Poll: Does anyone really take Trump's "presidental run" seriously?

[SenseOfTumour]

By law, in order to run for president of the United States, you must make all of your assets and finances public domain. I have serious doubts that Trump would want any of his actual finances known by the general public. For all his blustering about Obama's birth certificate, if he were to run, all his sordid monetary past would bite him in the ass. He would also have to release his current net worth, which I'm sure is a secret he wants to keep.
He will keep bullshitting until the last minute, and then throw his support behind whoever the Republican frontrunner happens to be, in an effort to boost their support.

I think it was on the Bugle podcast, (Andy Zaltzman and Jon Oliver, the British one from the Daily Show), they said after Obama brought out his birth certificate, he should have then demanded Trump gave up some personal info of his own, like his financial records, lets see how much tax he's been carefully avoiding with the use of cunning accountants, how much he's actually been supporting the America he loves.

Failing that Obama should have just asked to see the birth certificate of whatever's living on Trump's head. It's slightly more amusing all this news for the UK, as over here, 'Trump is a childish piece of slang meaning 'fart'.

If this all seems puerile, I'm trying to reduce the debate down to the level where birther types might be able to understand it.

 

[Saelune]

Well, the good news is, with people like him and Newt running, Obama is practically guarenteed to win. If he doesnt though, then I know that it really is the end of the world.
(As much as anyone may dislike Obama, I cant see how anyone likely to run so far can be seen as a superior choice to Obama.)

That's not really good news, you know. That's like trying to find the least smelly cowpatty after a big rain.


On a more serious note, the next presidential election is the first one that I will be voting in. I think we need another economist in office or something, somebody who wants to get our economy back up and running instead of apologizing to every country like Obama has been. So far, I haven't done much research into politics, so before I declare even to myself who I'm going to vote for I'm going to get a bit of backstory on each candidate. Including Trump.

BTW, I heard him (Trump) say in an interview on TV something about taxing all those imports from China, trying to bring industry back here. Here's how you bring industry back here: Lower the fucking industry taxes. They're fucking huge right now, a lot of companies would come back to America and give us more jobs and produce better quality products if we gave them a better incentive to. Damn.

Also, any politician who gives details on how he's going to do what he promises and not just what he's going to do has my respect, whether I agree with him or not. So far all Obama has said, I believe moreso than Bush, is a bunch of empty words and promises with the phrases "I will..." and "...the American people..." sprinkled in there several times for good measure. He never, ever actually says anything of use or gives any real, outright information. Stop beating around the Bush (see what I did there?) and tell us something! And what happened to all that government transparency and all those jobs you promised, Obama? You know, all the ones that were supposed to be permanent?

Well, Im a human being, so I cant vote for a conservative who is going to make me into a second class citizen, or atleast try to. Im likely to have money issues either way, but with a democrate as president, Im more likely to be equally poor than being poor because Im a sinful abomination according to God. (Im part of the LGBT community, lets leave it at that)

Let's clear something up: every single person on this planet is a sinful abomination according to God. Your choices make you no more a sinner than I am. That's what the Bible says, everyone's a sinner; conservatives do tend to twist the Bibles' words a whole lot, especially when it comes to the LGBT community.

Though, being a straight white Christian with a slightly southern accent probably does give me a better chance at making good friends with conservatives... Regardless of conservative, liberal, Democrat, Republican, what have you, most politicians don't really seem to be out to help the little guy. Not at all. I'm voting for the guy that will put the most money in my wallet.

Also, I don't consider myself as belonging to any of those parties. Neither liberal nor conservative.

That doesnt change the FACT that most any republican, who most likely will be a conservative WILL vote against every LGBT thing. Hell, they could say that the TV guide says gays are bad. Doesnt matter if its true or not, what matters is what they do and dont make legal. And by everyone is a sinner, I assume you are primarily reffering to origional sin? Dont get me started on how fucked up THAT whole thing is.

No need to take offense, I didn't mean any. And if you'll notice I did mention the very thing you're angry about; conservatives (and Republicans sometimes) tend to use the Bible for their own means. Also, I'm not referring to original sin, I'm referring to several different passages in the New Testament that say everyone's a sinner. That's why Jesus needed to die for our sins and by this point you are rolling your eyes either in anger or annoyance, or both, aren't you?

Relax, I meant no offense. I don't see how any was taken.

I wasnt offended. I just get really passonate...and aggresive on this issue. Hard not to, since its a topic that one ofthe main issues is the worth of my humanity. It was just you seemed like you might have been taking what I said as an issue with what christianity says instead of what christians do.
Personally, I think that Jesus fellow is a great guy, but most Christians dont follow Jesus. If they did, they would be pro gay rights, or atleast tolerance if we really are evil. (We arent, but you hopefully get what I mean)

 

[CM156_v1legacy]

I hear that after Obama roasted him, he is taken even less seriously now. Funny, that.

Honestly, I don?t think so. That being said, I would never vote for Obama. I don?t like what he said about taxes, and I don?t like his policy on healthcare. As a right-leaning Libertarian, the Republican party usualy lines up with what I want.

I never got why Socialist healthcare bothered Americans.

Socialism is kinda a buzz word round these here parts. A good number of people, myself included, don?t want it.

My beef with it lies with the fact that my father is a doctor. Most of the ?doctors kids? as we call ourselves (or at least the ones I know) resent government involvement with health care. In fact, my father is considering ending his practice, which would be a shame.

I don?t like the direction Obama is taking our country, so, yes, I would rather vote for most any of the Republican candidates, Trump included, over our current president.

Wow, this turned into an off topic rant. Sorry bout that.

Anyways, I think Trump is using this as a publicity stunt more than anything else. And I really, really, wish he didn?t follow the birther movement in demanding to see Obama?s birth certificate.

Hear me fellow right wingers: Obama was born in America. Drop it. Look at the many other things he has done as reasons to dislike him. But for God?s sake, shut up about Obama being born in Kenya. It's over. He was not.

 

[Booze Zombie]

Socialism is kinda a buzz word round these here parts. A good number of people, myself included, don?t want it.

My beef with it lies with the fact that my father is a doctor. Most of the ?doctors kids? as we call ourselves (or at least the ones I know) resent government involvement with health care. In fact, my father is considering ending his practice, which would be a shame.

I don't like the direction Obama is taking our country, so, yes, I would rather vote for most any of the Republican candidates, Trump included, over our current president.

It's funny though, because with the Socialist healthcare systems in Britian and Canada doctors feel much less stressed due to the greatly reduced involvement of insurance companies.
Also, you know, poor people don't have to choose between keeping either a thumb or a finger, arm or a leg, etc, etc.

 

[Haydyn]

I take his run seriously. Why? Because apparently he does have support out there. I take it seriously because I view his presidential run as a huge threat. Not only do I not want Trump anywhere near the presidency, I don't want it being Obama vs Trump in the election. Come to think of it, I'm not really pulling for any Republician. I'd rather have a Democrat upsurp Obama due to lack of stepping up and taking charge. God forbid that, you know, an independant becomes president.

Oh, and if we are going to start talking about a "woman's right to chosoe what she does with her own body", can I at least mention that A) There is another body involved and B) I already don't have the right to choose to increase THC levels in my body (and now I can't even talk about it on the escapist), so why should women have a right to stick a vacuum up their vajayjay and take a human life? But now I'm getting off topic, and before anyone flames me I'm not against abortion.

Despite how crazy Trump is, and I mean the bad kind of crazy, I'd rather him be president (he already thinks he runs the free world and is the single handedly best human ever) than Romney. Telling a man in a wheelchair that he would put him in prison for smoking medical marijuana? Asinine.

 

[Sonic Doctor]

Yes I do take his run seriously; I would vote for him.

If the Republican party was serious about winning, they would just select Trump right now as their candidate, because if they don't, he will run as an Independent and will take a load if not more than half of the Conservative vote away from the other person that would be running for them.

If they really want to show they care about the economy, they will select him, because of his success and knowledge of such business matters, he would be best for these times.

But in the end, I know I will be voting for who isn't Obama. It's pretty hard to imagine the country electing someone that could beat Obama's status as the worst president in US history. But then again, the country did elect him in the first place. Though if the nightmare does come true, that he wins a second term, at least I know it will be his last.

His latest publicity stunt was erecting a seven story flag pole on a golf course owned by Trump himself. Not only a tacky addition, the flag pole is endangering helicopters, and in direct violation of the county law. Now, when challenged by the local town's major to take down the pole, Trump is able to claim patriotic superiority; no doubt making him a hero for flag rights in the eyes of his supporters.

What kind of helicopter pilots are in that area? Are they drunk or possibly blind?

Seven stories isn't that tall, around 70 feet. I know a couple flagpoles around where I live that are at least 40 or more feet. This is easy to see because one of the restaurants in a city near me has out front what I would consider the city's flagpole and it is twice the height of the restaurant and the restaurant is two stories.

30 more feet isn't all that much higher, definitely not high enough to interfere with helicopters. Every helicopter I have seen in that city flies way higher than seven stories, and they don't get that low until they are extremely close to their landing site.

So, is this flag pole of his sitting smack dab in the middle of the landing pad? Because that is the only way it can interfere with helicopters.

The whole situation to me sounds like some Americans that are mad that he actual show some pride for the country. Knowing those 40 foot flagpoles and how big around they are and thinking logically on how big around one that is 70 feet would be(which would be no more than a few feet around), figuring in length of the waving flag in the air, the area that that flagpole takes up would only be 25 square feet give are take a few feet. If a helicopter pilot can't avoid that small an area, than the pilot shouldn't be flying. The only way they could hit it is if as I asked, the pilot is drunk or blind, unless there is some gigantic super magnet attached to it that pulls helicopters straight towards it.

Again, the story sounds like a bunch of bull.

By the way, since this thread has to do with politics, it should be in the Politics and Religion section.

 

[BrownGaijin]

If we've learned anything from voting in Schwarzenegger into office is that Trump is a bad choice.

 

[gbemery]

There is really only a few things I have heard him say that I agree with, things I have never heard a politician say but have heard voters argue for sometimes.

 

[emeraldrafael]

because both are on the verge of bankruptcy, and the people that are paying into them wont see them till progressively later stages in their life, and may die before seeing it.

Wrooooong.

Even at the most pessimistic projections, Social Security doesn't run out of money for quite a long while. [http://blogs.abcnews.com/thenote/2011/05/medicare-and-social-security-will-run-out-sooner-than-thought.html]

2024 for med, 2036 for SS.

So lets see, its 2011 now. so tahts 13 and 25 years. That means that the small fraction of people that need it will be dropping dead (the WW2 fighters) while the most young and boom children will be just reaching the age where they can touch it, and the people now who everyone says will be paying for it (the 16-20 year olds and such) will never see it.

so yeah, its on the verge of bankruptcy, especially if people continue to pull out of it in the recessionary time.

 

[Sonic Doctor]

I never got why Socialist healthcare bothered Americans.

Because it means that we will be paying for other people's health care. I would say that a majority of people here only want to pay for what they are going to use, or something that in the future will come in play if something happens.

All other areas that people pay taxes to the government are things that are needed daily or things that are their for our protection: Police, firefighting, schools, the military, and road works.

Health care is something that most people don't use daily, it is usually there just for emergencies. People get insurance to help pay for high costs and many pay just a small amount to get insurance and it is smaller way smaller in the long run compared to paying it all when and emergency happens.

The point is that people are paying for just themselves and possibly for their families. With government healthcare, people know that part of the taxes they pay will go to other people, people they don't know and frankly don't care about. Such increase in taxes for such a thing is taking money from people that would rather see it go to use for themselves or their families. That extra money is possibly money that was going to go into an account to be saved for emergencies.

I shouldn't have to pay extra tax money for the healthcare of other people, when I am not using the American taxpayers' money to pay for my healthcare. If I have to pay for the healthcare of some stranger, than that is forced charity. The only way I would allow for government healthcare to be, is if the only people that had to pay extra taxes for it are the people that are using it.

The is only really one reasonable way that government healthcare would be truly viable without forcing people to pay for other people, and that is if they turned it into a normal charity.

The government healthcare charity:

The government asks people to pay into the charity but they don't half to. The people that do pay into the charity get special tax incentives. Example: If a person gives 100 dollars to the government healthcare charity, that person gets 120 dollars taken off their federal taxes when tax time comes around.

People gets something out of it and the government gets money for the government healthcare without having to wrongfully force people to pay for other people's healthcare.

You wanted to know what Americans have against Socialist healthcare, that is my view on the situation as an American. Americans don't want to be forced to do things, especially if it means they lose the money they earn and nothing comes to them for forking that money over.

 

[Booze Zombie]

You wanted to know what Americans have against Socialist healthcare, that is my view on the situation as an American. Americans don't want to be forced to do things, especially if it means they lose the money they earn and nothing comes to them for forking that money over.

Well, quite frankly, should the government care if you know these people? It's got to stop doctors dying from stress from having to deal with insurance companies and people having to choose between keeping an finger or a thumb, one or the other, because they don't have enough money.

It does go the other way, by the way. If you suddenly lose your house, all of your money, etc, etc, improbable "smelly man in a box" ending to the game of life, you would still have the same medical services as everyone else in the country.
It shouldn't matter in a civilized country, all human beings should receive fair and proper medical treatment.

 

[Gudrests]

Yes I do take his run seriously; I would vote for him.

If the Republican party was serious about winning, they would just select Trump right now as their candidate, because if they don't, he will run as an Independent and will take a load if not more than half of the Conservative vote away from the other person that would be running for them.

If they really want to show they care about the economy, they will select him, because of his success and knowledge of such business matters, he would be best for these times.

But in the end, I know I will be voting for who isn't Obama. It's pretty hard to imagine the country electing someone that could beat Obama's status as the worst president in US history. But then again, the country did elect him in the first place. Though if the nightmare does come true, that he wins a second term, at least I know it will be his last.

His latest publicity stunt was erecting a seven story flag pole on a golf course owned by Trump himself. Not only a tacky addition, the flag pole is endangering helicopters, and in direct violation of the county law. Now, when challenged by the local town's major to take down the pole, Trump is able to claim patriotic superiority; no doubt making him a hero for flag rights in the eyes of his supporters.

What kind of helicopter pilots are in that area? Are they drunk or possibly blind?

Seven stories isn't that tall, around 70 feet. I know a couple flagpoles around where I live that are at least 40 or more feet. This is easy to see because one of the restaurants in a city near me has out front what I would consider the city's flagpole and it is twice the height of the restaurant and the restaurant is two stories.

30 more feet isn't all that much higher, definitely not high enough to interfere with helicopters. Every helicopter I have seen in that city flies way higher than seven stories, and they don't get that low until they are extremely close to their landing site.

So, is this flag pole of his sitting smack dab in the middle of the landing pad? Because that is the only way it can interfere with helicopters.

The whole situation to me sounds like some Americans that are mad that he actual show some pride for the country. Knowing those 40 foot flagpoles and how big around they are and thinking logically on how big around one that is 70 feet would be(which would be no more than a few feet around), figuring in length of the waving flag in the air, the area that that flagpole takes up would only be 25 square feet give are take a few feet. If a helicopter pilot can't avoid that small an area, than the pilot shouldn't be flying. The only way they could hit it is if as I asked, the pilot is drunk or blind, unless there is some gigantic super magnet attached to it that pulls helicopters straight towards it.

Again, the story sounds like a bunch of bull.

By the way, since this thread has to do with politics, it should be in the Politics and Religion section.

First nothing flying should be anywhere under 200ft. at 200ft thats when you need thoes flashing red lights to show something is there. 2nd at night the American flag has to have a light on it...there would be GIANT lights on this thing. 3ed, 7 stories is less than 70 feet. 1 story including the inbetween of floor is a little over 8 or 9. only high celieings go that high. but your right.nothing will ever hit that. He will have a flag the right size for it, lights on it at all times and the whole 1000 yeards here

 

[Strain42]

I had a good laugh the other day: I was watching some of the older Simpsons episodes, and I came across the one where Lisa gets elected President. Her first board meeting, she tells them "Now, as you know we've inherited quite a budget crisis from President Trump." I literally lol'd.

Where Lisa becomes America's first "straight Female president"? ...Maybe we're gonna learn something about Palin over the next few years...

 

[mrF00bar]

It looks like a publicity stunt to me.

 

[Johanthemonster666]

Trump defeats any err of formality or seriousness everytime he opens his mouth to the U.S media. I think he's too use to being the "star" of his reality TV show to realize that he's a colossal joke. He didn't even make himself a billionaire, that's all inherited money from his father's efforts and a result of his investments and TV show. Nothing more.

So whenever I hear my parents talking about him POSITIVELY (they're completely ignorant about his TV show and the blatant crap he spews on a regular basis) it just reaffirms why I'll never take him seriously. His plan for negotiating with China and the OPEC nations? "You're fired". Seriously, he said that in one of his interviews... what an idiot.

 

[Sonic Doctor]

But in the end, I know I will be voting for who isn't Obama. It's pretty hard to imagine the country electing someone that could beat Obama's status as the worst president in US history.

Are you kidding? What sort of bizarre criteria are you using where Obama even makes the 'worst 20' Presidents on any ground other than "Lack of Republican Party Membership" or "Surfeit of Melanin"?

Well I never said there couldn't be ties for the worst president. But things like this are why he makes worst president:

1.) Initiating healthcare that I won't be using but have to be forced to pay into for other people.
2.) Last I heard, he wants to make community service a requirement for graduating high school. In the future, when I have kids, I want them to have the freedom to choose if they want to be charitable, like I have had. It relates to number one because like number one, this is forced charity.
3.) His war on "dirty" fuels. This country has a proven way to break its dependance on foreign oil, and that is by turning coal into synthetic oil and then into gas. That oil would be cheap to make and would be at least half the barrel price of regular oil. But no, because of Obama and his blockade in favor of "clean energies", which those "clean energies" will take too long to develop to meet today's standards and save us from this gas price crisis, we can't use the best option we have to get us out of this crisis.
4.) He is in favor of telling me how I should be allowed to defend my home; he wants to make it harder and harder to own a gun. My dad and my friends own guns, if somebody breaks into one of their homes while they are home, they aren't going to run away and allow the robbers to walk all over them. Hiding and calling the police is just too slow and by the time they arrive, said robbers will already be gone with a ton of stuff, never to be caught. It makes no sense to take the freedom of owning a gun away from the citizens, when even if guns are banned or are extremely hard to get, criminals will always find a way to get guns to use in their criminal acts. If somebody breaks into my home, they are breaking the law, and I should be able to defend myself as I see fit, because they would be threatening me and my property.(Anyway, I consider threatening my property as threatening me, because I use my property to live my life.)

Those are just a few things. But they easily give him at least a tied position for worst president.

Nothing, is going to sway me away from what I think on those four points.

 

[i7omahawki]

Nothing, is going to sway me away from what I think on those four points.

Not even reasonable arguments? Seriously, saying nothing will ever change your mind is not saying how strong your argument is, or even why you think what you do, it's admitting how stubborn and close minded you are. That's not something to be proud of.

Hailing from the UK myself, I can see a reasonable argument from what you bring up, we have many of the things you are opposed to, public healthcare and good gun control.

The most annoying thing for me, and I think this connects in someway with what you're saying, is that people who abuse their bodies are given the same healthcare as those who look after themselves. That is what I object to. I differ from you in that I wouldn't mind paying for those who geniunely looked after themselves, and had a good appreciation for life. But those that squander their own lives, getting fat and drunk and turning their own lungs black, I don't think they do deserve the same healthcare as everybody else.

And I guess our gun control here in the UK simply doesn't apply to the US, barely anybody has guns here, not even the police.

(Realized I'm wayyy off-topic)

I don't take Trump seriously at all, but then...look at Bush?

 

[Ladette]

I think there's a 50% chance he actually runs, and I doubt he gets more than 5% of the vote if he does. He will probably take just enough votes away to keep Obama in office though.

There's not one candidate in the next election that I like. I hate conservatives even more than I hate the incumbent, and I refuse to ever vote for him in anything. So gogo throw away vote I guess.

 

[Sonic Doctor]

You wanted to know what Americans have against Socialist healthcare, that is my view on the situation as an American. Americans don't want to be forced to do things, especially if it means they lose the money they earn and nothing comes to them for forking that money over.

Well, quite frankly, should the government care if you know these people? It's got to stop doctors dying from stress from having to deal with insurance companies and people having to choose between keeping an finger or a thumb, one or the other, because they don't have enough money.

It does go the other way, by the way. If you suddenly lose your house, all of your money, etc, etc, improbable "smelly man in a box" ending to the game of life, you would still have the same medical services as everyone else in the country.
It shouldn't matter in a civilized country, all human beings should receive fair and proper medical treatment.

I'm ignoring the hypothetical situation, because it is beside the point. If something happens to me that causes me to be in such a situation, chances are the situation was my fault. I am not going to burden other people with my problems, if that means I die because I don't have health coverage than so be it. Other people that don't know me, shouldn't have to deal with losing money to pay for me. Besides, if I am ever in such a situation, I know I have family and extended family members that will help out.

If anything, forcing people to pay extra money to the government for this healthcare would bring them closer to not having money and being forced to use said government healthcare. I would say that over half the cases where people don't have the money for private healthcare from companies, can be solved by teaching said people to make the healthcare payments a priority over the non-necessities of life.

I have used this example many times before and I will use it again:

My mom had an appointment at a clinic and I was in the waiting room waiting for her of course. I over heard the conversation a woman was having with the receptionist. She told the receptionist that if the payments for doctor's visits got any higher she just didn't see how she was going to pay for them. Well, previously, when she had been waiting to be seen by a doctor, I over heard her talking to her kid. The kid asked if they could go to his favorite restaurant afterwards, after they went to see the latest kids movie at the theater and she said yes. The kid then asked if they could also go to the mall and pick up a new video game that he wanted, she also said yes. Then when I was walking out the not long after she had exited the building, I saw them get into a gas guzzling SUV.

The problem with many people today is that they think that the government should be there to hold their hands. People these days don't know how to go without. They complain about the prices of necessities and claim that it is harder and harder to afford them, but then they turn around and buy wants, got to movies, go out to eat instead of finding ways to save money by buying the cheap brands at grocery stores and eating in when times are tough. If there are money troubles, adults have to learn to go without the things they like to do, and they have to tell their children that they can't have the newfangled toy if they want to eat during the next month.

A good deal of the problems that some people are dealing with in this country could be dealt with and solved by themselves if they just learned to take responsibility for their own lives and didn't expect strangers to help them out.

This will always be my position on the matter, no matter what happens.

 

[Booze Zombie]

A good deal of the problems that some people are dealing with in this country could be dealt with and solved by themselves if they just learned to take responsibility for their own lives and didn't expect strangers to help them out.

This will always be my position on the matter, no matter what happens.

Healthcare isn't meant to be a lesson in common sense, it's meant to keep people alive... even if they're massivly stupid. It isn't government handholding, it's managing your populace in an effective manner.

You can't just let people drop dead because they haven't got cash, I mean this is meant to be "the good and just, civilized" part of the world, isn't it?