Trump will very much be on stage, even though not physically present. And he will dominate the morning news cycle regardless of what happens in the debate. The RNC might as well stand up a lectern with a life-size cutout of Trump...expect the Fox hosts to mention DJT's absence once or twice...
Mike, I think that's probably true. I think Trump is going to be a looming presence over the debate. And, because he is going to turn himself in the next day in Georgia, he isn going to step on a lot of the post-debate coverage too.
DeSatan: a two-bit wannabe dictator who is turning Florida into an third world banana republic, and whose educational and immigration reforms have even made Trump squirm. Not to mention, his six week abortion ban.--No deal!
Nikki Haley: She thinks she’s smart and credentials excuse because Trump made her ambassador to the UN. I have friends that are life
-long diplomats, and none of them thought she brought any intellect to the UN. And some are republicans, even though they are registered independents, since they work with all administrations. Additionally, she grovels to the white supremacists, instead of disparaging them. She may be MAGA Light, but no deal.
Mike Pence: forget the fact he waited three years to tell us what we already knew; Trump lost and J6th was an insurrection. I guess running for president gives one some courage. He’s definitely a Profile in cowardliness! . Also, do we really want someone in the Whitehouse that calls his wife, Mother? Hey Mike, the 1950’s called, they want their decade back! No deal!
Tim Scott: another minority groveling to the MAGA base. And yes, we heard his life story; started with nothing and pulled himself by the bootstraps; yada, yada, yada. Been there, heard the: “I walked to school, six miles each way, uphill--both ways, with no shoes” story, ad nauseam. Sorry Tim; No deal!
Chris Christie: okay, Im originally from NY, and Chris is a blue state Republican, which in todays terms makes him a RINO. Make no mistake though; he’s a catholic and will put “right-wing” religious fanatics on the bench. He’s also a vindictive prick, if crossed, so there’s that! I could stomach this guy, but no need, when he wouldn’t do a better job than any democrat and will do little to expand abortion rights for women. No deal!
Vivek Ramswamy: I’m not sure what this guy stands for, and I don’t think anyone knows, least of all Vivek. Last month he was for Pride Month, now he’s against it. He was for expanding voting rights, now he thinks 18 years shouldn’t have that right (they mostly vote democrat). Perhaps we should wait until a day before the election, and find out how he really feels. I do know he’s a major conspiracy nut job, on the same wavelength as MTG. And he would also like to have one of those aliens at Area 51 (not joking), in his cabinet. Hey Vivek, the data and evidence is in; No deal!
Doug Burgum: Doug Burgum who? Exactly! No deal!
Asa Hutchinson: sounds like a nice guy and former Governor of Arkansas. Sorry nice guys don’t last long in the MAGAverse. He’ll be gone by the second debate. No deal!
So there you have it in a nutshell. The tin-foil hat primaries are about to commence. So grab your popcorn, and pick your poison (you’ll need it); lots of alcohol or weed. I choose weed, and enjoy the circus...:)
No matter how well he performs in the debate, Scott will not be the Republican nominee. This is the party of white supremacy and Charlottesville. The party of birtherism and hatred of the Black president, Barak Obama. This is the party that fears that whites are becoming a minority in this country and believes it needs a strong man to win. What makes anyone think it will nominate a Black man?
They would if they knew that nominee would be a tool. I get the vibe from Tim Scott that he is not that. He is more a rich dude Republican, more establishment. For anyone in this to be viable, they need to have read the memo about the Republican Party imploding. Tim Scott never got the memo, and the same for Haley and Pence. Those three have no idea that they're not even members of the party anymore.
Hutchinson and Christie realize they're no longer a part of the gang, know they're not getting nominated, and just want to crucify Trump (and DeSantis). The only ones who embraced the memo were DeSantis and Ramaswamy. DeSantis has street cred, and has a reign of terror in Florida to back him up. Ramaswamy is charming and wears authoritarian cologne like middle school boys wear Axe body spray.
I'll be looking at Christie to go after all of them (except Hutchison) for their utter cowardice in continuing to back Trump or at least refue to criticize him.
He might. I think the audience for those attacks is VERY limited within the Republican primary -- especially coming from Christie who is despised by a good chunk of the party. That doesn't mean he won't go after the other candidates based on their support for Trump. Jus that, politically speaking, it's likely to have limited effect.
I think it’s still important for establishment republicans to go after Trump in this way. Christie’s career in politics is over (so far as holding office) as long as Trump or Trumpists hold sway over the republican base and I think he knows it. I think it’s admirable (though as a Jersey girl who suffered him as my governor for 8 years it pains me to say I admire him) that he is willing to stand up to Trump and the lunatic right fringe.
I'm torn between wanting to watch this clown show for laughs or doing something else for 2 hours because I know nothing that they say is going to matter with MAGA voters.
A real debate would be fun. These are all posing and trying to cut sound bites. I can learn more from clips and reading about it. No way I can vote Republican for a very long time.
My wife just informed me that she wants to watch it, at least unless/until it becomes unbearable, so it will be on here. Maybe I'll put on headphones and crank up an appropriate Playlist in case I need to drown it out. I DO hope Christie goes after TinyD and the SC governors as well as Trump.
I just read there NYT discussion with Republican voters. It was so depressing. I'm not sure anything about this debate matters. When you have people who think that Trump is "willing to sacrifice himself for us" or who like Ron DeSantis because he's willing to let parents control what's taught in schools, I just feel sick and defeated.
Laura, I don't think the debate will change the fundamental course of this race, which is still very much trending in Trump's direction. I think it might give us some clarity on who is emerging as a legitimate (or semi legitimate) challenger to him. Is it DeSantis? Or Ramaswamy? Or Scott? Or Haley?
DeSantis is only in favor of having parents control what is taught in school if they agree with him. Thinking parents, progressive parents, LBGTQ + parents, not so much.
I hear you, but I do think the debate matters. I don't want any R in the White House, but I would rather see a sane one nominated instead of Trump. Another Trump term would be an unmitigated disaster, threatening the fundamental nature of the country. There are sane Rs left. But they aren't typically the type to go to caucuses or get riled up for primaries, especially if they think Trump is a lock. So someone else getting a boost from a good debate performance can - conceivably- make a difference. I remain baffled that Haley hasn't gotten traction. Rs would be very smart to nominate a woman. But if they were smart, they wouldn't back Trump
Am I the only one who thinks DeSantis will be the nominee? In the next year, Trump is going to either die from stress-related illness or go to trial on something. Likely, it will be the J6 case. I predict that Trump makes a statement in court in defiance of Judge Chutkan, perhaps not recognizing her or the current U.S. Government. Basically, he will say "I AM the U.S. Government." After which Chutkan will order Trump into custody and order that he be given a psychological evaluation. That will pretty much seal his fate for that trial. Either that, or he will straight-up be convicted before the election.
Republican leadership will just sort-of hand the nomination to DeSantis next summer.
Well, I think we are talking about a totally different race if Trump is, for health reasons, unable to run. I am not sure -- given his performance to date -- that DeSantis is the frontrunner in a non-Trump field. I think the nomination fight would be wide open, and other candidates not running right now would try to get in.
I don't think, personally, that being convicted would stop him from running -- and probably winning a race.
Eh, you're probably right. For sure, once people have gotten a look at him, they don't like what they see. But how does that explain his ever-expanding War on Woke down in FL? Is he truly devoid of empathy and wishes to exploit minority populations for gain, or is he just being savvy and playing that crowd?
Failing a psychiatric evaluation, even to the point of being institutionalized as a danger to himself and others, would be viewed by the hard-core MAGAts validation of their core conviction that the deep state is controlling everything and they, the Trumpanzees, cannot get a fair shake.
The only way Trump doesn't get the GQP nomination is if he's metabolically disqualified. Or if Trump agrees to some sort of "self ban" as a condition of a plea agreement.
IMO, they all have a lot to lose and don’t see really any path forward for any of them. Trump is the nominee. End. Of. Story. If something should occur where something catastrophic happens, it changes the ballgame. However, that would be a long shot and not holding my breath.
Elaine, I think that's right. More and more I am convinced that Trump is running away with this thing -- and no one is willing tot take the risks necessary to maybe catch him.
Christie should use RDS as a cutout of Trump. Just single-mindedly and relentlessly single him out. Trump won’t be there to defend himself, and RDS will be forced to either defend Trump like a beta-cuck (in the words of his supporters) or attack him and lose MAGA voters. Either way, RDS will wilt under the pressure, and it will embarrass Trump by association. Trump will HAVE to attend the next debate.
To me, this is just the primary to see who (for the most part) will lay claim to being the best candidate to be Trump's VP nominee. Obviously, this doesn't apply to Christie or Hutchinson, but the others? All have either openly or indirectly offered defenses of Trump. Like Adam Kinzinger said, if you're going to support/defend him, you may as well just endorse him.
I think that there will be three legitimate candidates for the VP slot on the stage: Scott, Haley and Ramaswamy. There are two others (MTG and Kari Lake) who aren't running, IMHO.
Please do! I agree with all the people who say Trump is the overwhelming favorite. But, that doesn't mean this debate doesn't matter. I think it does matter -- especially as we consider whether ANYONE will emerge to seriously challenge Trump over the next few months.
John, I agree with you. Christie has said he will answer the questions posed to him. I've heard he is a good debater. It will be interesting to see what he does with his 1) bluster, 2) debate ability, and 3) tearing down Trump.
Chris Christie IA one of the best among them. Since Trump would not be there. it will allow them to discuss substantive policies and NOT with his criminal indictments. Although I am sure Christie will rightlyrics bring it up warning the Republicans not to nominate a proven loser in Donald Trump
I think he might. If everyone on the debate stage looks small, Trump will benefit from not being there -- like the debate is too small potatoes for him to concern himself with.
Also remember that the post-debate analysis will be very much conflated with Trump turning himself in in Fulton County, GA.
So, Trump will be a major presence over the next 36 hours -- even if he isn't actually on the stage.
Trump will very much be on stage, even though not physically present. And he will dominate the morning news cycle regardless of what happens in the debate. The RNC might as well stand up a lectern with a life-size cutout of Trump...expect the Fox hosts to mention DJT's absence once or twice...
Mike, I think that's probably true. I think Trump is going to be a looming presence over the debate. And, because he is going to turn himself in the next day in Georgia, he isn going to step on a lot of the post-debate coverage too.
What a field! Where to begin:
DeSatan: a two-bit wannabe dictator who is turning Florida into an third world banana republic, and whose educational and immigration reforms have even made Trump squirm. Not to mention, his six week abortion ban.--No deal!
Nikki Haley: She thinks she’s smart and credentials excuse because Trump made her ambassador to the UN. I have friends that are life
-long diplomats, and none of them thought she brought any intellect to the UN. And some are republicans, even though they are registered independents, since they work with all administrations. Additionally, she grovels to the white supremacists, instead of disparaging them. She may be MAGA Light, but no deal.
Mike Pence: forget the fact he waited three years to tell us what we already knew; Trump lost and J6th was an insurrection. I guess running for president gives one some courage. He’s definitely a Profile in cowardliness! . Also, do we really want someone in the Whitehouse that calls his wife, Mother? Hey Mike, the 1950’s called, they want their decade back! No deal!
Tim Scott: another minority groveling to the MAGA base. And yes, we heard his life story; started with nothing and pulled himself by the bootstraps; yada, yada, yada. Been there, heard the: “I walked to school, six miles each way, uphill--both ways, with no shoes” story, ad nauseam. Sorry Tim; No deal!
Chris Christie: okay, Im originally from NY, and Chris is a blue state Republican, which in todays terms makes him a RINO. Make no mistake though; he’s a catholic and will put “right-wing” religious fanatics on the bench. He’s also a vindictive prick, if crossed, so there’s that! I could stomach this guy, but no need, when he wouldn’t do a better job than any democrat and will do little to expand abortion rights for women. No deal!
Vivek Ramswamy: I’m not sure what this guy stands for, and I don’t think anyone knows, least of all Vivek. Last month he was for Pride Month, now he’s against it. He was for expanding voting rights, now he thinks 18 years shouldn’t have that right (they mostly vote democrat). Perhaps we should wait until a day before the election, and find out how he really feels. I do know he’s a major conspiracy nut job, on the same wavelength as MTG. And he would also like to have one of those aliens at Area 51 (not joking), in his cabinet. Hey Vivek, the data and evidence is in; No deal!
Doug Burgum: Doug Burgum who? Exactly! No deal!
Asa Hutchinson: sounds like a nice guy and former Governor of Arkansas. Sorry nice guys don’t last long in the MAGAverse. He’ll be gone by the second debate. No deal!
So there you have it in a nutshell. The tin-foil hat primaries are about to commence. So grab your popcorn, and pick your poison (you’ll need it); lots of alcohol or weed. I choose weed, and enjoy the circus...:)
Nailed them all, Robert, with wit and wisdom.
As a Hoosier, I especially liked your dead-on capture of Mannequin Mike!
Thanks..:)
No matter how well he performs in the debate, Scott will not be the Republican nominee. This is the party of white supremacy and Charlottesville. The party of birtherism and hatred of the Black president, Barak Obama. This is the party that fears that whites are becoming a minority in this country and believes it needs a strong man to win. What makes anyone think it will nominate a Black man?
They would if they knew that nominee would be a tool. I get the vibe from Tim Scott that he is not that. He is more a rich dude Republican, more establishment. For anyone in this to be viable, they need to have read the memo about the Republican Party imploding. Tim Scott never got the memo, and the same for Haley and Pence. Those three have no idea that they're not even members of the party anymore.
Hutchinson and Christie realize they're no longer a part of the gang, know they're not getting nominated, and just want to crucify Trump (and DeSantis). The only ones who embraced the memo were DeSantis and Ramaswamy. DeSantis has street cred, and has a reign of terror in Florida to back him up. Ramaswamy is charming and wears authoritarian cologne like middle school boys wear Axe body spray.
Hey, Scott pulled it off in South Carolina, so maybe in another cycle or two, if we haven't been destroyed as a democracy by the MAGA freak show.
I'll be looking at Christie to go after all of them (except Hutchison) for their utter cowardice in continuing to back Trump or at least refue to criticize him.
He might. I think the audience for those attacks is VERY limited within the Republican primary -- especially coming from Christie who is despised by a good chunk of the party. That doesn't mean he won't go after the other candidates based on their support for Trump. Jus that, politically speaking, it's likely to have limited effect.
I think it’s still important for establishment republicans to go after Trump in this way. Christie’s career in politics is over (so far as holding office) as long as Trump or Trumpists hold sway over the republican base and I think he knows it. I think it’s admirable (though as a Jersey girl who suffered him as my governor for 8 years it pains me to say I admire him) that he is willing to stand up to Trump and the lunatic right fringe.
Chris, youi missed the most obvious group with the most to lose, the average voter....
I'm torn between wanting to watch this clown show for laughs or doing something else for 2 hours because I know nothing that they say is going to matter with MAGA voters.
Watch! Debates are fun!
A real debate would be fun. These are all posing and trying to cut sound bites. I can learn more from clips and reading about it. No way I can vote Republican for a very long time.
All debates these days are sort of like that. I myself like the drama.
My wife just informed me that she wants to watch it, at least unless/until it becomes unbearable, so it will be on here. Maybe I'll put on headphones and crank up an appropriate Playlist in case I need to drown it out. I DO hope Christie goes after TinyD and the SC governors as well as Trump.
Yep. This doesn’t matter. Trump is the nominee. Period.
I just read there NYT discussion with Republican voters. It was so depressing. I'm not sure anything about this debate matters. When you have people who think that Trump is "willing to sacrifice himself for us" or who like Ron DeSantis because he's willing to let parents control what's taught in schools, I just feel sick and defeated.
Laura, I don't think the debate will change the fundamental course of this race, which is still very much trending in Trump's direction. I think it might give us some clarity on who is emerging as a legitimate (or semi legitimate) challenger to him. Is it DeSantis? Or Ramaswamy? Or Scott? Or Haley?
DeSantis is only in favor of having parents control what is taught in school if they agree with him. Thinking parents, progressive parents, LBGTQ + parents, not so much.
I hear you, but I do think the debate matters. I don't want any R in the White House, but I would rather see a sane one nominated instead of Trump. Another Trump term would be an unmitigated disaster, threatening the fundamental nature of the country. There are sane Rs left. But they aren't typically the type to go to caucuses or get riled up for primaries, especially if they think Trump is a lock. So someone else getting a boost from a good debate performance can - conceivably- make a difference. I remain baffled that Haley hasn't gotten traction. Rs would be very smart to nominate a woman. But if they were smart, they wouldn't back Trump
Am I the only one who thinks DeSantis will be the nominee? In the next year, Trump is going to either die from stress-related illness or go to trial on something. Likely, it will be the J6 case. I predict that Trump makes a statement in court in defiance of Judge Chutkan, perhaps not recognizing her or the current U.S. Government. Basically, he will say "I AM the U.S. Government." After which Chutkan will order Trump into custody and order that he be given a psychological evaluation. That will pretty much seal his fate for that trial. Either that, or he will straight-up be convicted before the election.
Republican leadership will just sort-of hand the nomination to DeSantis next summer.
Well, I think we are talking about a totally different race if Trump is, for health reasons, unable to run. I am not sure -- given his performance to date -- that DeSantis is the frontrunner in a non-Trump field. I think the nomination fight would be wide open, and other candidates not running right now would try to get in.
I don't think, personally, that being convicted would stop him from running -- and probably winning a race.
Bummer. It is sad that you're right about running from prison.
Yeah. I mean, it seems CRAZY. But I have become acclimated to crazy after these last few years.
Quite the optimist, Donald, if he doesn't hit a home run or at least a triple...his money sources will move on.
He's only in the place he is because of his 2022 win. He seemed like the real deal until he had to go retail politics---proven disaster!!!
Eh, you're probably right. For sure, once people have gotten a look at him, they don't like what they see. But how does that explain his ever-expanding War on Woke down in FL? Is he truly devoid of empathy and wishes to exploit minority populations for gain, or is he just being savvy and playing that crowd?
Failing a psychiatric evaluation, even to the point of being institutionalized as a danger to himself and others, would be viewed by the hard-core MAGAts validation of their core conviction that the deep state is controlling everything and they, the Trumpanzees, cannot get a fair shake.
The only way Trump doesn't get the GQP nomination is if he's metabolically disqualified. Or if Trump agrees to some sort of "self ban" as a condition of a plea agreement.
IMO, they all have a lot to lose and don’t see really any path forward for any of them. Trump is the nominee. End. Of. Story. If something should occur where something catastrophic happens, it changes the ballgame. However, that would be a long shot and not holding my breath.
Elaine, I think that's right. More and more I am convinced that Trump is running away with this thing -- and no one is willing tot take the risks necessary to maybe catch him.
Very sad for the country.
Christie should use RDS as a cutout of Trump. Just single-mindedly and relentlessly single him out. Trump won’t be there to defend himself, and RDS will be forced to either defend Trump like a beta-cuck (in the words of his supporters) or attack him and lose MAGA voters. Either way, RDS will wilt under the pressure, and it will embarrass Trump by association. Trump will HAVE to attend the next debate.
To me, this is just the primary to see who (for the most part) will lay claim to being the best candidate to be Trump's VP nominee. Obviously, this doesn't apply to Christie or Hutchinson, but the others? All have either openly or indirectly offered defenses of Trump. Like Adam Kinzinger said, if you're going to support/defend him, you may as well just endorse him.
I do think there will be some VP jockeying. Like, I don't think there is anyway Scott or Haley go hard at Trump in the debate tomorrow. None.
I think that there will be three legitimate candidates for the VP slot on the stage: Scott, Haley and Ramaswamy. There are two others (MTG and Kari Lake) who aren't running, IMHO.
Ramaswamy! Intriguing.
The Caudillo de DeSantistan is absolutely the one with most to lose via a poor showing.
Christie doesn't need to worry about the also-rans at this point 12 months out.
He'll be headhunting for the Caudillo.
Your enthusiasm is contagious. Maybe I’ll pay attention to the R debates
Please do! I agree with all the people who say Trump is the overwhelming favorite. But, that doesn't mean this debate doesn't matter. I think it does matter -- especially as we consider whether ANYONE will emerge to seriously challenge Trump over the next few months.
I want to see who will puss out and not condemn trump. Christie will tear into them asking “What the f*** is wrong with you guys?”
John, I agree with you. Christie has said he will answer the questions posed to him. I've heard he is a good debater. It will be interesting to see what he does with his 1) bluster, 2) debate ability, and 3) tearing down Trump.
Christie is a skilled debater. I just wonder how he will do without his main foil (Trump) on stage.
Use the Caudillo de DeSantistan as a stand-in since his authoritarian policies and those of the Wannabe-Hitler seem to align.
Chris Christie IA one of the best among them. Since Trump would not be there. it will allow them to discuss substantive policies and NOT with his criminal indictments. Although I am sure Christie will rightlyrics bring it up warning the Republicans not to nominate a proven loser in Donald Trump
A sore loser at that.
No Will Hurd... 😣😥😣😥😣😥
My question is whether Trump gets a bump out of the debate he isn’t attending.
I think he might. If everyone on the debate stage looks small, Trump will benefit from not being there -- like the debate is too small potatoes for him to concern himself with.
Also remember that the post-debate analysis will be very much conflated with Trump turning himself in in Fulton County, GA.
So, Trump will be a major presence over the next 36 hours -- even if he isn't actually on the stage.
Odds that the first question is to DeSantis and is asking what he thinks about trump not showing up?