Why I Voted For Trump...

[seer]

Not to mention the inference "if they can get her to run as an independent like Jill Stein" that Stein was somehow bribed or manipulated by Russians.

This is all about Hillary not taking responsibility for being a god awful candidate.

[Ronson]

So any third party candidate like Ralph Nader (who took votes from Gore) is Russian asset?

Not to mention the inference "if they can get her to run as an independent like Jill Stein" that Stein was somehow bribed or manipulated by Russians.

[seer]

A useful idiot, but only if they can get her to run as an independent like Jill Stein to steal the election once again for their fellow autocrat.

So any third party candidate like Ralph Nader (who took votes from Gore) is Russian asset?

[JimL]

But as Hillary said, Tulsi (whom I like), is a Russian asset!

A useful idiot, but only if they can get her to run as an independent like Jill Stein to steal the election once again for their fellow autocrat.

[rogue06]

If Paul was out of the running by my primary I would have voted Libertarian. It is my registered party, after all (although I often vote for outside candidates).

I have voted for Libertarians many times (I'm a small "l" libertarian) although I understood they didn't stand a chance of winning so my vote was effectively a pox-on-both-your-houses protest vote.

[Mountain Man]

What finally turned me was not the back and forth with the other candidates, but his frontal assault on the leftist press. Something Bush Jr, McCain or Romney never did...

That's because they bought into the lie that the left has to like you or you'll never win.

[Ronson]

But as Hillary said, Tulsi (whom I like), is a Russian asset!

It is amazing how much mileage Democrats have gotten out of that Russia smear. Playing on Cold War fearmongering, and using the old 'red-under-the-bed' tactic of shutting people down. It's gotten so bad lately that if anyone says anything favorable about Russia that they are a "Russian troll" or a bot.

Gabbard has a realistic geopolitical view, that Russia is a paper tiger (aside from long-range nukes that they would never use) and that China is our biggest threat. A huge threat. But mainly, I like her stance against democracy building and US tax dollars being shipped overseas.

[Ronson]

I liked Rand Paul and would have voted for him if he wasn't out of the running by the time the primary got to my state. My choices were Cruz, Trump, and Kasich. I thought Trump was the only viable candidate at that point

If Paul was out of the running by my primary I would have voted Libertarian. It is my registered party, after all (although I often vote for outside candidates).

[seer]

Interesting. I was in nearly the exact same mindframe as you.

1) I hated both Hillary and Trump
2) I still can't stand listening to Trump give a speech - I have to shut him off
3) His performance in office has been much better than I expected (admittedly I didn't expect much)
4) Unless there is a major event between now and the elections, I will vote for him this time around

One Dem candidate that I find respectable is Tulsi Gabbard. I don't like her domestic platform but geopolitically she speaks my language.

But as Hillary said, Tulsi (whom I like), is a Russian asset!

[Ronson]

I was an ABT (Anybody But Trump) person during the primaries last go-around and held my nose and voted for him (which was really a vote to stop Hillary, not because I wanted him for POTUS). While I realize that I established an awfully low bar, Trump, for the most part, has been considerably better than I would have ever expected. And while I still don't like him and can barely stand to hear him make a speech, at this point I figure I'll probably vote for him in 2020.

Interesting. I was in nearly the exact same mindframe as you.

1) I hated both Hillary and Trump
2) I still can't stand listening to Trump give a speech - I have to shut him off
3) His performance in office has been much better than I expected (admittedly I didn't expect much)
4) Unless there is a major event between now and the elections, I will vote for him this time around

One Dem candidate that I find respectable is Tulsi Gabbard. I don't like her domestic platform but geopolitically she speaks my language.

[seer]

Yup.

As I noted back when he was running

The left pushed him into our waiting arms!

[rogue06]

I actually believe that if the liberals did not attack him from day one he would have governed more from center left... I'm in the NY TV market, so we always saw him on the tube - never thought he was a conservative...

Yup.

As I noted back when he was running

Yeah, until recently he was

• strongly pro-abortion (saying on Fox News Sunday that he was "totally pro-choice"), co-sponsored a dinner honoring a leader of NARAL, and came out against any ban on partial birth abortions

• pro-gun control supporting the assault weapons bans and calling for longer waiting times before a firearm could be purchased

• called for a one-time 14.25% "net worth tax" on the wealthy as a key part of his economic proposals when he ran for president in 1999

• called for a "path to citizenship" for illegal aliens on Bill O'Reilly's Fox News show.

• in one of his books he said that the U.S. needed a universal health care modeled on the Canadian system and described himself as "very liberal when it comes to health care" on Larry King's old show on CNN.

• Politically he has gone from being a Republican to an Independent, to a Democrat and back to being a Republican. During his Democrat phase he contributed heavily to Hillary Clinton (calling her a fantastic Senator) and the Clinton Foundation. He also donated money to Rahm Emanuel and Harry Reid and, in the 2004 and 2006 elections he and his son donated $117,700 to Democrats and $41,500 to Republicans.

[seer]

He dropped out because he saw the writing on the wall and knew he wasn't going to win. I praised his decision to do so because he called for the rest of the candidates to unite against Trump.

As I said, I was an ABT throughout the primaries.

What finally turned me was not the back and forth with the other candidates, but his frontal assault on the leftist press. Something Bush Jr, McCain or Romney never did...

[seer]

I started with Walker and pretty much shifted to whoever was still running against Trump.

Bluntly, after looking at what he has said in the past, I figured that he was just saying whatever he thought would help get him elected and that he was a liberal in sheep's clothing.

I actually believe that if the liberals did not attack him from day one he would have governed more from center left... I'm in the NY TV market, so we always saw him on the tube - never thought he was a conservative...

[rogue06]

Walker was my guy, and I don't know why he dropped out so soon...

He dropped out because he saw the writing on the wall and knew he wasn't going to win. I praised his decision to do so because he called for the rest of the candidates to unite against Trump.

As I said, I was an ABT throughout the primaries.