March 3, 2016

At the Last 4 Men Debate...

... let's talk about it! What are you looking for? I had the idea that "perhaps all 4 men will go for an elevated presidential demeanor," but I also thought there's a good chance "there will be blood."

Predict the tone of tonight's debate.
 
pollcode.com free polls

UPDATE 1: My son John is live-blogging (as usual). He'll have a lot of updates, and I may have some here too.

UPDATE 2: Trump guarantees us that he doesn't have a small penis.

UPDATE 3: Trump has fixed the "reverse racoon."

UPDATE 4: Poor Cruz suffered the worst physical disaster I've ever seen on TV! What was that thing that came out of his mouth and rode along on his lip?! We were screaming in horror!

UPDATE 5: Rubio, Cruz, and Kasich all say they will support Trump if he's the nominee. And Trump says he'll support whoever is the party's nominee.

Who won the debate?
 
pollcode.com free polls

368 comments:

1 – 200 of 368   Newer›   Newest»
pm317 said...

What are you looking for?

I am looking for little Marco to smack the Donald.

Saint Croix said...

Why does Marco get a nickname from you but Donnie gets to pick his own nickname?

You are way too respectful of Little Baby Satan.

Original Mike said...

"I am looking for little Marco to smack the Donald."

With his big hands?

Fabi said...

I tried to talk my girlfriend into having a wonky longueur one time, but she turned me down.

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

Bringing up the KKK is pretty classless.

pm317 said...

I thought of calling him Big Donnie.. :)

Saint Croix said...

Also I like "the shiv" or "the Cuban" for Marco.

And do not hit him! Marco Rubio is very, very disciplined.

Original Mike said...

Elevated and Presidential is on the ropes.

The Cracker Emcee Refulgent said...

Mad brutality, please. A metaphorical bloodletting is the only way to move this along. A smart candidate would also work the phrase "massively corrupt, slimy, lying, enabler for a rapist" into their answers at least half a dozen times.

Saint Croix said...

It would be awesome if Megyn Kelly hits him. Like just smacks the shit out of him? That I would pay to see.

When a woman hits you, you're screwed regardless of what happens next.

Even if you take it, she's just going to claw your eyes out. Not good! What would the mullahs think?

I don't think Donnie's little brain is fast enough to figure out what to do if Megyn Kelly hits him.

Did you get enough sleep, Donnie?

pm317 said...

@Original Mike.. yeah, shlong the heck out of him..

rhhardin said...

Tiny hands would make you a good obstetrician.

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

Maybe they should just take their cocks and Megyn could measure them.

rhhardin said...

Best hands ever.

mccullough said...

Fox News is losing ratings. They will be the biggest loser in this election cycle

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

Marco's strategy seems to evolved into an attempted murder suicide. Hopefully only the suicide pans out.

pm317 said...

Get lost, Kasich!

pm317 said...

ARM, go easy .. I happen to like his fan we have here.

Saint Croix said...

Kasich cannot answer a question without asking Donnie first!

Donnie, what do I say?!

John Stodder said...

So, what's the over-under for when one of Trump's former lovers will be put up by the Trump campaign to sign an affidavit attesting that Trump's penis size is adequate?

Saint Croix said...

that was a sharp question to Kasich

very, very sharp

good journalism instincts on that one

Saint Croix said...

Trump's penis size is adequate

If they said that, I would laugh for a million years

Adequate!

tim in vermont said...

Whodathunk our democracy would auger in like this. With a woman who started her political career taking hundred thousand dollar bribes from a company that her husband regulated and went to taking $150 million in similar thinly disguised favors,

The ham-handed hawk of Libya and Syria, that woman is going to be president.

Chuck said...

I don't believe I have ever seen a presidential debate that was more obsessed with 'horse race' questions and less attentive to issues. This has been rather strange.

Titus said...

I think they all need to whip out their cocks now to prove who is the best candidate.

Likely, this would make Marco hard though.

Margo is horrible.

tits.

Laslo Spatula said...

"Also I like "the shiv" or "the Cuban" for Marco."

Only if "the shiv" is code for gay anal sex.

Or "the Cuban" is code for gay anal sex.

'The Cuban shived a guy in the bathroom."

Neon signs inside.

I am Laslo.

The Cracker Emcee Refulgent said...

Schlong 'Em, Boyo

-Cracker Joe Strummer

Saint Croix said...

Let's sing a little song I call Overcompensation

jr565 said...

So althouse asked if trump would be the adult in the room. Obviously, the answer is no.

Michael said...

Only lefties and morons talk about the KKK. Jesus. There aren't a thousand of them in the whole country. Very disappointing to lefties but there it is.

Laslo Spatula said...

The Cracker Emcee said...
Schlong 'Em, Boyo

-Cracker Joe Strummer

I never say +1 but:

+1.

I am Laslo.

tim in vermont said...

Titus and Laslo are the two commenters who have the chops to analyse this debate.

jr565 said...

Good point about how Trumps numbers don't add up. trump totally has no answer. His math is worse than Bernie sander's.

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

Trump can't say, 'my proposed budget is bullshit, just like the other guys'. I think he think he should give this a try at least once.

HT said...

I'm not looking for anything like presidential demeanor, no way. I'm looking to see who can match Drumpf for authenticity. So far, not good.

Saint Croix said...

I don't believe I have ever seen a presidential debate that was more obsessed with 'horse race' questions and less attentive to issues. This has been rather strange.

Journalists are bad about that. They're worse than the politicians, by far.

Donnie is the strange one. Constantly talking about his poll numbers. He is all horse race. The man has no policy experience, no ideas. It's all game-playing for him. But it feeds into the media narrative, what journalists love anyway, the combat and the entertainment.

Donnie is a media-creation.

tim in vermont said...

So althouse asked if trump would be the adult in the room. Obviously, the answer is no.

Can't we lay off Trump's penis already?

Titus said...

Cruz has a loogie on his lip.

pm317 said...

OMG, no no no.. to Cruz.

Laslo Spatula said...

jr565 said...
"Good point about how Trumps numbers don't add up."

Nobody's answers add up.

The moment Real Math is involved our House of Cards collapses.

A few more years of a Naked Emperor, please.


I am Laslo.

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

Talking about a bullshit - abolishing the IRS is classic bullshit.

Why not just promise to eliminate all taxes? That is the logical conclusion of all these ridiculous budget proposals.

jr565 said...

We need people to get along, - Trump.
So now let me set fire to the establishment.

rcocean said...

This is 2nd or 3rd time Fox has tried to hit Trump on his budget numbers. None of the Candidates tax/spend policies add up. Every candidate says :

I'd in favor of a balanced budget, will cut taxes, and not cut spending that people like (which is 90% of the budget)- when you can't have all 3.

why they don't attack the other candidates plans I don't know.

rcocean said...

Why not ask Rubio about Jeff Sessions?

rehajm said...

These tax cut gotchas are foolish. Economies are dynamic, not static. Changes in tax policy impact economic activity in predictable ways with respect to direction, but uncertain in magnitude. Yet journalists assume economies are static. They believe all they have to do is some arithmetic to 'prove' a tax cut plan will create a deficit. Not true.

Birkel said...

If I am Ted Cruz or (is it John) Kasich should be loving the first 20 minutes.

Embarrassing.

pm317 said...

Masterful.. Trump just silenced Cruz.

Laslo Spatula said...

Rubio keeps trying to find a back door to attack Trump.

Rubio is usually good at finding back doors.

I've heard.

I am Laslo.

Saint Croix said...

Ted Cruz has decided to smack Donnie.

and oh shit

Megyn is smacking him!

HT said...

This is very third world.

Birkel said...

and then the thing on the lip...

More embarrassment

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

Trump handled the NYT question issue well, but Megyn made it pretty easy for him also. Apparently orders from mission central have been changed.

Birkel said...

Does anybody else get a Kermit the Frog vibe from Kasich?

Laslo Spatula said...

Since the Nineteenth Amendment you cannot have a successful male Presidential Candidate that at least some American women want to sleep with.

Make your ugly Cruz jokes here.

Make your gay Rubio jokes here.

As far as Trump: women sleep with Money.

I am Laslo.

pm317 said...

There is a certain sensibility in all of Trump's response that is missing in the canned (memorized?) responses of others.

jr565 said...

Lalso wrote:
No ones numbers add up.


Trumps REALLY don't add up. He's said he doesn't have to address entitlements but that it can all be dealt with through waste and abuse the moderators held up the entire budgets that trump says we can cut from. Even if you cut their entire budgets WHICH WILL NOT HAPPEN it won't come close to addressing our yearly deficit.

pm317 said...

Trump is a diamond in the rough.

HT said...

Wow, these candidates are HORRIBLE. I really haven't been paying attention. Abolish the IRS?

Original Mike said...

"Talking about a bullshit - abolishing the IRS is classic bullshit"

Abolish, no. But the IRS could be greatly downsized if the tax code was greatly simplified.

Saint Croix said...

The great shift left has begun!

HT said...

Birkel said...

Does anybody else get a Kermit the Frog vibe from Kasich?

3/3/16, 8:38 PM

No.

Question: Drumpf is always in the split screen. I feel like i'm watching SNL.

Birkel said...

Big fan of the IRS, HT?

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

HT said...
This is very third world.


No it's not. In the third world they shoot each other, they don't sit around arguing about who has the biggest cock. This is looking more like the Australian parliament.

Saint Croix said...

seriously, illegal immigration is #162 on Things That Need Fixing

I wish the media would stop letting Trump define the questions

media lapdogs are not helpful

Birkel said...

If they released a Bad Lip Reading with Kasich as Kermit the Frog, it would work.

mccullough said...

This NYTimes tape bullshit is a distraction. Cruz is making it sound like the 18 minutes of tape Nixon erased.

Move on, Ted.

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

Saint Croix said...
seriously, illegal immigration is #162 on Things That Need Fixing


Maybe on your list, but look at Europe, uncontrolled borders ultimately lead to chaos.

shiloh said...

Soooo, who's looked presidential?

The RNC's "theory" was less debates would be advantageous to party amity? Of course Trump threw a wrench in that scenario. Suffice it to say at this stage debates are useless minutiae, much like posting at political blogs.

Can Trump be stopped by the so called Rep hierarchy? Whatever the hell hierarchy/establishment means nowadays.

Stay tuned ...

pm317 said...

Little Marco is talking.. he has thought long and hard on this topic.. and he rattles them out without thinking. TG we can put the teleprompter jokes to bed.

mccullough said...

Marco ready to send more American troops into the Middle East. Fucking W redux

Bill, Republic of Texas said...

#162 on things need fixing? WTF are you talking about? It must be nice to be in a situation where you don't have to worry about where you or your kids will find a job.

robother said...

If the GOPe is successful at stealing this nomination for Romney at the convention, this will be the last election that the Republican Party will need a ballot line for.

Like the Whigs on slavery, this GOP will show that it is incapable of offering Americans concerned about open borders, loss of middle class jobs, endless combat missions in the Middle East and political correctness that prevents any rational discussion of whole areas of public policy.

sane_voter said...

Trump is terrible at these debates. A mean, ugly man.

J. Farmer said...

I have never tuned into a political debate for "elevated discourse." Only for humor and entertainment value.

pm317 said...

Cruz is on his own wavelength.. LOL

Birkel said...

sane_voter:

You don't get his appeal. Neither do I. But other voters seem to react differently.

Chuck said...

Somebody has said it before; listening to Trump is like getting a taxi ride from New York's craziest non-Somali cab driver.

Original Mike said...

I thought the "Saudi families left just before 9/11" claim was debunked.

Saint Croix said...

It must be nice to be in a situation where you don't have to worry about where you or your kids will find a job.

I do worry about the economy!

I'm not worried about competition.

Do you understand the difference?

You might think about how stupid a trade war with Mexico and China is, and how awful it will be for you and your family.

mccullough said...

Trump is at least right that Saudi Arabia, not Iraq, was the place exporting terrorism.

Birkel said...

So what happens when Hillary is indicted?
Can we start an Althouse blog pool?

J. Farmer said...

Oh, I really wish Trump would drop his histrionic bluster about the Iranian nuclear deal. I understand why it is politically expedient for him to attack it in such an overwrought manner, but it is so detached from reality. The Obama administration has made tons of egregious foreign policy mistakes (e.g. Afghanistan surge, drone program, Libya, Syria, etc.). The Iranian nuclear deal is one of the few clear cut successes.

sane_voter said...

35% so far have preferred Trump's schtick. 65% have preferred someone else. Trump will crash and burn against whomever the Dems run.

RCP averages vs Hillary
Rubio 48.5, Hillary 43.5 (Rubio +5)
Cruz 46.5, Hillary 45.0 (Crux +1.5)
Hillary 45.4, Trump 42.0 (Hillary +3.4)

Saint Croix said...

A protectionist economy will not protect the economy.

Free trade is not only free, it's smart.

HT said...

The Mara Lago!!! Go for it Ted. Yes! 300 Americans applied, "Donald" hired 17. Good - he's saying Donald lies. Good!!! He does. Americans don't want very short-term jobs, says Drumpf. Go Marco!!

Original Mike said...

Actually, wasn't the claim that Saudi families were flown home after 9/11 but before the aviation shutdown was lifted?

American Liberal Elite said...

There are so many great comments here - this blog needs a "like" button.

Saint Croix said...

The Iranian nuclear deal is liberal stupidity at its finest.

Whistling past the graveyard.

We trust the Iranians! Just can't open an embassy there for some reason.

Birkel said...

Trenchant analysis from J. Farmer, who supports Fortress America.

Which city will be attacked next, J. Farmer?

jr565 said...

So the military will carry out torture worse than water boarding just because trump says so? He doesn't even have to get John Yoo to write up theoretical rules as to what lengths we can go to that WERENT torture? He can just say "go torture that guy over their? And also kill his family"
Please, don't tell me you support trump but think Obama is lawless.
Whatever you can say about Bush. He set up an enhanced interrogation program and notified congress about it. And he DIDNT say we should carry out torture. Water boarding was defined as NON torture.

mccullough said...

Farmer,

A bit early to call the Iran deal a success or failure. I'm certainly in agreement that in theory trying to develop diplomatic ties with Iran is better than our alliance with the Saudis. But it will take some time before we can know if it worked.

Saint Croix said...

Appoint John Kerry our next ambassador to Iran.

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

Saint Croix said...
I'm not worried about competition.


Andy Grove once wrote a book entitled: Only the Paranoid Survive. If you don't worry about the competition you have a sinecure.

Original Mike said...

"The Iranian nuclear deal is one of the few clear cut successes."

Really? You don't think a Mission Accomplished celebration is premature?

J. Farmer said...

@Saint Croix:

"Free trade is not only free, it's smart."

Sure, in some seminar somewhere about ideal conditions, free trade is a good idea and makes a lot of sense. But it doesn't really exist in the real world. What we have is not free trade but managed trade. Free trade does not require committees of dozens of people producing thousands of pages of regulations.

mccullough said...

The CIA is going to play a recording of Trump reading art of the deal. The terrorists will beg for the waterboard

The Cracker Emcee Refulgent said...

"Donnie is a media creation"

Jeepers, there's no way someone could win the Presidency on that basis. No siree. Not a chance.

-Cracker John McCain and Cracker Mitt Romney

Saint Croix said...

wow, they've prepped video clips!

Birkel said...

The cost of being wrong never bothers a Liberal.
Iranian nukes are no big deal until you are wrong.
Who gets blamed then?

Titus said...

I have gaydar and can definitely say that Rubio has sucked a dick and had a dick up his ass.

I wouldn't be surprised if he had one dick in ass and another in his mouth.

He has been to The White or Black Party in South Beach too.

tits.

J. Farmer said...

@Original Mike:

"Really? You don't think a Mission Accomplished celebration is premature?"

It isn't "mission accomplished," but it's a good first step. America gives up practically nothing (save cessation of sanctions) and Iran conceded a great deal, above and beyond even what they were legally permitted under the Non-proliferation Treaty.

Saint Croix said...

it's astounding to me how Trump fans will follow him wherever he goes

Anonymous said...

Trump losing his shit. Audience are a bunch of loons, screaming and waving hysterically. All four candidates look bad tonight, Kasich slightly less so. A black eye for the Republican Party, but can't say I'm sorry for them. They brought it on themselves.

J. Farmer said...

@Birkel:

"Iranian nukes are no big deal until you are wrong."

Except the deal is based entirely on the assumption you endorse (i.e. that it would be bad for Iran to develop a nuclear weapon). The deal greatly reduces the chances of that occurring.

Saint Croix said...

zig

zag

zig

and still they follow

in circles

in another circle

still a circle

and still they follow

jr565 said...

Now he's arguing for flexibility. So, back to the NYT piece on immigration. How much flexibility is he talking about?

Original Mike said...

Why are the Iranians such bad negotiators, J Farmer?

Saint Croix said...

Except the deal is based entirely on the assumption you endorse (i.e. that it would be bad for Iran to develop a nuclear weapon). The deal greatly reduces the chances of that occurring.

Because trust! and no embassy

your illogic is embarrassing

"we got them to sign a piece of paper!"

are you volunteering to be the ambassador to Iran, J. Farmer?

Mark said...

Did Kasich just say that the problem with government was "too many outsiders" being brought in??

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

Rubio saying that it is bad to say whatever people want to hear in order to get their votes/money - you can't get comedy like that on cable anymore.

Birkel said...

J. Farmer:

I refuse to debate stupid. Say whatever stupid shit you like. I don't care that you demand I know you are stupid. I get it, stupid.

mccullough said...

ARM,

I laughed at that, too. Rubio is mad Trump's a better bullshitter.

Saint Croix said...

time out for a second

she is so hot

J. Farmer said...

@Original Mike:

"Why are the Iranians such bad negotiators, J Farmer?"

It is not that they are bad negotiators; it's that they are weak. They were forced to the table by sanctions imposed on them by more powerful states and they were later forced into concessions beyond what they would prefer by those same states. Now, a deal that totally favored foreign powers over Iran would face a crisis of legitimacy domestically and would certainly be seized upon by hard-liners. Iran needed to be seen as gaining certain concessions from the other powers, and the concessions that were made were relatively minor and not of major concern to the goal: decreasing the chance of a bomb. The deal that was actually produced was nonetheless denounced by certain hardline factions in Iran, and a round up of the various statements and editorials making this critique are available online.

jr565 said...

Trump getting hammered on trump U. Total bullshit on his part. Thank you Meghyn for delving into this.

J. Farmer said...

@Birkel:

"I refuse to debate stupid. Say whatever stupid shit you like. I don't care that you demand I know you are stupid. I get it, stupid."

King of clever repartee strikes again!

shiloh said...

"So what happens when Hillary is indicted?
Can we start an Althouse blog pool?""

Reminds me of the SNL sketch after Clinton was not convicted at his Impeachment "trial" when Darrell Hammond stands behind the podium w/the the Presidential seal and with his wry smirk says, I am bulletproof !!!

Indeed, 8 years of Clinton ~ 8 years of Obama followed by 8 years of Hillary. Conservatives, I feel your pain!

mccullough said...

Rubio is going to send the Trump U grads to Syria to get their heads blown off

Drago said...

Amanda: "Trump losing his shit."

Just make sure you don't make eye contact with Hillary. She doesn't care for that sort of behavior.

Birkel said...

Minimize the stupid comments and the thread is much shorter.

jr565 said...

And of course as soon as he is going called on it, he argues that Rubio couldn't be elected to dog catcher. He can't address the issue so he instead goes to personal attacks. That is his default position. He can't argue his points. He can only argue personal attacks. That's it.

HT said...

"Wages stagnating"

Hmmm....that's interesting, Cruz.

J. Farmer said...

@Saint Croix:

"Because trust! and no embassy

your illogic is embarrassing"


"Trust" is exactly what the deal seeks to remove from the equation. The deal puts Iran's entire fuel cycle under IAEA inspection. It's enrichment facility will be under 24-hour monitoring by long-distance close-circuit television. Arms control experts and major agencies have endorsed the deal; members of Israeli intelligence and military have endorsed the deal. No, it's not a "perfect" deal. No such deal could be. But it was a clearcut success for the side seeking to reduce Iran's chances of developing a weapon.

pm317 said...

No no no.. to Cruz.. may be little Marco but no way Cruz.

mccullough said...

Cruz televangelist demeanor is off putting

Saint Croix said...

Count to 10, Donnie!

awesome

Cruz is really good tonight

Chuck said...

Imagine a debate with Jeb Bush, Cruz, Rubio, Kasich and Walker. These debates could have been so great without Trump.

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

J. Farmer said...
Sure, in some seminar somewhere about ideal conditions, free trade is a good idea and makes a lot of sense. But it doesn't really exist in the real world.


One other classic piece of bullshit is the idea that China's rise is really a success for capitalism. The Chinese Communist Party runs the economy of Communist China solely for the benefit of Communist Party members. Not capitalism.

Saint Croix said...

wow, he's doing it again

so embarrassing

I'm leading, I'm leading, I'm leading!

I'm a leader! I'm a leader! I'm a leader!

embarrassing

just keep repeating it, dummy

maybe you'll hypnotize us

Anonymous said...

Trump in full meltdown. It may be too late to bring him down though. Republicans waited too long. Trump could shoot someone and his followers would still adore him, so he says.

Original Mike said...

"members of Israeli intelligence and military have endorsed the deal."

I don't believe it.

J. Farmer said...

@AReasonableMan:

"One other classic piece of bullshit is the idea that China's rise is really a success for capitalism. The Chinese Communist Party runs the economy of Communist China solely for the benefit of Communist Party members. Not capitalism."

I think we probably agree on the larger point, and while I generally try to avoid quarreling people I agree with, I do take exception with one piece of what you wrote here. "Capitalism" is another word like "socialism" that is so elastic it has become essential incoherent as a functioning word. China's markedly improve material condition is due, in part, in what we may describe as market based reforms. Essentially allowing a price mechanism into the system and easing up on the social planning, though there is still a huge amount of state-based corporatist planning. As far as that is concerned, the US and China still follow essentially the same economic system; there are only differences in degrees.

rcocean said...

Rubio and Cruz have to stop with the Bullshit. No one cares about "Trump U" or whether trump - who employees tens of thousands of people - hired a couple hundred legal aliens to work at a resort.

Talk about the real issues. Rubio is the worst in this regard. He obviously knows he's lost the nomination and is attacking Trump to benefit others.

HT said...

Chuck, the candidates are really bad. I thought Jeb might be somewhat good, but he was just flat and unprepared. Rubio and Cruz are just bad. Honestly, they don't have ENOUGH experience to know what they're really doing. Minus Hillary, things are not much better in the Democratic Party. There's an absence of leadership all around.

Saint Croix said...

social issues!

do we shift to Roe v. Wade supporter now?

or is it still too early?

Meade said...

I'm ready to get behind Kasich. And I would like Rubio, Cruz, and Trump to do the same.

Titus said...

I love the term Little Marco-so condenscending.

tits.

mccullough said...

Chuck,

Trump skipped the last Fox debate and Jeb was still the fumbling little brother of a bad president. Jeb never had a chance. He is a Wall Street consultant who traded on his name for wealth and the governor of a state that prospered on a bullshit housing mortgage market. He is clueless

rcocean said...

Rubio and Cruz need to stop attacking Trump and tell us why we should vote for them.

Drago said...

jr565: "Trump getting hammered on trump U. Total bullshit on his part. Thank you Meghyn for delving into this."

I'm a supporter of Cruz and I think he is doing quite well tonight. But it is my belief that at the end of the night Trump will have gained support because it's become so apparent that Megyn Kelly (whom I also like generally) has clearly staked out a partisan position and is engaging The Donald in a way that a partisan would. She didn't exactly have a Candy Crowley moment, but she was close and she has been nowhere near as aggressive with the other candidates.

I'm open to the suggestion that is because there is "less there" with which to engage those other candidates, but I don't think it will play that way to base voters.

In the same way that Romney handed Trump the perfect opportunity to "come to the defense of the 47%",I think with every clumsy move the establishment simply hands another weapon to Trump at the expense of Cruz.

I don't think the result of this effort is going to yield the result those who are anti-Trump want it to yield.

We shall see.

The one who is fragging himself the most is Rubio. What a disappointment he has become.

shiloh said...

Polls, polls, polls ~ Dukakis was (17) points ahead of Bush41 after the '88 Dem convention. He lost by 8 pts.

That same Bush41 had an 89% approval rating after the first Gulf War. A year later he received 37.4% in the '92 presidential election.

Political polls are, how shall I say, ... fluid!

buwaya said...

The Iranian deal is a plain surrender. The Iranians can do as they wish, assured that the present US government, and probably the next one, hasnt the will and ability to reimpose sanctions should any inspectors even dare to report violations. Nobody will want to detect a violation, because then they may be embarrassed, or have to do something about it, which they don't want to. These will be the most near-sighted, glaucomic cops since Captain Renault at Rick's.
Anyone who trusts the Iranians or their minders is a fool.
In the meantime they now have the sequestered billions. A very large part of which is on its way to China and Russia to make Iran a genuine military power, which it certainly wasn't under sanctions. The small states on the other side of the Gulf are the first to worry.
It's likely to be a very bloody new world.

jr565 said...

Saint croix, he quickly changes the subject from his potential fraud to "I'm leading in the polls" that's his argument for the question at hand. And it's good enough for Trumpbots. Infuriating.


When the democrats get their hands on Trump U it's going to be fraud fraud fraud fraud fraud 24/7. And he can't say "I'm ahead in the polls!"
Then again, Hillary has her own issues that I'm sure she will be hammered on too. But Jesus. Trump is like a piñata. He is going to be smacked on everything. And he will then lose his temper and put his foot in his mouth.

Drago said...

Meade: "I'm ready to get behind Kasich. And I would like Rubio, Cruz, and Trump to do the same."

Don't stop there! Have them riding unicorns as well!

Roadkill711 said...

Trump is flailing under the onslaught tonight. The sleaziness of his business practices and the emptiness of his campaign promises are being exposed, and he cannot BS his way out of it. The Donald has been exposed as an empty suit.

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

Chuck said...
Imagine a debate with Jeb Bush, Cruz, Rubio, Kasich and Walker.


It would have been a tedious exercise in singing from the Republican hymnal of the status quo - tax cuts for the rich, trade deals that undercut US industry, wars in the middle east, selling off our manufacturing expertise to the lowest bidder.

Birkel said...

"AReasonableMan"

The Chinese live fearful of 1.3 billion people. The government understands that they either better the lives of enough of the people or that revolution - again - will result.

So while you are largely correct that central planning has created a cratering, but much larger, economy... you are wrong that it has been "solely for the benefit of the Communist Party members".

mccullough said...

Rubio is lazy. He's sort of a cross between John Edwards and Obama. He's not ready for prime time.

J. Farmer said...

@Original Mike:

"I don't believe it."

Here is an op-ed in YT News, the English-language version of Ynet, by Efraim Halevy, a former head of the Israeli National Security Council and a former director of Mossad, making essentially the same argument about Iran.

HT said...


I'm ready to get behind Kasich. And I would like Rubio, Cruz, and Trump to do the same.
____________

LOL

Drago said...

ARM: "..selling off our manufacturing expertise to the lowest bidder."

We should spend some time chatting about Loral and MIRV technology and the Chinese. And invitations to sit next to Hillary as first lady.

I mean, if you are really serious about talking about selling off our expertise.

Chuck said...

Being from Michigan, and knowing a hell of a lot about the Flint water crisis, Rubio's answer about Flint was sharp, correct and even gutsy. There are a lot of Michigan Republicans in the Fox Theater who know that story and follow it closely and they liked and respected that answer.

Drago said...

Kasich, a genuinely decent fellow, would be the most polite, kind, generous and giving republican candidate who be more than happy to curl up in a nice quiet ball while Hillary beats him to death.

He would probably only break his silence to say "thank you, may I have another?"

Beldar said...

So Professor Althouse, are you still fixated on Megyn Kelly's fake eyelashes?

I think she's magnificent tonight.

Anonymous said...

Kasich excellent on the issues, he should stick to issues and not talk about himself.

J. Farmer said...

@buwaya puti:

"Anyone who trusts the Iranians or their minders is a fool."

You simply do not know what you are talking about; there are not two ways about it. I cannot imagine you even have the slightest idea of the what the inspection regime will consist of. Your entire point-of-view rests on a view of Iranian geostrategic power that is wildly at odds with reality. The Gulf Arab states all possess vastly more technologically advanced and more powerful military forces. Saudi Arabia alone spends about 10 times as much on its military as Iran. The nuclear program will certainly give Iran latent capabilities; that is inherent in the rights under the NPT. But Iran has accepted broad limitations on its enrichment activities, and the current deal is far superior to any probable alternative.

Birkel said...

Kasich got the Meade "kiss of death" endorsement?

Original Mike said...

I should have been a little more circumspect. I'm not surprised that some Israeli somewhere thinks it's a good deal, that'll always be the case on any issue.

Bill, Republic of Texas said...

St Croix

Deep breath dude.

One. Illegal immigration is not free trade. Stopping illegal immigration is not a trade war.

Two. Free trade is a abstract idea. Look at the latest bullshit from the economist. "Oops, our bad. Trade with China was a net negative for the US." Boy us dumb ass uneducated workers bees could have told them that. But no. We were told by our betters that free trade with China would make us all richer. Now they admit they were wrong.

It just stupid. You can't have free trade with countries that don't have the same economic standards, environmental standards and labor standards. All we are doing is importing poverty and exporting jobs.

It is fair to tax imports from countries that don't have our standards. If not we just import poverty.

Chuck said...

AReasonableMan said...
Chuck said...
Imagine a debate with Jeb Bush, Cruz, Rubio, Kasich and Walker.

It would have been a tedious exercise in singing from the Republican hymnal of the status quo - tax cuts for the rich, trade deals that undercut US industry, wars in the middle east, selling off our manufacturing expertise to the lowest bidder.


...And NOBODY would have been called "Little Marco" and we wouldn't be thinking about anybody's hand size, and we wouldn't be wasting time with truly crazed personal attacks.

Drago said...

Kasich totally flubbing the faith-based question.

Kasich throws himself at the feet of the left begging them not to do what we all know they have been doing, will continue to do and will accelerate doing.

HT said...

Sorry, but Cruz is NUTS. His rhetoric is designed to LOSE. He's very retro.

Meade said...

Kasich/Rubio 2016

mccullough said...

Cruz better be careful criticizing the Supreme Court. They might just apply originalism to the natural born citizen clause and kick him off the ballot.

Birkel said...

Kasich and Rubio both get the Meade "kiss of death" endorsement?

Birkel said...

HT:

I will put you down as anti-federalist in that 230 year old debate.

HT said...

BS, Drumpf used to be in favor of gay marriage.

Drago said...

HT: "Sorry, but Cruz is NUTS. His rhetoric is designed to LOSE. He's very retro"

Yes, we all know that none of the Republicans are up to your standards. Of course you'll just be "forced" to vote for Hillary.

Unexpectedly.

Anonymous said...

Kasich rocked the religious question. Very Presidential, he's a good man, that's pretty evident.

buwaya said...

The Gulf Arab states do not possess the men to make use of their money. They are paper tigers, gilded with expensive weapons and mercenaries. The Saudis can't put down the Yemeni Shiites, even with advanced weapons.
The Iranians have always had more than enough willing men, and now they will have the arms for them.
Watch what happens after they are done settling the war in Syria.

Drago said...

Amanda: "Kasich rocked the religious question. Very Presidential,.."

Kasich could have said "punish our enemies" and "hit back twice as hard" since we know that the Amanda's of the world have already pre-approved those messages as "very Presidential".

Gee, Fens Law again.

Meade said...

Blogger Birkel said...
Kasich got the Meade "kiss of death" endorsement?

I'm 3-9 career voting and I'm due.

Birkel said...

That Amanda, or Inga, or whatever name it likes, sure knows just a whole check of a lot about religion.

You're a mensch for educating us on religion, Amanda.

Birkel said...

3 of 9 or 3 wins and 9 losses?

Anonymous said...

Hahahaha! Rubio with two zingers! That was great!

mccullough said...

Rubio is losing this debate. He will be the next one off the island.

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

I almost hope Cruz wins the nomination. It will expose once and for all what BS the conservative purity contest has become. He's the purest, let's see how that plays out in the real world of real voters with real problems.

Anonymous said...

What a great sense of humor Rubio, impressive!

jr565 said...

Amanda I totally agree with kasich. Except when he says "can't we all just get along?" Well, no. That's the whole point of the left. So, there will need to be a law protecting religious people from being forced to participate in things they don't want to be. It might mean modifying th concept of a public space or simply allow people to separate gay marriage fro marriage when it comes to what services they offer. I don't see why that should even be controversial.
If you wanted to ONLY do gay weddings, I don't see why you should be forced to engage in business practices you don't want to simply because civil society modified the word marriage to include two separate models.

Drago said...

Amanda: "Hahahaha! Rubio with two zingers! That was great!"

Those were good zingers.....and then they showed Rubio with that adolescent smile as if he had just been rewarded by the teacher for sucking up.

That is a real weakness on Rubio's part. It plays right into the "little marco" criticism.

Birkel said...

Well said "AReasonableMan".

Let's put a believer in the Constitution in the Office of the President of the United States.

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
mccullough said...

Cruz believes in everything but the natural born citizen clause.

shiloh said...

Trump is gonna win FL and MI. Kasich does have a slight chance in OH. Florida is the big prize for Trump.

Trying to imagine who will stand up on the Rep convention stage in Cleveland and say nice/positive things about Trump? Bush41/Bush43/Cheney/Ryan/Rubio/Kasich/Cruz/Carson etc. etc.

ok, maybe Luca Brasi er Christie and Rudy G.

Talk about throwing a party and no one wanting to attend. Republican senators up for re-election in swing states are screwed!

Anonymous said...

Actually Rubio has a very dazzling smile, just like Obama. Kasich has a perpetual awkward appearance and a slight facial tic, but clearly a decent fellow. Cruz's face is pure creepiness, poor guy, he can't help it.

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

Rubio - 'I see a lot of young people at my events. I feel great when they come.'

Chuck said...

Trump has this crazy, repetitive thing with Ted Cruz and Chief Justice Roberts. It is contrived, and practiced... and really stupid.

He wants to make Cruz the virtual owner of Justice Roberts' nomination. And if you asked the members of The Federalist Society, they'd mostly be pretty happy with Roberts. So the Trump story starts with that bit of weirdness.

But to hear Trump talk about it, Roberts was practically the author of ObamaCare. It's nutty. But of course Ted Cruz didn't nominate Roberts; he wasn't part of the White House staff who nominated Roberts, he wasn't in the Senate to vote on Roberts (but Jeff Sessions was, Donald!), and didn't lift a finger apart from writing a pro-Roberts op-ed.

Trump is a buffoon on this issue; perhaps even more than with most others.

jr565 said...

They'll do as I tell them. because I'm an emperor. Not a president.
And now let me not answer the question and change the subject and make personal attacks. And oh, there's a poll that says I'm the best.

mccullough said...

Rubio is right. The world is very complicated. But neocon foreign policy is stupidity

Michael said...

Cruz cannot be elected. I have met him. He is a nice guy, a smart guy with a great story. But he is shit willy bad in public. Not likable. Way too harsh. I gave him money. Alas.

Drago said...

Amanda: "Actually Rubio has a very dazzling smile, just like Obama."

Maybe Rubio will be just as "flexible" as Obama has been for his boyfriend Putin as well.

Roadkill711 said...

Trump's buffoonishness is really on display tonight. Wild personal attacks but virtually nothing of substance on the issues. He seems absolutely clueless tonight.

Anonymous said...

Thank God, Trump isn't President with North Korea going full on crazy.

mccullough said...

Shorter Chuck,

Cruz praised Roberts nomination but it's unfair for Trump to hammer Cruz on it.

Michael said...

Shiloh

At some point Trump will become a Republican and start talking about votes on the down ticket, pulling the straight Republican ticket. He will get support from below at that point. Hide and watch.

Drago said...

McCullough: "Rubio is right. The world is very complicated."

Well, that is quite the exceptional and uniquely insightful observation.

Gravitas.

Drago said...

Amanda: "Thank God, Trump isn't President with North Korea going full on crazy"

Amanda inadvertently slams obambi's weakness....and doesn't even realize it.

Anonymous said...

I think Putin is more interested in Trump as a love interest than Obama.

Birkel said...

Michael:

Your concern troll-fu is weak.

Michael said...

Amanda

And what do you recommend Obama do about "North Korea going full on crazy?" He is currently the president, no?

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