After this's all over, I hope the U.S. gov't bills Trump for the damage he's done to our reputation

[snipelfritz]

Man, Trump just gets better and better. I love it.

[Mudfuzz]

.. Look on the bright side guys, once Trump becomes our new furor we get to have another war with Mexico… who knows maybe this time they will actually keep Texas for good [sorry guys, not ready to forgive Texas for W any time soon]

[Inconuucl]

.. Look on the bright side guys, once Trump becomes our new furor we get to have another war with Mexico… who knows maybe this time they will actually keep Texas for good [sorry guys, not ready to forgive Texas for W any time soon]

Unite both Californias?

[Mudfuzz]

.. Look on the bright side guys, once Trump becomes our new furor we get to have another war with Mexico… who knows maybe this time they will actually keep Texas for good [sorry guys, not ready to forgive Texas for W any time soon]

Unite both Californias?

both? there are three

[Chankgeez]

NEWS FLASH: Here's Trump's intended cabinet appointees:

[Chankgeez]

I didn't watch the debate last night, but I'd be interested in hearing people's opinions who did.

[echoraven]

.. Look on the bright side guys, once Trump becomes our new furor we get to have another war with Mexico… who knows maybe this time they will actually keep Texas for good [sorry guys, not ready to forgive Texas for W any time soon]

...as bad as "dubya" was, there were more people working at the end of his term than today. (US Dept of Labor stats: workforce participation rate).

[D.o.S.]

What is: correlation does not equal causation.

[Strange Tales]

Yo, Dubya seems like a cool guy. No shittin' on the Dubya.

[snipelfritz]

I didn't watch the debate last night, but I'd be interested in hearing people's opinions who did.

Ye, I was watching fairly intently at work. Here's my run-down (of course this is from a Democrat's attempted objective perspective)...

The Obvious
Trump was Trump. Chris Wallace (one of the moderators, a FOXNews conservative) hit him pretty hard with a couple questions asking to be specific about his immigration claims and some f his contrasting opinions over the years. Substantively, Trump kind of floundered over these questions and failed to give a real answer, but he gained his footing halfway through and managed to power through with the 'tude.

Oh, it should also be noted that at the very beginning they asked who would NOT pledge their indefinite support for the eventual nominee baiting Trump to claim something to the effect of "I'll support the nominee if its ME" and not deny he wont run as a third party candidate.

Here's that moment (and expect more sassy Rand later):
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtiiTe9onww[/youtube]

The Top Tier
Jeb Bush: What do people see in this guy? He's bland, uninspired, but I'll admit, I've always thought that. And to be fair, that's what won Mitt the nomination in 2012. He played his cards pretty close to his chest, relied a lot on his record as governor. In his own words "He is going to have to earn this." He will, but being the party's assumed front-runner is one hell of a down-payment.

Scott Walker: Also took very little risks. I was actually surprised he relied very little on his actions as governor. He spoke more on his ideals/principals related to abortion and immigration (partly a reflection of the questions he was asked), but ultimately held himself together well enough for his first time under this kind of national scrutiny.

The Middle of the Road
Marco Rubio: Rubio has always be kind of underwhelming to me. He's always been talked about at the "Next-Generational Candidate" but never really seemed to put the face and the fervor to that title...until last night. He had a good performance and certainly achieved his goal as claiming his stake in the GOP field.

Rand Paul: Hoo baby! We knew some of these 5% and lower candidates were going to have to come out fiesty for attention and Rand delivered. He played the role of "instigator" throughout the debate taking an early jab at Trump on his disloyalty to the party and getting into a heated little spat with Chris Christie on counter terrorism and collection of phone records. Ultimately, I don't think Rand Paul gained anything last night besides more fervor from those who already support him and more ire from the establishment who are fed up with him.

Chris Christie: Reminded us why he was considered a presidential hopeful from the moment 2012 ended. He gave a solid performance and stood up to Rand Paul's attacks on national security tactics. Christie made good use of the "Governor's advantage" in highlighting his extensive experience in an executive position.

Here's that argument by them because it was probably my favorite moment of the debate:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKkJ-K8qPXo[/youtube]

Mike Huckabee: Quite at home on FOXNews, he did the kind of pandering he is good at. For his final statement, he looked straight into the camera and spoke right to Aunt Ginny and Uncle Stu down on the farm. As conservatives have as a whole, he's backed off on "Family Values" (I don't think the phrase was mentioned once) in favor of "religious liberties" addressing the perennial liberal boogeyman. He may catch flack for a comment he made that the purpose of the military is to "kill people and break stuff" but the debate in general took a pretty hawkish turn towards its latter third.

Ted Cruz: Continued to argue that he's not "A Washington Insider" hoping to undercut Trump falling out of the race. Hammered the point that he's not part of the "Washington Cartel" despite being a US Senator. Also, hard on immigration as to be expected. No surprises from him.

The Outliers
Ben Carson: Will definitely be the first to go in this race. He seemed to counter attacks against his lack of political experience with "well I'm smart, I can figure it out." I'd give him more credit, but his natural, calm demeanor seems to work against him in a time when he really should be exuding confidence.

John Kasich: Had to balance a lot of factors like being new to the race and being (probably) the most moderate in a FOXNews proctored debate. However, he drew energy off his homestate crowd and gave one of the best performances. He touted his experience in federal and state gov't, deftly defended his "support" for gay marriage and expanding medicaid, and I won't be surprised if he picks up a couple percentage points after the debate.

[doommeow]

Sad thing is, Carson and Kasich were the most sane guys on the stage and will probably be the first to drop out or be considered inconsequential.

With a couple of terms in congress and a little bit of polish, Carson should - but won't be based on how this country works - a contender.

[Chankgeez]

Nice analysis, snip, thank you.

Good that Lindsey Graham is already not considered a contender.

[Chankgeez]

What do you guys think about Bernie Sanders leaving the stage after his rally was disrupted?

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/ ... ailsignout

[eggy in a bready]

What do you guys think about Bernie Sanders leaving the stage after his rally was disrupted?

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/ ... ailsignout

idiots.

i'm all for a chill lack of security present at engagements like this, but it's not really beneficial if he can't even address his supporters. i think you might need to beef up security, B.

[Chankgeez]

Yeah, I think it's great to hold politicians accountable, but they may be barking up the wrong tree with that one.