After recently suggesting he might run as an independent if he fails to gain the Republican nomination, Donald Trump seems to have changed his tune. Now he says he will run as a Republican and downplays the idea of running as an independent which he says would split the vote and help Obama.
Trump, who continues to lead several presidential polls, including an ongoing poll by Newsmax, dismissed the likelihood that he’d run as an independent, as that would split the Republican vote and all but guarantee President Barack Obama’s re-election.
Read more at Newsmax.com: Trump: I’m Running as a Republican, Period
“The libertarian movement needs and elegant and well-crafted white paper on the benefits of free trade and what really is standing in the way of a manufacturing revival in the U.S. of A.”
I don’t mean to be smart, but the entire establishment both left and right is slavishly pro-free-trade. Fair trade advocates hardly get a hearing in establishment venues and when they do they are often scoffed at and dismissed out of hand rather than taken seriously. Free-trade is hardly suffereing from a lack of advocates. If anyone needs a white paper it is anti-free-traders because their arguments are often not formulated in a way that the establishment takes seriously.
“Unfortunately, I know of several ’08 RP supporters who are on-board with Trump and his proposed trade war with China.”
This makes more sense than you might think on the surface. All of Ron Paul’s support was not ideological libertarians. Ron Paul was supported by some on the right because he was perceived as the “anti-globalist” candidate for lack of a better term. His opposition to trade deals, the WTO, GATT, etc. fueled this perception. How many of these people understood that Paul opposes trade deals on purist free trade grounds and not “fair trade” grounds is hard to know, but don’t assume that the average voter is as ideologically attuned as we are. People who read third party websites are the exception, not the rule.
I haven’t heard Trump call for a 25% tariff on any country’s goods except China. Does he call for 25% tariff on all imports? if so, what does he imagine other countries will do to U.S. imports?
Oh yeah, he will talk tough and persuade them to roll over for us (or we send in the Marines?).
My company sells about 20% of its finished product to Canada and gets virtually 100% of its raw material from Canada (other sources sell everything they make to our competitors.)
If Trump were to screw with NAFTA, I think half our jobs would be moving to Ontario, or would cease to exist. A better policy for Mr. Trump to advocate would be lowering corporate tax rates to zero, which would bring back a lot of multinational money invested overseas, and incourage foreign exporters to instead build factories in the U.S.
*INCOMPATIBLE
@6 – Dr Paul has pointed out several times that without an income tax, the federal government could be funded primarily by tariffs, as it originally was. So Trump’s position really isn’t compatible with the RP position at all. Dr Paul has also spoken out against the ridiculous “trade agreements” the US is a party too, as Mr Trump is doing now – only he is doing it much more forcefully and with a much greater wealth of executive experience.
This is the same man who makes the claim that Ron Paul couldn’t get elected. The man is a joke.
Back in 1990 seeking the RP nod Trump favored Canadian-style health care and a 14.2% surcharge on the wealthiest Americans. He’s 180’d on that now, since the winds are blowing the other way among the group he’s trying to court. What a joke…
I dont know any RP supporters who’d be on board with seizing Iraqi oil
Unfortunately, I know of several ’08 RP supporters who are on-board with Trump and his proposed trade war with China. The libertarian movement needs and elegant and well-crafted white paper on the benefits of free trade and what really is standing in the way of a manufacturing revival in the U.S. of A.
In the back of my mind there is a thought that the Democrats are behind the birtherism and are doing it to make the Repugnicans look stupid. Its called dirty tricks. I’ll keep that thought in the back of my mind. 😉
GOOD FOR HIM! with his “birtherism” plank he has essentially claimed the crazy vibe for the 2012 GOP nod leaving our own RP to look more appealing , that or he could take the ‘crazy vibe votes’ away from RP thus splitting votes that would have likely gone to RP/
Trump is not a stupid man , for him to kick-off with this “birtherism’ crap , tells me he isnt serious nor does he intend on winning, its a media ploy
I’ve been reading today that ex-Justice Roy _Ten Commandments_ Moore is going to tour Iowa and establish an exploratory committee. Looks like the GOP is going to be awash in paleo-cons, neo-cons and all manner of far right types. Where’s Pat Buchanan?!
There certainly are a lot of bad candidates that I hear being mentioned as the GOP’s possible pick (Romney, Palin, Huckabee, for example), but Trump, to me, would be the absolute worst. I can’t imagine anyone would take him seriously but, apparently, some do.
Just how often do the Republicans want to shoot themselves in the foot?
My suspicion is that when Trump said he might run as an independent he was talking off the top of his head. I think his advisors have since told him to cool that talk. For better or for worse, talking about running as an independent or third party candidate is toxic with primary voters.
Trump has so far generated a lot of good will among conservatives, probably more than he deserves based on his issues history, but suggesting he might run as an independent went over like a lead ballon. I think his advisors sensed this and advised him to nip that talk in the bud.