Who will be the GOP nominee?

[dolphins4life]

I'm surprised to say that we agree here.

The idea of SS or Medicare "running out of money" is like saying our military could run out of money: it's a choice, and whichever politicians happen to be in office when that choice is made will soon find themselves looking for a new job.

I don't see how that means you agree with him. 

He's bashing Biden for sending all the money overseas.

People seem to be okay with him doing that. 

[pondwater]

I'm surprised to say that we agree here.

The idea of SS or Medicare "running out of money" is like saying our military could run out of money: it's a choice, and whichever politicians happen to be in office when that choice is made will soon find themselves looking for a new job.

There is a happy medium where we could actually fund our military, SS, and Medicare. And actually, it's not a happy medium, it's common sense. We shouldn't be paying other countries to be our allies and calling it aid. And we shouldn't be involved in the Ukraine by financing their issues either. The US is like the idiot celebrity going to the strip club with a bag full of money and making it rain for attention. Grade A retarded shit

[CF DolFan]

I don't see how that means you agree with him. 

He's bashing Biden for sending all the money overseas.

People seem to be okay with him doing that. 

I'm not bashing Biden at all. Plenty of money goes out of this country regardless of who is in power.

[CF DolFan]

There is a happy medium where we could actually fund our military, SS, and Medicare. And actually, it's not a happy medium, it's common sense. We shouldn't be paying other countries to be our allies and calling it aid. And we shouldn't be involved in the Ukraine by financing their issues either. The US is like the idiot celebrity going to the strip club with a bag full of money and making it rain for attention. Grade A retarded shit

I remember when everyone complained about the citizens who were working the system to live for free. If all we had to worry about was our own people mooching off us then our taxes would be so much lower ... hahaha.

[Fau Teixeira]

I think some foreign aid is acceptable. We want some countries to act in certain ways. and using a carrot is probably much more affordable than using a stick.

I think we could fund universal healthcare, universal college and keep a strong social safety net for everyone at the cost of about 10% of the annual military budget.

It's all about the choices we make and the priorities we have as a nation. Currently our national priorities are whatever the large corporations and lobbyists tell our politicians they want. We need to find a way to solve that before we can realistically fix anything.

[Spider-Dan]

Getting back on topic:

This "Don't attack Trump" strategy cannot last through a single debate, or it will be exposed as the dumbest idea ever.  All Trump has to do is get on the stage and say, "I'm the only candidate that everyone here agrees did a great job in office.  Everyone else disagrees about the rest of their opponents, and I say they ALL did a terrible job.  So why should any Republican vote for someone other than me?"

You can't beat Trump while kissing his ass.  It's not possible.

[Dave Gray]

You can't beat Trump while kissing his ass.  It's not possible.

Agreed, but the timing matters.

I think that some candidates are just staying quiet for now and waiting for the right time to pounce.  I don't know how well that will work, but I think they're hoping that the other candidates make "want that smoke" first and avoid the fallout.

[Dave Gray]

Currently our national priorities are whatever the large corporations and lobbyists tell our politicians they want. We need to find a way to solve that before we can realistically fix anything.

This is sadly true.

Money in politics is the one thing that hurts every other issue.  We have the resources to solve these problems, but there is so much money to be made in continuing for it to be a problem.

[CF DolFan]

Getting back on topic:

This "Don't attack Trump" strategy cannot last through a single debate, or it will be exposed as the dumbest idea ever.  All Trump has to do is get on the stage and say, "I'm the only candidate that everyone here agrees did a great job in office.  Everyone else disagrees about the rest of their opponents, and I say they ALL did a terrible job.  So why should any Republican vote for someone other than me?"

You can't beat Trump while kissing his ass.  It's not possible.

I fully expect DeSantis to go back on Trump when the time is right. As it is now he's in Trump's head and hasn't even declared. It's kind of funny and I know it isn't gaining Trump any supporters.

[Spider-Dan]

It sounds like this strategy is for DeSantis to generate a bunch of film talking about how great the Trump presidency was, and then sometime next year (?) try to say that it was actually bad...?  This is a terrible plan.

Again: you cannot run against Trump without running against the Trump presidency.  It doesn't make sense! And the longer you delay taking him on, the worse it will be.

The idea that it somehow helps DeSantis for Trump to mercilessly shit on him for the next 9 months is just crazy.

[CF DolFan]

I dont think it will be 9 months. DeSantis is very intelligent. I'm sure he knows how to pay respect and point out the flaws as he does it. I could be wrong but I really don't see Trump flustering him like he was able to do others.

[Spider-Dan]

CF, y'all are in denial.  Badly.

Try to think forward to whatever point in time DeSantis decides to start defending himself against Trump.  Do you really think you're going to be glad that he waited to do what he was always going to have to do anyway?

DeSantis isn't holding back from attacking Trump because of some sort of 4-dimensional chess.  He's holding back because he's terrified of Trump.  And that terror will not decrease as time goes on; it will only get worse.  Trump is working every day to turn his followers against DeSantis and make him a hated figure in MAGA world.  Today, there are a decent number of Republicans that like both of them, but after 3 months... 6 months... 9 months, Trump will be working to wedge that group apart day by day.  By the time Trump is done, every Trump supporter will absolutely despise DeSantis.

Don't get me wrong: I'm cheering.  My ideal outcome is for Tiny D to absorb Trump's body blows for several more months, eventually declare for & win the GOP primary, and have Trump sabotage his support with "Rigged Ron" until Election Day.  But it seems you are fighting for the same outcome, which is bizarre.

[Spider-Dan]

I think that some candidates are just staying quiet for now and waiting for the right time to pounce.  I don't know how well that will work, but I think they're hoping that the other candidates make "want that smoke" first and avoid the fallout.

This is literally the 2016 strategy.  It can't work because they're all cowards and want someone else to go first, but no one does.
None of them were willing to make a move until it was too late, and the feeble last-minute attempts (Rubio insulting Trump's baby-sized hands, or Cruz's fake tough guy act) were too little, too late.

edit: The irony is that none of the Republicans have learned the actual lesson of Trumpism.  Republican voters do not want decency or respectability; they want dominance politics, pure and simple.  The Republican that can defeat Trump is the one that is willing to go at Trump as hard as they would go at a Democrat.  But, again, they're all cowards so it won't happen.

Rubio ALMOST figured this out in 2016 when he went with the "tiny hands" insult, but he flinched; he wasn't willing to see it through.  When Trump was on stage at a nationally-televised presidential debate bragging about how big his dick is, Rubio should have said, "That's not what the porn star you cheated on your pregnant wife with said."  The only way for a Republican to beat Trump is to go so hard at him that Trump flinches.  (Unfortunately, when the GOP does figure out that this is the end-stage of Trumpism - always go harder than your opponent is willing to - it will basically mark the end of the Republican Party as one that is even compatible with democracy a democratic republic.)

[Dave Gray]

This is literally the 2016 strategy.

I agree.  It didn't work for them them.

They're hoping that this is a different, more known version of Trump.  Before, the thought was that if they didn't take him seriously, he'd fizzle out as a circus act.

Now, they know he's a threat, but they're hoping that he won't be seen as electable.

They could both be wrong, but that's the strategy.



Desantis was basically the "not Trump" selection of the party pretty early on.  It's weird then, that he's trying to be Trump.  I don't know, man.   This could all blow up in the GOP's face again but we'll see.

[CF DolFan]

This is literally the 2016 strategy.  It can't work because they're all cowards and want someone else to go first, but no one does.
None of them were willing to make a move until it was too late, and the feeble last-minute attempts (Rubio insulting Trump's baby-sized hands, or Cruz's fake tough guy act) were too little, too late.

LOL ... I see this from a completely different perspective. DeSantis isn't afraid of Trump. He's playing him. So far Trump looks desperate and DeSantis has yet to even announce anything. DeSantis is in an entirely different position than everyone who was flailing to get the nom last time. I haven't spent one second thinking "why hasn't Ron gotten into the race or said bad things about Trump?"  I completely buy into his game. In fact, if DeSantis decides not to run and is just letting Don simmer I trust he knows what he is doing.