect your position on Trump. Like you, I have advocated voting for the lesser of two evils in past election years but I regret those votes. I believe that electing another authoritarian to the White House would be a disaster. Trump might try to keep a couple of important promises and get work started on a wall with Mexico, but the knives of both the GOP and Democrats would be waiting for him as soon as the honeymoon was over.

I hope you are right about Trump, but I would be shocked if he became a great (or even average) president. In fact, I would be surprised if he serves a full term if he is elected.

[WideRight05]

Jerry Falwell, Jr. just endorsed Trump. Wow.

[Hoot Gibson]

Jerry Falwell, Jr. just endorsed Trump. Wow.

Imagine that, a minister endorsing a thrice-married billionaire strip club owner. There are many students at Liberty U. who are upset at this news. Their parents who are helping with the tuition are probably even more shocked.

[RunItUpTheGut]

Trumps had a ridiculous amount of good endorsements.

Surprised Cruz didn't get Falwell.

[Hoot Gibson]

IMO, Trump just blew his chances of winning Iowa and maybe the nomination as well. :biglmao:

Why? He has announced that he will not participate in the next debate because Megyn Kelly and Roger Ailes have been mean to him.

Ted Cruz just challenged Trump to a 90 minute one on one debate. He said that Donald does not need to worry, he can bring his own moderator or they can debate without a moderator.

Funny stuff. Even before he chickened out of the debate, Trump had a very bad day. He was caught up in a couple of blatant lies and he was boasting again about how well he gets along with Pelosi, Reid, and Schumer on The Morning Joe Show on MSNBC.

Do you know what is even worse, Gut? Ted Cruz is going to be the guest on Megyn Kelly show tonight. That means, in addition to the audio of Cruz's challenge from the Mark Levin show, there will be a video that will go viral tomorrow.

I still expect Trump to participate in the debate, but he has smeared egg all over his own face today. He was already probably going to lose Iowa, but he may not even finish second now.

[Demarcus ware]

Nah Trump will do what trump does, and that's grow even larger. This is crazy right now, and with Trump.saying he will do his own show and donate the money from it to Veterans, people will eat that up. Plus you just know they will be talking about him at the debate so that is even more free tv. Lol

[TheRealThing]

^^ Megyn Kelly has made a career out of featuring negative interviews about Trump since the infamous fallout between them at the earlier debate. She has had at least one guest and usually more than one, on every show since that debate. Is anybody naïve enough to believe the thinly veiled nightly anti Trump diatribe is not thoroughly scripted? The whole thing has been about as honest, as was Hillary's claim to be innocent of any wrong doing with regard to her emails as Secretary of State. It is personal between the two and I can understand it because, Megyn is a crusading feminist and Trump has not been sympathetic. Nor would I be I might add, did not she exploit her position as mediator to interject her own agenda into a Presidential debate? Her bias on the matter has been glaring throughout her career IMHO.

It seems to have been personal as well, among the collaboration of 22 writers for the National Review who chose to trash Trump rather than accept the possibility that for the first time in their professional life, they may not be able to manipulate the voters into selecting their handpicked nominee. Many of those 22 are not what one would call conservative, and yet they were invited to define a candidate running on a conservative platform, with clearly stated conservative intentions. Nothing self serving about that ax.

There is a chance, even amid all the dancing for joy, that Trump supporters could cheer him on for having declined to sit in front of little Megyn once more. I know it would be hard for me to do it. and I suspect his popularity among voters will not drop off in any meaningful way over this one debate.

[Hoot Gibson]

I see a lot of wishful thinking here but Trump supporters are getting hammered online. Cruz will be repeating his challenge to Trump from now until Monday. After that, he will be reminding voters in each state that Trump was afraid to face Megyn Kelly and he was afraid to debate Cruz.

This was a bonehead, classless move by Trump, just like all of the personal insults he has been tweeting. Today, he accused a minister who endorsed Cruz of demanding $100,000 for an appearance in Iowa. The truth was Trump received $100,000 for the appearance. He called Cruz a nasty man and a liar who nobody likes.

Trump's bizarre behavior is reminding me of Ross Perot withdrawing from the race because of some conspiracy theory involving his daughter's wedding.

Trump's campaign will be lucky to survive this incident but maybe this was the deal that he worked out with Reince Priebus. Nothing would surprise me about either man. The GOP establishment fears Ted Cruz almost as much as Donald Trump fears Megyn Kelly. :biggrin:

[TheRealThing]

I see a lot of wishful thinking here but Trump supporters are getting hammered online. Cruz will be repeating his challenge to Trump from now until Monday. After that, he will be reminding voters in each state that Trump was afraid to face Megyn Kelly and he was afraid to debate Cruz.

This was a bonehead, classless move by Trump, just like all of the personal insults he has been tweeting. Today, he accused a minister who endorsed Cruz of demanding $100,000 for an appearance in Iowa. The truth was Trump received $100,000 for the appearance. He called Cruz a nasty man and a liar who nobody likes.

Trump's bizarre behavior is reminding me of Ross Perot withdrawing from the race because of some conspiracy theory involving his daughter's wedding.

Trump's campaign will be lucky to survive this incident but maybe this was the deal that he worked out with Reince Priebus. Nothing would surprise me about either man. The GOP establishment fears Ted Cruz almost as much as Donald Trump fears Megyn Kelly. :biggrin:

I seriously doubt the thing between Trump and Megyn has the first thing to do with fear. I'd say it's more like hate, and I am still quite comfortable in my analysis of that situation. John Bolton was the first one I heard make the suggestion that Trump supporters will rally behind him even more over the Megyn Kelly deal. Who knows?

I actually think Cruz will win the point with regard to Trump declining to a debate between them. But, if I was Trump I wouldn't because every other candidate will then make the same charge and why would he risk ceding a nearly insurmountable lead with a world class debater? He by all accounts, has won the debate phase of the campaign to date, why risk flushing what he has worked so hard to achieve in the establishment arena, in some sort of unsanctioned grudge match?

[Hoot Gibson]

I seriously doubt the thing between Trump and Megyn has the first thing to do with fear. I'd say it's more like hate, and I am still quite comfortable in my analysis of that situation. John Bolton was the first one I heard make the suggestion that Trump supporters will rally behind him even more over the Megyn Kelly deal. Who knows?

I actually think Cruz will win the point with regard to Trump declining to a debate between them. But, if I was Trump I wouldn't because every other candidate will then make the same charge and why would he risk ceding a nearly insurmountable lead with a world class debater? He by all accounts, has won the debate phase of the campaign to date, why risk flushing what he has worked so hard to achieve in the establishment arena, in some sort of unsanctioned grudge match?

Cruz and Trump have been virtually deadlocked in the most recent Iowa polls. That is why Cruz's challenge will get more attention. Trump is not leading in Iowa and he will be weakened by dodging the Fox debate and declining Cruz's challenge to a cage match. IMO, in a real debate, Cruz would beat Trump senseless. Cruz has a knack of getting under people's skin while remaining calm himself. Trump's instinct is to hurl personal insults to fill time. That will not work for 90 minutes, so I agree that Trump would be a fool to debate Cruz in a true one on one debate.

There are no good options for Trump that I can see. He can look weak by not debating, he can lose face by showing up for the Fox debate, and/or he can debate Cruz and be embarrassed. Maybe Trump has been planning this for some time and will put on a good show for the Wounded Vets in Iowa, but it is hard to see how he gains ground on Cruz in Iowa.

Iowa is probably do or die for Cruz. If he wins, then he has a good shot to finish second in New Hampshire. That would build his name recognition and attract voters to his bandwagon going to South Carolina. If Trump wins and learns to control his mouth, then he could run the table if he takes Iowa.

I am still not sure that Trump did not enter the race as a distraction for Hillary. His behavior today was bizarre, even before he pulled out of the debate. It is the kind of thing a candidate would do if they did not want to win an election. I hope that he is not just taking a dive for some other candidate.

[Hoot Gibson]

New accessory for the Trump supporter who has everything :biggrin::

[Image: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CZsD-kiWcAAtDpX.jpg:large]

[Hoot Gibson]

[Image: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CZs02lvW0AA-ID8.jpg:large]

[Demarcus ware]

Polls taken by some of fox's very own isn't looking good in their favor for viewers if Trump isn't at the debate. Everything else has backfired, will this as well? Anxious to see how it turns out.

[RunItUpTheGut]

Guarantee this won't hurt Trump in any form or fashion.
To be honest, I wouldn't go either. He was attacked the last time and she never apologized.
I don't know if it will help him, but I know it won't hurt him.

[TheRealThing]

Polls taken by some of fox's very own isn't looking good in their favor for viewers if Trump isn't at the debate. Everything else has backfired, will this as well? Anxious to see how it turns out.

Guarantee this won't hurt Trump in any form or fashion.
To be honest, I wouldn't go either. He was attacked the last time and she never apologized.
I don't know if it will help him, but I know it won't hurt him.

This is my opinion. Megyn Kelly tried to hang an antifeminist albatross around Trump's neck at the first debate. Not that she would have had that much of a head of steam up for Trump at that point but, as a feminist she felt like she was doing her part to nail Trump for things he has said about a couple of women in his past.

It is extremely difficult to make the case that a prospective President would in some way be unworthy to serve should allegations to that effect be put out there in almost any event. I mean, if a guy wore a necklace filled with the shrunken heads of his ex-wives he wouldn't be running for President in the first place, LOL. One could really say anything, or make any charge imaginable from the moderator's table. But, no candidate should have to answer up to false charges. In this case, Megyn Kelly who openly has at least a couple axes to grind, and just happens to work a very powerful TV News organization, as fate would have it wound up getting to be a presidential debate moderator. Trump would have no part of it though, and rejected her attempt to tag him as a man who abuses women. With the world already aflame as the result of liberal naïveté, the last thing I would think a Presidential candidate would be measured by is whether he worships at the feet of women.

I don't think he is one bit fearful of Megyn Kelly. I think it is just a case of a rather healthy dislike of her and her efforts to tag him in the manner mentioned above. That is, apart from the fact that there seems to be no end of FOX News 'guests' and company employed pundits lined up to agree with her in parroting the latest FOX News talking point; "If he's afraid of Megyn Kelly, what's he gonna do when he has to deal with somebody like Russia's Putin?" :please: There's nary one shred of honesty in that self serving charge.

[SKINNYPIG]

I still have Cruz as my #1. This did indeed "hurt" Trump with me though. I really don't have an explanation for it other than it "seems" a little silly to me. I'd rather him throw some snarky remarks back at her during the debate than do nothing, but that's just me. What could be smart about the whole thing, is that during the debate all the candidates and moderators will talk about Don not being there. The next day, all news outlets will be wanting his take on what we said. He gets to think and sleep on it before replying and Bam! More free TV time.

I would move Trump to #3 on my list, but the problem is I don't have another choice for #2. There's a bunch of em, and early on I liked a handful. After watching the debates and adds, looks like slim pickings to me.

[Hoot Gibson]

This whole deal between Fox News and Trump is a blast from the past. Trump is appearing on the O'Reilly Factor tonight.

Where have I seen this plot before? Howard Coselle and Muhammad Ali. Fox has not stopped promoting Trump since he started "threatening" to pull out of tomorrow night's debate. They have given Trump free air time on more than 130 occasions since he began running for office. This is not news, it is a circus act.

[WideRight05]

The first debate was a joke. I mean, TheRealThing and others have seen my posts that I'm still 50/50 on him as a candidate. But that entire first debate was practically a setup again him. From the question about whether or not he would run as an independent to a couple of the questions Megyn Kelly asked, it was definitely biased.

With that being said, I'm not sure what Trump's plan is for this but I hate to say, he always seems to be one step ahead of everybody no matter what the situation is.
Cruz has a real opportunity here tonight though. I hope he finds a way to make the most of it.

[Hoot Gibson]

I still have Cruz as my #1. This did indeed "hurt" Trump with me though. I really don't have an explanation for it other than it "seems" a little silly to me. I'd rather him throw some snarky remarks back at her during the debate than do nothing, but that's just me. What could be smart about the whole thing, is that during the debate all the candidates and moderators will talk about Don not being there. The next day, all news outlets will be wanting his take on what we said. He gets to think and sleep on it before replying and Bam! More free TV time.

I would move Trump to #3 on my list, but the problem is I don't have another choice for #2. There's a bunch of em, and early on I liked a handful. After watching the debates and adds, looks like slim pickings to me.

The way I solved that dilemma was to move Trump down beside of Jeb Bush and leave the second slot open. I guess I could promote Ben Carson to my second spot, but I just don't think he has any shot at being the nominee.

[Demarcus ware]

Reading about Roger Ailes calling Trumps wife and daughter today hoping to persuade him to come to the debate, i find all this funny. I got a lot of popcorn lately but this has made me go thru it all really quick. One of the funniest, but weirdest things i've seen in my short life. LOL This is like watching a Presidential election being ran by Vince McMahon of the WWE. All we need is for Stone Cold Steve Austin to run out on the O'Reilly Factor with some beer screaming give me a Hell Yeah!!!!!

I've still got Trump #1 and Cruz #2, I'll pull for either one of them. Like Skinny i just don't have a 3rd..

[TheRealThing]

I still have Cruz as my #1. This did indeed "hurt" Trump with me though. I really don't have an explanation for it other than it "seems" a little silly to me. I'd rather him throw some snarky remarks back at her during the debate than do nothing, but that's just me. What could be smart about the whole thing, is that during the debate all the candidates and moderators will talk about Don not being there. The next day, all news outlets will be wanting his take on what we said. He gets to think and sleep on it before replying and Bam! More free TV time.

I would move Trump to #3 on my list, but the problem is I don't have another choice for #2. There's a bunch of em, and early on I liked a handful. After watching the debates and adds, looks like slim pickings to me.

Oh don't get me wrong, my posts on the feud between Trump and certain TV personalities associated with FOX are just my observations. I would not have given the opposition a free night of Trump slam-O-vision either. I'm just saying to make the charge that Trump is afraid to show up in front of Megyn Kelly is a bit ridiculous.

[TheRealThing]

The first debate was a joke. I mean, TheRealThing and others have seen my posts that I'm still 50/50 on him as a candidate. But that entire first debate was practically a setup again him. From the question about whether or not he would run as an independent to a couple of the questions Megyn Kelly asked, it was definitely biased.

With that being said, I'm not sure what Trump's plan is for this but I hate to say, he always seems to be one step ahead of everybody no matter what the situation is.
Cruz has a real opportunity here tonight though. I hope he finds a way to make the most of it.

If Cruz overreaches during the debate he way he has since Trump made the announcement that he will not be participating tomorrow night, things may well backfire on him. He will have to be careful not to go overboard in his criticisms, or he may look like another petulant Jeb Bush barking at the frontrunner.

[Hoot Gibson]

The first debate was a joke. I mean, TheRealThing and others have seen my posts that I'm still 50/50 on him as a candidate. But that entire first debate was practically a setup again him. From the question about whether or not he would run as an independent to a couple of the questions Megyn Kelly asked, it was definitely biased.

With that being said, I'm not sure what Trump's plan is for this but I hate to say, he always seems to be one step ahead of everybody no matter what the situation is.
Cruz has a real opportunity here tonight though. I hope he finds a way to make the most of it.

I also thought that Trump got a raw deal when I watched the first debate. However, after watching Trump since then, I now believe that the first question in that debate was a very fair one. The demeanor of a president is important.

A presidential candidate whose first instinct to respond to criticism is to call his critics morons, idiots, losers, jerks, etc. in an endless series of 140 character tweets, is really not ready for the job. It is hard to believe that a man who mocked a handicapped reporter and never apologized for doing so is still in the race.

I have always believed that people get the government that they deserve. If Trump becomes president, then I will conclude that we have been a bad, bad country. Two terms of Obama followed by at least fours years of Donald Trump would be some serious punishment.

[SKINNYPIG]

Any close observer of the banter between Megyn & Don in the first debate knows exactly what it was. It was nothing more than Ailes, the republican party "establishment" and THE moderator stooping to Liberal tactics to portray Trump as something he's not...all the while hoping it put him out of the race. It all backfired, now Fox News wants to act like Trump trying to strong arm a media outlet for political reasons is just downright unheard of and just plain awful. In other words, they're chastising him for doing EXACTLY what I believe they were doing in the first place. The hypocrisy is astounding.

[TheRealThing]

Any close observer of the banter between Megyn & Don in the first debate knows exactly what it was. It was nothing more than Ailes, the republican party "establishment" and THE moderator stooping to Liberal tactics to portray Trump as something he's not...all the while hoping it put him out of the race. It all backfired, now Fox News wants to act like Trump trying to strong arm a media outlet for political reasons is just downright unheard of and just plain awful. In other words, they're chastising him for doing EXACTLY what I believe they were doing in the first place. The hypocrisy is astounding.

Agreed. And there is something afoot here that may be a bit nefarious. I cannot accept that the explanation for all the ill will between them has it's origin in any political dispute. This has been personal, and the endless stream of Trump slamming 'guests' and other guns for hire, has been nothing more that a smoke screen intended to give FOX's efforts to define Trump in negative terms a credulous looking face.

I for one, have not bought it from the start.