Support NeoGAF

[Macho Madness]

Well the job number hit. It was another good one. I just wish wages were going up with it.

 

[CCS]

Help it's been two hours I feel like I have no idea what's going on in the political world.

I think Trump became president in that time and Hillary was jailed for life.

 

[Orbis Tabula]

Looks like someone accidentally wiped the Neogaf servers. You know, like, with a cloth.

Also, best tweet of the night.

best

PRODUCE THE SCHLONG FORM GIRTH CERTIFICATE

 

[sc0la]

Help it's been two hours I feel like I have no idea what's going on in the political world.

Cruz ate another booger, this one so large it had a name.

That booger's name? Marco Rubio


Edit:

Also, best tweet of the night.
best

lmao

 

[CCS]

Looks like someone accidentally wiped the Neogaf servers. You know, like, with a cloth.

Also, best tweet of the night.

best

Screaming.

 

[Cheebo]

The way the GOP seems to be really embracing the convention strategy I am thinking it all but certain they will deny him the nomination even if he has the far and away most delegates. Trump supporters revolting and him running third party be damned.

 

[cartoon_soldier]

Big ratings for debate

bad for Trump

 

[NeoXChaos]

The way the GOP seems to be really embracing the convention strategy I am thinking it all but certain they will deny him the nomination even if he has the far and away most delegates. Trump supporters revolting and him running third party be damned.

Cruz, Kasich & Rubio are on tape and in writing(contract) that they will support Trump as the nominee. If he leads with the most wins, votes & delegates heading into the convention of not a majority but plurality no way they can deny him it.

 

[Plinko]

The whole "release the secret off the record tapes" stuff from Cruz was beyond irritating. Cruz would probably flip if people released off the record stuff of him talking.

Anecdotal thing: I have several very conservative friends, and many of them say last night Cruz turned them off completely for, get this, being "obsessed with being far right." Cruz's whole "no democrat ever did anything good" schtick has made them hate Cruz.

As for the debate, I said it last night: I think Trump has a chance to be done. That was by far his worst debate, and I think it costs him Florida, and Inthink Kasich is a shoe-in for Ohio now.

The one thing in his favor is that Kasich is really far behind at this point, while Cruz will do nothing in northern states.

 

[Veritigo_X]

People think Trump did badly? I thought he killed it. He established dominance early by declaring he has the largest dick on stage and no one could take him down without looking weak themselves.

If you want to argue everyone looked bad I'll agree with that, but you can't say Trump did worse than a little kid and a guy who ate a booger.

 

[Cheebo]

Cruz, Kasich & Rubio are on tape and in writing(contract) that they will support Trump as the nominee. If he leads with the most wins, votes & delegates heading into the convention of not a majority but plurality no way they can deny him it.

I really don't think they care what they said at the debate. Trump said the same thing but he certainly will run third party if they deny him the nomination if he gets the most votes.

There is no way to walk back this NeverTrump stuff at this point. It's too extreme.

 

[Diablos]

All of the other candidates said they'd support Trump after dissing him all night long. This party has absolutely no moral, ethical or political compass whatsoever. It's unreal. They truly are not capable of rational thought and last night's debate is proof. People will say republicans can be smart but stand by their ideals blah blah. Bullshit. They are unbelievably inept and have no place in modern day politics.

 

[Macho Madness]

So when Hillary invokes the names of black people who've been unfairly killed, she's pandering.

When Bernie discusses black inequality, he's trying to win their vote because he means it.

Thanks TYT

 

[Crisco]

The sad part is Trump did fine in the face of all those attacks by Fox. You can't out troll the master.

 

[sc0la]

The whole "release the secret off the record tapes" stuff from Cruz was beyond irritating. Cruz would probably flip if people released off the record stuff of him talking.

Anecdotal thing: I have several very conservative friends, and many of them say last night Cruz turned them off completely for, get this, being "obsessed with being far right." Cruz's whole "no democrat ever did anything good" schtick has made them hate Cruz.

As for the debate, I said it last night: I think Trump has a chance to be done. That was by far his worst debate, and I think it costs him Florida, and Inthink Kasich is a shoe-in for Ohio now.

The one thing in his favor is that Kasich is really far behind at this point, while Cruz will do nothing in northern states.

Your friends might have contracted RINO virus, did they get their yearly empathy and nuance inoculations?

 

[Diablos]

So when Hillary invokes the names of black people who've been unfairly killed, she's pandering.

When Bernie discusses black inequality, he's trying to win their vote because he means it.

Thanks TYT

Cenk loves hearing himself talk and in the worst way. I can't listen to that network even if I agree with them.

 

[Plinko]

All of the other candidates said they'd support Trump after dissing him all night long. This party has absolutely no moral, ethical or political compass whatsoever. It's unreal. They truly are not capable of rational thought and last night's debate is proof. People will say republicans can be smart but stand by their ideals blah blah. Bullshit. They are unbelievably inept and have no place in modern day politics.

Yes, this was a huge misstep on their part. You just spent the entire debate telling us how Trump is a terrible person and terrible leader, then say, "of course I'll support him!" Credibility = gone.

 

[Y2Kev]

Trump "has a chance to be done" is hedging so good an options trader would be proud.

 

[NeoXChaos]

you all realize we have another debate next week. Trump always does bad in these debates and leaves unscathed.

 

[royalan]

People think Trump did badly? I thought he killed it. He established dominance early by declaring he has the largest dick on stage and no one could take him down without looking weak themselves.

If you want to argue everyone looked bad I'll agree with that, but you can't say Trump did worse than a little kid and a guy who ate a booger.

Is that what we've come to? Is that now the standard on who wins these things? Not commanding the stage with a demonstrable wealth of knowledge on the facts, policy, and connecting with the moderators/audience. Is it really just being the person who says the most macho thing of the night? I guess so..

If that's the case, Rubio should just whip his dick out at the next one of these things and challenge Trump to a sword fight.

 

[Manmademan]

Big ratings for debate

bad for Trump

nah, Trump came out of that looking good. He got beat up a bit on the Trump University stuff, but I can't see that having traction with his base.

The OTHER candidates need to have a breakout night and appeal to those who keep voting Trump and absolutely no one accomplished that.

Is that what we've come to? Is that now the standard on who wins these things? Not commanding the stage with a demonstrable wealth of knowledge on the facts, policy, and connecting with the moderators/audience. Is it really just being the person who says the most macho thing of the night? I guess so..

If that's the case, Rubio should just whip his dick out at the next one of these things and challenge Trump to a sword fight.

Let's be perfectly clear- this hasn't been a staple of the republican party for decades, and the inevitable result of that is Trump as Nominee.

 

[Plinko]

Your friends might have contracted RINO virus, did they get their yearly empathy and nuance inoculations?

They also reacted poorly to his "we don't need any gun regulations at all" line of thought, surprisingly.

This is why Trump is doing so well-- he is the only guy who admits you have to work together. The GOP establishment has become increasingly exclusive, and even the base is having struggles with it.

Trump "has a chance to be done" is hedging so good an options trader would be proud.

Sorry--you're right. Last night I said I thought he was done. I've backed off that a bit this morning. Maybe I should say I think this debate could hurt him a lot more than previous debates, to the point where it might cost him the nomination.

 

[Kusagari]

People think Trump did badly? I thought he killed it. He established dominance early by declaring he has the largest dick on stage and no one could take him down without looking weak themselves.

If you want to argue everyone looked bad I'll agree with that, but you can't say Trump did worse than a little kid and a guy who ate a booger.

I thought he looked bad the last 30 mins. The prolonged Trump University attack clearly took a lot out of him. It was the first time all election he looked meek and, dare I say it, low energy.

It happened so late in the debate I doubt it matters though. Until the Trump University attack he was arguably having his best debate performance. He was asserting dominance pretty easily.

 

[PBY]

Really shocked at all the articles saying Trump lost. I thought he did well???

 

[Manmademan]

Really shocked at all the articles saying Trump lost. I thought he did well???

media impression and popular impression are two completely different things. Remember when the press was crowning Fiorina the winner of her first big boy debate? how did THAT work out again?

 

[JetBlackPanda]

The sad part is Trump did fine in the face of all those attacks by Fox. You can't out troll the master.

The weirdest thing of all is Meghan Kelly defending Trump. What the hell happened with that?

 

[Plinko]

Really shocked at all the articles saying Trump lost. I thought he did well???

Fox News was prepared. They hit him good. Trump University, the videos of him waffling, asking for specific names, the actual facts on his budget numbers, etc.

They could just as well hit Cruz/Rubio on a lot of those same things, and they didn't.

I really think they want a brokered convention and a Romney pick.

 

[Veritigo_X]

Is that what we've come to? Is that now the standard on who wins these things? Not commanding the stage with a demonstrable wealth of knowledge on the facts, policy, and connecting with the moderators/audience. Is it really just being the person who says the most macho thing of the night? I guess so..

If that's the case, Rubio should just whip his dick out at the next one of these things and challenge Trump to a sword fight.

We haven't "come to" anything. This has been the state of the republican party for awhile now. I don't agree with it, but I was giving my impressions of the debate through my republican lense I've been perfecting over the last couple years.

I thought he looked bad the last 30 mins. The prolonged Trump University attack clearly took a lot out of him. It was the first time all election he looked meek and, dare I say it, low energy.

It happened so late in the debate I doubt it matters though. Until the Trump University attack he was arguably having his best debate performance. He was asserting dominance pretty easily.

I felt like those attacks fell flat but maybe I was just hammered by that point. I doubt any of his supporters care about the Trump U stuff anyway, it's just fuel for the #NeverTrump movement.

 

[VanMardigan]

So for whatever reason, I went back and analyzed that thing in Cruz's mouth. Just to be clear, Cruz did not eat a booger, whatever it was, it came from his mouth as he was speaking, then he sucked it back in while the crowd snickered. My best guess is a mostly dissolved tic tac. I'll need more analysis to know for sure, give me anther 2-3 hours.

 

[Y2Kev]

Trump and Cruz voters are not going to vote for Romney so please proceed.

I kind of wonder if trump would run third party. It's such a waste of time and money.

 

[Diablos]

Fox News was prepared. They hit him good. Trump University, the videos of him waffling, asking for specific names, the actual facts on his budget numbers, etc.

They could just as well hit Cruz/Rubio on a lot of those same things, and they didn't.

I really think they want a brokered convention and a Romney pick.

Fox is a mouthpiece for the GOP. I agree that it signals a desire for a brokered convention.

The question is if it will happen. Then, if it does happen, will RMoney or whoever it is actually stand a chance. Don't some states have a way that can forbid candidates from going third party? In other words does Trump really have a plan B?

 

[Macho Madness]

Oh man the new season of House of Cards is up

 

[NeoXChaos]

even if they deny trump he has no time to run third party.

 

[Plinko]

Fox is a mouthpiece for the GOP. I agree that it signals a desire for a brokered convention.

The question is if it will happen. Then, if it does happen, will RMoney or whoever it is actually stand a chance. Don't some states have a way that can forbid candidates from going third party? In other words does Trump really have a plan B?

All it will do is split the GOP vote. No democrat will vote for Romney.

 

[Diablos]

even if they deny trump he has no time to run third party.

That too... If they wait until the convention that gives him very little time to put together a third party run

 

[Plinko]

I can't be the only one irritated that moderators refuse to address Ted Cruz ignoring every single question.

 

[CCS]

I really want to see a brokered convention now. Trump v Rubio v Cruz v R-money. It'll be YUUUUUUGE

 

[cartoon_soldier]

I really want to see a brokered convention now. Trump v Rubio v Cruz v R-money. It'll be YUUUUUUGE

They should nominate Hillary.

 

[Diablos]

I really want to see a brokered convention now. Trump v Rubio v Cruz v R-money. It'll be YUUUUUUGE

I just hope Sanders can be mature enough to not throw a hissy fit and then explore a third party run himself. His behavior lately is just not acceptable in terms if respecting the party. I don't trust his sensibilities and regard for the outcome of the GE.

 

[CCS]

They should nominate Hillary.

Hillary v Sanders round 2: The Fight for the White House. Featuring Bernie "The Soviet Hammer" Sanders and Hillary "The Butcher of Benghazi" Clinton.

 

[CCS]

I just hope Sanders can be mature enough to not throw a hissy fit and then explore a third party run himself. His behavior lately is just not acceptable in terms if respecting the party. I don't trust his sensibilities and regard for the outcome of the GE.

I'm sure he will abide by the vote and not run third party. That said, if he did, it would only demonstrate why he never deserved the nomination in the first place.

EDIT: Apologies for double post, on phone.

 

[Drek]

So in the end the wealth continues to stay at the top and the rest of us get to be thankful for whatever scraps we get. The illusion that we have any power in controlling our lives continues.

Detroit has a right to be mad as hell and the rest of us should be too. Our politicians are giving us just enough not to revolt and they do it with a smile the entire time.

I don't see how the UAW not having a dominant vote is a bad thing for Chrysler or GM. The UAW is ran by people who make Donald Trump look like an honest actor. Union bosses are just about the worst humans on the planet and routinely prey upon their own constituency.

Case in point, the entire problem with the American auto industry stems from the UAW working in collaboration with automotive manufacturers to allow off-shoring of jobs with a caveat that if any U.S. factories closed the car companies had to keep paying the laid off workers 90% of their wages. All that really achieved was the construction of a perfect "union labor is lazy and overpaid" narrative for anti-labor politicians.

Strong unions ran by and for their constituency are a good thing. The United States hasn't had that kind of organized labor environment in over 30 years.

 

[Yellowtail]

The better Nate projects that Trump will reach a majority of delegates even if he loses FL and OH:

If the people in the rest of the nation vote as the Super Tuesday results suggest they would, Mr. Trump would easily amass a majority of delegates and avoid the contested convention that his opponents hope to force and win.

He could even do so without wins in Ohio and Florida, the two largest winner-take-all states, where he faces opponents in their home states.

Mr. Trump would amass so many delegates because the rules become more biased toward candidates who win, allowing him the chance to take an overwhelming share of delegates with just a minority of the vote. It becomes easy to win lopsided delegate margins starting March 15, when states are allowed to apportion their delegates on a winner-take-all basis. At the same time, the primary calendar doesn’t become less favorable and may even become more advantageous to him, depending on which candidates stay in the race.

But the results so far also indicate he could still be defeated, suggesting Mr. Trump is far from winning a majority of the popular vote. He could be denied a majority of delegates if the field narrowed to Mr. Rubio.

If the remaining states vote as one would expect based on their demographics and the results so far, Mr. Trump will defeat Marco Rubio by a margin of 37 percent to 25 percent over the rest of the race. Ted Cruz would take third place over the rest of the primary season, with 22 percent of the vote. (These figures were calculated by weighting the candidate’s projected vote share in congressional districts by Mitt Romney’s vote in 2012, to more appropriately reflect the importance of caucuses. The actual popular vote would be worse for Mr. Cruz.)

Mr. Trump’s 12-point lead over Mr. Rubio would translate into a huge majority of the outstanding delegates. He would be favored to amass around two-thirds of the delegates that remain — or around 1,100 additional delegates on top of the more than 300 delegates he already holds. That would easily be enough for Mr. Trump to clear the 1,237 delegates needed to win.

It would even be enough to withstand losses in both Ohio and Florida, two big winner-take-all states.

It’s important to emphasize that these estimates aren’t predictions. They assume the rest of the country will vote as it has so far, and the race could easily change. Perhaps Mr. Rubio will fade after his showing on Super Tuesday. Maybe an organized “stop Trump” effort will have an effect.

But the estimates nonetheless make an important point: There won’t be a contested convention if things keep going as they have been.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/05/u...-donald-trump-will-reach-delegate-target.html

 

[Manmademan]

All it will do is split the GOP vote. No democrat will vote for Romney.

that's not the point. The GOP knows its not going to win with this crowd. Hillary has this. The only one with a shot at the general is kasich and he has no traction in the primary.

The point of a third party run would be to avoid the inevitable collapse in turnout that would result from Trump leading the ticket. Those who would stay home rather than vote for trump or clinton might come out for romney and the republican downticket races would benefit from it.

All things considered, losing the presidency to stop a massive bleed in the house and senate is probably worth it in the long run.

I don't see how the UAW not having a dominant vote is a bad thing for Chrysler or GM. The UAW is ran by people who make Donald Trump look like an honest actor. Union bosses are just about the worst humans on the planet and routinely prey upon their own constituency.

Case in point, the entire problem with the American auto industry stems from the UAW working in collaboration with automotive manufacturers to allow off-shoring of jobs with a caveat that if any U.S. factories closed the car companies had to keep paying the laid off workers 90% of their wages. All that really achieved was the construction of a perfect "union labor is lazy and overpaid" narrative for anti-labor politicians.

Strong unions ran by and for their constituency are a good thing. The United States hasn't had that kind of organized labor environment in over 30 years.

Agree completely. I agree with strong unions being beneficial in theory, but on a personal level the kind of stuff I've had to deal with re: the local PSCOA union is a fucking nightmare.

 

[Y2Kev]

If he loses those states, the implication is IMO he's not doing well in the polls so it could be close.

 

[Diablos]

I'm sure he will abide by the vote and not run third party. That said, if he did, it would only demonstrate why he never deserved the nomination in the first place.

EDIT: Apologies for double post, on phone.

It will do more than demonstrate that. It will hand the Republicans the White House.

 

[Plinko]

The better Nate projects that Trump will reach a majority of delegates even if he loses FL and OH:

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/05/u...-donald-trump-will-reach-delegate-target.html

The even better news there is that Rubio will assuredly lose voters to Kasich after last night and as time passes.

that's not the point. The GOP knows its not going to win with this crowd. Hillary has this. The only one with a shot at the general is kasich and he has no traction in the primary.

The point of a third party run would be to avoid the inevitable collapse in turnout that would result from Trump leading the ticket. Those who would stay home rather than vote for trump or clinton might come out for romney and the republican downticket races would benefit from it.

All things considered, losing the presidency to stop a massive bleed in the house and senate is probably worth it in the long run.

Except the flip side of that is the massive portion of the base who voted for Trump will view it as a direct attack on them, further damaging relations within thr republican party, and possibly leading to a schism.

 

[Y2Kev]

Why the hell are the last Florida polls two weeks old? Geeze.

And Ohio is even older!

 

[kingkitty]

who wants to create the Sunday Dem debate? there's an open spot.

 

[Haunted]

You should think of it as a good thing, really, because it's the end of the Republican Party for a decade.

The GOP is full of establishment politicians in the House, Senate, and state houses who have been silently accepting implicit racism in pursuit of their policy goals for many years. But they have to silently accept racism, because explicitly advocating it will lose them elections -- whatever problems America has, I think it's pretty clear from history that a majority of Americans are unwilling to elect an avowed racist.

So the GOP establishment has spent that time covering them from the other direction -- making sure that any candidate who DOES explicitly support racism fails to win party support. Because a lot of GOP politicians would lose primaries to these candidates! Because the business of the Republican Party is appealing to reactionaries.

But that's over now. If the Republican establishment can't keep Donald Trump from dominating the presidential primary, then nobody is safe. Every single Republican politician is facing a choice -- start explicitly refusing the Trump side of the party and pushing them out, or just start being openly racist in order to protect themselves from their own party base.

Obviously they're having trouble making up their minds, but enough of them are going to go in either direction that it's going to completely fracture their support. After this year, the mainstream American perspective will be that Republicans can't be allowed to govern.

I hope you're right!

I have been telling people that even democrats would be kinda cheering for Trump at this point because it's preposterous to think that someone like that could win a GE. It's definitely fair to say that he's viewed as somewhat of a (dangerous?) joke over here and with some bewilderment as to how someone like that could have made it to that stage, much like Palin was in 2008.

But reading some of the analysis pieces over at fivethirtyeight that advocate really taking him seriously as a candidate, as someone who could actually end up being voted into office, just scared the shit out of me, both for America's future and by extension what that means for the rest of the world through US foreign policy.

It's not that I particularly like Clinton, but even she's obviously infinitely more preferable if you're interested in a stable future for the world compared to a Republican.