is it really possible that Donald trump could be president????? [Part 3]

[Lweji]

Continuing the thread, and in reply to the two last posts of thread 2

Today 08:15 OhYouBadBadKitten

I don't think it is about Trump taking risks, its more that he is a narcisstic sociopath. He feels untouchable in what he says and has no regard for the consequences.

Today 06:53 fourmummy

To be fair, voters know that all political rhetoric mostly comes to nothing (rhetoric = argumentation and persuasion, elevated to an art from in Ancient Greece). Why do you imagine Labour want to introduce votes for 16 year olds? They know that people don't become "more conservative" as they get older-they become wiser to the political process and its lies rhetoric. So what's different with Trump? Why hasn't his unbelievably unlikeable public and private persona sunk him?

Answer=risk

He is not a ready-rolled, ready-prepped and ready-to-go politician (think Blair's son parachuted into a constituency; MIliband brothers, Clintons). These are not risking much because they were cast in the role when they were made. We know that this is the case with, certainly, Clinton (numerous interviews with aides attest to this; ditto for the others). Voters are doing a risk assessment of his risks and have decided that he is worth something. It's not as simple as suggesting that if someone votes for him then they must be racist or sexist, as I've seen journos assert. Voters are effectively doing a risk assessment and deciding that given the enormous costs both to him (energy, health, time away from family, reputation, financial, career, historical implications, ) and to his voters (risk of being viewed as sexist, racist, intolerant, asshole), the benefits must outweigh these costs. Very unwise to dismiss ordinary voters as simplistically sexist and racists, as many, many journalists have (shortsightedly) done. Even non-experts are very good at performing cost/benefit analyses

As I said I don't see anything of what he says as taking a risk. Because he is saying what many people want to hear.
As for personal cost, he is clearly someone who enjoys the power, the limelight, the adoration. All that is missing for him is the ultimate power, particularly as he sees other true billionaires taking central stage.
But he doesn't have the heart to be Gates.
So, he's going for the highest office, and on the back of American voters most primal fears.

But...
He's not averse to risk. He's built his empire on it. He's had four bankruptcies. Anyone should be worried about the way he manages risk.

Judge Nap, Andrew Napolitano, who is fantastic and whom some pundits are saying that Trump might recommend for a Supreme Court Justice position, on Fox says that there is still a possibility of Hillary being indicted on espionage and if that doesn't happen then there may be leaks which would have a bad effect. He thinks it is unlikely that the FBI will not recommend indictment.

Some pundits were saying on Fox that Bernie might be staying in the race in case something like that happens.

And the latest news on the Trump nickname fromt after Crooked Hillary, Gooft Elizabeth Warren is Trump's unveiling of Bernie's nickname, Crazy Bernie.

Trump says "who's going to run against a socialist and lose?"

One pundit says it is a mistake for Trump to call him Crazy Bernie because Trump can get some of his voters and it is not a good move to insult Bernie.

That would be the Judge Napoletano who believes that abortion should be prohibited from the moment of conception. Do you think that's "fantastic", claig?

I didn't know he believed that. I disagree with him over that, but on lots of other issues he is very good.

I'm very curious to know how Trump's refusal to make public his tax returns will play out.

On the face of it, it's such a stupid position to take that he must have something to hide.

Surely not Mistigri.

There is the disputed issue of his wealth. I imagine that what he declares is at odds with that declaration, so he must be lying in one of them.
If that's the case he should sue himself for declaring to tax he's worth less than he publicly declares.

BTW, I just love John Stewart.

You should listen to it, claig.

Nearly everything that Jon Stewart says is wrong, muddled thinking.

The whole point of Trump is that the Republican Establishment don't like him and are against him, it is only the people who like him. He has done a hostile takeover of the Republican Party because there has been a popular uprising which has overthrown the elites - who are all in it together in the Democrat and Republican parties as well as all of the world "leaders".

Claig, it would do you well to listen and just not cover your ears.

It'll be interesting to see what his tax returns say about whether Trump is on the side of the elites or the people ;)

I see claig would prefer not to address this question

And claig only likes Trump version of muddled.
At least John can speak in full sentences.

'Claig, it would do you well to listen and just not cover your ears.'

I listened and nearly every point he makes is rubbish, unlike Trump.

'At least John can speak in full sentences.'

Trump is so in tune with the people that he doesn't even have to finish sentences because the people finish them off for him. He is in touch unlike the elites who are "out of touch" just like our metropolitan elite are too.

'I see claig would prefer not to address this question '

If you are referring to Trump not releasing his tax returns, in my opinion it won't affect Trump because no one really cares what they say. Hillary is hitting him on it but it is a dead issue because the people don't care.

'Terrifying' New National Poll Shows Trump and Clinton Statistically Tied

Last week, Reuters/Ipsos poll had Clinton ahead of Trump by around 13 points. Today, they're running neck-and-neck."

www.commondreams.org/news/2016/05/11/terrifying-new-national-poll-shows-trump-and-clinton-statistically-tied

It's over. The people are going to win.

The game, for the elites, is over. This is true no matter what happens with the Sanders campaign. The Republican party as we have known it since the Reagan consensus (dating back to 1976) is over. The Democratic party doesn’t know it yet, but Bill Clinton’s neoliberalism (and what followed in his wake with complicity with Bush junior, and the continuation of Bush junior’s imperialist policies with Barack Obama) is also over, or well on its way to being over. The elites are in a cataclysmic state of panic, they don’t know whether to look right or left, they have no idea what to do with Trump"

www.salon.com/2016/05/06/our_awful_elites_gutted_america_now_they_dare_ring_alarms_about_trump_sanders_and_cast_themselves_as_saviors/

And while the elite pull their hair out and get ready to meet for their annual Bilderberg do, the people laugh as Trump soars in the polls, confident that it is all over and that the elite's game is up.

Trump is so in tune with the people that he doesn't even have to finish sentences because the people finish them off for him.
That is a good joke.

So, his voters don't care if he dodges taxes?

'So, his voters don't care if he dodges taxes?'

Of course not, they forgive Trump nearly everything because Trump is on their side.

Voters know that Trump is a sharp businessman who cuts corners and uses the Art of the Deal, but he operates within the law using teh best accountants and lawyers.

Hillary and the elites are desperate to stop Trump (and the people) and they think that by calling him politically incorrect and lax with tax that that will stop Trump, but no one cares because everyone knows Trump is not politically correct and is a sharp businessman and that is precisely what they like about him as well as the fact that he will give the elites hell.

Of course not, they forgive Trump nearly everything because Trump is on their side.

Of course he fucking isn't on their side if he dodges taxes.

Although I suspect he's more worried about people finding out how little he is actually worth.

'Although I suspect he's more worried about people finding out how little he is actually worth'

If he is worth nothing, then he will be even more popular. Who cares? He is on our side.

Trump has released 90 pages of detailed financials in order to stand for President. He says a tax return tells you very little. But if it turns out that Hillary is worth more than Trump, it would just make Trump even more popular than he already is and send Bilderberg into utter meltdown and panic.

"The elites are in a cataclysmic state of panic, they don’t know whether to look right or left, they have no idea what to do with Trump"

The tax return issue has the potential to be Trump's downfall, it's far more damaging than choosing white supremacist delegates. Trump has few black supporters, but almost all his voters are tax payers ...

If we have to see the tax returns, do we get to see Hilary's emails?

You can't have it both ways - the emails are either official secrets, or they aren't.

And you are free to peruse Hillary's tax returns going back at least 15 years.

Surely Hillary has nothing to hide right? Right?

Her work emails are work emails, not for public consumption.
The question was whether they were secure enough. And that is what was/is(?) being investigated.
If Hillary were to have to show her work emails, then so should Trump. Every single corporate email he has written.

Fair point. But 32000 private emails deleted? If they were private they weren't necessarily for work

I use my work email for private messages as well. It's just easier as it doesn't involve having many different email accounts open at the same time.

If she was going to hand in the entire work account to pass on to the next person in the job, it's only fair that private messages were deleted.

I really don't see it as an issue.

Trumps tax returns are currently subject to an IRS audit. It normally takes them 6-8 months to clear his tax returns and after that they can be released. I fully understand why Trump has not released them. It's also completly normal to have your returns audited when you have a complex structure.

As to HCs emails the issue is that she was sending work emails via her private email account. At best her actions were short sighted. Either way, if I sent a work email via a private email account I would lose my job. I am totally fine to send my personal email via my work email but not the other way round.