Irrespective of his political persuasions, Obama is a stable and cool cookie and not gung ho like some of his predecessors. IMO I would always look at the demeanor of the candidates first because IMO I wouldn't want some volatile risk taker heading up my government.

 

Gives a whole new meaning to the phrase "You're fired!!" if he was president...

The media can (and will) take any statement a public figure says and turn it into an international scandal by taking it out of context and making it sound any way they think will get subscribers (or whatever) I think they should be held accountable for any thing they print or publish instead of hiding behind the freedom of speech amendment. They have shut down many political figures by blasting their every word and move in the press, even to the point that they could not do their job. And they get away with it. People tend to believe what they say and don't question it.

 

The American media bias, NO, could it be that three people own all the media outlets. it cant be we have laws again monopolies like that, dont we?

 

That does make me more confident that Trump won or lost a coin toss to run for president... if he'd thought about running before doing it, he would have bought a media outlet first. Fox news is making nice with him now (because Megyn Kelly was WRONG, and because they mis-gauged public support for Trump and are concerned about their ratings because it is hard to run away from the FOX debate staffed entirely by FOX "moderators") and therefore joined the phoney "war on women" by curbing support for the formerly revered and coddled Ms. Kelly.

Again, just adds to the entertainment value.

In the near future, Trump's insults (he just said Senator/Dr. Rand Paul's brain "doesn't function properly") will wear thin, then the pendulum will swing. Or maybe he is saying the things that a lot of people think but don't say, and he won't wear thin. Could go either way.

The Italians and French have sex and money scandals. We have those, email scandals, tax scandals, lying to Congress scandals, all of our ex presidents are rich despite civil servant salaries, and now a billionaire who refers to reporters being menstrual (c'mon... we ALL know that's what he meant. The Wharton School of Business doesn't teach that sort of thinking away). You want scandals? We have scandals! Hahahaha. What a world.

I'm afraid that the rest of the world has a picture of our current president from the soothing, smartly clipped words of the BBC (which I listen to twice a day) and Financial Times that doesn't match the domestic view and I totally understand that because the reporting is so limited and the culture is different. Level headed and calm? No. If he doesn't like you, he sends the IRS or the Department of Justice after you. Charles Shumer, a PROMINENT Jewish senator from New York and the darling of his party, is being treated like a child rapist because he opposes the Iran Nuclear Treat while Iran chants death to America, death to Isræl, and it's leader publishes books on how dumb and easy to trick we are, he has taught that when Iran detonates its first nuclear bomb (in Israel or America, of course) the Messiah will rise from the mushroom cloud, and it's military leaders continually bombast like tinpot dictators. Any decent lake in Texas has the same type and number of boats as most of the Iranian Navy. We are making a treaty with a country that is making North Korea look normal. Shumer, a Jew, votes his constituency (shocking in these times) and our level headed president sends wolves after him. For cultural perspective, people think Texans are nuts for worrying that a military exercise is a prelude to martial law (and some Texans ARE nuts, just like anyplace else). It is fun for the rest of the country and maybe world to laugh at allegedly dumb, backwards, fat, redneck, racist Texans. But you have to consider that Texas was literally stolen from Mexico (by Texans) after Mexicans invited Americans in to help counter the Indians then became quickly outnumbered--that is TRUE; read about the politically correct Alamo exhibits in San Antonio. Texas is the fifth largest economy in the world, has no real debt, has its own gold depository, is bigger than Iran, has everything from forest and swamp to Mountain ocean, and desert. Texas didn't hatch into existence as a State like almost every other State in America; it was a nation and became a State by the political equivalent of an occupation. How would Cypriots feel about massive Greek troop movements on their island? What if China decided to practice urban combat in Tawian or Hong Kong? I few rational people might even be worried. Texas has an Army, Navy, Marines... and the top age to join is SEVENTY (I looked it up just for you); the State military has sort of slacked off. Anyway, it is all a matter of perspective so Texas loses and the president wins on BBC. I have a fear that Hillary Clinton is similarly blessed on the world stage and there never was a bigger liar, except: her husband, with whom her marriage is an equally outrageous lie.

Trump taps the energy of a silent majority who are fed up. I'm a little fed up but not that much. I personally question HIS brain; why would a billionaire want to be the next Præsident? Our economy is screwed and there's nothing we can do to fix it, so when it all falls whoever is sitting in the White House will get the blame (that's how we think instead of blaming the guy who added more to the debt in his term in office than the previous 200 years combined... guess who?), and I wouldn't want to be that guy. He should be buying 100000 acres in New Zealand and building an airstrip for his jets, not running for president. I personally think he got tired of being asked to contribute to political campaigns so he decided to remove himself from that process for a little while. The media likes Trump headlines so much that another candidate for president candidly said that he mentions Trump just so the media will report his own comments. How twisted is that?!

Back to fixing my Rover.

 

one thing how do you judge the economy?
the market at 6200 in 2009, today its 17000, to me that's approx. a +250% increase.
the unemployment rate was at a 26-years high of 10.2 2009, today it is 5.3%. the same as 2005.
And we need a stronger military (always a good one) today the US NAVY is STILL large than the next 13 largest NAVY's combined last I heard. We continue to build subs and battleships. when our last half dozen wars/conflicts were in the jungle or deserts.
And good old Chuck Shumer announced he was against the Iran deal, while the GOP debate was on TV. So know one heard him.
The Donald will eventually be left by the side of the road just like "Joe the plumber".


But this is not what this forum is about, so lets go back to helping people.

 

Yeah, agreed. The OP threw a loaded hand grenade in the room and I stupidly picked it up!

 

Yeah, agreed. The OP threw a loaded hand grenade in the room and I stupidly picked it up!

Yep, that's often what I do I'm afraid!!!

Just finished watching Zero Dark Thirty ...................... now that's a result

 

Presidents are the same as prime ministers etc and only reflect the party line and are the mouthpieces of those that drive and advise them. It's the 'suits' that make the decisions.

 

But Trump is one of the suits! Haha. He has stepped out of the shadows! He and Carson (a wealthy surgeon) are the current front runners and neither has any experience in political office.

Yesterday, I heard the support for Trump described as "primal scream therapy." That's a good summation. If shouting a curse word is a primal scream then in my experience they very satisfying and short lived.

I don't think anyone who isn't lost in the moment a) thinks he can win or b) likes the idea of him having the nuclear football right next to him. Republican thinkers are freaking out not because they think he can win but because he is sucking all of the oxygen from serious candidates.

 

Careful.

No one thought some washed-up Hollywood actor could win either