The numbers I saw today, TRUMP was ahead of everyone by a landslide; behind Trump was DeSantis then Nikki Haley. Do you think Trump will win?

[sage2021]

All the other's seemed to fall by the way side.

[Curmudgeon]

Two BIG Profiles in Courage for Nikki Haley. While Nikki Haley is rumored to be a squish and probably not my primary choice, I have to give her credit where credit is due on two issues. (And "Profiles In Courage" is a great book to read, even if Jack Kennedy probably had professor friends hired to help him with it, or even ghostwrite some or even much of it).

Profile in Courage #1: Social Security and Medicare. Nikki Haley stated, on the campaign trail, the blunt truth that the retirement ages will have to be jacked up for future retirees (NOT current ones) for the "transgenerational chain letters" that we all know Social Security and Medicare ARE. And Liberal Media sniveled at her for "Cutting" it. Even though as Generation Xer I will be hardest hit by that, longer life spans of old retirees and lower birth rates of young workers make that inevitable. At least age 70 and probably age 75 for future retirees. By the time I get to 67, It will be likey at least 75 if not higher.

Profile in Courage #2: Abortion. While many Republican lawmakers make promises to support a Human Life Amendment, the reality is that it is a bluff that they know can't ever be called. They will never get 2/3 of legislators in 3/4 of the states to do that, and Nikki Haley called it honestly here. And I am glad the judicial monstrosity of Roe is overturned and the issue goes back to the states where it belongs, but reality is reality, and PLEASE go focus on winning issues like inflation, new foreign entanglements not well thought out *cough*Ukraine*cough*, and the new crime wave caused by criminal coddling Commiecrats.

I know, Establican RINO Squish, may still say, but credit where credit is due, to ANY candidate. Even one of theirs.

As for Prez, part of me WANTS Trump to avenge 2020. "I want to believe" he can do it, to paraphrase Agent Mulder (David Duchnovy) from the old X-Files TV show, and I betray my age.

I just wish Trump mended fences with Cruz in 2016 and made him Veep. I am convinced had he done that, he would still be President now... Ted is a fighter, and a swindle pulled on his relection would have made him might sore and feisty, unlike Mike Pence, who ultimately proved to be an empty suit.

Inside political story is that there WAS sort a "bromance" between Trump and Cruz in the first stages of the 2016 primary. They were the only two to take the immigration madness seriously, Trump stridently, Cruz not so much. And who finished 1st and 2nd? Donald Trump and Ted Cruz, on THAT issue I dare say. The Melting Pot is no longer melting and creating "Slag" subcultures now. (The original analogy was to steelmaking for that metaphor, fun fact, not cooking).

Rumor has it that someone churchy in the Cruz campaign said something not nice about Melania's past as a racy lingerie model, and Trump, beimg Trump, went TrumpZilla on Ted.

And Trump IS a political Godzilla - he causes collateral damage in the USA, like Godzilla does to Japan, but just as Godzilla proves to be good and *saves* Japan from worse monsters, Trump *saved* the USA from Hillary Hedorah (or Mothra, or Megalon, pick your even worse monster).

"History shows again and again the political folly of Liberal Men... TrumpZilla!"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Psq4T5QqiOg

[Curmudgeon]

Or to use another Generation X Geek analogy:
2016: A New Hope - Trump blows up the Death Star of Hillary.
2020: The Empire Strikes Back - Ballot harvesting and dubious election rules introduced using the COVID panic as a pretext, and also a prtext to tank the booming economy. Jedi Trump discovers the Demuinst Dagobah Swamp that is DC is much harder to drain. I sincerely hope that Trump finds a Yoda-like adviser to restrain his destructive impulses, and as a result...
2024: The Return of the Trump Jedi.

I WANT TO BELIEVE!!!

[lightbulb27]

they will play every trick in the book, manipulate gas prices, pass out free money, lower the cost of diapers and underwear, float artificial statistics like crime and job growth like they have been, stuff ballot boxes. they only have to get a few more votes. noone will notice our 1.7 trillion deficit...

if we survive to that date without getting into a global war, I doubt he gets into office.

President Kamala is next.

but ya never know... maybe

[Anonymous]

Since the GOP won’t elect its nominee until July of next year, none of the polls matter right now. A lot can happen between now and then.

[Anonymous]

Some states are taking him off the ballot so you can't vote for him.

[worldscolide]

Which is illegal, if the Republican party chooses him as their candidate. It would make the election results in those states invalid and not able to be counted against the rest of the nation.

[Opinion Owner]

@worldscolide That would be very interesting if it backfired on them.

[worldscolide]

Agreed.. I personally don't care I am sick of both sides. If I had a Thanos glove, I would snap my fingers erasing both sides.

[sage2021]

That's not true! You said they are taking him off the ballot. No they will try to keep him off the ballot, but we already knew that. Misinformation from an anonymous tipster 🙄

[Opinion Owner]

In Colorado and Minnesota they are in court right now about it.

[sage2021]

@Opinion Owner

But the cat is not in the bag yet and probably won't be.
Anyway it's their loss because if Trump doesn't win, Colorado and Minnesota will go right down with the rest of us and they'll only have themselves to blame when things get worse than they already are here in America, to the point that they may be cocky now, but may not have money to even buy groceries soon!

[Opinion Owner]

I got a chicken sandwich at McDonald's today and it was $11 I thought I had accidentally ordered a whole meal but it was just the sandwich. A bun and a piece of chicken.

[worldscolide]

Good God that's horrible

[strateguy632]

the "write in option"

[RavVid]

First I am not a US cit so you can discount anything i say. But I saw the dynamic play out in my country (Australia) before anywhere else. I just put it up for consideration is all.

"You can screw some of the people some of the time, you can screw all of the people for some of the time but you can't screw all of the people all of the time".

If you screw a significant demographic all of the time, then they'll get angry. In a democracy there needs to be something in it for everybody. My reading is Trump's appeal is to those that feel they are being screwed all the time.

That is what your politicians need to address.

Just a good natured take. Pauline Hanson was Australia's Trump.

[Curmudgeon]

I don't disagree. They locked you down in the most absurd of ways for the most petty of reasons, with no medical justification whatsoever. I wish Ms. Hanson all the political luck and skill she can get. What happened to the Liberal/National Coalition (liberal in the classic sense of the word)? Did they become Labour (Commie) Lite?

[RavVid]

@Curmudgeon Nah Liberals, just lost gov't in the normt a nife edge it al way of not getting enough votes in the right electorates. Most people don't realize what a knife edge elections are in Australia. After each I sit down and work out how many votes actually determined who formed gov't. In one of the recent ones there was a landslide of 20 House of Reps (we pinched HoR off you) changing hands. In those elections there were just 700 votes that swung those 20 seats! Out of 17 million voters.

It is a winner take all system. You'd probably find the same in the US, only scaled up a bit.

Ms Hanson is not a smart person sadly. She could have taken advantage of this winner take all system and screwed the major parties. She knew this but she had dreams of her party becoming a major which was never going to happen.

Nonetheless she sort off achieved her goal in demonstrating you can't screw a significant demographic all the time.

by the way Ms Hanson spent 11 weeks in jail for electoral fraud till her conviction was over turned.

Excuse me but I see a Trumpian parallel.

It might be called populist politics but isn't that democracy Is? I sort of think that demography's that get screwed all the time have a right to reflect that in the ballot box and major parties should stop doing that. I think they are getting what they've asked for.

But then I'm an arsehole and contrary.

[Likes2drive]

He is spending so much time in court fighting against all these accusations who knows what they’re going to come out with next to make sure he can’t run , it’s like a witchhunt, and I’ve never seen anything like it with any former president, they’re so afraid of all the things that he’ll try to do and fix if he wins again

[BCRanger10]

He'll win the nomination, possibly the race.

I was big on Desantis earlier on. I wondered if he was ready to be president and that he might be better starting off as VP or Attorney General though. That aside, he has run a horrific campaign. It's been really bad. I'm pretty disappointed.

[Curmudgeon]

DeSantis for President - in 2028 and 2032.

[BCRanger10]

@Curmudgeon I hope so. I just worry that this was his one shot. The more I've seen of him, he seems a little too insecure, wooden, and conciliatory. I also have to wonder if he's burned too many bridges with Trump supporters.

[Curmudgeon]

@BCRanger10 As I stated with respect to Ted Cruz in 2016, I do wish Donald Trump had been magnanimous and mended fences with Ted Cruz. I say the same for and with respect to Ron DeSantis now.

[BCRanger10]

@Curmudgeon Welp, four years is an eternity in politics. Maybe he can regain some goof favor.

[BCRanger10]

*good

[sage2021]

@BCRanger10
The people in Florida feel like he has abandoned them. That he doesn't care about them anymore. Just running for President - that's all he cares about.

[strateguy632]

he used his authority in his state for stifling iran as best as his authority let. nice! but not enough.

[BCA6010]

I think any poll that shows Nikki Haley as #3 is completely full of sh*t because I know more people who favor Ramaswamy and Tim Scott than her. In fact, Fox News' sock puppets are pretty much the only people I hear singing her praises.

Trump will take the primary very decisively unless for some reason he withdraws himself from the race.

[worldscolide]

I don't know. I think Washington and the doj are colluding to destroy him over frivolous things hoping something somehow sticks.. They are going to do everything in their power to prevent him from winning. Which only proves he is the president this country needs.

[exitseven]

Yes, he is ahead in all the polls and Biden is sinking. The trick will be getting so far ahead that no amount of fake mail in ballots can change the outcome.

[Surely]

Since all of the Republican hopefuls are pretty much following the Master’s (Trump’s) playbook. They might as well support Trump and be his understudy. Maybe as his VP. Then run for president at the next election.

[Billlewis]

The system -- permanent Washington -- won't let him win, period.

[strateguy632]

that was the primary. but he needs to beat the other party too.

[RealMarek]

No. The establishment GOP officials will prevent him from getting on the primary ballot before they let him run.

[strateguy632]

reminder before gop invited trump he ran as independent family party, so on ballot two rows. his fans will elect regardless of rnc or not, maybe he will get more if gop rejected him. lol.

[RealMarek]

@strateguy632 Possible. With his lead in the polls, if the GOP sabotages his candidacy I think most republicans will stay home or write-in for the general election.

[Anonymous]

I hope so. He needs to get rid of feminism and give men their power back.

[Anonymous]

I think Trump will win the Republican nomination. And I think that'll guarantee Brandon gets re-elected.

[FunkyMonkee]

He DID win last time but Joe cheated!