2016 Presidential Horse Race

[Legacy]

TED CRUZ MAKES INDEFENSIBLE VOTE

Senator Susan Collins, Republican of Maine, practically pleaded with the more extreme members of her own party like Ted Cruz to move forward.

"This is not and never should be a partisan political issue,” she said on the Senate floor. “This is an equal-opportunity crime that harms people regardless of their political affiliation, their profession or their status in life. It’s an issue that deserves bipartisan support."

All eighteen female Senators voted for the Violence Against Women Act. (VAWA) Sixty-two of the seventy-two female Congresswomen voted for the Act. The ten who voted against the Act were Republican.

Here's Why Neither Texas Senator Voted for the Violence Against Women Act

In his statement, Cruz's office calls him tough on crime, especially "sexual predators who target women and children."

"Nevertheless," the statement goes on, "he voted against this federal law because stopping and punishing violent criminals is primarily a state responsibility, and the federal government does not need to be dictating state criminal law."

That's it. Cruz reduces a complicated and painful public battle over domestic violence to a state's rights issue, then moves right along. He doesn't even seem to understand what the VAWA was about, conflating domestic abuse with "sexual predators."

Trump: “If Hillary Clinton were a man, I don’t think she’d get five per cent of the vote. The only thing she’s got going is the woman’s card. The beautiful thing is, women don’t like her.”

 

[irishfan]

I asked this before... does Trump lead Hillary in ANY state in head-to-head polling? Sorry, if already answered.

Poll: Trump has 15-point lead over Cruz in Ind.

In a general election matchup, Trump leads Clinton by 7 points in the Hoosier state while he has a single digit advantage over Democrat Bernie Sanders.

 

[BGIF]

WATCH LIVE: Bernie Sanders speaks to enormous crowd in South Bend | Local - WSBT.com

 

[NDinL.A.]

WATCH LIVE: Bernie Sanders speaks to enormous crowd in South Bend | Local - WSBT.com

Rally was going to start in the evening - I drove by there by chance at 1:15 and there was a long line already. Bernie's supporters are enthusiastic, that's for sure.

 

[BGIF]

Trump scheduled to appear Monday at rally in South Bend
S.B. Tribune Staff Report

SOUTH BEND - GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump is scheduled to appear at 7 p.m. Monday at Century Center, according to his website.

Doors are set to open at 4 p.m., and tickets can be obtained on his website

https://www.donaldjtrump.com/schedule

 

[BleedBlueGold]

Currently a statistical tie in IN for Bernie vs HRC. Open primary too, so I'm thinking Bern wins my state.

 

[irishfan]

Eyeing an Indiana victory, Trump says, 'It's over' | Reuters

"Yes, it's over," Trump said. "It's already over."

Anyone disagree at this point? He seems like a lock to get to 1,237 with a win tomorrow in Indiana.

 

[BleedBlueGold]

Eyeing an Indiana victory, Trump says, 'It's over' | Reuters



Anyone disagree at this point? He seems like a lock to get to 1,237 with a win tomorrow in Indiana.

I drive all over central IN, and Trump's yard sign support is strong. I think he wins tomorrow easily, and if so, I don't see how he doesn't eventually win outright.

 

[Legacy]

Trump-onomics Would Blow a Huge Hole in the Federal Budget (Fiscal Times)

Taken together, his proposals for slashing tax revenues by as much as $12 trillion over the coming decade, leaving Social Security and other major entitlement programs unscathed and achieving his biggest savings by cutting “waste, fraud and abuse” are a recipe for record long-term deficits and debt.

The nonpartisan Tax Policy Center has pegged the 10-year cost of Trump’s proposed tax cuts at $9.5 trillion -- or $11.2 trillion if you add in interest on the debt that the tax cuts will generate. The nonpartisan Tax Foundation says that Trump’s tax plan would cost the Treasury revenues of $10 trillion over the same period, but they reached that conclusion by giving Trump credit for economic growth. Either way, Trump’s approach would send deficits and the long term accumulated debt through the roof.

Presidential Candidates are Ignoring the Economy's Most Ominous Statistic (Fiscal Times)

 

[irishfan]

Trump 41%, Clinton 39% - Rasmussen Reports™

 

[wizards8507]

Rally was going to start in the evening - I drove by there by chance at 1:15 and there was a long line already. Bernie's supporters are unemployed, that's for sure.

FIFY

 

[NDinL.A.]

I drive all over central IN, and Trump's yard sign support is strong. I think he wins tomorrow easily, and if so, I don't see how he doesn't eventually win outright.

This is true. I expect it to be over tomorrow night, God help us. Going to be a lonnnnnnnnnnnnnggggggg 7 months until November. New polls showing new stuff, new drama swinging votes, calling for new polls showing different numbers, and sadly, more riots any time he steps foot into big, diverse cities. As stupid as American voters can be, I refuse to believe that the voters will be stupid enough to vote that POS disaster (Trump) into office. He's pissed off too many subsets of people. That's my hope/prayer anyway. I don't want this country to be divided any further (I was called a "wetback" the other day because my skin is brown and I don't support Trump, and another lady said I must be an illegal immigrant and living off the govt because I don't support Trump - yay America!).

FIFY

The ones I've run into (small subset I know)- Trump's supporters are more unemployed than Sanders' supporters, and I'm no Sanders supporter. There's a reason Trump loves the "poorly educated" so much.

 

[Legacy]

Poll: Trump has 15-point lead over Cruz in Ind.

In he wins, do we hear the Donald say to TrusTed "Hoosier Daddy Now?"

 

[phgreek]

This is true. I expect it to be over tomorrow night, God help us. Going to be a lonnnnnnnnnnnnnggggggg 7 months until November. New polls showing new stuff, new drama swinging votes, calling for new polls showing different numbers, and sadly, more riots any time he steps foot into big, diverse cities. As stupid as American voters can be, I refuse to believe that the voters will be stupid enough to vote that POS disaster (Trump) into office. He's pissed off too many subsets of people. That's my hope/prayer anyway. I don't want this country to be divided any further (I was called a "wetback" the other day because my skin is brown and I don't support Trump, and another lady said I must be an illegal immigrant and living off the govt because I don't support Trump - yay America!).



The ones I've run into (small subset I know)- Trump's supporters are more unemployed than Sanders' supporters, and I'm no Sanders supporter. There's a reason Trump loves the "poorly educated" so much.

Sorry man...how you don't go ballistic on someone for doing that I don't know. I generally hate liberal policies, to be quite honest...I hate Hillary Clinton even more than Liberal Policies because she is a crook, but I got no tolerance when politics spirals into someone taunting another person like that...Now, I just avoid the charged political rallies because I'm too old to have an orange shirt profile...

 

[Emcee77]

This is true. I expect it to be over tomorrow night, God help us. Going to be a lonnnnnnnnnnnnnggggggg 7 months until November. New polls showing new stuff, new drama swinging votes, calling for new polls showing different numbers, and sadly, more riots any time he steps foot into big, diverse cities. As stupid as American voters can be, I refuse to believe that the voters will be stupid enough to vote that POS disaster (Trump) into office. He's pissed off too many subsets of people. That's my hope/prayer anyway. I don't want this country to be divided any further (I was called a "wetback" the other day because my skin is brown and I don't support Trump, and another lady said I must be an illegal immigrant and living off the govt because I don't support Trump - yay America!).



The ones I've run into (small subset I know)- Trump's supporters are more unemployed than Sanders' supporters, and I'm no Sanders supporter. There's a reason Trump loves the "poorly educated" so much.

Well, that made my jaw hit the floor. Sorry you had to deal with such an unpleasant situation. Do you mind my asking how it came about? Was that one incident or two?

 

[wizards8507]

Has anyone else seen these videos of Ted Cruz trying to have a rational conversation with a Trump supporter? They're so fucking stupid. LYIN' TED! BUILD THE WALL! MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! He's self-funding! Trump is the only one who's going to put us where we need to be! Where's your Goldman Sachs jacket at, we know your wife works there!

I don't care if Whiskey thinks it's a tactical error to dismiss them as ignorant rubes because that's exactly what they are. They're no better than #OccupyWallStreet or #BlackLivesMatter.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/tedcruz">@tedcruz</a> confronts <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump">@realDonaldTrump</a> supporters in Indiana. Tune in to MSNBC for more. <a href="https://t.co/BIgYxiSeUQ">https://t.co/BIgYxiSeUQ</a></p>— MSNBC (@MSNBC) <a href="https://twitter.com/MSNBC/status/727189678147796992">May 2, 2016</a></blockquote>
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Are You Canadian? Cruz, Trump Supporter Face Off | Fox Business

 

[NDgradstudent]

I see Andrew Sullivan has returned from semi-retirement with a new piece hyperventilating about how Trump is a fascist and how elites deserve power, even though they have used it irresponsibly. A few thoughts:

(1) Trump won a majority of GOP votes in Greenwich, CT, and 41% of GOP votes in Manhattan. Because nobody hates elites and loves fascism more than GOP voters in Greenwich and Manhattan. Maybe we should look for other explanations?

(2) Sullivan writes at one point that "Muslims and Mexicans are the new Jews." Is he joking? How many Muslims are there in the world? And how many Jews? And how many Jews in Europe are frightened to walk around for fear of being of attacked by Muslims?

(3) Although Sullivan has long been focused on gay issues, and mentions them several times in his piece, they are not relevant to explaining Trump's success. Trump is not 'against' the liberal position on these issues, even if he pretends to be; his voters don't care about these issues as much as Cruz voters; and his voters tend to be less religious than Cruz voters.

(4) There is no discussion of similar movements in Europe- the rise of the Danish People's Party and the Swedish Democrats, for instance. Does Sullivan think that Muslim immigration to Europe has been harmless? Does he think that these parties are reacting to an imaginary threat?

(5) One other thing I forgot: bear in mind that Hitler actually believed the things he wrote in Mein Kampf, etc. There is no evidence that Trump believes any of the things he says. If you actually Trump is comparable to Hitler, bear that in mind.

 

[BleedBlueGold]

Has anyone else seen these videos of Ted Cruz trying to have a rational conversation with a Trump supporter? They're so fucking stupid. LYIN' TED! BUILD THE WALL! MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! He's self-funding! Trump is the only one who's going to put us where we need to be! Where's your Goldman Sachs jacket at, we know your wife works there!

I don't care if Whiskey thinks it's a tactical error to dismiss them as ignorant rubes because that's exactly what they are. They're no better than #OccupyWallStreet or #BlackLivesMatter.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/tedcruz">@tedcruz</a> confronts <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump">@realDonaldTrump</a> supporters in Indiana. Tune in to MSNBC for more. <a href="https://t.co/BIgYxiSeUQ">https://t.co/BIgYxiSeUQ</a></p>— MSNBC (@MSNBC) <a href="https://twitter.com/MSNBC/status/727189678147796992">May 2, 2016</a></blockquote>
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Are You Canadian? Cruz, Trump Supporter Face Off | Fox Business

Cruz's first mistake is trying to have a reasonable discussion with a Trump supporter.

 

[irishfan]

Has Cruz said a word that isn't about Trump in the last month? Maybe he doesn't get coverage if he doesn't talk about him, but it certainly seems like Trump is in his head.

Realistically, Cruz/Kasich should drop out for the good of the GOP (get everyone on the same page for the general) if Trump wins tomorrow, but something tells me that they won't.

 

[Ndaccountant]

Has anyone else seen these videos of Ted Cruz trying to have a rational conversation with a Trump supporter? They're so fucking stupid. LYIN' TED! BUILD THE WALL! MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! He's self-funding! Trump is the only one who's going to put us where we need to be! Where's your Goldman Sachs jacket at, we know your wife works there!

I don't care if Whiskey thinks it's a tactical error to dismiss them as ignorant rubes because that's exactly what they are. They're no better than #OccupyWallStreet or #BlackLivesMatter.


Are You Canadian? Cruz, Trump Supporter Face Off | Fox Business

We are more often aligned than not, but your comment misses the point. There are millions of people out there that feel disenfranchised. What you are seeing is the result of elitists taking a haughty approach towards governing. It was only a matter of time before someone capitalized and someone faltered. In this case, it is Trump and the GOP. BTW, the Democrats better learn from this. Sanders appeal is no blip on the radar. There is a large mass of people that are feeling abandoned by the smug left.

In some ways, this is a good thing if it can lead to establishing a credible, long lasting third party. We are in desperate need of it.

 

[wizards8507]

Has Cruz said a word that isn't about Trump in the last month? Maybe he doesn't get coverage if he doesn't talk about him, but it certainly seems like Trump is in his head.

People don't really like Cruz. His support is largely driven by anti-Trump sentiment as much as it is about pro-Cruz sentiment.

Realistically, Cruz/Kasich should drop out for the good of the GOP (get everyone on the same page for the general) if Trump wins tomorrow, but something tells me that they won't.

I completely disagree. I'm with George Will on this one. If Trump is the nominee, it's in the best interest of the party and the country to lose to HRC in a landslide. A Trump presidency will be the end of the GOP.

We are more often aligned than not, but your comment misses the point. There are millions of people out there that feel disenfranchised. What you are seeing is the result of elitists taking a haughty approach towards governing. It was only a matter of time before someone capitalized and someone faltered. In this case, it is Trump and the GOP. BTW, the Democrats better learn from this. Sanders appeal is no blip on the radar. There is a large mass of people that are feeling abandoned by the smug left.

Give me a break. This isn't about the "white working class feeling disenfranchised." This is a bunch of dunderheads falling in love with a dictator. They dislike politicians selling influence... so they turn to the man who's been buying influence for decades. They dislike coastal elites... so they turn to the man who's the epitome of inherited wealth and coastal elitism. They dislike illegal immigration... so they turn to the only candidate in the race who has employed illegal immigrants. They dislike outsourced labor... so they turn to the only candidate who's outsourcing labor as I write this. The cognitive dissonance of these people is staggering.

Also, call it "elitism" or whatever, but a welder from Gary doesn't know jack shit about global economic policy and shouldn't reasonably expect anyone to listen to his opinions on the matter.

 

[Ndaccountant]

People don't really like Cruz. His support is largely driven by anti-Trump sentiment as much as it is about pro-Cruz sentiment.


I completely disagree. I'm with George Will on this one. If Trump is the nominee, it's in the best interest of the party and the country to lose to HRC in a landslide. A Trump presidency will be the end of the GOP.


Give me a break. This isn't about the "white working class feeling disenfranchised." This is a bunch of dunderheads falling in love with a dictator. They dislike politicians selling influence... so they turn to the man who's been buying influence for decades. They dislike coastal elites... so they turn to the man who's the epitome of inherited wealth and coastal elitism. They dislike illegal immigration... so they turn to the only candidate in the race who has employed illegal immigrants. They dislike outsourced labor... so they turn to the only candidate who's outsourcing labor as I write this. The cognitive dissonance of these people is staggering.

Also, call it "elitism" or whatever, but a welder from Gary doesn't know jack shit about global economic policy and shouldn't reasonably expect anyone to listen to his opinions on the matter.

Whether Trump is the right person to govern out their desires is irrelevant. The reason they support Trump is b/c there is nowhere else to turn. Seriously.....who in the GOP Washington establishment has successfully portrayed their concern for these people? Instead, the GOP has been focused on screwing Obama, whether or not there was merit in doing so.

In a way, Trump is doing the exact same thing as what Obama did 8 years ago. The only difference here is that Trump is nowhere near as eloquent nor does he have the political machine behind him. But I truly believe that if Trump would have taken his candidacy seriously from the beginning (instead of using it to prove a point) and avoided his inflammatory racial language, he would win in November.

BTW, Trump has ruined the GOP, at least in the near term, whether he is the candidate or not. But if they try their hardest to dethrone Trump, like they did Obama, they will continue to alienate a portion of their base. They have already lost one person......me.

 

[NDgradstudent]

Also, call it "elitism" or whatever, but a welder from Gary doesn't know jack shit about global economic policy and shouldn't reasonably expect anyone to listen to his opinions on the matter.

That's probably true, but have bankers in NYC proven that they know any more about global economic policy over the past decade?

And yet the bankers in NYC are rich, and the welder in Gary is unemployed.

 

[irishfan]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Honored to have received the endorsement of Lou Holtz - a great guy! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/INPrimary?src=hash">#INPrimary</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Trump2016?src=hash">#Trump2016</a> <a href="https://t.co/AeGyODb37O">pic.twitter.com/AeGyODb37O</a></p>— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/727225626575421440">May 2, 2016</a></blockquote>
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[NDVirginia19]

Well...... shit

 

[GoIrish41]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Honored to have received the endorsement of Lou Holtz - a great guy! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/INPrimary?src=hash">#INPrimary</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Trump2016?src=hash">#Trump2016</a> <a href="https://t.co/AeGyODb37O">pic.twitter.com/AeGyODb37O</a></p>— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/727225626575421440">May 2, 2016</a></blockquote>
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Lou has finally gone completely over the edge!

 

[TheOneWhoKnocks]

In he wins, do we hear the Donald say to TrusTed "Hoosier Daddy Now?"

Lol. The internet would crash from the massive uploading of memes

 

[NDgradstudent]

Lou has finally gone completely over the edge!

Still not as bad as visiting Michigan for signing day, but yeah. This is pretty bad.

 

[EddytoNow]

Whether Trump is the right person to govern out their desires is irrelevant. The reason they support Trump is b/c there is nowhere else to turn. Seriously.....who in the GOP Washington establishment has successfully portrayed their concern for these people? Instead, the GOP has been focused on screwing Obama, whether or not there was merit in doing so.

In a way, Trump is doing the exact same thing as what Obama did 8 years ago. The only difference here is that Trump is nowhere near as eloquent nor does he have the political machine behind him. But I truly believe that if Trump would have taken his candidacy seriously from the beginning (instead of using it to prove a point) and avoided his inflammatory racial language, he would win in November.

BTW, Trump has ruined the GOP, at least in the near term, whether he is the candidate or not. But if they try their hardest to dethrone Trump, like they did Obama, they will continue to alienate a portion of their base. They have already lost one person......me.

That's a big if. If Trump had avoided offending just about every group except angry, white males he would be a serious candidate, but he wouldn't be the Republican primary favorite. His rhetoric blames females, blacks, Hispanics, the LGBT community, and many others for the economic condition of the angry white male. That has been the Republican line for quite awhile. Trump just said it louder and without expressing any regrets about who he offended in the process, including members of his own political party.

As far as endorsements from Bobby Knight and Lou Holtz go, I'll continue to admire their success as coaches. But being a successful football coach or basketball coach does not mean you have the ability to sway voters to one of the worst presidential candidates in our history. Trump is a loud mouth and a bully, neither are characteristics the country needs in its next president.

 

[NorthDakota]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Honored to have received the endorsement of Lou Holtz - a great guy! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/INPrimary?src=hash">#INPrimary</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Trump2016?src=hash">#Trump2016</a> <a href="https://t.co/AeGyODb37O">pic.twitter.com/AeGyODb37O</a></p>— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/727225626575421440">May 2, 2016</a></blockquote>
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Where do I get my yard sign and "Make America Great Again" hat?