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The best presidency money can buy
Posted: Fri Nov 19, 2010 5:31 am
by Gob
Billionaire Donald Trump 'may run for US presidency'
Donald Trump says he will make a decision by next June
US property tycoon Donald Trump has said he is considering running for president in 2012.
In an interview with ABC News, the billionaire Republican said he could "easily" spend more than $200m (£126m) of his own money on his campaign.
"It could be fun because I'd like to see some positive things happen for the country," he said.
He added that he would happily take on former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, who many believe will join the race.
Mr Trump, who stars in the American version of TV show The Apprentice, said he believed that "everybody's ripping America off".
The 64-year-old real estate mogul singled out China, saying that the country was "getting away with murder" by manipulating its currency.
He said he believed the US was being used as a "whipping post".
"The respect for this country is just not there," he said.
"I have many people from China that I do business with, they laugh at us. They feel we're fools. And almost being led by fools. And they can't believe what they're getting away with."
In the interview with ABC's George Stephanopoulos, he added that he would probably make his decision by June.
He was asked about the possibility of challenging Mrs Palin, who ran for vice-president in 2008, for the Republican ticket.
"I would take her on. I like her, but I'd take her on," he said.
Mrs Palin has not formally declared that she will stand, but many commentators have said they believe she will.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-11790558
Re: The best presidency money can buy
Posted: Fri Nov 19, 2010 5:37 am
by Lord Jim
He's played this game before....
It's just another way for Trump to garner publicity for himself....
He's a master of self promotion....
On the other hand, if a billionaire who was actually qualified....3 term NY Mayor Michael Bloomberg....a serious, thoughtful, competent, and capable man....
Were to make the run, I'd give very serious consideration to supporting him.
Re: The best presidency money can buy
Posted: Fri Nov 19, 2010 2:14 pm
by oldr_n_wsr
Trump isn't going to run, as LordJim said this is nothing but publicity. He's supposed to be building a "Trump on the Ocean" here on jones Beach as the replacement for the Jones Beach resturant. He needs investors for that project.
Re: The best presidency money can buy
Posted: Fri Nov 19, 2010 2:38 pm
by Sue U
Yeah, this is just another Trump scam. The guy is a relentless self-promoter and a weasel of the first order; why is he always referred to as "billionaire Donald Trump" rather than "failed casino operator Donald Trump" or "narrowly-avoided-personal-bankruptcy-through-legal-sleight-of-hand Donald Trump"?
Lord Jim wrote:On the other hand, if a billionaire who was actually qualified....3 term NY Mayor Michael Bloomberg....a serious, thoughtful, competent, and capable man....
Were to make the run, I'd give very serious consideration to supporting him.
I would also give serious consideration to Bloomberg. I wouldn't vote for him, but I would think the party that nominated him is probably not completely dominated by total idiots.
Re: The best presidency money can buy
Posted: Fri Nov 19, 2010 3:24 pm
by Lord Jim
I would also give serious consideration to Bloomberg. I wouldn't vote for him, but I would think the party that nominated him is probably not completely dominated by total idiots.
If he runs Sue, I imagine he'll run as an independent...
And if the economy is still tanked, and the GOP nominates a weak candidate, with the bucks he can bring to the race I think he might have a real chance...
Especially when you toss in the broad disillusionment there is with both parties....
An independent candidate winning the Presidency is not inconceivable to me given the correct convergence of factors...
Remember, even Ross Perot, (who was nowhere near as qualified as Bloomberg...in fact he wasn't qualified at all) frequently led in the polls in '92, until he revealed himself to be a complete fruitcake...
And even after that, he got 19% of the vote in the three way race....
Bloomberg is actually qualified for the job and brings far more political acumen to the table than Perot did....
And the disaffection of the electorate with the two major parties is far greater today than it was in '92.....
I really think he'd have a credible shot.
Re: The best presidency money can buy
Posted: Fri Nov 19, 2010 3:38 pm
by Sue U
That may very well be, but if he were elected as an independent it would be a doomed presidency from the outset. A President needs legislative support in Congress to implement any policy agenda, and if the last two years have taught us anything it's that even majority control of both houses does not translate to legislative success.
Re: The best presidency money can buy
Posted: Fri Nov 19, 2010 3:51 pm
by Lord Jim
That may very well be, but if he were elected as an independent it would be a doomed presidency from the outset. A President needs legislative support in Congress to implement any policy agenda, and if the last two years have taught us anything it's that even majority control of both houses does not translate to legislative success.
That's a definite problem Sue...
I remember posting about it sometime back at the CSB....
An independent elected to the Presidency would start off with 535 members of the legislative branch all with a vested interest in his defeat....But the situation need not stay that way...
I think that initially a person like that might have some legislative success simply because of the shock effect on the members of Congress. If he was an able communicator who could make an effective appeal to the public for his program, going over the heads of Congress, and achieve a high favorable rating starting out, he could at the outset put a lot of bottom up pressure on the Congress to get things passed.
Of course, this would not last. What this person would need to do would be to develop a political base on The Hill that actually had an interest in seeing him succeed...And the way to do this would be for him in short order to set up a third political party...
With the prestige of the Presidency, and lots of cash, this could actually be doable. He could begin to attract office holders from both of the major parties to switch to the new party, at both the state and national levels. By the time of the midterms he should have a core of support and be poised to expand it with credible candidates running for offices all over the country.
Re: The best presidency money can buy
Posted: Fri Nov 19, 2010 6:56 pm
by Scooter
Lord Jim wrote:An independent elected to the Presidency would start off with 535 members of the legislative branch all with a vested interest in his defeat
Maybe yes, but maybe no. Only a handful of those 535 have aspirations to be President; the rest just want to continue looking good to their consituents. An independent President might well be able to cobble together a majority from both sides of the aisle who are prepared to say F*** you to their party leadership in the interest of being seen back home as wanting to get something done.
Re: The best presidency money can buy
Posted: Fri Nov 19, 2010 7:45 pm
by Sue U
Scooter wrote:An independent President might well be able to cobble together a majority from both sides of the aisle who are prepared to say F*** you to their party leadership in the interest of being seen back home as wanting to get something done.
Not when the party apparatus is the main source of campaign funding and support. Diss the party and suddenly no one's gonna know you anymore.
Re: The best presidency money can buy
Posted: Fri Nov 19, 2010 8:12 pm
by Scooter
There were, what, some 30 or 40 Tea Party candidates who won election precisely by saying F-you to the Republican Party establishment, because this was the right environment for them to win. The election of a moderate, independent President willing to work with folks on both sides of the aisle could create the environment in which the electorate is willing to vote for candidates of either party who demonstrate a willingness to work together to get things done.
Or maybe I'm a dreamer, and your country has become so irreparably polarized that it's best to tear down the whole catastrophe and start from scratch.
Re: The best presidency money can buy
Posted: Fri Nov 19, 2010 9:11 pm
by Gob
Would an independent candidate not be a Republican due to the wealth needed to buystand for your presidency?
Could an independent president now create a hand picked cabinet out of those available to ensure his will gets done?
When are you going to give up this idiotic "president" post, and get a proper system with a PM?
Re: The best presidency money can buy
Posted: Fri Nov 19, 2010 9:54 pm
by Lord Jim
Could an independent president now create a hand picked cabinet out of those available to ensure his will gets done?
An independent President would do exactly what President's representing parties do; he would select nominees for the cabinet posts and submit them for confirmation to the Senate. Presumably he would select nominees from both parties.
When are you going to give up this idiotic "president" post, and get a proper system with a PM?
The same time we get a Queen.
Re: The best presidency money can buy
Posted: Fri Nov 19, 2010 11:01 pm
by Gob
You can have one of ours..
