In '99/'00, Trump favored higher taxes on wealthy; Canadian style health care

[Mr. Morden]

Just a quick reminder:

http://www.vox.com/2015/3/18/8244115/donald-trump-wealth-tax

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http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2011/04/enter_the_donald_take_two.html

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[Mr. Morden]

On the other end of the spectrum, remember this?

Trump backed death penalty for 14 year old alleged rapist in 1989

More fun fuel for oppo researchers:

http://www.ny1.com/content/top_stories/?ArID=138192&r=8131524974

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The teens were later exonerated by DNA evidence.  The case is described here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Park_Jogger_case

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

This is Donald Trump. Does he even merit oppo research

[An American Tail: Fubart Goes West]

This is Donald Trump. Does he even merit oppo research

Yes, he does. Atlas Forum needs entertainment. With the Democratic nomination looking like a snoozefest, the Republicans need to pull more weight.

[IceSpear]

This is Donald Trump. Does he even merit oppo research

He will once he gets his turn as flavor of the month.

[Thunderbird is the word]

I think that he's just a cynical opportunist without any real strong political convictions, left or right.

[King]

I doubt Trump will even talk about issues. He'll probably just slam Obama with one liners and call it a campaign.

[Phony Moderate]

He also donated to Democratic candidates (often liberal ones such as Pelosi) as recently as the 2010 cycle, then he suddenly became a Tea Party Birther Republican just a couple of months later. It is obvious to anyone with a grasp on irony that Trump is really a moderate-to-moderately liberal Democrat who is out to make the GOP look like even more of a joke.

[Maxwell]

I doubt Trump will even talk about issues. He'll probably just slam Obama with one liners and call it a campaign.

To be fair, he also race baits on China and Immigration.

It seems like the only time Trump will take a solid position is if there are browns to crush.

[Mr. Morden]

*bump*

Just a little reminder, now that he's (apparently) about to announce his candidacy.

[RogueBeaver]

He also donated to Democratic candidates (often liberal ones such as Pelosi) as recently as the 2010 cycle, then he suddenly became a Tea Party Birther Republican just a couple of months later. It is obvious to anyone with a grasp on irony that Trump is really a moderate-to-moderately liberal Democrat who is out to make the GOP look like even more of a joke.

[IceSpear]

He also donated to Democratic candidates (often liberal ones such as Pelosi) as recently as the 2010 cycle, then he suddenly became a Tea Party Birther Republican just a couple of months later. It is obvious to anyone with a grasp on irony that Trump is really a moderate-to-moderately liberal Democrat who is out to make the GOP look like even more of a joke.

I wouldn't be surprised at all if this was true, but why not run in 2012 then?

[King]

Trump's great work to save the Republican Party through a cleansing by fire troll job will be commended in the history books.

[Fuzzy Bear]

Trump is who he is.  He's a billionaire, he's a celebrity, and he's a successful survivor.  He's a guy who had done BIG things, and folks expect some kind of history of doing BIG things in their Presidential candidates.

What Trump has done is gotten the jump on the other GOP candidates in the emotional appeal of "Let's Make America Great Again!".  It seems corny and hokey, but there are millions of Middle Americans who seek a candidate with that kind of Reaganesque appeal.

Reagan won in 1980 not because people necessarily agreed with him more on an issue by issue basis.  Indeed, most people agreed more with Carter on that basis, and polling data backed that up.  Reagan didn't win because people trusted him more, either; polling data showed Carter ahead of Reagan in a number of personal character traits.  Reagan won because he was able to drown all the other stuff out and focus on the national malaise and how folks who were proud to be Americans needed to take the lead and oust from power people who were ambivilent about being Americans.  That's not an appeal that works in every election, but it was THE appeal that worked in 1980, and it's an appeal whose time has come again.

Is Donald Trump the man to make that appeal?  I can't come up with a reason as to why he ISN'T the guy to make that appeal.  No Democrat and, truthfully, none of the GOP candiates running are positioned to make these appeal.  The Democrats are seen as insincere in their patriotic appeals and the GOP candidates appear to be the type of scoundrels for whom patriotism is the last refuge.  I think Trump is onto something here.  I think he'll be in the front tier of GOP candidates; he ain't no Morry Taylor.

[IceSpear]

Trump is who he is.  He's a billionaire, he's a celebrity, and he's a successful survivor.  He's a guy who had done BIG things, and folks expect some kind of history of doing BIG things in their Presidential candidates.

What Trump has done is gotten the jump on the other GOP candidates in the emotional appeal of "Let's Make America Great Again!".  It seems corny and hokey, but there are millions of Middle Americans who seek a candidate with that kind of Reaganesque appeal.

Reagan won in 1980 not because people necessarily agreed with him more on an issue by issue basis.  Indeed, most people agreed more with Carter on that basis, and polling data backed that up.  Reagan didn't win because people trusted him more, either; polling data showed Carter ahead of Reagan in a number of personal character traits.  Reagan won because he was able to drown all the other stuff out and focus on the national malaise and how folks who were proud to be Americans needed to take the lead and oust from power people who were ambivilent about being Americans.  That's not an appeal that works in every election, but it was THE appeal that worked in 1980, and it's an appeal whose time has come again.

Is Donald Trump the man to make that appeal?  I can't come up with a reason as to why he ISN'T the guy to make that appeal.  No Democrat and, truthfully, none of the GOP candiates running are positioned to make these appeal.  The Democrats are seen as insincere in their patriotic appeals and the GOP candidates appear to be the type of scoundrels for whom patriotism is the last refuge.  I think Trump is onto something here.  I think he'll be in the front tier of GOP candidates; he ain't no Morry Taylor.

A post arguing Trump is the next Reagan...only on Atlas.

[Fuzzy Bear]

Trump is who he is.  He's a billionaire, he's a celebrity, and he's a successful survivor.  He's a guy who had done BIG things, and folks expect some kind of history of doing BIG things in their Presidential candidates.

What Trump has done is gotten the jump on the other GOP candidates in the emotional appeal of "Let's Make America Great Again!".  It seems corny and hokey, but there are millions of Middle Americans who seek a candidate with that kind of Reaganesque appeal.

Reagan won in 1980 not because people necessarily agreed with him more on an issue by issue basis.  Indeed, most people agreed more with Carter on that basis, and polling data backed that up.  Reagan didn't win because people trusted him more, either; polling data showed Carter ahead of Reagan in a number of personal character traits.  Reagan won because he was able to drown all the other stuff out and focus on the national malaise and how folks who were proud to be Americans needed to take the lead and oust from power people who were ambivilent about being Americans.  That's not an appeal that works in every election, but it was THE appeal that worked in 1980, and it's an appeal whose time has come again.

Is Donald Trump the man to make that appeal?  I can't come up with a reason as to why he ISN'T the guy to make that appeal.  No Democrat and, truthfully, none of the GOP candiates running are positioned to make these appeal.  The Democrats are seen as insincere in their patriotic appeals and the GOP candidates appear to be the type of scoundrels for whom patriotism is the last refuge.  I think Trump is onto something here.  I think he'll be in the front tier of GOP candidates; he ain't no Morry Taylor.

A post arguing Trump is the next Reagan...only on Atlas.

He's not like Reagan in the sense that he's some kind of "movement conservative", but he is a guy who has the potential to run on the "End the Malaise" issue.  I thought his "Let's Make America Great Again a bit hokey until I concluded that none of the other GOP candidats can convincingly pull thatoff.  It was THAT appeal that elected Ronald Reagan in 19080; it was the issue of isses, and, for many Americans, were in 1980 again.

[King]

There is no malaise. Only old people who watch too much FOX News think there is a malaise.

[Yelnoc]

There is no malaise. Only old people who watch too much FOX News think there is a malaise.

There's definitely a malaise among white people. You know, the feeling that they're losing control of the "their" country.

[King]

There is no malaise. Only old people who watch too much FOX News think there is a malaise.

There's definitely a malaise among white people. You know, the feeling that they're losing control of the "their" country.

Yeah but that malaise isn't in states that are part of the Democrats' 270 EV strategy, or 300 EV strategy for that matter.

[Fuzzy Bear]

There is no malaise. Only old people who watch too much FOX News think there is a malaise.

There's definitely a malaise among white people. You know, the feeling that they're losing control of the "their" country.

Yeah but that malaise isn't in states that are part of the Democrats' 270 EV strategy, or 300 EV strategy for that matter.

I would argue that it's part of the issue in several blue states.  Pennsylvania, Virginia, Florida, Ohio, maybe New Hampshire. 

Trump would also be an attractive candidate to the suburbs of major cities, which have been trending Democratic, but who would respond to his economic message. While Trump is a greedbag, he is more aware than many candidates about what it takes to create and maintain a middle class society, and if he develops these themes (which are more general election themes than primary themes), he will resonate with some Democratic voters in suburbs and exurbs that have been trending away from the GOP.

In a GENERAL election, Trump would have something for everyone (including protectionists like myself).  The economy is still a big issue, and people, rightly or wrongly, think that Trump knows something about that issue that others don't.  Think about it; what do any of the other candidates know about he economy that Trump doesn't?  What does Trump know about the economy that none of the other candidates know? 

I'm not saying I'm for Trump, and I'm not saying he'll win.  But he's not a joke.  He's a guy who's done more than take the right issue positions and be from the right state.

[Vega]

I would have actually considered voting for him if he stuck to these positions.