is it really possible that Donald trump could be president????? [Part 2]

[claig]

From now on the race becomes winner take all. If Trump wins Florida on March 15, it is probably all over.

'The Republican Party now has 14 days to stop Trump'

www.vox.com/2016/3/2/11144812/super-tuesday-results-donald-trump-wins

Interesting:

If Donald Trump becomes the GOP nominee, Utah would do the unthinkable: vote for a Democrat for the first time in more than 50 years, according to a poll released by the Desert News in Salt Lake City.

thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/273701-poll-clinton-sanders-would-beat-trump-in-utah

Well I wouldn't be surprised if that was his objective. What I have seen is that there are many more doctors operating today that don't accept insurance because the insurance companies don't pay out enough. This is our problem and it's also happening in other high cost parts of the country.

Most other families are just finding the costs have gone up an awful lot. They cut back by not going to the doctor unless it's covered under preventative care or their PCP copay (which is nearly always cheaper). In my mind that makes Obamacare a failure.

I agree with Trump on Obamacare 100% in that the only aspect that should be kept is the pre-existing conditions changes. I think each state should be left to put together their own not for profit health insurance plan for residents to buy into if they don't have coverage via Medicare or their employer.

God I really would not have thought a state by state resolution was the answer at all. You'll have a huge variation of what's available state to state. And something hugely essentially is left to the whims of local politicians. I appreciate States are bigger than Irish counties but certainly local politicians here can be ATROCIOUS. And isn't there some huge issue in Louisana at the moment over public funding because of massively irresponsible tax cutting by the previous governor? Not to mention the Flint scandal.

I think state by state is a better way to address lack of coverage and affordability issues. Even here in NJ the early intervention program is split between the north and south because the state understands that in Northern Jersey an income of $100k doesn't go very far while in south Jersey is goes a very long way in comparison.

Also it would mean bringing in a new alternative running parallel next to the private insurance. Over time I would think it would be a far better way to bring in nationalized healthcare through the back door, if that's what the objective was.

'Maybe Obama's objective was to make the current system so bad for those have always had insurance, that people would be screaming for a national health service where healthcare would really be affordable to those who can't be insured, and even for those who are currently insured. '

That is what I think they call the Cloward & Piven strategy to bring in socialism.

I'd think it would be possible to address state differences. It's not something that doesn't exist in other countries. For example in the UK, the cost of living in London is much higher than in other regions. Same goes for most European capitals or major cities. But they also attract better salaries.

I think it would work to have minimum state coverage and then for states to provide more should they want to.

Interesting perspective on why Trump will win by a landslide from Scott Adams, the creator of the Dilbert cartoon. It is because he appeals to the emotions or to gut instinct.

"Donald Trump will win in a landslide. *The mind behind ‘Dilbert’ explains why.
...
The Donald, he says, is playing his competitors like a fiddle — before beating them like a drum.
...
“Psychology is the only necessary skill for running for president,” writes Adams, adding: “Trump knows psychology.”
...
"The evidence is that Trump completely ignores reality and rational thinking in favor of emotional appeal,” Adams writes.
...
Adams adds: “People vote based on emotion. Period.”
...
“There are plenty of important facts Trump does not know. But the reason he doesn’t know those facts is – in part – because he knows facts don’t matter. They never have and they never will. So he ignores them."

www.washingtonpost.com/news/comic-riffs/wp/2016/03/21/donald-trump-will-win-in-a-landslide-the-mind-behind-dilbert-explains-why/

There's a central fallacy there. Facts do matter. Without any question.

Yes, the facts that he is a hypocrite and a liar, has poor business skills, besides being sexist and racist.

'There's a central fallacy there. Facts do matter.'

You are right, ElementaryMyDear, but the interesting thing will be to see how much they matter and whether anyone believes the "facts" that the political class say are "facts", just like the "facts" we are told over the EU Referendum, or whether emotion and trust matters more than facts.

Yes but Trump inspires in plenty of people disgust and abhorrence. So for him, it is likely to be a double edged sword in the end.

Yes, it depends how many of each there are in the electorate. Scott Adams, who does not support Trump but just observes what is going on, thinks that Trump will win in a landslide. But that ignores the sheer power and trickery of the media and Establishment and forces ranged against Trump, who is practically alone, with no party backing, against all of these forces. Trump understands the people's "psychology" but his opponents will use all the tricks they can use.

News about the electronic voting to be used in tomorrow's Utah caucuses.

"Soros Board Member Chairs Firm Running Online Voting for Tuesday’s Utah Caucuses

Smartmatic Group, an electronic voting firm whose worldwide headquarters is located in the United Kingdom, will be running the online balloting process in the Utah Republican Open Caucuses on Tuesday.

The chairman of Smartmatic’s board, Lord Mark Malloch-Brown, currently serves on the board of George Soros’s Open Society Foundation and has close ties to the billionaire.

The Wall Street Journal dubbed the Republican party’s online adventure on Tuesday as “one of the biggest online votes conducted so far in the U.S.” and the “largest experiment with online presidential voting since 2004, when Michigan allowed Democrats to vote in a party caucus via the Internet.”

www.breitbart.com/big-government/2016/03/20/soros-board-member-chairs-firm-running-online-balloting-for-tuesdays-utah-caucuses/

Lord Malloch-Brown used to be on TV a lot. He worked under Labour leader, Gordon Bennett, and worked for the UN.

Trump comedy continues, this time at the Washington Post
www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan/wp/2016/03/21/a-transcript-of-donald-trumps-meeting-with-the-washington-post-editorial-board/

with the highlights

this is what he has just said about Bruseels: " Do you all remember how beautiful and safe a place Brussels was. Not anymore, it is from a different world! U.S. must be vigilant and smart!"

Yes, and his solution is to close up borders:
"He said: “I would close up our borders … We are lax and we are foolish.”"

We've done this, but: a) to everyone?, b) terrorists or potential terrorists are already living there (Belgium and the USA).

Even worse
"he did suggest that Muslims were responsible for terrorist attacks if they did not report neighbors’ suspicious behavior to authorities."

this was one of our fears wasn't it, that there would be a terrorist attack, which is not only horrendous in its own right, but it would be something he and his followers could seize on for their own ends.

Apparently, Belgium is now a city.

Have we all expired with depression?

It seems that his new tactic (other that saying ridiculous things about how he will stop terrorism) is to twitter an insulting picture of Cruz's wife next to a picture of Ivana Trump

Apparently, Belgium is now a city.

Meanwhile, ...

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3507417/Brussels-bombers-DID-plan-attack-nuclear-power-station-police-uncover-12-hours-footage-jihadists-filmed-outside-plant-director-s-home.html

Can we keep this thread to Trump stuff please? Otherwise its going to go down the same route as so many other threads have recently. There are plenty of threads about the attacks. This is one about Trump (and anything he might say or do)

Interesting article on "why Trump?" here

fivethirtyeight.com/features/why-donald-trump/

That was interesting thank you!

I guess there are a few factors I can think of that people may disagree with and some are wild generalisations.

• Running for presidency really is about who has zillions of money behind them and that candidates are often backed by corporations. That creates a lot of suspicion about who is pulling the strings. Trump capitalises on the idea that he is only beholden to himself.

• The US media have always been terribly biased, with some standout players like Fox (whom Trump is too right wing even for their tastes). Its becoming even more polarised now, increasing peoples suspicions further

• Protectionism. I think there still is a big element of Americans who are very protectionist in the 'guarding small holdings with rifles' type mentality. (I know that most Americans are not like this! Please all of you sane people don't be offended!)

-Climate of fear. Since the Iraq war number 2 (and probably before then) politics has been dominated by fear. Its been talked up so long, that its now in the national psyche.

• Trump really reminds me of the old Gospel tent preachers and their huge tent revival events, when thousands would gather (and probably still do) to be healed. He is selling a different sort of 'healing' but the psychology is essentially the same.

Thats enough pontificating - I'm procrastinating from my work!

OhYouBadBadKitten - I was making the point that maybe he has a point.