Nor can I.

There was some guest on Diane Rehm yesterday who kept saying Trump is a serious candidate with serious positions on the issues etc. Ain't buying it buddy.

7/24/2015 12:32:29 PM

Quote :

"pretty sad Donald Trump is being treated in some arenas like a serious candidate. "

I'd vote the Trump over half the loony tunes like santorum, Huckabee, Cruz, or for suspected felons I.e "acquitted" Rick perry

7/26/2015 4:08:16 AM

Wait, what is this about Rick Perry? Are you talking about the bullshit charges that the disgruntled da brought when he told her to step down following her arrest and embarrassing behavior or is there something else?

7/26/2015 7:02:04 AM

Yeah, I don't like Rick Perry in the slightest (although I did like his idea of SCOTUS term limits) but those were bullshit charges and deserved to be dropped.

7/26/2015 12:36:12 PM

Quote :

" Real estate magnate Donald Trump moved to the top of the 2016 Republican presidential field in a CNN poll released on Sunday, edging rival Jeb Bush and gaining support from Republicans in the last month despite a series of controversial statements. Trump was backed by 18 percent of Republicans in the CNN poll, which was conducted entirely after his July 18 criticism of Republican Senator John McCain's war record. His lead over Bush, a former Florida governor who was at 15 percent, was within the poll's margin of error."

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/07/26/us-usa-election-trump-idUSKCN0Q00MF20150726

Looks like 1 in 5 republicans hate POWs and Mexicans.

7/26/2015 3:25:11 PM

Pretty telling for the GOP

7/26/2015 7:18:40 PM

My prediction - Trump will take a huge hit in the polls after the first debate on Aug. 6. He will either make another gaffe that he can't recover from, or actually be exposed as being a single issue candidate who is definitely not an ideological conservative and only a registered Republican when it's convenient.

If "1 in 5 Republicans" really hated Mexicans and other immigrants, why didn't Duncan Hunter or Tom Tancredo fare better in the '08 election? Single issue candidates don't get elected. Trump is sitting atop the polls currently due primarily to his celebrity status.

[Edited on July 27, 2015 at 9:29 AM. Reason : ...]

7/27/2015 9:02:06 AM

he's not single issue, he plays into many of the ridiculous hates and fears that Republicans have

7/27/2015 9:03:58 AM

Name the other issue he's getting any attention for right now except for immigration? His whole entry into the race was centered on Mexico and illegal immigration. He is most certainly a single issue candidate at this time.

7/27/2015 9:08:28 AM

he just made statements against common core and Walker's support for it, claimed that the detainees swapped for Bergdahl are already back on the battlefield and recruiting for ISIS, has made multiple comments about the Iran deal, etc...

7/27/2015 9:24:08 AM

You're correct, he's obviously made other statements on issues besides immigration. I should have clarified and asked to name the other issue getting him equal media attention besides illegal immigration - this is what makes him a single issue candidate in my opinion. I suppose his bombastic demeanor in general is the other major issue for him, how he reacts to other candidates, the media, etc. This is why I think he fails during the first debate - he won't be able to duck legitimate questions about his prior support for democratic issues/candidates for the entire debate.

7/27/2015 9:33:14 AM

He seems to be getting some mileage out of "I'm worth $10billion, so I'd be 'tremendous' at running the country." or something similar (of course that requires you to ignore the number of times his companies/brand has declared bankruptcy). It could be good ammo against Walker and Jeb! who both have pretty terrible budget/spending records.

7/27/2015 9:36:28 AM

Quote :

"He will either make another gaffe that he can't recover from..."

I think this is wishful thinking on your part.

His "gaffes" have only helped him in the polls, thus far.

7/27/2015 10:53:44 AM

Quote :

"This is why I think he fails during the first debate - he won't be able to duck legitimate questions about his prior support for democratic issues/candidates for the entire debate."

Reagan started as a democrat celebrity too

7/27/2015 11:02:29 AM

^^ It's July - polls don't matter in July.

^ That's about the only similarity I can think of.

7/27/2015 11:10:31 AM

but it's good enough.

we have created debate styles that are meaningless, they are about showmanship and flashiness and have little to do with answers or content. The dude is used to this, it's in his wheelhouse, it's what he does. He can pivot and shout over anything he doesn't want to answer and no one will care.

7/27/2015 11:17:29 AM

Trump's support obviously has a ceiling, one that is significantly lower than what is required to win the nomination. His favorability numbers among Republicans and the public at large are abysmal. Once a lot of the middle/bottom tier candidates start dropping out, their support will coalesce around the more mainstream guys like Walker and Bush, not Trump.

[Edited on July 27, 2015 at 12:00 PM. Reason : .]

7/27/2015 11:59:50 AM

I highly doubt a NEW YAWWWKAAA will ever be president.

7/27/2015 11:14:59 PM

Quote :

"we have created debate styles that are meaningless, they are about showmanship and flashiness and have little to do with answers or content. The dude is used to this, it's in his wheelhouse, it's what he does. He can pivot and shout over anything he doesn't want to answer and no one will care. "

God yes, this is so frustrating. The entire process for becoming President actively punishes the honest and open display of just about every desirable trait you'd want in a President, haha.

7/27/2015 11:45:28 PM

will this do any damage?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3176878/Ivana-claimed-Donald-Trump-violated-violent-sex-attack-amid-argument-bald-patch-treatments.html

7/28/2015 3:12:40 AM

It's unlikely to actually help his campaign, but I think most people understand this is an allegation from a divorce proceeding in 1989 and will probably assign value accordingly. But it could possibly prove to be a rallying point for his supporters and bolster his claim that the "establishment" views him as a threat.

7/28/2015 10:12:08 AM

Quote :

"we have created debate styles that are meaningless, they are about showmanship and flashiness and have little to do with answers or content."

I think it's a perfect representation of what our current social media/internet-based culture has created. I don't think it's possible to have a well-constructed, high-level political debate on issues when every dumbass with a keyboard and an internet connection is allowed to share his or her opinion. Honestly, what is Trump? A dumbass with a camera that follows him around and records his comments. He could never happen when we had real journalism from newspapers and there were only half a dozen TV channels. But he can happen when you have hacks that masquerade as journalists that only present one side of an issue to their audience, which leads to the electoral success of wingnut populists of the left and right because they whip up the base and no one questions them (it's happened in Europe just as much as it's happened here, look at the 2014 EU Parliament elections and the British election earlier this year, it's not a one-country issue).

[Edited on July 29, 2015 at 8:21 AM. Reason : .]

7/29/2015 8:17:41 AM

Quote :

"Ms. Beck said it was urgent— she needed to pump breast milk for her 3-month-old daughter, and she took the pump out to make her point. Mr. Trump erupted. “You’re disgusting,” he told Ms. Beck, in a remark that is not disputed by either side. He then walked out of the room, ending testimony for the day."

http://jezebel.com/donald-trump-told-a-breastfeeding-female-lawyer-she-was-1720820309

7/29/2015 1:12:02 PM

I can easily see how that can be taken out of context and used against trump, TBH.

7/30/2015 1:01:06 PM

7/30/2015 1:33:41 PM

http://www.nj.com/horse-racing/index.ssf/2015/08/gov_chris_christie_booed_mercilessly_--_twice_--_at_the_haskell.html

OCEANPORT — It was one long happy celebration at Monmouth Park for the great American Pharoah's latest victory. At least, that is, until Gov. Chris Christie stepped into the Winner's Circle to present the trophy.

And then, the record crowd of 60,983 booed.

Long.

Loud.

Sustained.

Maybe he should have hung around Bill Murray.

The cheering resumed as trainer Bob Baffert and owner Ahmed Zayat addressed the crowd and talking about their famous horse. Then Christie's name was mentioned again, and the booing started anew.

8/3/2015 10:04:20 AM

8/3/2015 4:46:51 PM

ahahahahahaha this nation is a fucking dumpster fire

8/3/2015 6:01:18 PM

ahahahahahaha this nation is a fucking dumpster fire

8/3/2015 6:01:18 PM

Scott Walker trolled:


[Edited on August 3, 2015 at 9:00 PM. Reason : .]

8/3/2015 8:59:20 PM

No live commenting for the Voters First Presidential Forum tonight in NH?? Hopefully TSB will a lot more lively come the first debate Thursday!

8/3/2015 9:03:22 PM

I can only assume that we are mostly a group who either are going to vote Dem (and surely already have a candidate decided on between Sanders and Clinton), or who have thrown up our hands and said "Fuck it, why even pay attention? Anyone they choose will be intolerable. Fuck it."


Yes, NeuseRiverRat. Total dumpster fire.

8/3/2015 11:31:37 PM

To your ^ point, I've been curious for a while now about how many people in TSB are actually voters and, further, how many actual R's we may have amongst us. I don't think this list deserves its own thread (didn't see a previous relevant thread), but add your name to the list if you're a registered voter, state where you're registered, and your affiliation.

Goldieo NC (R)
bbehe (R)


[Edited on August 4, 2015 at 9:17 AM. Reason : ...]

8/4/2015 8:57:06 AM

I'm a registered Republican, but I'm probably switching. Even though being an R, I usually vote Democrat in the General and try to support a sane Republican in the primary (Huntsman in 2012). Seeing as there are no candidates (even longshots) that I can get behind, I think it's time for a change.

8/4/2015 9:04:59 AM

Registered R

Have no idea who I'm going to get behind. It doesn't matter. Trump is going to get so much crap from the Republican party that he's gonna peace out and run 3rd party, and ensure a Democratic president in 2016.

8/4/2015 10:27:48 AM

I don't have an official affiliation, but I've voted Democrats for President, US Senators, US Reps, and Governors every time (first vote was 2004). I've voted for a couple of Republicans on state and local levels.

8/5/2015 2:28:27 AM

will any bars or anywhere be showing the debate? I don't have cable but want to watch this shitshow

8/5/2015 9:37:05 AM

I don't identify with the heart-felt PC liberals who can't sleep at night due to the alleged plight of minorities and poor people in general. I do care about the environment, hate corporate welfare more than welfare queens, pro marijuana legalization, and am staunchly opposed to enforcement of Christian Values Shari'a law.

Thus while registered Libertarian I typically vote -D, although I did vote McCrory each election and voted for the -R African American candidate for the district 12 spot over Mel Watt's hand chosen successor.

8/5/2015 11:38:34 AM

Fox News debates tomorrow for the Republican field.

They chose to limit the number in their primetime debate to 10. I'd go for 6 to 8 personally, but they're being realistic I guess in not trying to piss anyone off and smaller presidential primary candidate fields don't jive in this era where running for president is a way to sell your book (hi George Pataki!) or get a TV analyst paying job. The 10 in the later debate was determined by the top 10 in national polling from different polls over the past week. In a good move in my opinion, Fox News will let the other declared candidates into another forum broadcast earlier in the day, that way no one is shut out and it will lead into their pre-debate coverage.

Primetime debate, 9pm:

-Donald Trump, New York businessman
-Jeb Bush, former Governor of Florida
-Scott Walker, Governor of Wisconsin
-Mike Huckabee, former Governor of Arkansas, 2008 presidential candidate
-Ben Carson, Maryland neurosurgeon
-Ted Cruz, Senator from Texas
-Marco Rubio, Senator from Florida
-Rand Paul, Senator from Kentucky

(These last two were the last ones to make the cut.)

-Chris Christie, Governor of New Jersey
-John Kasich, Governor of Ohio

Early debate, 5pm:

-Rick Perry, former Governor of Texas, 2012 presidential candidate
-Rick Santorum, former Senator from Pennsylvania, 2012 presidential candidate
-Bobby Jindal, Governor of Louisiana
-Carly Fiorina, California businesswoman
-Lindsey Graham, Senator from South Carolina
-George Pataki, former Governor of New York
-Jim Gilmore, former Governor of Virginia, 2008 presidential candidate

8/5/2015 12:29:57 PM

Quote :

"...hate corporate welfare more than welfare queens..."

I think most people that identify as conservative or Republican (or moderate, libertarian, liberal, socialist, Democrat, independent, etc.) agree. How many people in the middle of Nebraska that are rabid Republicans do you honestly think were happy with bailing out New York-based banks in 2008? There's a complete disconnect on the part of most as far as how they view the Republican Party on corporate welfare and what the rank-and-file Republican voter thinks.

[Edited on August 5, 2015 at 12:36 PM. Reason : /]

8/5/2015 12:32:28 PM

Quote :

"There's a complete disconnect on the part of most as far as how they view the Republican Party on corporate welfare and what the rank-and-file Republican voter thinks. "

yeah that's my problem too. A lot of the rank-and-file are the pro-Christian Shari'a law types. Honestly with the exception of nepotism/favoritism, I'd favor a GOP candidate who uses public funds for corporate welfare for what they could be argue as genuinely beneficial to the economy versus someone who is just considered with banning abortion, teaching creationism, placing god on every monument, etc.

Essentially the -R candidates all seem to be a vote for either Jesusland or corporate greed.

[Edited on August 5, 2015 at 1:17 PM. Reason : a]

8/5/2015 1:17:01 PM

Question:
Do you believe in Universal Healthcare?

Quote :

""They have to get some help. And you know what? If a republican - a conservative - and I'm a very conservative person - but if a conservative doesn't like the fact that I happen to want to take care of somebody that - if they're really sick and they have no money - then I want to help the person - at the lower end where people have no money. I want to try and help those people - and I don't think there is anything wrong with that. ..You gotta be able to help the people. Can you IMAGINE you have NO money and you get sick like somebody else and you have NO place to go? and you know what? If I lose votes over that or I don't get the nomination because of that, that's fine with me. You have to help people.""

- Republican Presidential Candidate


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KveO3wzWnh8&t=2m00s

8/5/2015 1:20:33 PM

My mother has ran the finances for public hospitals in eastern North Carolina for 20 to 25 years, so she's pretty much imminently more qualified to talk on this subject than most every person I ever meet on the internet. They do get help now, they go to an ER at a public hospital. They get sent a bill a few times, it's never paid, and eventually it's written off as bad debt. Everyone else's bill increases to make up that shortfall. (Plus to count as a non-profit hospital, one of the requirements is you give out so much free healthcare.)

What will universal healthcare do? The poor won't pay into the system and everyone else's taxes will go up to cover them as well. It's the exact same end result as now with the exception of the government is now your middleman.

People want the federal government to pay for healthcare when the federal government right now will only reimburse 19 cents to the dollar for Medicare funding that they have already committed to and under the terms of the Affordable Care Act her non-profit hospital system is currently set to have their federal funding reduced by $50 million over the next 10 years. And it's not like she's a fan of insurance companies either. People hate insurance companies because they won't pay. The government doesn't pay either.

[Edited on August 5, 2015 at 1:37 PM. Reason : .]

8/5/2015 1:35:00 PM

It's almost like the problem isn't with the insurance companies, which everyone hates, or the federal government, which everyone blames. Maybe, just maybe, it's due to the ridiculous costs charged for drugs and medical procedures by pharmaceutical companies and hospitals? If only there was a large ubiquitous organization representing tens of millions of people who could negotiate for lower prices across the board.............

[Edited on August 5, 2015 at 1:52 PM. Reason : .]

8/5/2015 1:51:22 PM

^^ if you're okay with poor people getting free healthcare, paid for by higher costs for middle class and rich, then isn't it a better solution, purely from an administrative standpoint, to account for these costs in an official manner?

If i were a hospital administrator, i wouldn't want to guess where my revenue is coming from.

Seems, as studies have shown, people only hate healthcare reform because of politics (calling it ACA vs obamacare, talking about public option vs government option, etc.), not policy.

^ hospitals only charge those costs to cover the free care they dole out. Stop doling out free care, and those costs should go away on their own.

[Edited on August 5, 2015 at 1:55 PM. Reason : ]

8/5/2015 1:54:40 PM

^http://www.forbes.com/sites/brucejapsen/2015/08/02/as-obamacare-takes-hold-unpaid-hospital-bills-vanish/

Quote :

"As hospital operators begin to report second period earnings — the sixth consecutive quarter of new revenue from once uninsured patients — the number and size of unpaid medical bills continues to fall thanks to the Affordable Care Act."

I guess you're sort of right, since growth in health care spending is also at historical lows, but let's not pretend that the cost of an MRI or heart medication is even close to justified by unpaid bills.

[Edited on August 5, 2015 at 1:59 PM. Reason : /b]

8/5/2015 1:59:09 PM

^ that article demonstrates sort of the opposite of what ACA was supposed to do. Looks like the for-profit health companies are using their savings to line their own pockets, rather than provide more care or cheaper plans.

It's why a public option was ever brought up in the first place.

[Edited on August 5, 2015 at 2:20 PM. Reason : ]

8/5/2015 2:19:58 PM

The ACA was supposed to provide UHC, or near enough, while curbing the rising costs of care. It's done that. It was never supposed to be a silver bullet that magically fixed every single inequity in the health care system. You people can move the goal posts all you want, but the law has been a rousing success by an applicable measure.

8/5/2015 3:14:45 PM

Quote :

"What will universal healthcare do? The poor won't pay into the system and everyone else's taxes will go up to cover them as well. It's the exact same end result as now with the exception of the government is now your middleman. "

The main difference I see is that these poor will now go to a normal doctor instead of clogging up the ER every time they have a sniffle.
I'm pro-ACA but I am also pro giving people the boot from the ER if they are suffering from NON life-threatening health issues unless they
can provide proof of means to pay.

Quote :

"maybe, it's due to the ridiculous costs charged for drugs and medical procedures by pharmaceutical companies and hospitals"

Big phrama is an issue.

The other issue is even if before ACA I wanted to pay out of pocket and forego insurance, I would end up paying "full" price subsidizing
medical care for insured patients since insurance companies never pay the list price.

8/5/2015 3:55:50 PM

Happy Debate Day everyone! Who else is pumped to watch what will likely be the highest rated cable news program of all time tonight!!

8/6/2015 9:58:06 AM