Posted on 11/22/2015 1:17:49 PM PST by RoosterRedux
Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump said Sunday he is open to running for president as an independent if he concludes Republicans are not treating him "fairly."
He made his comments on ABC's "This Week" when asked about a Wall Street Journal story first published online Friday that reported an effort by Republican establishment figures to unite to knock Mr. Trump out of the race. The group plans a "guerrilla campaign" backed by secret donors to "defeat and destroy" the celebrity businessman’s candidacy, the Journal reported.
The notion of an independent Trump bid worries some Republicans, who fear he would siphon votes from the GOP nominee and help elect a Democrat.
Asked if he would reconsider his promise not to run as an independent, Mr. Trump didn't give a direct answer.
"Well, we'll see what happens," he said. "It will be very interesting. But I'm leading every poll by a lot. It's not even a little bit anymore, it's a lot."
Asked again if he was open to an independent run, he repeated, "Well, I'm going to have to see what happens. I will see what happens. I have to be treated fairly. You know, when I did this, I said I have to be treated fairly. If I'm treated fairly, I'm fine. All I want to do is a level playing field."
Mr. Trump also said he would bring back use of waterboarding, the controversial interrogation technique that simulates drowning and that is considered torture by many. President Barack Obama barred waterboarding and other harsh techniques at the start of his presidency.
(Excerpt) Read more at blogs.wsj.com ...
You're exuding so much of it I can feel it surrounding me like a miasma here at my computer in balmy Florida.
Please try to control your utter panic.
Leni
Thanks.
Second -- Of course the GOPe can't be trusted, they are a bunch of corrupt power brokers! Of course they will bring out the long knives for any candidate that they don't control, we all know that and every candidate knew that and they all still made that pledge. If Trump had his fingers crossed or had some gullible notion that he would not be dissed because of how awesome he is, then he should of been honest enough to not make the pledge. He made it and is now threatening to break it; it demonstrates that he lacks integrity and should not be trusted to be president where the temptations to corruption are great.
I have to agree. I haven’t seen many of them go after the Hildebeast the way they go after Trump.
I guess it has more to do with the fact that they are unable to handle reality and they feel that they can change that merely by going after FReepers who do not agree with them.
Trump’s popularity extends far beyond FR. Being shatheads here isn’t going to change a thing. LOL
If the GOPe isn’t holding up their end of the deal, then neither should Trump.
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You are not paying attention.
The media have no desire to damage Trump in any way; they created him.
Trump is being puffed and supported by the media to block a conservative victory.
The majority understand this, but some ignore reality, and become infatuated easily.
Trump supporters have imagined up positions for Trump, and ignore what Trump has said and done himself.
Most of them will insist that Trump is opposed to amnesty; yet Trump has promised amnesty to every illegal that has a job. He calls them “the good ones.” He has admitted that his businesses cannot function without them to manicure the grounds of his hotels and resorts.
Most do not want Trump and will refuse to vote for him in any primary ballot, thus Trump stands the least chance of any candidate to win the GOP primary.
Trump calls this “being unfair to him.” He says he can go Turd party. He still cannot win, but he definitely can throw the election to the Democrats.
Cruz is the most likely candidate to take the GOP pennant, but that would be faint consolation with Trump dividing off votes to give the Dems an advantage.
The world is so unfair to billionaire spoiled brats.
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“The lesser-evil or imperfect-candidate argument no longer holds water.”
I’m not in favor of the lesser evil either. I just believe in the end it will be Cruz. You see Carson starting to fall now. Rubio will end up the establishment candidate as I don’t think Bush can get enough support to overcome Rubio. If it’s between Cruz and Rubio for the GOP nomination, I think Cruz takes it. Then if it’s Cruz/Trump/Clinton in the general election, there is no way either Cruz or Trump (running 3rd party) could get enough electoral votes to beat Hillary.
Just my humble opinion.
Me neither, I'm for the greatest good - I'm for Cruz!
Why? All a third party would accomplish is election of the Democrat -- the Hildebeest.
Third parties are folly.
Exactly! Trump would only succeed in splitting the conservative vote, with many staying with a GOP candidate like Cruz. Meet President Clinton!
Ross Perot redux!
I'm not God, just one of his children. It's my heavenly Father that warns against making rash vows and breaking your promises.
Can’t say I blame him, I left the GOP over Romney and went to the Constitution Party. Their 2012 candidate, Virgil Goode, has came out in support of Trump. While it concerns me about the fate of the CP, it does show his wide ranging support outside the GOP.
Blah blah blah...
We apparently haven’t been watching the same media; what I see is a desperation to bring him down.
You’re asking me to choose between the GOP establishment who has not only stabbed us in the back repeatedly, but outright stated that they’re going to stab us in the front too. And on the other hand, Donald Trump, who may have some liberal policies, but so far hasn’t shown me any reason to doubt his word about his growth as a person.
For that matter, if you think that a conservative would manage to win the rigged primary process without Trump’s popular appeal, I have a mining operation on Pluto to sell you.
To me the choice is between definitely getting screwed and maybe getting screwed. I’ll take the maybe any day, despite your eager attempts to ensure that we are definitely screwed.
Well, if the primary process is fair (I know, just bear with me), then Cruz might win.
From what I heard Trump say, he’ll take his loss graciously if it’s a fair loss. And if Cruz should win, who is also hated by the establishment, it would have to be fairly done.
But what we’re seeing here is that the GOP is trying to rig the primary process against Trump, just like they were trying to rig it against Cruz before Trump got into the race. If neither Trump nor Cruz wins, it will likely be because of shenanigans. If Cruz wins, it will be in spite of shenanigans, not because of them.
So if Trump runs 3rd party, I’m very sure that the R nominee won’t be Cruz; it will be an establishment hack on one side and Hillary on the other, and not a monkey’s fart worth of difference between them. If that’s the case, the only moral and logical choice would be 3rd party.
No chance it’ll be Trump/Cruz/Clinton. If the RNC rigs the process enough to take out Trump, Cruz (who they also hate, but don’t fear as much) will fall as well and it’ll probably be Rubio/Trump/Clinton.
Of those three, Rubio and Clinton are nothing more than ‘same old same old’ and electing either one would ensure the further decline of the United States. Voting 3rd party then would be the only choice.
The GOP would prefer to lose the election to Hillary rather than accept Trump as POTUS.
If either Trump or cruz is the nominee, they won't be treated with respect. The GOPe will pull the same stut as they did with Goldwater-- when the Rockefeller wing sat on their hands.
Fortunately, the establishment doesn't have the same influence today that it had in 1964.
Lord, think of where we'd be today had Goldwater been elected -- no escalation in Viet Nam, no War on Poverty, Social Security still free-standing, practical and effective Civil Rights and Voting Rights laws, etc. The beginning, perhaps of 24 consecutive years of conservative governance (no Carter). An earlier end to the Cold War, even.
Who says elections aren't important...???
Mr. Trump has been playing chess while the GOPe plays checkers. Which makes sense after watching them get played by Obola for 7 years.
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>> “what I see is a desperation to bring him down.” <<
That’s what you want to believe, but it is not supported by the facts.
If they ever had wanted to bring him down, all they had to do is do exactly what they do with Cruz: ignore him completely.
Instead they keep him up front in every way, even manufacturing frivolous false ‘news’ so that they can show his picture and say his name.
.
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>> “The GOPe will pull the same stunt as they did with Goldwater” <<
.
Looking closer, what just happened in Maryland indicates that the national party is beginning to lose control of the state and local central committees.
They have over-played their hand in numerous ways including the stunts in congress where the leadership has turned to the Dems to keep from following the voters wishes.
I’m pretty sure that Cruz is going to crack this nut in a big way.
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MR. TRUMP:
JUST DO IT! The RNC doesn’t want you, that they’ve made perfectly clear. If not too late, build your own party, include in your circle those persons whose philosophies agree with yours and hit the road running hard on those planks. Persons such as Cruz, West, Sessions, Palin, along with numerous others would be standing in line to join you and the team. And, knowing you would not be running under the slimy Republican name might draw many more out of their stupor to vote for the winning team - TRUMP and his VP choice. After all, who would be found voting for the mommy’s boy, loser, Bush or any of the little squirrels running around him. You, sir stand far above any republican on the ticket and the GOPe is well aware of that fact. MAKE THEM SAY UNCLE and EAT DIRT.
GO TRUMP! GO CRUZ! ~ YOU WIN OR WE LOSE!
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