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  • Posted by khalling 8 years, 1 month ago
    so. let's defend Hitler's right to free speech. I would, but I'd still get sick
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    • Posted by 8 years, 1 month ago
      Mahmoud Ahmadinejad spoke at Columbia University back in 2007. Why do so many college students defend that as free speech and yet protest to silence a candidate for President?
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      • Posted by khalling 8 years, 1 month ago
        I do not get it. I don' get why I don't love this site anymore-got an answer?
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        • Posted by $ sekeres 8 years, 1 month ago
          Perhaps because, instead of living with hope for staving off the crash or (more probably) rebuilding afterward as in "Atlas Shrugged" or "Anthem," most of the commenters now seem to be living in "The Fountainhead" or "We the Living" with no light at the end of the tunnel.
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        • Posted by $ Susanne 8 years, 1 month ago
          Maybe because it's gone from a site of rational thinkers to just another on-line discussion board of political hacks and sock commandos. True, there are some flashes of brilliance now and again, but the impetus that was once the Gulch has been diluted at best, washed away at worst, by those who use this web presence much as "Anonymous" will use the organs of the press to further their irrationality.

          Worse, if you state your beliefs, chances are a Mouch-analogue will come in and try to play internet gunslinger and shoot holes in it, or pick a fight with you to prove their illogical point, rather than contribute something well thought out, rational, and honest.

          It began with what I call the "sex and religion wars" (where we had the religious V. atheist or gay V. straight posts) and it has devolved from there.

          All we need now is for the spambots to move in and, like ivy and mistletoe will choke a mighty oak tree to death, kill what the trolls have begun.

          My 2¢...
          Sus

          This site used to take up a substantial part of my day - now, much less than an hour.
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          • Posted by Herb7734 8 years, 1 month ago
            I have tolerated some wrong thinkers and a few crazies in the Gulch. I still think it is the best, most active Objectivist forum around. I'm sure you don't want to "purify" the Gulch through censorship. I'm saddened that you and K feel the way you do.
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        • Posted by XenokRoy 8 years, 1 month ago
          For me it is true for 3 reasons

          1) The defeatist, nothing you can do, nature of many.

          2) The closed approach of just a few, loud and vocal though they are.

          3) the useless nature of rehashing. A fresh look at something is great to get exposed to, but most of the articles here are the same stuff I read last year, characters may have changed but its kinda the same.

          I spend most of the time I use to spend on this site, doing things in the real world. Talking to those who live around me, attending political events, reading some Locke (very slowly).

          I give it a year or two and I will find my way back more actively, it may have evolved to where there are many new ideas, viewpoints... that make me think.
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  • Posted by Sp_cebux 8 years, 1 month ago
    I love how quickly people vehemently condemn a 3rd party bystander for making a less than stellar rebuke/assessment of what happened between Donald and Bernie's hoards. And, when Donald sits up on stage and yells, "Lyin' Ted", none of these Holier-Than-Thous are at the forefront defending Ted.

    2-faced hypocrites.

    Ted had nothing to do with the event. All he could do was comment on what information he had at the time; would you be just as upset if he'd said, "Sorry, I can't comment on a situation I don't fully understand" ? I doubt it. I think those who are quick to throw Cruz under the proverbial bus are nothing but in-the-tank-Trumpsters who are just chomping at the bit to take down Cruz for any of the tiniest of transgressions.

    1. CNN released the statement that Ben Carson was heading to Florida after Iowa. Ben Carson's own New Hampshire crew left en-masse to join Ted's crew in New Hampshire the day prior. Ben had no one to pick him up at the airport in New Hampshire after Iowa. Is it really Ted's fault for some in his group to repeat what CNN reported?

    2. Even well after the matter, weeks later, Donald is STILL dragging around the phrase, "Lyin' Ted" to gin up ill will among voters. How is that engendering the kind of ethics you want to see in our President? Isn't Barry Hussein O bad enough?!?!? I can't wait for Trump to call for Beer Summit 2.0.

    3. This seems to be the worst any one can do to Ted - mis-characterize some of his quotes. Has he mis-used his party credit card? Has he endorsed Common Core? Did he support Democrats in the past because he was 'playing the system' above his supposed core principles?

    Where was Donald 1 year ago on the Cromnibus bill? Where was Donald during the Benghazi debacle? Where has Donald been all these years .. if he is so principled, how is it he could conceive to 'play the game' to get ahead in business? In fact, he was supporting the 'system' all these years. Oh, yes.. yes, yes, yes, Donald chased the Birther theory---to no end. Great. Golf clap for that effort, Donald. How did that propel the Conservative movement he's so proud of championing? How do you know his rhetoric is what it is? Ted has ACTED on his conservative principles. We've seen it. He hasn't missed critical votes.. he's even filibustered a few times. And, he's argued in the Supreme Court numerous times to stymy the Liberal Agenda.
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    • Posted by $ WilliamShipley 8 years, 1 month ago
      Where was Donald before he entered the race -- running his businesses. Of course he isn't going to be taking the lead on various bills or congressional investigations.

      And, Donald actually helped put the 'birther' theory to rest -- as a result of Donald's attention, Obama's birth certificate was finally released after years of talking about it.

      Now I like Ted, but there is a difference between filibustering to block something and getting congress to go along with your plans. I actually like a lot of Cruz's small government ideas, I am just dubious as to his ability to get congress to go along with him. Yes, he will sign the executive orders canceling Obama's but we don't want to rely on government via executive order. It isn't enough to nominate good Supreme Court justices -- you have to get them ratified -- and the Republicans aren't going to have 60 votes to block a filibuster.

      I'm actually toying with the idea of Trump/Cruz to solve the problem of the establishment putting in their pawn. I can't really see Cruz/Trump working but the other way around does, and lets Cruz be the apprentice to the deal maker for a few years before going for it again.
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      • Posted by $ blarman 8 years, 1 month ago
        I'm actually on the other side. I am sick of all the deal-making. I want principled leadership and if gridlock is the result, at least they aren't passing any new taxes or regulations! I don't look on the title of being a deal-maker as a badge of honor, because all it has gotten us is more progressive policies. What have Republican voters been clamoring for since Obama took office? Principles - plain and simple. Why are Trump and Cruz (neither one an "establishment" darling) running away with this election? Principles. Cruz is campaigning on his record of standing up for the principles he believes in even when it is inconvenient. Donald is campaigning on a record of supposedly being immune to the establishment and their lack of adherence to principles. Republicans especially are sick of voting for people whose principles only matter during election season. They don't want deal-making - except perhaps on the international stage.
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        • Posted by $ WilliamShipley 8 years, 1 month ago
          While standing up for your principles is certainly something we all admire, the only way that you can implement them on your own is to be a dictator. The alternative is to negotiate with other people to get what you want accomplished. Sometimes this involves persuading them that your position is right. Sometimes it involves giving them something they want in return. If what you get is more valuable to you than what you give up, you win. (they can win too)

          I also like gridlock if the alternative is losing. We've lost so many times in recent years that many have given up on winning and simply want to lose slower. I refuse to accept that it's our only option.
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          • Posted by $ blarman 8 years, 1 month ago
            I'm certainly not advocating for a Dictator-in-Chief. We've had enough of that over the last eight years and I certainly don't want to see it go on any longer or further than it already has. This is where Trump's pronouncements about using Executive Orders cause me to regard him with grave suspicion.

            "Sometimes this involves persuading them that your position is right."

            And I fully endorse this. This is how Reagan was able to move the country forward despite Democrats controlling House and Senate.

            "Sometimes it involves giving them something they want in return."

            The problem we've had in recent times is that there has been only "get" from the Progressives and no "give". Or it's more of the Wimpy (from "Popeye") ploy of "I'll gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today" - which Reagan fell prey to. The playing field is already hopelessly skewed in one direction. I'll look on any such deal-making with an extremely jaundiced eye.

            The fact is, though, that negotiations only work when you know where you start from (principles) and where you draw the line. That's the problem with the current style of "negotiations" being bandied about by Republicans and have resulted in the holes they have dug for themselves: they only think they know where they start from and aren't willing to draw those uncrossable lines. (Of course the same applies to Obama's feckless foreign policy.)
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            • Posted by $ WilliamShipley 8 years, 1 month ago
              I can't argue that the current Republican negotiations are great successes. In the current environment, doing nothing is truly better that what is likely to be the result of a 'deal'. As Trump says, we said we make terrible deals.

              Would Trump do better? Who knows. I put a lot of credence on the fact that he can build things in New York City. The amount of negotiation that has to go on to actually get something constructed is mind boggling, yet he gets it done, the building he wants gets built and makes money (usually). That's a real world accomplishment. Does it translate into political decisions, who knows. But while I like Cruz's positions he hasn't demonstrated the ability to bring the congress along. Standing alone in a filibuster is certainly heroic, but at best stops things.
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              • Posted by Sp_cebux 8 years, 1 month ago
                Interesting. You are advocating for the antithesis of objectivism. Making deals to 'get things done', casting aside morality in order to achieve an end.

                How much of your morailty are you willing to sacrifice?
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                • Posted by $ WilliamShipley 8 years, 1 month ago
                  No, I'm arguing that the left has done a really good job of incrementalism. Instead of insisting on getting everything they want, they get a little bit each time the issue comes up, and like the frog in the kettle, we suddenly find ourselves cooked.

                  I have believe whatsoever that an objectivist government will emerge in the foreseeable future, so we can only hope to make progress in that direction rather than the progressive model.

                  We have already sacrificed, I want some back.
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                  • Posted by Sp_cebux 8 years, 1 month ago
                    You are making the presumption that Trump wants to move the goal posts in the direction you are hoping.

                    What action has he shown, other than his rhetoric, that gives you comfort he can/will do that?

                    ・ As Ted has pointed out, taxing imports at 35% only impacts the American consumer.. not the overseas producer.
                    ・ Building a wall, getting Mexico to pay for it. How does that eliminate the 11+ million illegals already here?
                    ・ How can he entice the repatriation of $1+ Trillion back into the U.S. Economy from various US companies that, frankly, only stand to lose money by doing so? Whether it gets taxed at 35% or 11% or 5%.. all of that is MORE than 0% + interest for leaving it in foreign bank deposits.
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                    • Posted by $ WilliamShipley 8 years, 1 month ago
                      The 35% is the opening position in a negotiation, Trump has said as much. You never start with your final position.

                      As to the 11 million illegals already here, we will figure out a way to deal with that once we stop the flow. I came home one night and found my dishwasher was flooding my kitchen. My first thought was not how to deal with the water on the floor -- I needed to shut off the water.

                      You entice the money back into the U.S. by lowering the tax rates so that they are willing to pay the tax to have access to the money, and you get some of it.
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                      • Posted by Sp_cebux 8 years, 1 month ago
                        ・ Why is there even a 'deal' to be made on import taxation? I thought I made it clear that 35% import tax .. or even a 2% import tax only adds to the final purchase price for the American consumer---in particular, it does not guarantee that a pair of tennis shoes will no longer be made in China.

                        If it costs $3.25 to make a pair of shoes in China, versus $14.65 in Ohio, adding 35% import tax has no effect on the manufacturing location or reason. It ONLY penalizes the American public.

                        The true cost of production is a culmination of material, labor, transportation, & energy costs. The U.S. is just too expensive in a majority of those items. Where does rubber come from? Malaysia. Where is labor cheap? China. Where is energy cheap? China. Where is it easy to ship from (worldwide)? Hong Kong.
                        Guess where its ideal to manufacture shoes?

                        Blindly asking the American public to take-a-hit for the good of ... a blank dream is ridiculous.

                        As to your dishwasher incident, I bet you still wiped up the spill rather than waiting for it to air-dry, molding much in the process.

                        Lowering tax rates from 35% to 10% will not get a majority of the money repatriated. It will not move until that number is 0%.. something even Donald would not do.

                        Donald speaks a good story -- but, details and reality and stubborn facts will get in the way of his theory.
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                        • Posted by $ WilliamShipley 8 years, 1 month ago
                          You use the threat to negotiate opening of foreign markets to our goods. We have one-sided free trade.

                          As to the cost of making things in America, regulatory overhead is another one of those components -- and one that the government could have some control over.

                          And, yes, once I stopped the flow of water I could stop and think about how to deal with the water on the floor.
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                          • Posted by Sp_cebux 8 years, 1 month ago
                            You are making the assumption that U.S. companies are making products and putting effort into opening sales in foreign markets, yet, are only denied because of stiff import regulations.

                            I spent 15+ years selling U.S. products into asian markets. I can tell you the ONLY thing preventing U.S. companies from selling overseas is their own ineptitude. Primarily, the U.S. electorate assumes that everything in the U.S. is appropriate and just what everyone else in the world needs/wants. That is plain wrong. People in Nigeria, India, China, or Japan do not wake up and think --- "what can I get from the U.S. today"? That thinking is as old as the maligned protectionist views of Clyde Prestowitz. People in Japan aren't going to just pick up the phone and call John Deere to buy a tractor; a.) John Deere hardly has a presence there. b.) John Deere tractors are wholly inappropriate for Japanese farmers - field size, crop are completely different. And yet, you would blame the Japanese for being 'closed' due to trade deals and what-not.

                            China has a 17% import tax on everything. Chinese consumers will gladly pay that in order to not get Shanghai'd by their own with fake products. HOW.ev.er. You still need to make a quality product for the Chinese consumer.. they need to a.) know about it, and b.) understand why its a good value for them to want to buy it.

                            I can tell you how many U.S. companies are NOT marketing in China. Nearly all. Motorola (now owned by Google) was one of the few companies that did well in the Chinese market early on in the phone market. They dominated the Chinese mobile market for years - ever hear them complain about unfair competition and such? Nope. Who complained loudest - GM? I recall a similar story about U.S. car manufacturers about selling into Japan 2, 3 decades prior. Waaah, waaah, waaah.

                            Trump (and a good majority of Americans it seems) has no idea how to do international trade. No idea. But, he'll play the Clyde Prestowitz scare card to garner support. Its a good talk.

                            Import tax negotiation is bad only for us Americans---get that into your head, please!

                            "Regulatory overhead" -- boom, you nailed it. Somehow, we have more regulatory overhead in this country than a communist country like China does. Why? Because we have National, State, AND Local regulations that all companies need to somehow adhere to.

                            Japan and even China have at most 2-levels - National and local. The amount of regulatory control is SPARSE compared to U.S. mandates on companies here. We are buried in regulations here. Buried. Trump ought to be championing the utter reduction (as Ted is) of regulations at all levels to spur the economy.
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              • Posted by Sp_cebux 8 years, 1 month ago
                I don't think I can write it any more eloquently than blarman, but let me just add - what sort of deals are you hoping Donald will make?

                This is the same trap Obama used 8 years ago with 'Hope & Change'. It was a blank slate, and Obama let any of his constituents fill it in in their mind without him ever promising a word.

                Finally, there is NO guarantee that a businessman will be pro-business once in office. Trump has made no guarantee towards such.
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              • Posted by $ blarman 8 years, 1 month ago
                "Would Trump do better? Who knows."

                That is the six-million $ question we gamble on. And the stakes are enormous.

                "But while I like Cruz's positions he hasn't demonstrated the ability to bring the congress along."

                One can lead a horse to water but can't lead one to drink. One can lead a politician to logic, but one can't make them think. The fact that Cruz thinks for himself despite the pressures of Washington to conform and bend to his Party speak volumes to me about his ability to function in the realm of politics.

                Can Trump do the same? Again, we don't know. We know he's full of fiery rhetoric, but is he going to just brow-beat Congress to go along with him? I somehow doubt that is going to fly with the Republicans - let alone the Democrats. And what are we left with then? A man who has said he has no problem ruling through Executive Orders to get things done.

                I'd rather have a government where the Legislative Branch took the initiative on law-making. I would much rather have a do-nothing President than a President who wants to do everything. Which of the two is closer to what the Founders envisioned?
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      • Posted by Mark_Ten 8 years, 1 month ago
        Sir, do you really believe after having observed Trump's authoritarianism and bullying techniques for the past 8 months or so that Trump would not be the king of executive orders?
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      • Posted by Sp_cebux 8 years, 1 month ago
        I also run a business.. albeit a much smaller business than Donald's enterprises.

        But, I still find time to get involved in supporting and promoting Conservatism in my realm. I go to school board meetings - they hate me there. I write blogs on FB and other social media sites espousing conservative ideas and why they are good for everyone, not the 'marginalized minorities' that the Democrats always claim to be advocating.

        Donald may not have as much spare time as I do to write blogs or speak at city council meetings as I do. I will not judge him for that. I will, however, judge his history of writing checks to support Democrat nominees and Democrat initiatives. I would never, like Ted Cruz has said countless times, capitulate my principles for short-term profit. I will not, e.g., go and promise some of the bureaucrats that have visited my office contributions for government contracts... and these are mostly state-level Republicans. Trump has gotten in-bed with all politicians to further his business causes. He claims that was 'just business'. Well, if we were to apply the Law of Identity, A is A, then it cannot be passed off as 'just business'. It was his business. He did it. He did those things. He cannot dismiss those as transactions as something they are/were not.

        The birther issue was resolved when the Hawaiian official released Obama's birth certificate before Trump got going---Hillary was way ahead of him. Many were still suspect, however, that that certificate was indeed the official certificate. Trump only picked up the torch after others had found no way to move forward on it.

        Cruz. You doubt Cruz can get any of his ideas ratified. Why do you think Trump would be any better at such an effort than Cruz? Trump has not even pushed / promoted one thing through Congress, yet, you assume that he would be BETTER at it simply because he's a "deal-maker"? Obama only got what he's gotten because I-Will-Cave-Boehner and Mitch-May-I-Help-You-McConnell cannot but bow to Obama's every whim. Otherwise, Obama, too, has only been able to get things done by Executive Fiat---pen and executive order. Ted's going to retract every Executive Order; what has Trump promised? Ted's going to attempt, with manifest of the American people's vote, ala Reagan, to nix the IRS, and a plethora of government agencies. Trump, from time-to-time, has echoed such sentiments. But, Cruz has not waivered on his resolve on what he plans to do. Cruz has as much, if not more, chance of getting his agenda through as Trump does. I would dare say more so.

        Trump, in the past 8 months, has been a LOT of talk-talk-talk. Just like Rubio. Lots of talking. The only one who has DONE something has been Ted. Ted even took a moment to go back and sign his name to the Senate letter to Obama telling him they're not going to look at a Supreme Court nominee until after the election. Ted continues to "DO" while campaigning. And for that, the Trumpsters here blast him to Kingdom Come when he balks on the chance to refute protesters at Trump's Illinois event. Wow.
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        • Posted by scojohnson 8 years, 1 month ago
          I'd recommend you read Ted's real bio.. there simply isn't much there, if you can find more than 36 months he wasn't sucking on the taxpayer tit, I'd be very amazed, frankly. He's really no better than Rubio, if you look at Rubio's age, his years in various offices, he really hasn't had a private sector job beyond the K-mart ones or whatever in college.

          I don't disagree with Ted's positions and politics, I just highly question they are really 'his'.

          Nonetheless, after tonight, he really has no chance of winning the nomination. If he loses big in Ohio, which is really the last of the Bible Belt states, he's done... I'm sorry, but its just an electoral fact. He may pick up Missouri or whatever, but compared to California/New Jersey/New York, it's a rounding error.
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          • Posted by Sp_cebux 8 years, 1 month ago
            At this point, you may be correct about Ted's chances at a nomination.

            If so, I can only hope that rounding error is in our favor, and the Trump really is who he claims to be.

            Ted's time in the Senate, however, have been nothing but spot on in terms of volitional support of conservative principles. Beit on the tax payer dime or not, he actively pursued such endeavors. What has Trump done?
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            • Posted by scojohnson 8 years, 1 month ago
              With 10s of thousands of employees, he's paid billions in payroll and income tax, without a doubt, his tax returns are irrelevant.
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              • Posted by Sp_cebux 8 years, 1 month ago
                I'm not referring to Donald's tax returns here.

                I'm telling you Donald's story does not check out.. that you are betting on a wild-card. And, more-often-than-not, the House wins when the American public bets on 'Hope & Change'. Americans hoped. Washington and Wall-Street kept our change.
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                • Posted by scojohnson 8 years, 1 month ago
                  The same was said of Reagan, and his first convention was also contested.
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                  • Posted by Sp_cebux 8 years, 1 month ago
                    As things currently go, I can only hope you and the rest of the Trumpsters are correct.

                    Good luck to us all.
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                    • Posted by $ MichaelAarethun 8 years, 1 month ago
                      Plenty of room in expat land
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                      • Posted by Sp_cebux 8 years, 1 month ago
                        The standard response when someone voices opposition to your favorite candidate. I suppose if I don't like it, you'll help me pack my bags?

                        I'm not leaving the country. I'm not voting for Hillary, either. I'm voting for Trump or Cruz, though I be Pro-Cruz. I'm just stating that Trump is a complete Wild Card. And, for that, I'm castrated, cast-aside, and asunder by the Pro-Trump crowd.

                        I'm hoping beyond hope that Trump does what he claims, without destroying us or our liberties in the process. I really, really do.

                        In my opinion, however, Trump's not what you are making him out to be. Scojohnson likes to point out Ted's connections to Goldman Sachs .. which is a farce, perpetrated by the Trump campaign against Ted. Ditto for the Ben Carson ordeal. Trump's campaign is just as dirty as any other typical campaign in throwing dirt around. But if Trump's your guy, well, you're that much less likely to see it as such.

                        I'm not going to bother to belabor this much further. In your hearts, you're wedded to your candidate at this point---I got that. I, too, am hoping for the best, but expecting less.
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                        • Posted by $ MichaelAarethun 8 years, 1 month ago
                          There isn't much left of liberties to destroy. At this point it's a straight up counter revolution to regain the same, the Constitution and the country. Make that since Dec 31st 2015.
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                      • Posted by Sp_cebux 8 years, 1 month ago
                        The standard response when someone voices opposition to your favorite candidate. I suppose if I don't like it, you'll help me pack my bags?

                        I'm not leaving the country. I'm not voting for Hillary, either. I'm voting for Trump or Cruz, though I be Pro-Cruz. I'm just stating that Trump is a complete Wild Card. And, for that, I'm castrated, cast-aside, and asunder by the Pro-Trump crowd.

                        I'm hoping beyond hope that Trump does what he claims, without destroying us or our liberties in the process. I really, really do.

                        In my opinion, however, Trump's not what you are making him out to be. Scojohnson likes to point out Ted's connections to Goldman Sachs .. which is a farce, perpetrated by the Trump campaign against Ted. Ditto for the Ben Carson ordeal. Trump's campaign is just as dirty as any other typical campaign in throwing dirt around. But if Trump's your guy, well, you're that much less likely to see it as such.

                        I'm not going to bother to belabor this much further. In your hearts, you're wedded to your candidate at this point---I got that. I, too, am hoping for the best, but expecting less.
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                      • Posted by scojohnson 8 years, 1 month ago
                        A fractured GOP would mean Hillary for President. If the GOP tries to deny Trump if he's like 50 from the magic number, but 600 ahead of Cruz for example, I really don't see the party surviving that. The leadership seems to be so thick in the head, they don't recognize that they are the ones that are the problem, the voters are rebelling against their do-nothing get-along/go-along antics, expansion of government, and mysteriousness of the Romney nomination that just kind of 'happened'. Their 'guy' was Jeb, and the voters rejected him soundly. Then it was Rubio, and he acted like a 12 year old and was even more strongly rejected. Cruz is just not appealing to the masses of voters sufficiently to win. On paper, he looks good, but in delivery and on camera he just looks & sounds untrustworthy. I know that offends people, but it tends to be the case when undecideds or independents watch him. If that was not the case, he would be getting the independent vote. He's not, he's getting shellacked by Trump. This isn't a beauty contest on who is the perfect conservative on a litmus test that is really only a True/False questionnaire - and guess what, politicians do tend to lie. This is about winning the most important election in decades.

                        As I say, keep in mind, the primary process is the most radical 20% on each side of the aisle. Only about 1/5 turns out in primaries as the general, so to win, you really need to appeal to a broader market. The other 4/5 are more moderate than that 20%, Cruz is sucking wind outside of the far right whenever there is another option. All that would need to happen is Hillary gets rid of the Bernie tail and tacks back to the center, people remember the great economy her husband enjoyed, and Cruz is done. They will look at experience, and Cruz has about 20 minutes of it and what is there is shutting down the government with nothing to show for it. To be honest, I can see most of the Republican senators just abandoning him knowing that Hillary would be more pliable than he would.

                        Yes Cruz polls "ok", but not consistently, for every one that shows him beating Hillary, there are several that don't. Either way, with the civil war on-going, no one is going to poll very well against a Dem candidate whose primary debates have looked like kitten wrestling.

                        This is for sure about Trump vs. Cruz. I don't see Cruz taking Hillary to task, he will take the high televangelist preacher approach as he generally does in the debates. He had a few good performances and just as many terrible. Trump will shove her face first into the mud, chain her to the back of his pickup truck and hit the gas in front of the total American electorate. It will be bloody, it will be damaging, and unlike Hillary - he doesn't rely on the same shared corporate 'sponsors' and doesn't give a shit if he offends anyone (obviously). The GOP won't take a Clinton to task, and they haven't to date, because a lot of those corporate interests - like Goldman Sachs, Texas gas & oil (Cruz's buddies) and many others donate heavily to everyone to buy their favor. They don't want to piss off the Clintons and the democratic party, so they will muzzle whichever candidate.

                        Someone needs to take down the Clintons once & for all, expose their 'Global Initiative' for what it is, paid favors for foreign governments and mobsters, and slam their ass in the clink where it belongs or we'll have another 30 years of this crap when they get Chelsea going. She's already running the 'global initiative' and gets paid $600,000 as a 'special correspondent' for her stupid little 3 minute segments twice a year on NBC News... if you think that isn't going to be shoved down our throats next, you are foolish.. Only if Hillary ends in humiliation does this end. I don't see Cruz having the stomach or the balls for it, frankly. He's spent all of about 10 months of his life outside of the government tit suckling, and he's too worried about his next election.
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                        • Posted by $ MichaelAarethun 8 years, 1 month ago
                          Wow you mean we get a left wing socialist fascist corporatist statist instead of a left wing socialist fascist statist corporatist? I'm so f'n impressed. NOT. If that's the best you can do None of the Above. Eat Stuff and bark at the socialist moon.
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                          • Posted by scojohnson 8 years, 1 month ago
                            Unfortunately, I'm stating an observation of reality as it is, if you want to keep 'wishing it so', feel free to do so.

                            For all the similar type of non-documented arguments, about so & so is not conservative enough, be it Jeb, Carson, Rubio, or Trump, not once have I seen anything that has shown were Cruz has led a charge to reduce taxes. Not once have I seen him create a job. Not once have I seen him live in the regulatory environment as a business owner for 10 minutes. It's one thing to call pot-shots from the cheap seats, and promise to 'fight ObamaCare' when you are running for office as an unknown for a senate seat during a fiercely anti-ObamaCare environment. Question, is that pandering to a group of angry voters, or is it really what he believes. We'll never know. If you ask him how much ObamaCare cost him personally, the answer is zero. Ask Trump how much ObamaCare has cost him... at 20% year over year premium increases to employers and thousands of employees, I'm going to guess a lot.
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                            • Posted by $ MichaelAarethun 8 years, 1 month ago
                              Wrong it cost him zero. the amount you refer to is a business expense. part of the overhead...just like cost of government. it cost him...personally zero.
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                        • Posted by freedomforall 8 years, 1 month ago
                          You're right, the GOP sucks. So vote in fear for the GOP because everybody knows Hillary would be worse.
                          That's the best objectivism can offer.
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                          • Posted by scojohnson 8 years, 1 month ago
                            Sadly, it is. The devil you know would be horrible with a 100% chance of it, versus the one that might be a 30% chance of being horrible but may also just be status quo, rather than making it worse.

                            Remember Cruz's "Carpet Bomb ISIS until the sand glows"?

                            I hate giving Obama kudos, but he probably chose correctly to keep us out of another massive invasion of the Middle East. It seems like they may be imploding on their own. Keeping their cash as "cash" literally in buildings wasn't smart, ask anyone that put cash in a coffee can and buried it - then it rains and oops.. no more money. Looks like we've been raining bombs on the storage buildings and they are running into some money troubles..
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                            • Posted by freedomforall 8 years, 1 month ago
                              I was using sarcasm.
                              Continuing to vote for candidates manipulated by the party to increase government power at the expense of liberty and free markets is not the answer even if the other major party wants to do the same thing in an arguably more offensive way. Doing this after 30 years of evidence that it doesn't work (and being betrayed repeatedly) is insane. It is definitely not objectivist in any rational way.
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                              • Posted by scojohnson 8 years, 1 month ago
                                I was just pointing to Cruz's other stupid criticism, temporarily blocking people from the areas of Muslim Extremist/Terrorism until we figure out how to vet the people didn't really sound unreasonable to me - considering we missed the San Bernardino chick when she had ISIS propaganda all over her Facebook page. But somehow carpet-bombing a minor regional (and internal) religious conflict in front of our regional allies and wiping out a lot of captive civilians seemed somehow reasonable.
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                        • Posted by conscious1978 8 years, 1 month ago
                          If our justice system fails to take the proper actions with Hillary, then who is elected won't matter. Law will depend on the local syndicate.

                          Preventing her from being elected is no excuse to elect a 'reality show' crony with a political/media network and aspirations of "The Borg".
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                          • Posted by scojohnson 8 years, 1 month ago
                            I guess I'm still confused at the thought that Trump's only accomplishment was the show. He was picked for the show because of his accomplishments and broad name recognition, that wasn't a result of the show. He was a staple on morning shows & Sunday talking heads programs since the 80s & 90s and pretty much on the front page of some New York City publication probably once a week at least.
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  • Posted by $ AJAshinoff 8 years, 1 month ago
    Trump is blunt and chooses his words to inflame peoples passions.Liberals are weak-minded and cannot debate on points and tend to lash out violently when they run out of material to regurgitate. Trump did not cause the violence nor did he invite it. Still he has a responsibility for the violence occurring because of how he crafted and delivered his message.

    He has the right to speak. He did not need to consider his words. Even so, he is partially responsible for stoking weak minds into action.
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  • Posted by $ allosaur 8 years, 1 month ago
    Being more specific or providing a link to whatever this is about would have provided clarity.
    Or is there a link I cannot reach and others can?
    That has happened to me before.
    Been a while, though.
    Scanning responses, it appears to be about George Soros bankrolled Bernie babies disrupting Trump rallies.
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    • Posted by 8 years, 1 month ago
      Sorry Allosaur. Cruz said the Chicago protesters were reacting to Trumps rhetoric. As if the threatened violence was Trumps fault. I thought he should have condemned the protesters and defended Trumps first amendment right to free speech.
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  • Posted by edweaver 8 years, 1 month ago
    IMHO, he was wrong in not defending Trump. Personally, I am hoping he will realize his mistake and admit it. As of this moment I think he is the only candidate that says he is for the Constitution. Does that make him the best? Only time will tell.
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    • Posted by wiggys 8 years, 1 month ago
      Cruz is a politician and as such he will do what he or his advisers believe is best and to admit he made a mistake about a competitor is out of the question. He is for the constitution verbally now but would not be if he were elected. He is no less a sham that ALL of the rest of them.
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      • Posted by jhagen 8 years, 1 month ago
        When he speaks of matters related to the constitution, he's brilliant. Arguably the best candidate we've had in my lifetime as far as that goes. But he gives so many indications that he doesn't have the ability to put those stated beliefs in practice. ...at least during this campaign. It makes me wonder about his true character. Can anyone who makes a career out of being a politician properly put such beliefs into practice?
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        • Posted by scojohnson 8 years, 1 month ago
          My point exactly. Now he's faced with the situation that his rhetoric was heavily-geared toward the southern evangelical voter, and he got trashed by Trump in the South, so his path to the nomination swinging his Texas drawl and the Bible in one hand while lying through his teeth out the other side is pretty weak when moving through Ohio, New York (where he insulted 30 million people), New Jersey, California, Arizona, etc. He just doesn't have a chance, there are not enough Bible-belt states left. The religious population in the west tends to be Catholic, I don't even think we have an evangelical church here in Northern California.. Lutheran, Catholic, Methodist, Mormon,and non-Affiliated like Bayside or Saddleback - yes... but very few of the stuff he is locking onto. We even have a lot of Greek & Russian Orthodox... Hispanics are 99.5% Catholic though, and Hispanics make up over 50% of California, and Catholics don't wear it on our sleeves, so he's going to look like an endangered species here.

          He's Texan, his other problem (other than being Canadian), Californians don't like Texans, at all, Gov. Perry used to make very visible 'business trips' to Sacramento, San Francisco, and Silicon Valley to do one-on-one meetings with our largest & most profitable companies trying to promise them tax credits, tax abatements on their buildings, and whatever to move to Texas. Quite a few did, giving their long-time employees the choice between uprooting their kids, leaving their families, and moving to Texas where the climate, frankly, sucks compared to California... or find another job. The 'correct' answer that I happen to agree with is, Rick, go back to Texas and work on trying to create some jobs other than Walmart cart pushers and leave ours alone. :) Then he (Gov. Perry) was giving a speech here criticizing our very popular culture of clean environment - which stems from Yosemite, Tahoe, the Sequoia Forest, the 700 mile coast, and many other natural assets... and after spending an hour insulting us, got in his luxury rental car to go back to the airport.. which happened to be a Tesla Model S... I just couldn't hide the cringe I had looking at that. The guy got creamed in the primary, and rightfully so. Ted's problem when he comes out here is that he kind of looks like Gov. Perry from that perspective, so despite all the Republican endorsements, he's going to have about a 10-20% showing, at best here, and we're obviously the grand prize of the delegate count.
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      • Posted by scojohnson 8 years, 1 month ago
        I'm FINALLY happy everyone is starting to see my point, which has not changed, since at least September on Ted Cruz.

        Is he an evangelical preacher? Is he a defender of liberty? No, he's a politician that takes money in the form of donations but are effectively bribes to run for office. In one of his roles as the Solicitor General (Texas) he argued the State of Texas' position on various matters before the Supreme Court - and served at the pleasure of the Governor and argued the position of the Governor.. so were they his views or the Governor's views? But it wasn't under G.W.Bush, it was in 2003, so would have been Rick Perry (I think), not the most appealing guy in the world...

        Before that, he had been an attorney for about a year or two, about his only time in the public sector, if you can call it that, then he was the Deputy Director of Policy & Planning for the Federal Trade Commission in 2001 - he worked on the Bush campaign, so that was a gimme appointed job commensurate with his low level in the campaign.. What the hell is Policy & Planning for the FTC anyway? That sounds like an in by 9 am & leave by noon kind of job. He brags that he defeated collective bargaining proposals from doctors... huh? Doctors are independent contractors... pretty much all of them unless working at a University Hospital or something like that, can't be that hard to defeat a 'union' proposal from them..

        While Solicitor General, his only resume of substance, he worked on a total of 8 cases in 5 years. Well, his staff worked on 8 cases in 5 years. Again, he kind of / sort of worked I would guess.

        Then he went into private practice again for about a month, realized it's pretty hard to actually make a living as a business owner, but puts we business owners on a pedestal like he's one of us... then announced his run for the Senate and probably started paying himself again out of his campaign donations/etc.

        I'm sorry... I just don't see a lifelong struggle and freedom fighter here... I see a guy that has always been on the taxpayer tit in one way or another.
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    • Posted by Mark_Ten 8 years, 1 month ago
      Senator Cruz did defend the right of free speech and assembly. His criticism was of the incendiary nature of much of Trump's discourse, and he is correct.
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      • Posted by edweaver 8 years, 1 month ago
        I hope you are right. I have not seen anything that shows he defended his right to free speech. Do you have a link to video showing that?
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        • Posted by Mark_Ten 8 years, 1 month ago
          Saw it on you tube. Knock yourself out. Also saw some vids on you tube of Cruz handling hecklers [like Code Pink] by calming the crowd, asking them to send a spokesperson up to the mike and having a civilized mini-debate with the spokesperson. Goes a along way toward defusing a tense situation. Sometimes one even gets a convert or two. Sure beats the hell out of screaming, "Back in the old days people like that would be taken out on a stretcher."
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    • Posted by scojohnson 8 years, 1 month ago
      In my opinion, you can take a stance and defend our values and institutions, while being clear that you do not necessarily support someone's view. He was absolutely wrong here, and it blows a hole the size of Bernie Sander's bus being towed down the road in his claims of being the defender of liberty.
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      • Posted by edweaver 8 years, 1 month ago
        Would you mind explaining your first sentence? I don't understand how it relates to my comment or your 2nd sentence. Thanks
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        • Posted by scojohnson 8 years, 1 month ago
          Sorry, by "you", I meant Cruz. If he doesn't like Trump as a person or candidate, he did his own reputation a disservice by not standing up for the ideals and freedoms he pretends to champion.

          Instead of standing up for the First Amendment, and the correct answer which is you don't necessarily have the right to protest a private gathering, and it's a felony to do so anyway where secret service is providing protective services. Rights of one end where they infringe on the rights of others. This is a result of the everyone gets a trophy thing these brats were raised with.

          His claim to fame is defending freedom in the courtroom, but there is basically one of those in each state, he was a paid attorney to do so. Thus, I can't see any proof that it is 'him' or his job to do that, and he certainly wouldn't have the flexibility to do as he pleases each day.

          The Acorn/Occupy/MoveOn crowd has stepped across too many lines and the protester-in-chief refuses to prosecute them. It was disappointing to see Cruz worried about some whack-job votes instead of the correct answer, conservative or not.
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          • Posted by edweaver 8 years, 1 month ago
            Now that makes sense. I cannot disagree with much that you say. I still believe, of all the candidates, Cruz is our best chance at reverting to our Constitution but I will not hold my breath either. We have been burned by so many.

            Now can you explain the felony comment? A felony to simply protest or charge the stage?
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            • Posted by scojohnson 8 years, 1 month ago
              In 2012, Obama signed a bill into law that makes it a federal felony to protest or create a disturbance inside a restricted area, defined as any place of national significance or where a person under the protection of the Secret Service is located or temporarily visiting. This was in response to the Occupy stuff, where on a number of occasions, they got way too close and probably risking a bullet in the head from an agent.

              It's perfectly legal to protest from say, across the street, but you cannot go into the event and whip out your posters... if anyone other than Obama was the President, we would see some charges flying for 1 year in prison (if unarmed) and 10 years if using an improvised weapon.

              What is interesting, is that the Donald Trump thing in Ohio - the media made it look like someone threw something at him, which wasn't the case, it was a guy charging the stage from behind and trying to climb up on there. The Secret Service took him down. Turns out the guy was a frequent at Bernie rallies, had pledged his support for the ISIS cause online, and had many previous dust-ups with law enforcement. If you see the whole video, it actually looked like Trump was ready to take him on - he must have said something, and then the Secret Service held him back.

              I don't disagree with the law, the people at the gathering have the right to speak and be heard, the 'bullying' is denying them their right, which is exactly what this Acorn/Occupy communist-sympathizer group does. They have the right to their signs & stuff, but it's on the public sidewalk across the street, not 'blocking' the street, or denying people the right to enter or exit. In short, it is peaceful protest, not this violent stuff.

              https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2012...

              I love the photo-bomb circulating on Facebook right now, it says it all.... "Hey - We the Silent Majority - Lets Go and Protest a Bernie Rally!!!"... "Oh yeah, he holds them during the week, and we all have Jobs. Sorry."
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    • Posted by 8 years, 1 month ago
      I'm curious to see if it hurts him in the polls. Not much time left now. Rubio looks done and Kasich has to hope for a brokered convention.
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      • Posted by edweaver 8 years, 1 month ago
        Personally I'm more concerned that he doesn't keep making these kind of mistakes or I may start to believe they are not mistakes and he is just like any other politician. I think that would hurt him in the polls.
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        • Posted by 8 years, 1 month ago
          I spoke to someone working on Senator Toomeys re-election campaign. He said that Cruz is not well liked in the Senate. Not sure if it's because he is principled or just an a#@hole.
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          • Posted by edweaver 8 years, 1 month ago
            I think it is because he is very principled. I have not met him but have listened to countless hours of interviews and read his book. He has always come across as a very nice person but a person of character and conviction.

            Personally, I believe if you are well liked in that hole, you are not doing your job. I experienced the same thing when I was an elected official on our local county board. While I got along with all of the other elected officials, most did not like me because I was always talking about protecting the taxpayer. I believed my job was to be a taxpayer representative, not someone elected to run the county. Most believe they are elected to run the county.
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  • Posted by LarryHeart 8 years, 1 month ago
    Why do people make so many assumptions of what people are supposed to do or say or what it MUST mean if a person says or doesn't say something?

    I used to make assumptions until I realized that All my Assumptions began with an Ass. :)
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  • Posted by $ iamfrankblanco 8 years, 1 month ago
    My question back to you is, where was the state action that was attempting to snuff out Trump's right to speak?
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    • Posted by $ WilliamShipley 8 years, 1 month ago
      You are correct, it's not a first amendment issue. On the other hand since Trump had legally arranged for the facility, the protesters used force to deprive him of his rights. Certainly that should have been decried.
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      • Posted by $ iamfrankblanco 8 years, 1 month ago
        The question becomes if the facility qualifies as a public or non-public forum at that point.
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        • Posted by $ WilliamShipley 8 years, 1 month ago
          I,of course, don't know the legal details at this site but I am assuming that if you are staging an event for thousands of people you rent the hall for your exclusive use, provide insurance, security and all the other things the facility management requires.

          This isn't a case of saying, "Hey, let's go gather down at the park." I would think it qualifies as a non-public forum -- otherwise there would be no legal right to remove protesters which is routinely done.
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          • Posted by $ iamfrankblanco 8 years, 1 month ago
            There are classifications based on specific time, manner, place restrictions put into place by the federal government. Depending on the gravity of the "non-public" use, would determine whether Mr. Trump's right had been per se violated.
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    • Posted by Kittyhawk 8 years ago
      Thank you for pointing this out! I've been thinking it the whole time I was reading comments.
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      • Posted by $ iamfrankblanco 8 years ago
        Of course, if we're going to be defenders of the Constitution - let's not apply it sparingly or when it suits our fancy.
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        • Posted by Kittyhawk 8 years ago
          Sure, but the actions of fellow private citizens (protestors) allegedly causing Trump to decide to cancel a planned speaking engagement does not involve state action. The First Amendment states: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances." It effectively forbids government from preventing people from speaking, but it does not affirmatively guarantee every person the right to have their speech heard whenever and wherever they choose.

          The only feeble argument I can think of which would involve state action here is to argue that the police or federal agents or someone in government had an obligation to deal with the interfering protestors more quickly and/or effectively than they did, and that their failure to do so amounted to a deprivation of Trump's free speech rights. This seems like a big stretch to me, and contrary to the nature of the First Amendment.
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  • Posted by $ blarman 8 years, 1 month ago
    Why is it Ted Cruz' responsibility to talk about what happened at a Trump rally? Did Trump come defend Cruz when he was being assaulted by Code Pink?

    They are contenders for political office. Let them each deal with their respective rallies and take responsibility for such.

    Me? I want to know which candidate is going to respect the rule of law and especially the Constitution of the United States. Cruz' history of doing that gives me confidence he will continue to do so. I don't have that same confidence in any of the remaining candidates. Sanders openly shills for getting rid of the Constitution in favor of socialism. Hillary gives lip service, but wants to install herself as Queen. Trump simply has no history to go on other than anecdotal. Rubio seems to think that illegals should have the same protections as citizens.
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    • Posted by Mark_Ten 8 years, 1 month ago
      I saw the vid clip of Cruz dealing with the Code Pink people. He calmly neutralized them by actually inviting one of their spokes persons onto the stage for a civilized mini-debate. The crowd settled down and listened. THIS is how one converts others. It simply is not done by telling one's supporters to, "knock the hell" out of protestors.
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    • Posted by 8 years, 1 month ago
      I thought it was a missed an opportunity. He didn't have to defend Donald but he could have pointed out how the left wants to shut down any speech they disagree with. He could have looked Presidential but instead I thought he just looked like another politician.
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      • Posted by $ blarman 8 years, 1 month ago
        Perhaps, but I'm getting a little sick of everyone running to the President when anything happens for their opinion or a call to action. If we want people to start thinking and acting for themselves, I can't think of an office better suited to leading that initiative than the Office of the President. Do we want a laissez-faire President who doesn't seek to actively control everything or someone who organizes and antagonizes to as to expand power at every opportunity?
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  • Posted by Herb7734 8 years, 1 month ago
    Which is why Cruz is not a perfect candidate. He is pandering. Sad. This is the best we can do. But if he lives up to 50% of what he promises and so far has actually done, then no question, he's the best available.
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  • Posted by evlwhtguy 8 years, 1 month ago
    He actually argued with an NPR radio commentator about this. He did state that the liberal activists spend entirely too much time shouting people down on, for instance, college campuses. But he then went on to "blame the victim" [IE Donald] for this. The republican establishment just hates the Donald.....and they seem willing to piss away the election...and the next 2 or 3 supreme court justice nominations as a result.
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    • Posted by term2 8 years, 1 month ago
      the GOP is ancient and about to fall. The hate Trump, even though he is bringing in the voters that the GOP needs. Strange. You would think they would be happy he has so much support.
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      • Posted by Mark_Ten 8 years, 1 month ago
        I’ve come to realize that the Obama Cult and the Trump Cult are two sides of the same personality-cult coin. The cognitive dissonance between what the Trump faction hated about Obama and what they love about Donald is so far beyond ironic it would take a team of trained linguists and semioticians decades to decode.

        But I’ll try.

        You hated Barack Obama’s cult-like followers, with their mindless stares of adoration, their impervious barrier between emotion and reason, and their instant fury when confronted with the facts about his record, his history, or his philosophy.

        But you love it from Trump.

        You hated Obama’s shallow, facile rhetoric, with its hollow promises and loose, lowest-common-denominator word-vomit disconnected from any real policy.

        But you love it from Trump.

        You hated how Obama was gleefully lying to credulous low information voters, filling them with empty promises of economic prosperity that would never come, based on plans that could never be achieved.

        But you love it from Trump.

        You hated how Obama lied about his positions on single-payer healthcare, gay marriage, gun control, and abortion to get elected, knowing that if he ever revealed the truth about what he believed that he’d be unelectable.

        But you love it from Trump.

        You hated how Obama rode the wave of constant attention from the mainstream media into office, and how they played along with his game, draining the life out of every other candidate by describing him as an inevitable juggernaut, an unstoppable political force, and a game-changer who was tapping into something deep and powerful in American political life.

        But you love it from Trump.

        You hated how Obama’s naive ignorance of the real and brutal world of international affairs was papered over by his hollow promises to make the world respect the United States again.

        But you love it from Trump.

        You hated Obama’s casual disdain for people who weren’t from a major city where, you know, all the rich, smart, educated, liberal people like him live.

        But you love it from Trump.

        You hated Obama’s elite credentialism, and how he yielded his Harvard and Columbia degrees to browbeat his aspiring-class opponents from outside the meritocracy, and how he used them to cow an already docile press.

        But you love it from Trump.

        You hated that smug, arrogant, sneering affect that took hold the moment he thought the cameras weren’t looking.

        But you love it from Trump.

        You hated Obama’s cadre of sleazy, weird, creepy advisers, with their combination of over-the-edge ideological fervor and their stench of petty corruption.

        But you love it from Trump.

        You hated Obama’s support for bail-outs, too-big-to-fail, and big, taxpayer-funded government intervention in dying industries.

        But you love it from Trump.

        You hated his comfy alliance with Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, and the odious Clinton crime family.

        But you love it from Trump.

        You hated his cavalier disdain for private property rights.

        But you love it from Trump.

        Everything that set your teeth on edge, and raised your hackles and made you loathe Barack Obama is there in Donald Trump. Every aspect of the con game Obama played on America in 2008 – the obsessive focus on one base issue (for Obama the war in Iraq, for Trump, Mexicans), the cult-like obsession, the instant attacks on apostates, the willful ignorance of his history and his beliefs – is present in Trump.

        Everything you despised in Obama is there.

        But you love it from Trump. Credit: Rick Wilson
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        • Posted by term2 8 years, 1 month ago
          I dont loathe Obama actually. I dont think about him much at all. He is a puppet driven by his contributors/supporters to do their bidding, and told by his handlers what to tell the people to get them to give in and let him do what the contributors want. Hillary is more of the same.

          What people hate about trump is that is isnt beholden to contributors, and they dont tell him what to do. Therefore, he is out of their control. Maybe for a change, he will do what the people who support him actually want, and thats a distinct change.
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  • Posted by Lysander 8 years, 1 month ago
    As I told my students today, I have participated in 10 prez elections, as an attempt to alter the system, nothing has changed for the better. Each one has gotten worse than the last. If we last 10 more year, 250th year of Declaration, I'd be surprised. Why would Cruz be any better than last candidate?
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    • Posted by $ MichaelAarethun 8 years, 1 month ago
      What makes you think we lasted 240? Last I checked when they suspended the Constitution and the Bill of rights/civil rights it was over. The rest is just a charade for the gullible.
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  • Posted by term2 8 years, 1 month ago
    Cruz has a vicious and power hungry side to him. I can feel it underlying his nice-nice preacher-style speeches. It is unsettling to me. He talks about the constitution and defending it, but I am not sure he really believes what he says. He is also a bit too interested in enforcing (his) religion through government.
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