I haven't seen anything too exciting yet. Carson whined about Iowa, Cruz offered a good explanation and an I'm-sorry-CNN-did-this-to-you-Ben apology.
I see the theme of the evening seems to be attacking Rubio by Bush and Christie with Trump getting in a shot or two.
Rubio knows he's the target for the rest of the field. He's trying to hold them off and look for a chance to dent Trump.
I don't see this bunch doing much to take on Trump directly tonight. They may think Trump has it in the bag in NH already. Trump certainly thinks he does.
I don't see this bunch doing much to take on Trump directly tonight.
IF I were advising a candidate,I'd be telling him to do his best to ignore Trump. Make him seem irrelevant,and don't give him a chance to gain the spotlight.
IF I were advising a candidate,I'd be telling him to do his best to ignore Trump. Make him seem irrelevant,and don't give him a chance to gain the spotlight.
I couldn't disagree more.
Trump told us he would bring back waterboarding. "And a lot worse". The other candidates should rightly have started asking what he meant by that.
"Should we rip out their fingernails?"
"Should we skin them alive to get information?
"Should we amputate their fingers, toes, carve up their genitals?"
"If they are hardened against torture, should we torture or kill their family members to make them talk?"
"Should we torture them if we just have some rumors of an attack or do we have to have solid evidence that an attack is imminent?"
Trump also said that in the Mideast (meaning Iraq/Libya/Syria) we should "take their oil". He's said this before.
The people of these countries -- the entire region really -- live off the income of these nationalized oil resources. So questions should be:
"So you intend to invade these countries, garrison them permanently with troops and send in multinational oil companies to extract and ship the oil of Iraq (or Syria or Libya) to the West and to Asia?"
"What will these countries, nearly all of whom subsidize food purchases (bread in particular), do to pay for food? Will you allow the peoples of these countries to starve after you take their oil?"
"Mister Trump, are you running for president or head pirate?"
"Mister Trump, are you a Viking?"
So, no, you will not stop Trump, now or later, by refusing to take him on. And the GOP donors are foolish to give any money to candidates who keep letting Trump skate by so easily.
Jeb was the only one who really took Trump on over eminent domain. Even his attack wasn't all that effective. But this is a very real issue in NH with two big cases involving eminent domain in the state. In northern NH, there is an attempt to build huge power lines across private lands and in southern NH (where a lot of the state's GOP and libertarian voters are) there is an attempt to use eminent domain for a pipeline project to Massachusetts. And NH's own Souter was a vote for Kelo and the Kelo decision itself was about a case of waterfront developers using ED to seize a property (the house was eventually moved to another part of town but the project then fell apart and the now-vacant lot gets used as an illegal dump, mostly to hold leaves from other people's properties in the area).
They should all have been taking a chunk out of Trump's hide on Kelo and the use of eminent domain to enrich private developers like Trump himself and how corrupt the entire process is.
These were the top two chances for the rest of the field last night. They failed to press the case against Trump.
Especially the second one,which I had completely overlooked and ignored. I would only add "TAKE their oil"? Are we armed robbers,or a nation that believes in the rule of law and thinks might makes right,and we can just steal their property? Are you talking about international eminent domain,now?"
#18. To: sneakypete, A K A Stone, Roscoe, BobCeleste, redleghunter, Pericles (#15)
Especially the second one,which I had completely overlooked and ignored. I would only add "TAKE their oil"?
He's mentioned it before in at least one other debate. He's said it in interviews, he's said it to rallies.
He said it several times, just in last night's debate.
If we are going to become the Viking States of America and pirate the world's oil with our military under the Trump Doctrine (and we'll torture anyone we need to in order to get that oil), then it seems to me it is perfectly legit to ask The Amazing Donaldo for the details of exactly how he intends to do these things.
"then it seems to me it is perfectly legit to ask The Amazing Donaldo for the details of exactly how he intends to do these things."
We'll sit down with the conquered leaders and negotiate a deal behind closed doors. When the deal is done, it turns out that they wholeheartedly agreed to give us all their oil as compensation.
