15 minutes ago, Outlaw said:

Don Jr. is not qualified to sit as VEEP. Tim Scott would be my choice. There are literally hundreds of better choices. If Donny goes head to head with DeSantis, I think DeSantis wins that battle. If I were him, I wouldn't be looking to make deals with Donny to give his idiot son a seat at the table. And IF that's the route they went, I'd have far more faith in Ivanka than Jr.

Don Sr wasn't qualified to sit as POTUS either.

You guys thinking that DeSantis even stands a chance against Trump are hilarious. We've known about cults for a long time. There's a long established track record to draw from. How many cult leaders do you know of that have been unseated by any challengers? The only way a cult leader gets unseated is through death or incarceration. They never lose a direct challenge for the top seat.

20 minutes ago, dawkins4prez said:

If they do go head to head, give me the moneyline on Mike Pence.  He becomes a very strong 3rd rail dark horse.

Republicans can't have a 3rd rail in a primary. If it's Trump versus 5-6 other candidates, he wins. Hands down. The only chance is to appoint a strong opponent and every non-MAGA Republican needs to throw their support behind that one person.

15 minutes ago, vikas83 said:

I agree. The problem is Trump will attack him relentlessly, then tell his acolytes to stay home in the general election. 

Like I said -- Trump will make sure it is him or no one. He won't allow another Republican to succeed (get elected) where he failed. He'd rather the Democrats win again so he can say that people made the wrong choice by not supporting him.

Remember -- it is always about protecting his ego.

Nailed it. It's narcissism at it's worst.

6 minutes ago, we_gotta_believe said:

You guys thinking that DeSantis even stands a chance against Trump are hilarious. We've known about cults for a long time. There's a long established track record to draw from. How many cult leaders do you know of that have been unseated by any challengers? The only way a cult leader gets unseated is through death or incarceration. They never lose a direct challenge for the top seat.

I can only gauge support for DeSantis based on my immediate circle that I speak to often (friends, family, coworkers, etc.), but any Republican I've talked to in the past few months have already moved on from Trump. Yes, the diehard MAGA folks won't be swayed, but I don't believe they make up 51% of the party at this point, based on my flimsy anecdotal experiences. I think DeSantis brings enough similar stances on issues without the vitriol and narcissism Trump has. Could I be wrong? Of course, it happens now and then. But I hope I'm right.

4 minutes ago, Outlaw said:

Republicans can't have a 3rd rail in a primary. If it's Trump versus 5-6 other candidates, he wins. Hands down. The only chance is to appoint a strong opponent and every non-MAGA Republican needs to throw their support behind that one person.

Nailed it. It's narcissism at it's worst.

I can only gauge support for DeSantis based on my immediate circle that I speak to often (friends, family, coworkers, etc.), but any Republican I've talked to in the past few months have already moved on from Trump. Yes, the diehard MAGA folks won't be swayed, but I don't believe they make up 51% of the party at this point. I think DeSantis brings enough similar stances on issues without the vitriol and narcissism Trump has. Could I be wrong? Of course, it happens now and then. But I hope I'm right.

The majority literally still believe Trump won in 2020. Think about how divorced from realty you have to be to actually believe that. No offense, but you come across as very naive to what has happened to the GQP in the last 6 years. Your best shot is the dude behind bars before primaries are held and even then the timelines are an issue, and I'd still be skeptical that'll be enough.

3 minutes ago, we_gotta_believe said:

The majority literally still believe Trump won in 2020. Think about how divorced from realty you have to be to actually believe that. No offense, but you come across as very naive to what has happened to the GQP in the last 6 years. Your best shot is the dude behind bars before primaries are held and even then the timelines are an issue, and I'd still be skeptical that'll be enough.

I was just about to say, more than half still think the election was stolen from him in 2020.

7 minutes ago, we_gotta_believe said:

The majority literally still believe Trump won in 2020. Think about how divorced from realty you have to be to actually believe that. No offense, but you come across as very naive to what has happened to the GQP in the last 6 years. Your best shot is the dude behind bars before primaries are held and even then the timelines are an issue, and I'd still be skeptical that'll be enough.

Basing this on what? Was there polling done that I missed? Yes, I know a sizeable portion of the Trump nuts believe this. But neither I nor you, truly know for a fact what % of the party feels that way or not. Moderate Republicans have been voting purple for a while now and staying quiet, and they want a candidate they can get behind. The GOP has to read the tea leaves and see what an indictment the 2022 elections were on Trump. He's done. Finished. Couldn't even beat Kamala head to head nationally at this point.

EDIT: I do agree with you though that an indictment and incarceration are the best case for the GOP.

7 minutes ago, Outlaw said:

Basing this on what? Was there polling done that I missed? Yes, I know a sizeable portion of the Trump nuts believe this. But neither I nor you, truly know for a fact what % of the party feels that way or not. Moderate Republicans have been voting purple for a while now and staying quiet, and they want a candidate they can get behind. The GOP has to read the tea leaves and see what an indictment the 2022 elections were on Trump. He's done. Finished. Couldn't even beat Kamala head to head nationally at this point.

EDIT: I do agree with you though that an indictment and incarceration are the best case for the GOP.

Nope, none aside from basically every single poll conducted on the topic over the last 2 years. I was wrong, you're not naive, you're in denial.

Just now, we_gotta_believe said:

Nope, none aside from basically every single poll conducted in the topic over the last 2 years. I was wrong, you're not naive, you're in denial.

I'm not talking about 2 years ago. I'm talking about now, post-2022 mid-terms. Trump's approval rating is even lower than Biden's. The Post, the WSJ, Fox News, etc. are all turning against him. I believe we're on the cusp of him losing his stranglehold on the party. I agree with you that 2 years ago, or even last year his level of support was still somehow high. Some key indicators now are showing the winds are changing. Maybe I'm just hopeful, which isn't the worst thing either.

Trump still leads DeSantis by 16 points. Even after the mid-term. @we_gotta_believe is correct. It's a cult. 

https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/polls/president-primary-r/

7 minutes ago, Gannan said:

Trump still leads DeSantis by 16 points. Even after the mid-term. @we_gotta_believe is correct. It's a cult. 

https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/polls/president-primary-r/

Yep. When Ron starts punching back at Trump, you'll know that there are some cracks forming. Until then, just assume that Trump is still leading the pack. 

12 minutes ago, Outlaw said:

I'm not talking about 2 years ago. I'm talking about now, post-2022 mid-terms. Trump's approval rating is even lower than Biden's. The Post, the WSJ, Fox News, etc. are all turning against him. I believe we're on the cusp of him losing his stranglehold on the party. I agree with you that 2 years ago, or even last year his level of support was still somehow high. Some key indicators now are showing the winds are changing. Maybe I'm just hopeful, which isn't the worst thing either.

I said over the last 2 years, not 2 years ago. You probably won't find polls on this issue post-mid-terms seeing as how the election was literally three days ago, but the latest polls had the number at 61%. But sure, I bet nearly two thirds of the party still living in trumpbot fantasy land instead of reality will bode real well for DeSantis. 

 

7 minutes ago, Gannan said:

Trump still leads DeSantis by 16 points. Even after the mid-term. @we_gotta_believe is correct. It's a cult. 

https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/polls/president-primary-r/

Thanks for the link. Much appreciated. However, if you also look these aren't all conducted 1v1, Pence and Cheney are also in the mix. 

If you add that 13% to DeSantis it's 50-47. That's why I said earlier, it can't be a flooded primary. Every non-Trump candidate dilutes the chance of unseating him. As I said in my edit to WGB, I agree that an indictment and incarceration would be best case scenario. 

Just now, Outlaw said:

Thanks for the link. Much appreciated. However, if you also look these aren't all conducted 1v1, Pence and Cheney are also in the mix. 

If you add that 13% to DeSantis it's 50-47. That's why I said earlier, it can't be a flooded primary. Every non-Trump candidate dilutes the chance of unseating him. As I said in my edit to WGB, I agree that an indictment and incarceration would be best case scenario. 

Problem with Trump is that going head to head with him is too risky.  He has nothing to lose, but Ron has a shot in 2028 if he stays out of 2024.  But if Trump bloodies him through the primary and then takes the nod, Ron's career is over.  He'll have to bow to Trump and just turn into another Ted Cruz/Rubio Trump cuck who was humiliated and then came crawling back.  The risk/reward just doesn't add up.

4 minutes ago, Outlaw said:

Thanks for the link. Much appreciated. However, if you also look these aren't all conducted 1v1, Pence and Cheney are also in the mix. 

If you add that 13% to DeSantis it's 50-47. That's why I said earlier, it can't be a flooded primary. Every non-Trump candidate dilutes the chance of unseating him. As I said in my edit to WGB, I agree that an indictment and incarceration would be best case scenario. 

You are assuming all those votes would go to Desantis, which cannot be accurate.

3 minutes ago, VanHammersly said:

Problem with Trump is that going head to head with him is too risky.  He has nothing to lose, but Ron has a shot in 2028 if he stays out of 2024.  But if Trump bloodies him through the primary and then takes the nod, Ron's career is over.  He'll have to bow to Trump and just turn into another Ted Cruz/Rubio Trump cuck who was humiliated and then came crawling back.  The risk/reward just doesn't add up.

Definitely a valid point...it is risky. I don't agree his political career would be over, but would be a tough blow. The meetings he must be having with advisors and such right now must be really interesting conversations.

1 minute ago, Boogyman said:

You are assuming all those votes would go to Desantis, which cannot be accurate.

Fair point. But do you really think that someone who would vote for Pence or Cheney would throw in for Trump? Maybe some, sure. But I'd venture to guess the bulk of those would go to whomever is running against him in the primary if it was a field of 2.

Just now, Outlaw said:

Definitely a valid point...it is risky. I don't agree his political career would be over, but would be a tough blow. The meeting he must be having with advisors and such right now must be really interesting conversations.

I suppose his career may not be, but any aspirations of the Presidency are.  You can't win a national election after being publicly emasculated by Trump and then praising him afterwards.  Cruz and Rubio have reached as high as they'll ever get and, for Rubio anyway, there was a legit shot at the Presidency at one point.  That's 100% gone now.

7 minutes ago, VanHammersly said:

Problem with Trump is that going head to head with him is too risky.  He has nothing to lose, but Ron has a shot in 2028 if he stays out of 2024.  But if Trump bloodies him through the primary and then takes the nod, Ron's career is over.  He'll have to bow to Trump and just turn into another Ted Cruz/Rubio Trump cuck who was humiliated and then came crawling back.  The risk/reward just doesn't add up.

Bingo. Like Omar said, if you come for the king, you best not miss. And make no mistake, Trump is absolutely still the king of these morons despite what the knee-jerk reaction to the mid-terms results might imply.

12 minutes ago, Outlaw said:

Definitely a valid point...it is risky. I don't agree his political career would be over, but would be a tough blow. The meetings he must be having with advisors and such right now must be really interesting conversations.

Fair point. But do you really think that someone who would vote for Pence or Cheney would throw in for Trump? Maybe some, sure. But I'd venture to guess the bulk of those would go to whomever is running against him in the primary if it was a field of 2.

Cheney, no. The 10 percent to Pence though? I vould see Trump getting some of that.

2 hours ago, DrPhilly said:

So much for the anti-Trump momentum.  Stefanik has already come out and endorsed him.

She's such a goddamn disappointment. 

Of course he is...

Trump moves forward with ‘special announcement’ despite calls to not run in 2024

23 minutes ago, VanHammersly said:

Problem with Trump is that going head to head with him is too risky.  He has nothing to lose, but Ron has a shot in 2028 if he stays out of 2024.  But if Trump bloodies him through the primary and then takes the nod, Ron's career is over.  He'll have to bow to Trump and just turn into another Ted Cruz/Rubio Trump cuck who was humiliated and then came crawling back.  The risk/reward just doesn't add up.

This is the biggest problem. If I were advising DeSantis, and focused on his political future, I'd tell him to sit out 2024. I don't think he will, but let Trump lose to Biden again and hope that by 2028 he's dead or in jail. If he decided to challenge Trump, he has to go full scorched earth -- he needs to hit back in ways that will work and infuriate Trump. When Trump rails and makes up nicknames and insults, just respond that you're focused on the future and not the opinions of someone who lost to Joe Biden. When Trump calls him dumb, just calmly respond that you don't want to engage with someone who thought passing a cognitive test was an achievement. You can't be more outrageous or unhinged than Donald -- you have to slam him but do it with tact and with the attitude that you're better than him and don't care what he says. Nothing makes Trump angrier and less impactful than treating him as irrelevant. 

2 hours ago, Gannan said:

He's going to die at some point. Probably in the next 5 years or so. Have you seen him lately? He's carrying so much weight. He looks well over 300 pounds. 

Not to mention his High Blood Pressure and Hypertension. He get's so angry, he's going to have a sissy fit, leading to a heart attack. 

Trump maybe history, especially if he gets indicted, DeSantis and others will have to run, but Trumpism isn't dead. The Party will not recover, until Trumpism is defeated.

 

2 minutes ago, Dave Moss said:

 

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