I Know This Is Going To Break Sue's Heart

[Lord Jim]

Trump’s 2012 polling plummets
By Rachel Rose Hartman

It appears that "Apprentice" host Donald Trump is no longer all that effectively branded among the top tier of potential 2012 candidates for the GOP presidential nomination.

The real estate mogul tied for fifth place in a Public Policy Polling survey of the 2012 Republican field released Tuesday (pdf). That's down from first place in PPP's April survey.

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee was the leading preferred candidate among Republican voters, with 19 percent support in this week's survey. He was followed by former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney with 18 percent, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich with 13 percent, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin with 12 percent. Trump tied with Rep. Ron Paul of Texas at 8 percent.

Those numbers are a long way off from the April 15 survey of the GOP race, which had Trump leading with a comfortable 26 percent of polled support. His closest competitor at the time was Huckabee, who received 17 percent, Romney had 15 percent, Gingrich received 11 percent, Palin had 8 percent and Paul polled 5 percent. (Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty and Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann placed last in both surveys.)

So what's changed for Trump?

For one, Trump's quest to pressure President Obama to his long-form birth certificate came to an end last month when the White House released the document. Quickly afterward, "birther" speculation in the GOP field, and in the media generally, died down.

PPP's analysts say the vanishing vogue for birtherism is a key reason behind Trump's waning GOP support. "Donald Trump had a meteoric rise to the top of the GOP Presidential field and has fallen back down just as quickly," PPP president Dean Debnam said in his analysis. "Republicans voters burned out on him pretty fast, especially after the birther issue lost some of its potency with the release of President Obama's birth certificate."

Following the birth certificate release, the president called Trump inexperienced and made him the laughing stock of the White House Correspondents' Association dinner, and scrutiny began piling up about Trump's past as well as his current business dealings.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_theticket ... A4MjE3czIw

[Sue U]

Don't worry about me, I have complete faith in the GOP base! I have every confidence that they'll choose a real winner. Just look at the selection so far!

[Lord Jim]

The more I learn about him, the more I like Mitch Daniels. For starters, a Governor who's able to get his state bond rating raised (to Triple A) must have some skills.

I also like the fact that while he has impeccable conservative credentials, he has called for "a truce" on the "social issues"...which I thought was pretty gutsy...

[@meric@nwom@n]

Mitch has kept Indiana out of the financial toilet that the surrounding states have fallen into. However he just swerved from middle road to far right when he signed the bill cutting off funds to planed parenthood and making Indiana one of the most restrictive states on abortion.


Plus he's too short to get elected.

[Scooter]

A "truce" on social issues isn't particularly gutsy when maintaining the status quo is really the best you can hope for.

On abortion, for example, Congress has probably pushed the envelope as far as moderately conservative justices like Kennedy are willing to twist themselves into pretzels to support.

On the recognition of same-sex relationships the era of backlash is over and momemtum in public opinion, legislative action and judicial decisions is swinging against conservatives. A "truce" would mean what? That DOMA is not overturned? That state legislatures put a moratorium on initiatives to give recognition to same-sex relationships?

[Sue U]

Besides, the people want Herman Cain and his delicious pizza! Didn't you see that debate or whatever last week?

[Lord Jim]

Besides, the people want Herman Cain and his delicious pizza!

Bong hits and posting do not a good combination make, Sue....

Didn't you see that debate or whatever last week?

Sadly, I'm afraid I missed that...

Didn't see much point in watching a "debate" that didn't feature a single candidate with a snowball's chance in hell of being nominated, let alone elected....

[Scooter]

Besides, the people want Herman Cain and his delicious pizza!

Bong hits and posting do not a good combination make, Sue....

I confess the meaning of that reference was completely lost on me until I looked it up.

But belatedly taking P.T. Barnum's advice, I am trying to avoid underestimating the stupidity of the American people.

[dgs49]

Trump's downfall was related to the fact that people like me who have never seen any of his "reality" shows actually looked to see what he was saying, and realized that he is (as it already appeared) a vacuous, self-absorbed idiot.

And not any kind of "Republican," either, if that matters.

[Sue U]

Besides, the people want Herman Cain and his delicious pizza!

Bong hits and posting do not a good combination make, Sue....

Ha, you're just racist against pizza!

[Lord Jim]

Ha, you're just racist against pizza!

Au contraire, I am a great fan of pizza....

I have the waistline to prove it....

[Sue U]

Hmmm, how are you on bong hits?

[Gob]

It's still a major source of amazement and amusement to me, and I'm sure I'm not alone in this, that US politics can be ratcheted around abortion to the degree it is.

Your country's economy is going down the shitter and people are basing political choice on whether the candidate supports abortion?

[Rick]

Huckleberry is still undecided...

[Joe Guy]

Huckleberry is still undecided...

Huckleberry Hound?



"I'm undecided," he declared.

[Gob]

The reforms that I propose, which are based on the same philosophical tenets as the reforms I offered during my last presidential campaign in 2008, return power to the states, improve access by slowing health care cost increases, and make health insurance portable and flexible for today's economy.

Step 1: Give states the responsibility, flexibility and resources to care for citizens who are poor, uninsured or chronically ill. This reform speaks to the central advantage of our federalist system — that different states will experiment with and settle on the solutions that suit their residents best. Some states might pass a plan like the one we did in Massachusetts, while others will choose an altogether different route. We can empower states to expand health care access to low-income Americans by block-granting funds for Medicaid and the uninsured. My reforms also offer the states resources to help the chronically ill — both to improve their access to care and to improve the functioning of insurance markets for others.

Step 2: Reform the tax code to promote the individual ownership of health insurance. The tax code offers open-ended subsidies for the purchase of insurance through employers. This subsidy is unfair — as it doesn't apply to insurance purchased on one's own. I propose to give individuals a choice between the current system and a tax deduction to buy insurance on their own. This simple change creates the best of both worlds. Absolutely nothing will change for those who like their current coverage. And individuals who don't get coverage through their employers will have portable, lower-cost options.

Step 3: Focus federal regulation of health care on making markets work. This means both correcting common failures in insurance markets as well as eliminating counterproductive federal rules. For example, individuals who are continuously covered for a specified period of time may not be denied access to insurance because of pre-existing conditions. And individuals should be allowed to purchase insurance across state lines, free from costly state benefit requirements. Finally, individuals and small businesses should be allowed to form purchasing pools to lower insurance costs and improve choice.

Step 4: Reform medical liability. We should cap non-economic damages in medical malpractice litigation. The federal government would also provide innovation grants to states for reforms, such as alternative dispute resolution or health care courts.

Step 5: Make health care more like a consumer market and less like a government program. This can be done by strengthening health savings accounts that help consumers save for health expenses and choose cost-effective insurance. For example, we should eliminate the minimum deductible requirement for HSAs. The market reforms I am proposing will drive down costs, better inform consumers and improve the quality of health care in our nation.

These five steps are positive change. They will reduce health care costs, improve access and enhance value for the money. My reforms put quality, choiceand innovation — not Washington — in charge.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/fo ... care_n.htm

Utter claptrap.

[Lord Jim]

Hmmm, how are you on bong hits?

I'm good, but thanks for offering....

[rubato]

The Republicans can be counted on to put up someone just as asinine as Trump. Bush II was a total catastrophe, the worst in 100 years; if you don't admit the mistake you will never learn from it.

yrs,
rubato