Who should be the next president?

[indianasmith]

Either way, we lose in a year that should have been ours. 

There are not enough words to express my contempt and loathing for Trump.

But I can't vote Democrat either.  If it comes down to Trump vs. Hillary or Bernie, I'll vote for a write-in.


As far as Rubio and immigration:  America and Mexico have been neighbors for 200 years.  We have ALWAYS had migrant workers.
The vast majority of them have always been undocumented.  I am sick of the demagoguing on this issue.  If people want to come here and work, let them work.  The ones here to commit crimes or sell drugs, lock them up and then deport them.  But the rest - let them have their green cards, pay a fine for crossing illegally, then go back to building decks or waiting tables or cleaning hotel rooms or whatever it is they do.  That's REALISM.  This "let's deport 11 million people and build a fifty foot tall, 3000 mile long wall" is FANTASY.

[Trevor]

As a neutral, I'm following this campaign with a keen interest as the USA is a country and people I like.

I'm surprised that Donald Trump and Rafael T. Cruz have done so well: not so surprised that Gov. Christie and Carly Fiorina have dropped and that Marco Rubio seems to be stuttering a bit. I'm also astonished that Jim Gilmore is still in the race and hasn't dropped out.

[Skull]

Either way, we lose in a year that should have been ours.  

There are not enough words to express my contempt and loathing for Trump.

But I can't vote Democrat either.  If it comes down to Trump vs. Hillary or Bernie, I'll vote for a write-in.


As far as Rubio and immigration:  America and Mexico have been neighbors for 200 years.  We have ALWAYS had migrant workers.
The vast majority of them have always been undocumented.  I am sick of the demagoguing on this issue.  If people want to come here and work, let them work.  The ones here to commit crimes or sell drugs, lock them up and then deport them.  But the rest - let them have their green cards, pay a fine for crossing illegally, then go back to building decks or waiting tables or cleaning hotel rooms or whatever it is they do.  That's REALISM.  This "let's deport 11 million people and build a fifty foot tall, 3000 mile long wall" is FANTASY.

All we have to do for immigration is stop giving benefits to non legal immigrates. No benefits and they will leave on their own.

It's not a fantasy to deport illegal aliens they are not supposed to be here at the first place and the must go. Also, Mexico should not be allowing children riding from south and central american countries thru their country to get into our country... this is insane and nuts... Sorry to sound like an a***ole but the kids need to go back home!

In American history, when we opened our borders to bring people in from other countries there was reasons behind this. Such as we had a civil war that killed a good number of Americans, sadly they needed to be replaced. Another was we had some much land to fill and we needed people to occupy it... those reason make freak'n sense. Today we have somewhere of 30 to 40% of the american population on food-stamps! We have an outrageous unemployment number that the government is not telling the truth about... yet we need more people to come into this country that need food-stamps are can only do jobs in McDonald... this makes no freak'n sense.


Trump is going to win because he's communicating to the TEA PARTY.

I also want to add... Obama allowing the illegal alien children to come to America has gotten more children killed and raped then any psychopath in history! It's sad how the news don't report this.

Get ready... Trump is going to be president... and Ted Cruz, Scott Walker or Rick Perry is going to be the Vice-President... :)

I doubt it, but his chances are getting better. If Trump wins the nomination I doubt he could defeat whoever the Democrats put up. Too high negatives, too many Republicans would cross the aisle just to vote against him and too many people who never would vote anyway would turn out just to vote against him. My dad is a lifelong hater of socialism and he swears he would vote for Sanders in a Sanders-Trump race. Sure, he has passionate support, but he inspires even more passionate hatred.

The Republicans know this, they will do whatever they can to keep him from getting the nomination. To me the most likely scenario seems to be Trump runs as an independent, splits the Republicans and the Democrats cakewalk to the Presidency.

I think Sanders is a double down Obama... I think you're dad should really think about it.


I think the hatred is based on untrust... some people think Trump is a spoiler for Hillary; I don't think that's the case. I do think Trump was a spoiler for Ted Cruz. I know if Ted Cruz came of saying that we are going to build a wall and make Mexico pay for it he would be laughed off the campaign. Ted Cruz needed a clown to say this... somehow he got Trump to be the clown. I do think Trump wasn't expecting this major support but if he's elected he'll only stay for 1 term.

I got this from how Trump insults Ted Cruz... by saying stuff that would make republican's flock... as for Ted Cruz being naturalized citizen. This stuff was shot all over the internet when Ted Cruz announced. I think Trump is bringing it up is actually removing this from the democrats debates.

[lester1/2jr]

Sometimes it's whats not there a la modern art. Neither Sanders nor Trump have a Washington or even politician sort of feel to them. In the past people looked for someone who could be an emissary for them into the world of capitols and voting sessions. They no longer want that. They want someone to represent them and them alone and for politicians to have no representation, if that makes any sense.

I'm proud of the way both parties have marginalized the legacy people ie Clinton and Bush how depressing would that be

Re trump specifically to me he is a Berlesconi type of the kind we haven't seen over here before. I think his barbs and so forth are his way of saying hey hello "I have a pulse. I'm not like a CNN host."

as Mike from the Young Ones said "I won't stand on convention, he never stood on me".

[ulthar]

It's not a fantasy to deport illegal aliens they are not supposed to be here at the first place and the must go.

I think he meant is a fantasy for practical reasons.  Really. how are you going to round them up and deport them?  That's crap-ton of work, man-power, paperwork and not just a little bit dangerous for those that really don't want to go back.

It'd be great if we could just snap our fingers and these problems go away.  Then, there's the real world where deporting millions of people just is NOT going to happen.

Trump is going to win because he's communicating to the TEA PARTY.

I'm not so sure about that.  I have read a lot of folks that could be described as the "Tea Party" saying they won't vote for Trump no matter what else happens.

Trump is not a "conservative."  I don't see any way he could appeal to the Tea Party across the board. Maybe a few here and there...but not as a "whole."

Interestingly, I heard an interview the other day where a survey result was discussed.  A big demographic among Trump's followers are young "low information voters;" specifically, the interviewer was talking about people that don't inform themselves and really have no idea what is going on in the world or the implications of those issues (and Trump's 'solutions' to them).

They are, essentially, following Trump because he is snarky (sells well with that age group) and showman-flashy in a way that appeals to their sense of "entertainment."

As a group, older Conservatives really can't stand him.  At least, that's the case according to the data the interviewee I heard as well as my own anecdotal observations.

We shall see.  Per the talking heads, SC will tell the tale in terms of if he "can be beaten."

[Rev. Powell]

Another point about Trump is that the other candidates have held off on attacking him (foolishly, it seems to me) out of fear of damaging themselves his supporters. As more of them drop off, the remainder will be forced to go negative on Trump.

[Skull]

I think he meant is a fantasy for practical reasons.  Really. how are you going to round them up and deport them?  That's crap-ton of work, man-power, paperwork and not just a little bit dangerous for those that really don't want to go back.

If you remove the benefits (not allow to work, collect foodstamps, anchor babies) they will go back on their own. If you enforce laws that requires real id's and a social security number; they will go back on their own. That's about 75% of the problem.

Deportation would be enforced by...

If the person done a crime and there is no proof of legal citizenship - deported.

If the person requires hospital help and no proof of legal citizenship - deported.

Fail to leave the country when visa expires - would be a deportation and a something year ban to come back to America.


I still think Trump speaks for the Tea Party. The Tea Party is not just Republicans.


As for a Conservative... This is 2016 not 1980.


I like Ted Cruz... but he don't have the ability to fight the media.

[indianasmith]

How about the 3-4 million children BORN IN THE USA, by definition U.S. citizens, whose parents are illegals?
Do we deport them, too, or do we just deport their parents and make them wards of the state?

And those folks needing medical care - do you treat them first and then deport them, or let them die on the way back to Mexico?

As far as criminals, I agree.  If they commit a crime and they're illegal, lock them up for whatever sentence they've earned and send them on back when they've served their time.

[ulthar]

I still think Trump speaks for the Tea Party. The Tea Party is not just Republicans.

I did not mention the word Republican.  Not sure what relevance this statement has.

As for a Conservative... This is 2016 not 1980.

Not sure what this means or, again, what relevance it has.

If you look at the ideals of the Tea Party and listen to what Trump says and has said in the past, there simply is very, very little overlap.  Rather, there are TONS of differences.

There's no way in hell he aligns the Tea Party, and if folks in that group support him, they are either disingenuous about what they belief or they are very, very fooled about what he represents.

[Skull]

How about the 3-4 million children BORN IN THE USA, by definition U.S. citizens, whose parents are illegals?

No they are not legal Americans citizens.

Little history lesson.

Fourteenth Amendment was created because the Democratic party didn't want free slaves become American citizens. The creators of the Fourteenth Amendment added a clause "and subject to the jurisdiction thereof" which means that one of the parents must be in the country legally when they gave birth. There is a big difference between being in the country legally and Illegally. 

Is it the children's fault?

No. This is the governments fault.

Sure there is a fix.... My fix "Good news you have a baby... sorry it's not American, you can go home now."

Do we deport them, too, or do we just deport their parents and make them wards of the state?

You need to understand that this anchor baby thing is BS. Mother sneaks across the border (which inst hard in California - that's where most of the anchor babies come form) then child is born. Now they can bring the father of the baby, the brother of the father, the cousin of the father, the cousin of the mother, the aunt, the grandmother, 15 to 20 other they said they are related to the baby... THIS IS FREAKN NUTS!

But it get's worst... multiply this by the number of illegal babies born per year.

YES deport them!

And those folks needing medical care - do you treat them first and then deport them, or let them die on the way back to Mexico?

I think if Mexico has a heart, they would allow a nursing station on the Mexican border side to help the babies... but lets be realistic... It's impossible to be a country when anybody can become a citizen.

As far as criminals, I agree.  If they commit a crime and they're illegal, lock them up for whatever sentence they've earned and send them on back when they've served their time.

What sucks is that we have over crowding in our prison system and 1/3 of the prison population is illegal aliens... I say deport them to their home country jail, then we free up the over crowding.

I still think Trump speaks for the Tea Party. The Tea Party is not just Republicans.

I did not mention the word Republican.  Not sure what relevance this statement has.

As for a Conservative... This is 2016 not 1980.

Not sure what this means or, again, what relevance it has.

The truth is the conservative movement had been so bastardized since the 1990's. It's so bad that voters need to be educated on what is a conservative. Others are saying they are like Reagan but they are not... Jeb Bush said he has Conservative values... really? Ted Cruz also said he's a conservative... ok, now who is correct? Sure those that know what a conservative is would know that Ted Cruz is correct... but most don't so they are assuming that Jeb Bush and Ted Cruz are both conservative.

A lot assume the tea party mostly republicans and conservative... it's a mix...

[indianasmith]

So what if the Supreme Court says that your interpretation of the Fourteenth Amendment is wrong, and that anyone born in the USA, regardless of parentage, is a U.S. citizen?

Our Party is shredding itself to pieces over this issue, and the sad thing is, illegal immigration has been dropping steadily over the last 10 years. 

All the demagoging in this issue does is cost the GOP votes, while not posing any realistic solutions.

[Trevor]

I just got a sidebar ad which said "Win Debate tickets" and when I clicked on it, it went to Ted Cruz's website. 

[Skull]

So what if the Supreme Court says that your interpretation of the Fourteenth Amendment is wrong, and that anyone born in the USA, regardless of parentage, is a U.S. citizen?

The amendment said what it says... The person has to have jurisdiction.

But I do agree the Supreme Court can interpret the amendment any way they want... 5 of them are radicals so the Constitution means s**t to them. Otherwise they would realize that government cannot force the citizens to pay for goods or such; therefore the Obama Care is unconstitutional. Also, the states has the right to define what is a marriage... therefore declaring gay marriage was something the Supreme Court should not be doing.

My fear is they take the Amendment to the Supreme Court...

PS the way how the Supreme Court is abusing the system... I'm at the point in believing they should be voted in the court system and have term limits too.

Our Party is shredding itself to pieces over this issue, and the sad thing is, illegal immigration has been dropping steadily over the last 10 years. 

Not really. Most republicans are not conservatives.  The problem is the two party system. That's because after the civil war they deck was stacked for two parties. Most countries would have several parties...

On the other hand the Current Democratic party (aka The Move On Dot Org Party) is more radical then what the Democrats used to be, and I do believe some of them purposely became republicans so they can assist in Obama's agenda.

All the demagoging in this issue does is cost the GOP votes, while not posing any realistic solutions.

First off everybody can say what they can do... but the question is if they can do it.

The only reason why I like Trump is because he speaks through the media. Yes, Ted Cruz could be awesome as Reagan but his voice is almost never herd outside the people he's talking to. Sure I do agree the American people needs to be educated but we don't have the time! Also, if the voters that showed up for McCain hold their noses and voted for Romney we wouldn't have Obama's second term... sure I do believe people have the right to vote and not to vote... but saying I'm not going to vote for Trump because I don't like him is in fact a vote for Hillary or Sanders... (just keep that in mind)

[RCMerchant]

Trump is a loud mouth racist f**king scumbag piece of s**t made famous by TV.
Trump-my god-thats why folks voted for Hitler-he had a charming line-horse f**king cock.

[RCMerchant]

I don't really care who's President-but Trump is the WORST-nominate one of the Kardashians next,this world is run by morons.