him #DuckingDonald

He picked a good time to pull the plug.

Kasich clearly agrees.

Cruz? Well, he was a debate team guy. He's great at debating, so of course he's going to want to do more of them.

Trump is smart.

[Article] "Ted Cruz has expressed a willingness to debate Trump or Kasich - or both. But obviously, there needs to be more than one participant," Fox News Channel’s executive vice president of news, Michael Clemente, said in a statement. "So the Salt Lake City debate is canceled."

The title should accurately reflect that the debate was canceled after Kasich declined to debate Cruz heads up, thereby leaving only Cruz willing to go on.

Kasich turned down a couple of hours of free airtime rather than debate Cruz heads up.

Kasich turned down a couple of hours of free airtime

Why bother when the RINOs are going to try and install him at the convention?

It's completely understandable why (D-)rumpf doesn't want to face Cruz.

What's he going to do when Putin calls him out?

Trump, who has clashed with Fox News throughout his campaign, told the network in an interview on Wednesday he would not appear at the event, scheduled for Monday, because he thought the Republicans had "had enough debates."

I wonder if this is how he would deal with Putin or anyone else over the negotiating table. Yeah, that's it, we'll just leave now because we had enough discussion.

"Kasich clearly agrees."

Kasich is angling for VP in a Trump administration. Otherwise why would he turn down 2 hours of free air time? Does he think Fox will go after him, take shots at him?

This smells.

1) Fox added this debate only last month. 2) Trump had already promised to speak at the AIPAC conference.

Are you saying that Trump never committed to this debate?

"Are you saying that Trump never committed to this debate?"

Yes. Are you saying he did?

"Are you saying that Trump never committed to this debate?"

Yes. Are you saying he did?

It appears that he did. Why do you say that he didn't?

"It appears that he did."

What makes you say that?

Trump thought the CNN debate was the last one. Actually it was, until Fox decided last month to add another one. Trump had already scheduled the AIPAC speech.

Nowhere did I read that Trump agreed to the date and agreed to debate.

Just the opposite. Trump thought the debates accomplished nothing -- other than a ratings boost for the networks and endless commentary on who "won" with the best put-down of the other candidates.

Tell me one thing you learned about any of the candidates in the last "debate" that you didn't know already.

Why bother when the RINOs are going to try and install him at the convention?

I know but we'll never let you rinos do that with the GOPe buttboy cruz.

GO TRUMP

NB - The Not Witch just cast a spell on Trump wishing that he will go away.

You really do miss Not Witch. I can tell.     : )

What's he going to do when Putin calls him out?

International leaders don't debate each other in front of voters. They negotiate in secret.

Trump's move here is wise: he is reducing the risk to himself of a bad debate performance, and denying Cruz the opportunity to express himself to the public for a good portion of two hours.

Cruz excels at debates. Trump, therefore, has opted to deprive Cruz of the free press and the opportunity to excel.

And Trump has won the point, because Kasich played along. Which means that there are TWO politicians who pulled out, so it's not just Trump.

This is strategic behavior, and it's smart. It reduces Trump's risk and reduces Cruz's ability to get his message out.

That's how Trump is going to deal with Putin: intelligently and strategically.

I wonder if this is how he would deal with Putin or anyone else over the negotiating table. Yeah, that's it, we'll just leave now because we had enough discussion.

WHen you are the stronger party, leaving the table and ending the discussion means that the weaker party ends up with bupkis.

Cruz needs these debates. They give him airtime. They give him the opportunity to shine in a format that his debate team background favors. And a forum run by Fox will always be hostile to Trump. It's free publicity for Cruz.

Trump just wrecked all of that, at some risk, but Kasich's second reduced any damage to Trump. Cruz advocates are mad. Nobody else cares.

A battle was offered. The commanding general of the stronger side declined battle: why risk a defeat when you're winning.

Trump's move deprives Cruz of air. Now Cruz has to spend money to be heard, and he doesn't get the chance to poke at Donald on the same stage.

So yes, Trump would deal with Putin the same way he is dealing with Cruz: strategically, in the way that is most advantageous to Trump.

Trump is not looking to be fair. He is looking to beat Cruz. And not debating Cruz on Fox makes it easier for Trump to beat Cruz.

Strategic behavior based on strengths, weaknesses and risk assessments: it's what you want to see in Commanders.

A battle was offered. The commanding general of the stronger side declined battle: why risk a defeat when you're winning.

Trump's move deprives Cruz of air. Now Cruz has to spend money to be heard, and he doesn't get the chance to poke at Donald on the same stage.

Cruz should read "The Art of War" because Trump sure has.

Kasich turned down a couple of hours of free airtime rather than debate Cruz heads up.

I doubt any of these guys could debate Cruz heads up in an honest debate with legitimate questions.

However, if Fox had not canceled the debate, i fully believe Cruz would have had no problem in getting in a heated debate with his podium.

The people are tired of the debates anyway. It's just entertainment, but with lots of airtime for Cruz, it would have gotten more serious, and Cruz would have been able to score some points.

So Trump chose to do something else that will get him full free press coverage, and that will leave Cruz in the dark.

I was listening to Mark Levin tonight. Sounds like he wants his followers to go kamikaze: if they can't have Cruz, then nobody. Fold arms, stay home. Hillary wins.

Tell me one thing you learned about any of the candidates in the last "debate" that you didn't know already.

That in a narrowed field Trump can't answer with specifics of his policy and action plans. All he does is repeat himself over and over again with meaningless lines such as "it's gonna be great", "believe me", "we will win again", "I'm very rich", etc. He has never articulated how he was going to do this and will get buried in the next REP debate with Cruz and Kasich where there is more time for him to kill. And he will get killed in a one-on-one debate with even Hillary if he can't do better on this score up to now.

WHen you are the stronger party, leaving the table and ending the discussion means that the weaker party ends up with bupkis.

Both parties gets bupkis. No-one wins. At best it's a tie.

And he will get killed in a one-on-one debate with even Hillary if he can't do better on this score up to now.

We've been hearing this silliness for a long time against trump. It just doesn't matter how bad the criticism, he just keeps getting more and more votes each day.

"It appears that he did."

What makes you say that?

Perhaps he didn't. I can't find anything on the web that says one way or another. But I find it strange that Fox would announce the debate without having an indication that the parties will attend.

And he will get killed in a one-on-one debate with even Hillary if he can't do better on this score up to now.

We've been hearing this silliness for a long time against trump. It just doesn't matter how bad the criticism, he just keeps getting more and more votes each day.

At some point he will have to meat on the bones, especially if he wishes to keep those REPS that did not vote for him. OTOH We The People bought empty BS before, the last time being "hope and change".

Trump's move deprives Cruz of air.

Kasich deprived Cruz the air time. IMO Kasich is in the tank for Trump.

What makes you say that?

Perhaps he didn't. I can't find anything on the web that says one way or another.

OTOH hand I just found this.

"The debate would clash with a “very important speech” he is due to give, Trump told ‘Fox and Friends’. The Republican front-runner is set to speak to the annual conference of the pro-Israel lobby group American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), an event he said “was scheduled a week ago.”

This is dated March 16. One week ago is March 9. The debate was scheduled in Feb. He claims that on March 9 he did not know of the debate in Utah that was scheduled in March and scheduled another event. In other words Fox scheduled a debate in Utah for March 20 and hadn't told Trump about it by Match 9. That is too incredulous to believe. Trump again by his own words seems to be caught in a lie here.

Why bother when the RINOs are going to try and install him at the convention?

The Kasich campaign will die from lack of oxygen if he fears debating Cruz or saying anything but memorized crap about mailman that is not news. He will get no coverage.

IMO Kasich is in the tank for Trump.

Kasich would rather not be seen, than be seen for a couple of hours debating Ted Cruz one on one. His Marcoesque minispeeches won't cut it.

You don't honestly think we give a rat's butt do you?

LMAO. Of course you do otherwise you wouldn't be trying to rationalize Trump's lying. This is living in your mind rent free.

You don't honestly think we give a rat's butt do you?

Wow, everyone is afraid of Cruz? Well then:

I need to take another look at Cruz.

Keep letting the media do your thinking for you.

Says the P.T. Barnum dupe.

I doubt any of these guys could debate Cruz heads up in an honest debate with legitimate questions.

Trump can and has. They are not judged on collegiate debating points. Trump talks to the people as if they were downing beers at a bar or just sitting around. He connects with people. Cruz is a more refined debater, but is delivery does not connect in the manner that Trump does with the audience. Cruz would win if only they were being judged by a gaggle of debate judges.

Trump v. Hillary would be interesting where Hillary shouts and screeches, and maybe barks, and Trump is conversational.

Wow, everyone is afraid of Cruz?

Just Kasich, understandably. One-on-one, center stage, he cannot stand to the side like a wallflower and chime in from time to time about mailmen.

Trump talks to the people as if they were downing beers at a bar or just sitting around. He connects with people.

"Nobody ever went broke underestimating the taste of the American public." - H L. Mencken

"On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart's desire at last, and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron." - H. L. Mencken

That in a narrowed field Trump can't answer with specifics of his policy and action plans.

He wasn't able to offer any specific solutions during when the field was big,either.

He has no actual answers because he has no plans.

You don't honestly think we give a rat's butt do you?

You don't think it is more important that Trump talk with people who love and want to protect Israel,than it is he talk with people who love America?

Trump talks to the people as if they were downing beers at a bar or just sitting around. He connects with people. Cruz is a more refined debater, but is delivery does not connect in the manner that Trump does with the audience. Cruz would win if only they were being judged by a gaggle of debate judges.

WOW! You really are drinking the Trump bathwater,aren't you?

Trump is the Joy Behar of debaters.

That in a narrowed field Trump can't answer with specifics of his policy and action plans.

He wasn't able to offer any specific solutions during when the field was big,either.

But he was allowed to hide in plain sight then. He is clearly chicken sh*t to face Cruz in a debate. What does he think he would do against Hillary? Like her or not, believe her or not, she at least has mouthed specifics of how she will achieve her objectives. Perhaps Trump will decline to debate her too?

What does he think he would do against Hillary?

They are close friends,so he knows and so does she.

"On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart's desire at last, and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron." - H. L. Mencken

Been there. Done that.

His name was George W. Bush.

He was an utter failure as President. He plunged us into foreign wars, lost, and blew up the US economy.

He was sort of the reverse of FDR. FDR took over a country that was sunk in an economic depression and disarmed in the face of rising threats. He armed the country, thereby bringing the country out of the Depression, fought a world war, and won it.

Bush took over a country at peace, militarily predominant, with a budget surplus and a booming economy. He took us to war in several places, lost, left us massively in debt and in an economic Depression.

Bush was a greater failure as President than Jimmy Carter. We got our moron.

He wasn't able to offer any specific solutions during when the field was big,either.

He has no actual answers because he has no plans.

He does have a plan. His plan is to become president. That's about it.

He's pretty much a content-free pol and likes to take as many positions on issues as possible, then back away from a few of the more offensive ones when he gets called on it. His other main strategy is the Trump-outrage-of-the-week. Before the wave of criticism from his last mini-scandal fades away, he emits some new bombast to keep the pundits talking and keep the free media interviews and coverage coming his way. This is a way of controlling the media that was largely perfected by the Xlinton machine in the Nineties. "We have a scandal problem? Well, we need a new scandal. And then another." Trump feeds on this scandal mill he has himself created. And it generates his ongoing free media, recently valued at $2 billion in free media coverage.

Cruz makes a cogent, sensible argument on an issue in a very articulate manner.

Trump responds by calling Cruz a fucking liar, liar pants on fire.

Advantage: Trump

I guess if you score a debate on those terms, Trump will always win.

He wasn't able to offer any specific solutions during when the field was big,either.

But he was allowed to hide in plain sight then. He is clearly chicken sh*t to face Cruz in a debate.

Absolutely.

What does he think he would do against Hillary?

She is no brighter than he is. The difference is she has been campaigning since the 70's,and all Trump has done was talk trash in front of employees and other captive audiences where he could get away with babbling nonsense because no follow-up questions were ever allowed.

If there is anything amazing about Bubbette! is that she for a career politician she still sucks at such epic levels. She only made it this far because she was lucky enough to marry the right hillbilly,and ride his coat tails to the top.

"On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart's desire at last, and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron." - H. L. Mencken

Been there. Done that.

His name was George W. Bush.

Forgetting Jim-mah Cawtur?

He was sort of the reverse of FDR. FDR took over a country that was sunk in an economic depression and disarmed in the face of rising threats. He armed the country, thereby bringing the country out of the Depression, fought a world war, and won it.

Complete and utter bullshit. Roosevelt's policies EXTENDED the economic depression. The ONLY thing that pulled the US out of the Depression were the wars in Asia and Europe. Americans were put back to work manufacturing war related items to sell to countries who couldn't produce enough to supply their needs. Roosevelt desperately wanted to get us involved in WW-2 because he was terrified his good friend Joe Stalin and Communism would lose without US involvement. Putting Americans back to work came in a very distant second for him,his commie wife/cousin,and his cabinet.