Brief synopsis of last night's debate

[Flopper]

I've haven't heard any candidate suggest a 90% tax. The only candidates with a protectionist policies are Trump and Sanders.. Over and over, conservatives seek to reduce government benefits. They continue to voice their opinion that Social Security is the worst mistake this country has made with Medicare a close second. Conservatives seek to turn back the clock to those good old days of pure capitalism with no government interference. They seek to return America to Anglos with mass deportations. Most young people want to build upon what we have now, not start all over again. They want progress which is why they vote for the progressive agenda of Democrats.

No, they want Socialism because it relieves them of responsibility; the same reason anybody would prefer socialism.

It's not what I want, it's what the American people want. The Left like the Right, doesn't delivery a tenth of what they promise.

Indeed....I would trust more a politician that honestly states: "I will try to......because I believe in...."

Than the morons like Trump who openly state: " I will do......"

Since we are a system of compromises in governing, any statement that smack of the latter, is viewed by me as simple PANDERING.

Unfortunately, promises are what get candidates elected. A candidate's real record of achievements and failures in office is always dismal compared to their promises. This is why complete neophytes such as Trump or Carson appeal to the public. They have no record in public office to defend against attacks from the opposition so they can devote themselves to promising their followers whatever they want to hear.

I saw an add posted for a bookkeeper that had nearly a full page of required qualification. The qualification for president can be stated in just one sentence. The President must: be at least 35 years of age. be a natural-born citizen, and. be a resident of the United States for at least 14 years. And of course the ability to convince voters that he or she is faster than a speeding bullet! More powerful than a locomotive! Able to leap tall buildings at a single bound!

This is correct. The voters of the Republican party are sending a message to their leaders which is something that should have happened a long time ago. We are sick of professional politicians who bandy around the issues and not do what's right for the country.

Politicians (on both sides) make decisions based on how that will sit with the people come next election. It seems that reelection is much more important than standing up for what's right.

The spotlight in our party are those non-professional politicians. As you stated, no dirty laundry. Oh, I'm sure that the Democrats will stoop to personal incidents to try and cut down whoever the Republican candidate is such as Bush's 20 year old DUI, or how Romney transported his dog when he went on vacation, but no ability to attack them on issues.

We aren't satisfied with the professions so let's try out some non-professionals. The problem with this line of thinking is once the non-professional takes office he becomes a professional. He will make decisions based how they will sit with the people in next election. How can anyone believe Trump wouldn't do exactly that? Re-election will become of paramount importance just as is for all politicians.

I don't think anyone really knows with any certainly what would happen if we had a president with no experience in government or public office because we've never had one. We've had about half dozen generals that became president but that's about as close we got to putting a novice in the Whitehouse. I suspect the worst problem would be the relationship between congress and the president.

Well see, you are absolutely wrong about Trump. He doesn't even care if he wins this election yet alone be enslaved for the next one.

If we don't want Trump as President, fine with him, he has plenty of things to do. He's certainly not going to pout. As for reelection, it will be the same thing.

Unlike professional politicians, Trump already has the money and power which is the prime draw for people that want to be President or even in government to begin with. Because of that, Trump says what's on his mind and he could care less whether we like his comments or not. That's whats so refreshing about the guy.

In the meantime, the other contenders (on both sides) have to watch every word they say. They are so scripted that we never learn what they are really about. Even if they don't say something offensive, the media will turn it that way such as they have with Carson when he stated he would try to lead a classroom to attack a gunman if their lives were in danger.

I can understand Republicans protesting professional candidates by supporting the clown of the business world, however this protest may become much more than that. Trump's supporters and Trump himself have been amazed by how well he has done in the polls. The truth is he could actually go all the way and that's pretty scary because the man does not have the knowledge, the experience or the personal traits we need in a president.

Trump definitely has leadership ability and can mesmerize an audience but that's not enough. A president also needs to be subtle, diplomatic, have a clear vision for the country, and a basic grounding in law. Trump has precisely none of those. He is as subtle as peacock, as diplomatic as a cat in heat, has the vision of a mole and the legal understanding of a five year old.

The characteristics that supporters like so much in Trump are exactly what get's a president in big trouble.

 

[Ray From Cleveland]

No, they want Socialism because it relieves them of responsibility; the same reason anybody would prefer socialism.

Indeed....I would trust more a politician that honestly states: "I will try to......because I believe in...."

Than the morons like Trump who openly state: " I will do......"

Since we are a system of compromises in governing, any statement that smack of the latter, is viewed by me as simple PANDERING.

Unfortunately, promises are what get candidates elected. A candidate's real record of achievements and failures in office is always dismal compared to their promises. This is why complete neophytes such as Trump or Carson appeal to the public. They have no record in public office to defend against attacks from the opposition so they can devote themselves to promising their followers whatever they want to hear.

I saw an add posted for a bookkeeper that had nearly a full page of required qualification. The qualification for president can be stated in just one sentence. The President must: be at least 35 years of age. be a natural-born citizen, and. be a resident of the United States for at least 14 years. And of course the ability to convince voters that he or she is faster than a speeding bullet! More powerful than a locomotive! Able to leap tall buildings at a single bound!

This is correct. The voters of the Republican party are sending a message to their leaders which is something that should have happened a long time ago. We are sick of professional politicians who bandy around the issues and not do what's right for the country.

Politicians (on both sides) make decisions based on how that will sit with the people come next election. It seems that reelection is much more important than standing up for what's right.

The spotlight in our party are those non-professional politicians. As you stated, no dirty laundry. Oh, I'm sure that the Democrats will stoop to personal incidents to try and cut down whoever the Republican candidate is such as Bush's 20 year old DUI, or how Romney transported his dog when he went on vacation, but no ability to attack them on issues.

We aren't satisfied with the professions so let's try out some non-professionals. The problem with this line of thinking is once the non-professional takes office he becomes a professional. He will make decisions based how they will sit with the people in next election. How can anyone believe Trump wouldn't do exactly that? Re-election will become of paramount importance just as is for all politicians.

I don't think anyone really knows with any certainly what would happen if we had a president with no experience in government or public office because we've never had one. We've had about half dozen generals that became president but that's about as close we got to putting a novice in the Whitehouse. I suspect the worst problem would be the relationship between congress and the president.

Well see, you are absolutely wrong about Trump. He doesn't even care if he wins this election yet alone be enslaved for the next one.

If we don't want Trump as President, fine with him, he has plenty of things to do. He's certainly not going to pout. As for reelection, it will be the same thing.

Unlike professional politicians, Trump already has the money and power which is the prime draw for people that want to be President or even in government to begin with. Because of that, Trump says what's on his mind and he could care less whether we like his comments or not. That's whats so refreshing about the guy.

In the meantime, the other contenders (on both sides) have to watch every word they say. They are so scripted that we never learn what they are really about. Even if they don't say something offensive, the media will turn it that way such as they have with Carson when he stated he would try to lead a classroom to attack a gunman if their lives were in danger.

I can understand Republicans protesting professional candidates by supporting the clown of the business world, however this protest may become much more than that. Trump's supporters and Trump himself have been amazed by how well he has done in the polls. The truth is he could actually go all the way and that's pretty scary because the man does not have the knowledge, the experience or the personal traits we need in a president.

Trump definitely has leadership ability and can mesmerize an audience but that's not enough. A president also needs to be subtle, diplomatic, have a clear vision for the country, and a basic grounding in law. Trump has precisely none of those. He is as subtle as peacock, as diplomatic as a cat in heat, has the vision of a mole and the legal understanding of a five year old.

The characteristics that supporters like so much in Trump are exactly what get's a president in big trouble.

We've never had a President like Trump so how would you know? The closest thing we've had to total inexperience is the guy in the White House today. While I admit, he's done a terrible job, that doesn't mean every person with little to no experience will do the same.

Despite what it looks like, no President is an expert on everything. In fact, few are an expert on any one subject. They hire a cabinet of professionals in each category to handle matters. All the President does is take all the ideas and suggestions and make a decision as to which one is correct. Even Trump explained this repeatedly.

 

[Flopper]

Unfortunately, promises are what get candidates elected. A candidate's real record of achievements and failures in office is always dismal compared to their promises. This is why complete neophytes such as Trump or Carson appeal to the public. They have no record in public office to defend against attacks from the opposition so they can devote themselves to promising their followers whatever they want to hear.

I saw an add posted for a bookkeeper that had nearly a full page of required qualification. The qualification for president can be stated in just one sentence. The President must: be at least 35 years of age. be a natural-born citizen, and. be a resident of the United States for at least 14 years. And of course the ability to convince voters that he or she is faster than a speeding bullet! More powerful than a locomotive! Able to leap tall buildings at a single bound!

This is correct. The voters of the Republican party are sending a message to their leaders which is something that should have happened a long time ago. We are sick of professional politicians who bandy around the issues and not do what's right for the country.

Politicians (on both sides) make decisions based on how that will sit with the people come next election. It seems that reelection is much more important than standing up for what's right.

The spotlight in our party are those non-professional politicians. As you stated, no dirty laundry. Oh, I'm sure that the Democrats will stoop to personal incidents to try and cut down whoever the Republican candidate is such as Bush's 20 year old DUI, or how Romney transported his dog when he went on vacation, but no ability to attack them on issues.

We aren't satisfied with the professions so let's try out some non-professionals. The problem with this line of thinking is once the non-professional takes office he becomes a professional. He will make decisions based how they will sit with the people in next election. How can anyone believe Trump wouldn't do exactly that? Re-election will become of paramount importance just as is for all politicians.

I don't think anyone really knows with any certainly what would happen if we had a president with no experience in government or public office because we've never had one. We've had about half dozen generals that became president but that's about as close we got to putting a novice in the Whitehouse. I suspect the worst problem would be the relationship between congress and the president.

Well see, you are absolutely wrong about Trump. He doesn't even care if he wins this election yet alone be enslaved for the next one.

If we don't want Trump as President, fine with him, he has plenty of things to do. He's certainly not going to pout. As for reelection, it will be the same thing.

Unlike professional politicians, Trump already has the money and power which is the prime draw for people that want to be President or even in government to begin with. Because of that, Trump says what's on his mind and he could care less whether we like his comments or not. That's whats so refreshing about the guy.

In the meantime, the other contenders (on both sides) have to watch every word they say. They are so scripted that we never learn what they are really about. Even if they don't say something offensive, the media will turn it that way such as they have with Carson when he stated he would try to lead a classroom to attack a gunman if their lives were in danger.

I can understand Republicans protesting professional candidates by supporting the clown of the business world, however this protest may become much more than that. Trump's supporters and Trump himself have been amazed by how well he has done in the polls. The truth is he could actually go all the way and that's pretty scary because the man does not have the knowledge, the experience or the personal traits we need in a president.

Trump definitely has leadership ability and can mesmerize an audience but that's not enough. A president also needs to be subtle, diplomatic, have a clear vision for the country, and a basic grounding in law. Trump has precisely none of those. He is as subtle as peacock, as diplomatic as a cat in heat, has the vision of a mole and the legal understanding of a five year old.

The characteristics that supporters like so much in Trump are exactly what get's a president in big trouble.

We've never had a President like Trump so how would you know? The closest thing we've had to total inexperience is the guy in the White House today. While I admit, he's done a terrible job, that doesn't mean every person with little to no experience will do the same.

Despite what it looks like, no President is an expert on everything. In fact, few are an expert on any one subject. They hire a cabinet of professionals in each category to handle matters. All the President does is take all the ideas and suggestions and make a decision as to which one is correct. Even Trump explained this repeatedly.

Yes, and Trump is dead wrong. The job of the president is far more than taking the ideas and suggestions of others and making a decision as to which one is right. Although you're correct, no president can be an expert at everything, the presidents needs a broad range of knowledge of how government functions, congressional protocols, a good understanding of the law, and a good foundation in political science and world affairs. Without this kind of knowledge a president will have great difficulty in evaluating proposals and ideas from his staff.

Even more important is the president's diplomatic skills, his ability to understand other people and being sensitive to their opinions, beliefs, ideas and feelings. Effective use of diplomatic skills comes from being able to sense accurately what another person is feeling or thinking at any given time and then responding in such a way as to avoid bad feelings or awkwardness, and at the same time asserting or reflecting his own ideas and feelings back in a delicate and well-meaning fashion.

A president has to be very careful in the words he uses and the nuances in facial expressions and body language because every word and action of the present is analyzed for meaning. Frankly, I can't see how Trump could function as president. He can't resist the opportunity to express himself.

If the president makes a sexist comment about the Xi Jinping wife, that could end trade negotiations. One of Trumps famous insults directed at Kim Jong Un, could send missiles flying into a military base in Seoul. In short, a head of state represents the country. An insult or an off color remark directed at a him is taken as insult against the nation which means there must some type of response. Although the response might not be very dramatic, it would not be in our best interest.

Trump supporters seem think that insults and bluster indicate strength and courage in a leader. Nothing could be further from the truth.

 

[Ray From Cleveland]

This is correct. The voters of the Republican party are sending a message to their leaders which is something that should have happened a long time ago. We are sick of professional politicians who bandy around the issues and not do what's right for the country.

Politicians (on both sides) make decisions based on how that will sit with the people come next election. It seems that reelection is much more important than standing up for what's right.

The spotlight in our party are those non-professional politicians. As you stated, no dirty laundry. Oh, I'm sure that the Democrats will stoop to personal incidents to try and cut down whoever the Republican candidate is such as Bush's 20 year old DUI, or how Romney transported his dog when he went on vacation, but no ability to attack them on issues.

We aren't satisfied with the professions so let's try out some non-professionals. The problem with this line of thinking is once the non-professional takes office he becomes a professional. He will make decisions based how they will sit with the people in next election. How can anyone believe Trump wouldn't do exactly that? Re-election will become of paramount importance just as is for all politicians.

I don't think anyone really knows with any certainly what would happen if we had a president with no experience in government or public office because we've never had one. We've had about half dozen generals that became president but that's about as close we got to putting a novice in the Whitehouse. I suspect the worst problem would be the relationship between congress and the president.

Well see, you are absolutely wrong about Trump. He doesn't even care if he wins this election yet alone be enslaved for the next one.

If we don't want Trump as President, fine with him, he has plenty of things to do. He's certainly not going to pout. As for reelection, it will be the same thing.

Unlike professional politicians, Trump already has the money and power which is the prime draw for people that want to be President or even in government to begin with. Because of that, Trump says what's on his mind and he could care less whether we like his comments or not. That's whats so refreshing about the guy.

In the meantime, the other contenders (on both sides) have to watch every word they say. They are so scripted that we never learn what they are really about. Even if they don't say something offensive, the media will turn it that way such as they have with Carson when he stated he would try to lead a classroom to attack a gunman if their lives were in danger.

I can understand Republicans protesting professional candidates by supporting the clown of the business world, however this protest may become much more than that. Trump's supporters and Trump himself have been amazed by how well he has done in the polls. The truth is he could actually go all the way and that's pretty scary because the man does not have the knowledge, the experience or the personal traits we need in a president.

Trump definitely has leadership ability and can mesmerize an audience but that's not enough. A president also needs to be subtle, diplomatic, have a clear vision for the country, and a basic grounding in law. Trump has precisely none of those. He is as subtle as peacock, as diplomatic as a cat in heat, has the vision of a mole and the legal understanding of a five year old.

The characteristics that supporters like so much in Trump are exactly what get's a president in big trouble.

We've never had a President like Trump so how would you know? The closest thing we've had to total inexperience is the guy in the White House today. While I admit, he's done a terrible job, that doesn't mean every person with little to no experience will do the same.

Despite what it looks like, no President is an expert on everything. In fact, few are an expert on any one subject. They hire a cabinet of professionals in each category to handle matters. All the President does is take all the ideas and suggestions and make a decision as to which one is correct. Even Trump explained this repeatedly.

Yes, and Trump is dead wrong. The job of the president is far more than taking the ideas and suggestions of others and making a decision as to which one is right. Although you're correct, no president can be an expert at everything, the presidents needs a broad range of knowledge of how government functions, congressional protocols, a good understanding of the law, and a good foundation in political science and world affairs. Without this kind of knowledge a president will have great difficulty in evaluating proposals and ideas from his staff.

Even more important is the president's diplomatic skills, his ability to understand other people and being sensitive to their opinions, beliefs, ideas and feelings. Effective use of diplomatic skills comes from being able to sense accurately what another person is feeling or thinking at any given time and then responding in such a way as to avoid bad feelings or awkwardness, and at the same time asserting or reflecting his own ideas and feelings back in a delicate and well-meaning fashion.

A president has to be very careful in the words he uses and the nuances in facial expressions and body language because every word and action of the present is analyzed for meaning. Frankly, I can't see how Trump could function as president. He can't resist the opportunity to express himself.

If the president makes a sexist comment about the Xi Jinping wife, that could end trade negotiations. One of Trumps famous insults directed at Kim Jong Un, could send missiles flying into a military base in Seoul. In short, a head of state represents the country. An insult or an off color remark directed at a him is taken as insult against the nation which means there must some type of response. Although the response might not be very dramatic, it would not be in our best interest.

Trump supporters seem think that insults and bluster indicate strength and courage in a leader. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Well then we're in luck because Trump has plenty of experience dealing internationally with business people and handling business affairs. As you stated, if you say the wrong thing......

Of course Trump never dealt with a situation that might lead to a war or military action taken against us or our allies, but I'm sure he had multimillion dollar deals that could have easily fallen through without the proper business protocol.

But that brings me to the question: how is our current President handling our international affairs? Pretty awful if you ask me. One of the first things he did was piss off our allies. He's made enemies out of our friends and friends out of our enemies. The ISIS flag flies over Iraq and the Cuban flag is flying over the White House today.

Iran? I can only picture how Reagan would have handled that situation. Now they are claiming they found some new uranium they never knew they had, and they're also firing rockets against a UN treaty they signed. Our President is concentrating on where he will be able to play golf in the winter months.

 

[Flopper]

We aren't satisfied with the professions so let's try out some non-professionals. The problem with this line of thinking is once the non-professional takes office he becomes a professional. He will make decisions based how they will sit with the people in next election. How can anyone believe Trump wouldn't do exactly that? Re-election will become of paramount importance just as is for all politicians.

I don't think anyone really knows with any certainly what would happen if we had a president with no experience in government or public office because we've never had one. We've had about half dozen generals that became president but that's about as close we got to putting a novice in the Whitehouse. I suspect the worst problem would be the relationship between congress and the president.

Well see, you are absolutely wrong about Trump. He doesn't even care if he wins this election yet alone be enslaved for the next one.

If we don't want Trump as President, fine with him, he has plenty of things to do. He's certainly not going to pout. As for reelection, it will be the same thing.

Unlike professional politicians, Trump already has the money and power which is the prime draw for people that want to be President or even in government to begin with. Because of that, Trump says what's on his mind and he could care less whether we like his comments or not. That's whats so refreshing about the guy.

In the meantime, the other contenders (on both sides) have to watch every word they say. They are so scripted that we never learn what they are really about. Even if they don't say something offensive, the media will turn it that way such as they have with Carson when he stated he would try to lead a classroom to attack a gunman if their lives were in danger.

I can understand Republicans protesting professional candidates by supporting the clown of the business world, however this protest may become much more than that. Trump's supporters and Trump himself have been amazed by how well he has done in the polls. The truth is he could actually go all the way and that's pretty scary because the man does not have the knowledge, the experience or the personal traits we need in a president.

Trump definitely has leadership ability and can mesmerize an audience but that's not enough. A president also needs to be subtle, diplomatic, have a clear vision for the country, and a basic grounding in law. Trump has precisely none of those. He is as subtle as peacock, as diplomatic as a cat in heat, has the vision of a mole and the legal understanding of a five year old.

The characteristics that supporters like so much in Trump are exactly what get's a president in big trouble.

We've never had a President like Trump so how would you know? The closest thing we've had to total inexperience is the guy in the White House today. While I admit, he's done a terrible job, that doesn't mean every person with little to no experience will do the same.

Despite what it looks like, no President is an expert on everything. In fact, few are an expert on any one subject. They hire a cabinet of professionals in each category to handle matters. All the President does is take all the ideas and suggestions and make a decision as to which one is correct. Even Trump explained this repeatedly.

Yes, and Trump is dead wrong. The job of the president is far more than taking the ideas and suggestions of others and making a decision as to which one is right. Although you're correct, no president can be an expert at everything, the presidents needs a broad range of knowledge of how government functions, congressional protocols, a good understanding of the law, and a good foundation in political science and world affairs. Without this kind of knowledge a president will have great difficulty in evaluating proposals and ideas from his staff.

Even more important is the president's diplomatic skills, his ability to understand other people and being sensitive to their opinions, beliefs, ideas and feelings. Effective use of diplomatic skills comes from being able to sense accurately what another person is feeling or thinking at any given time and then responding in such a way as to avoid bad feelings or awkwardness, and at the same time asserting or reflecting his own ideas and feelings back in a delicate and well-meaning fashion.

A president has to be very careful in the words he uses and the nuances in facial expressions and body language because every word and action of the present is analyzed for meaning. Frankly, I can't see how Trump could function as president. He can't resist the opportunity to express himself.

If the president makes a sexist comment about the Xi Jinping wife, that could end trade negotiations. One of Trumps famous insults directed at Kim Jong Un, could send missiles flying into a military base in Seoul. In short, a head of state represents the country. An insult or an off color remark directed at a him is taken as insult against the nation which means there must some type of response. Although the response might not be very dramatic, it would not be in our best interest.

Trump supporters seem think that insults and bluster indicate strength and courage in a leader. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Well then we're in luck because Trump has plenty of experience dealing internationally with business people and handling business affairs. As you stated, if you say the wrong thing......

Of course Trump never dealt with a situation that might lead to a war or military action taken against us or our allies, but I'm sure he had multimillion dollar deals that could have easily fallen through without the proper business protocol.

But that brings me to the question: how is our current President handling our international affairs? Pretty awful if you ask me. One of the first things he did was piss off our allies. He's made enemies out of our friends and friends out of our enemies. The ISIS flag flies over Iraq and the Cuban flag is flying over the White House today.

Iran? I can only picture how Reagan would have handled that situation. Now they are claiming they found some new uranium they never knew they had, and they're also firing rockets against a UN treaty they signed. Our President is concentrating on where he will be able to play golf in the winter months.

If a president negotiated real estate deals with foreign businesses, you might have a point. A president's part in international negotiations is basically political, determining how negotiations fit into his foreign policy and what the impact will be both domestically and internationally. For this, the president must have a clear understanding of international politics and a clear vision of his own foreign policy. Trump has shown a number of times that he is seriously lacking knowledge of foreign.affairs. In discussing terrorism he wasn't even able to name any of major terrorist group leaders.

Trump's shortcomings in foreign policy goes way beyond his inability to name terror group leaders. The entirety of his utterances reveal a potential president who would reshape U.S. foreign policy into a mess of conflicting and often incoherent policies, and delegate the most important issues of national security to as-yet unnamed subordinates.

Trump lashes out at longstanding U.S. allies showing his complete ignorance of foreign affairs. He attacks Japan for it's unwillingness to offer military assistance to the US. Apparently he doesn't realize the treaty the US negotiated with Japan prevents them from doing just that. He criticized the security alliance with South Korea and lashed out at the U.S.-Saudi relationship, suggesting that if he were president, there might not be a rationale for helping the Saudis at all. Again, Trump seems to be oblivious to the fact that our alliance with the Saudis are key to American foreign policy in Near East.

When Trump is actually asked to explain his foreign policy, he says it's a secret. More likely, the truth is that Trump has no defined worldview, does not understand how diplomacy or warfare works, and has no real plans to solve any world problems. Other Republican candidates similarly have little foreign policy experience, but at least they seem to be hitting the books so they can carry on a halfway intelligent conversation on the subject.