Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Trump is popular for the same reason as sanders- people are sick of the political establishment. Take notice on both sides of the aisle.

People are tired of being lied to about immigration- they see the unmitigated flow of illegals into their communities and they are tired of the lies from politicians - both republicans and democrats.

According to folks helping to construct Trump's hotel in DC, several of the workers on the site entered the country illegally. Wionder if Trump will crack down on them once he becomes president.

Muslima wrote:Better him than Jindal...

Why?

Muslima wrote:Better him than Jindal...

Fully agreed. Piyush is just the worst

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree that his primary appeal is his straight-talk approach. He is a stark contrast to the other candidates on both sides of the aisle. However, I have significant doubts that the content of his message will hold up long term in a national campaign.

It's all bluster and bombast. If he was a democrat and managed to get elected, you would say he is a tyrant who won't reach across the aisle. I'm sure it feels good to about half of Republicans, but that's as far as he can get.

I'm the quoted PP. I actually vote for Democrats most of the time so try not to assume as much, you're liable to hurt yourself.

Most of my Republican friends think Trump would be a bad candidate and think he's killing himself long-term with his comments. IMO- he's got a bump right now because he resonates with a core of the base and he's standing out from the field. Of course its all bluster and bombast but the rest of the field- including HRC- is completely milquetoast. I think its interesting that Trump is actually doubling down on his statements and directly attacking Perry and Rubio now. I think what he is doing is strategic but don't think he can survive a Republican primary.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Actually, the reason Trump is leading is because he's calling it like it is.

I agree that his primary appeal is his straight-talk approach. He is a stark contrast to the other candidates on both sides of the aisle. However, I have significant doubts that the content of his message will hold up long term in a national campaign.

It's all bluster and bombast. If he was a democrat and managed to get elected, you would say he is a tyrant who won't reach across the aisle. I'm sure it feels good to about half of Republicans, but that's as far as he can get.

Frankly, this is an opportunity for a more viable Republican candidate to follow Trump's lead without the inflammatory rhetoric and take a strong stand on illegal immigration.

It could start with no action to offer any type of legalization for those here until border security is definitively shown to have been strengthened. If it needs a wall across the southern border, then so be it.

But inasmuch as the illegal who killed the young lady in SF was deported FIVE times and made it back to the US, it demonstrates that border security is totally inadequate. And although it does not follow the party line, the reality is that there are Democrats and independents who are opposed to any sort of amnesty only to have the problem repeat itself down the line.

Count me among those who has not voted Republican ever but am totally opposed to giving millions of illegals a pass while millions of others all over the world dutifully await their turn to emigrate to the US. It would be a travesty to reward those who broke the law and allow them to jump the line just because they are already in the country.

Trump is leading because he's (seeking and) getting tons of press coverage and the average (GOP) voter simply follows the tide.

As for Hillary's "silence" - the election is 16 months away. No one wants to listen to political campaigning (I accidentally just typed "campaining") for that long. Each of the GOP hopefuls will have his turn in the spotlight once Trump crashes and burns.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Actually, the reason Trump is leading is because he's calling it like it is.

I agree that his primary appeal is his straight-talk approach. He is a stark contrast to the other candidates on both sides of the aisle. However, I have significant doubts that the content of his message will hold up long term in a national campaign.

I am 08:39; I agree with this in the broader sense.

People are sick and tired of Hillary's smug silence. And they are also tired of the weak, tortured statements that other politicians make; they bend over backwards to not get pinned down on an issue or caught in any possible contradiction.

But the result is the opposite of Trump's clear statements on issues. Seems to also be the case with Sanders.

At least Sanders has depth and substance as opposed to the shallow, glib nonsense coming out of Trump.

But you still need sound bites and quotes for the screen crawl. Trump's playing it well right now. We'll see if he has staying power. Better candidates (historically speaking) have been taken down by things smaller than his ties being made in China while he talks about bringing jobs back to America.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Actually, the reason Trump is leading is because he's calling it like it is.

I agree that his primary appeal is his straight-talk approach. He is a stark contrast to the other candidates on both sides of the aisle. However, I have significant doubts that the content of his message will hold up long term in a national campaign.

I am 08:39; I agree with this in the broader sense.

People are sick and tired of Hillary's smug silence. And they are also tired of the weak, tortured statements that other politicians make; they bend over backwards to not get pinned down on an issue or caught in any possible contradiction.

But the result is the opposite of Trump's clear statements on issues. Seems to also be the case with Sanders.

At least Sanders has depth and substance as opposed to the shallow, glib nonsense coming out of Trump.

Um - I don't believe that you alone are allowed to define "depth and substance" for all Americans.

However, if you meant to write that Sanders has more experience as an elected office-holder and as a politician, then I might agree with you.

The "experienced politician" part - think about what that means to the average voter in today's Political climate.

This really isn't that hard to understand. There are many, many GOP voters who believe in reduced immigration, and not a single serious candidate reflecting that position has appeared in the last several election cycles. The general view is that the GOP establishment is freezing out this view because GOP money people are pro-amnesty. But nature abhors a vacuum, and if a serious candidate will not fill that niche, a not-so-serious candidate like Trump will take advantage. Bear in mind that these are polls, not votes, and it is a long way out, so this should really be viewed as the GOP base sending a message, not as suggesting Trump has a real chance to me. Full disclosure, Trump's position on immigration resonates with me, but the guy would be a disaster as President and I would never actually vote for the guy. I imagine that is a common sentiment on the conservative side.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Actually, the reason Trump is leading is because he's calling it like it is.

I agree that his primary appeal is his straight-talk approach. He is a stark contrast to the other candidates on both sides of the aisle. However, I have significant doubts that the content of his message will hold up long term in a national campaign.

I am 08:39; I agree with this in the broader sense.

People are sick and tired of Hillary's smug silence. And they are also tired of the weak, tortured statements that other politicians make; they bend over backwards to not get pinned down on an issue or caught in any possible contradiction.

But the result is the opposite of Trump's clear statements on issues. Seems to also be the case with Sanders.

At least Sanders has depth and substance as opposed to the shallow, glib nonsense coming out of Trump.

Anonymous wrote:Trump is popular for the same reason as sanders- people are sick of the political establishment. Take notice on both sides of the aisle.

That alone does not explain Trump's popularity. Sevearal of the other GOP candidates are not from the "political establishment." Yet Republicans are choosing Trump.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Actually, the reason Trump is leading is because he's calling it like it is.

I agree that his primary appeal is his straight-talk approach. He is a stark contrast to the other candidates on both sides of the aisle. However, I have significant doubts that the content of his message will hold up long term in a national campaign.

I am 08:39; I agree with this in the broader sense.

People are sick and tired of Hillary's smug silence. And they are also tired of the weak, tortured statements that other politicians make; they bend over backwards to not get pinned down on an issue or caught in any possible contradiction.

But the result is the opposite of Trump's clear statements on issues. Seems to also be the case with Sanders.