South Carolina Debate: The Trump Advantage

[Mrs. M.]

News sources are reporting this morning that five candidates will be battling to defeat Donald Trump in South Carolina tonight. I beg to differ. They may be battling for 2nd or 3rd place but I'm predicting Donald Trump has 1st place locked up. The attack ads against Trump is not a battle plan. It's an endorsement for him before the South Carolina debate even kicks off.

Socrates said, “When the debate is lost, slander becomes the tool of the loser.”

The debate has been lost and GOP establishment candidates are scrambling to drag Trump's name through the mud after seeing Marco Rubio fall at the hands of Chris Christie. Dragging Trump's name through the mud by slandering him isn't the same weapon the Governor from New Jersey used in New Hampshire against Rubio.

Chris Christie was confronting the freshman Senator on his record. His weapon was the “truth.” Donald Trump doesn't have a record of voting with Democrats and creating legislature in favor of mass immigration. Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio do.

There are many differences between the establishment candidates and Donald Trump. Trump is financing his own campaign. He is not indebted to any special interest groups or lobbyists. He's not giving us rehearsed speeches in place of real answers. Trump tells it as it is.

Governor Jeb Bush claims that Donald Trump is not a true conservative. How does Bush define what it means to be a true conservative? It's been so long since the establishment Republicans have nominated one, they may have forgotten what one should look like.

Donald Trump has avoided attack ads in the days leading up to the South Carolina debate. Instead he asks the same question many Christians are asking themselves right now.

How can Ted Cruz be an evangelical Christian when he has lied so much and has been so dishonest? Truth is not slander. Truth should be spoken because without it, the people cannot make an informed decision.

The Establishment Republicans seem willing to lose the 2016 election rather than to endorse the GOP front runner who can beat Hillary Clinton. Their determination to see things their way rather than as the American people see it is glaringly obvious.

Media reporting on the South Carolina debate chose to use this photograph of Trump, Kasich and Rubio for the upcoming debate. What is a 5th place candidate in New Hampshire doing in that picture? Marco Rubio is the establishment Republican choice and they refuse to acknowledge that this is not the year for establishment candidates. This is the year of the outsider.

Tonight I expect to see Jeb Bush focus his full attention on Donald Trump. I believe the debate between Rubio & Cruz will become vicious as Rubio tries to fight his way out of 5th place. We're likely to hear plenty about Cruz stealing Carson's votes.

John Kasich will hope to hold onto his 2nd place position against Ted Cruz by keeping on point with his “stay positive” message. After watching Kaisich make a comeback in New Hampshire, Ben Carson may follow suit and be a surprise in South Carolina. Even if Carson fails to deliver he has given no indication that he'll drop out. That works in Trump's advantage.

So far?
Everything has.

____________
What to Watch for at Tonight's GOP Debate

 

[BULLDOG]

The longer Trump is in the republican lead, the more the sane world is assured the right has lost touch with reality.
GO TRUMP!!!

 

[Valerie]

"Dragging Trump's name through the mud by slandering him"

who has 'slandered' donald trump exactly..? please give examples.



the shallow simplicity of this op is contradictory.

this is not slander, it's truth.

"Truth is not slander. Truth should be spoken because without it, the people cannot make an informed decision."

 

[Valerie]

Trump campaign poses a challenge to the Republican Party leadership and its conservative establishment.

The leadership has failed to fight back because it is hopelessly divided.

Can moderate Republicans unite to defeat Trump?

Donald Trump can win -- and he must be stopped (Opinion) - CNN.com

 

[Holos]

This may not have to do directly with the candidates, but I would like to address the piece of philosophy you posted being credited to Socrates.

I am new to the game of politics, but am not new to the game of philosophy. My experience tells me that according to those words associated with Socrates, Socrates would have had to just lost a debate himself and was shying away or protecting himself from his own rational transgressing failure as punishment was inevitably to be delivered. (Maybe there was indeed a rigtheous reason for his final public execution, maybe not, that is still yet to be discussed)

I am not sure you follow my analysis. What I am saying is basically that a great philosopher, if not the greatest of all, would never provide a final note about discussion by mentioning loss or offense, since any discussion they would have observed or engaged in would have provided sustaining and greater value than any of those two misdirecting concepts.

Maybe that actually relates to your own analysis too. Maybe somehow the actual words of the people mentioned have been distorted. After all, we always have to rely on our own associative and interpretative capacities when analysing discourses and situations.

 

[DarkFury]

"Dragging Trump's name through the mud by slandering him"

who has 'slandered' donald trump exactly..? please give examples.



the shallow simplicity of this op is contradictory.

this is not slander, it's truth.

"Truth is not slander. Truth should be spoken because without it, the people cannot make an informed decision."

An OP/ED is written but not replied to. Its a thread start and YOU make your case.

 

[oldsoul]

News sources are reporting this morning that five candidates will be battling to defeat Donald Trump in South Carolina tonight. I beg to differ. They may be battling for 2nd or 3rd place but I'm predicting Donald Trump has 1st place locked up. The attack ads against Trump is not a battle plan. It's an endorsement for him before the South Carolina debate even kicks off.

Socrates said, “When the debate is lost, slander becomes the tool of the loser.”

The debate has been lost and GOP establishment candidates are scrambling to drag Trump's name through the mud after seeing Marco Rubio fall at the hands of Chris Christie. Dragging Trump's name through the mud by slandering him isn't the same weapon the Governor from New Jersey used in New Hampshire against Rubio.

Chris Christie was confronting the freshman Senator on his record. His weapon was the “truth.” Donald Trump doesn't have a record of voting with Democrats and creating legislature in favor of mass immigration. Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio do.

There are many differences between the establishment candidates and Donald Trump. Trump is financing his own campaign. He is not indebted to any special interest groups or lobbyists. He's not giving us rehearsed speeches in place of real answers. Trump tells it as it is.

Governor Jeb Bush claims that Donald Trump is not a true conservative. How does Bush define what it means to be a true conservative? It's been so long since the establishment Republicans have nominated one, they may have forgotten what one should look like.

Donald Trump has avoided attack ads in the days leading up to the South Carolina debate. Instead he asks the same question many Christians are asking themselves right now.

How can Ted Cruz be an evangelical Christian when he has lied so much and has been so dishonest? Truth is not slander. Truth should be spoken because without it, the people cannot make an informed decision.

The Establishment Republicans seem willing to lose the 2016 election rather than to endorse the GOP front runner who can beat Hillary Clinton. Their determination to see things their way rather than as the American people see it is glaringly obvious.

Media reporting on the South Carolina debate chose to use this photograph of Trump, Kasich and Rubio for the upcoming debate. What is a 5th place candidate in New Hampshire doing in that picture? Marco Rubio is the establishment Republican choice and they refuse to acknowledge that this is not the year for establishment candidates. This is the year of the outsider.

Tonight I expect to see Jeb Bush focus his full attention on Donald Trump. I believe the debate between Rubio & Cruz will become vicious as Rubio tries to fight his way out of 5th place. We're likely to hear plenty about Cruz stealing Carson's votes.

John Kasich will hope to hold onto his 2nd place position against Ted Cruz by keeping on point with his “stay positive” message. After watching Kaisich make a comeback in New Hampshire, Ben Carson may follow suit and be a surprise in South Carolina. Even if Carson fails to deliver he has given no indication that he'll drop out. That works in Trump's advantage.

So far?
Everything has.

____________
What to Watch for at Tonight's GOP Debate

You seem to be implying that Trump has not engaged in slander, libel, lies or other such tactics. Yet, to the best of my knowledge, he has leveled several accusations (Cruz is not eligable, Cruz is a liar, ect.), and has yet to substantiate those assertions. Is this not the very same type of tactics that you are accusing others of emplying against Trump? If it is "OK" for Trump to do it, why is it not "OK" for others?