Tip from Captain Obvious: In an election year when voters identify all the “go-along-to-get-along” politicians as part of the problem, chasing their endorsements is just, well, silly… but feel free to carry on.

The latest post-debate poll from South Carolina, conducted by PPPolling, shows Ted Cruz slipping backward to catch Marco Rubio; and a candidate field, behind Trump, mired in the mud.

Put another way –  The same inept politicians who ran for three election cycles promising change, yet did nothing except make things worse, are now standing next to even more inept presidential candidates and touting them as the solution for their own ineptitude.

The political gaslighting is no longer effective against an engaged electorate.

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The South Carolina debate is over, and for those of you who are following the nuance – now the endorsement game begins.

In order to understand what is currently going on, it helps to step back in time and remind yourself what the intents are behind the political curtain – The bigger ‘big picture’.

All the way back in February of ’14, the RNC rules committee decisions for the 2016 presidential race were constructed in Washington DC.  Almost every player in the 2015/2016 presidential election was either present (mostly splitters), or had a representative in attendance on their behalf.

Republican party officials, party consultants, party donor aggregators/bundlers, regional and state party insiders, political media representatives, all present. The entire GOPe political enterprise was participating in the RNC conference.  Within those discussions there were also multiple break-out sessions.

Within the most exclusive of those break-out sessions (invitation only) were the engineers, top-level lobbyists, K-Street and Wall Street financiers, the money people.   The GOPe road-map for the presidential race in 2016 was built. (more…)

Candidate Donald J Trump is holding a rally tonight in Greenville, SC at the TD Convention Center. The event begins at 7:00pm EST

Live Stream – Alternate Live Stream Link – Alternate Live Stream – Fox10 Link

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According to a Reuters report the Obama administration has begun the process of selecting a nominee for the Supreme Court.

The White House on Monday said President Barack Obama had started preliminary discussions with his team about naming a Supreme Court justice nominee and accused Republicans of “bluster” for saying they would not confirm his pick.

White House spokesman Eric Schultz told reporters that Obama would seek a nominee who understands that justice is not an abstract theory but something that affects Americans’ daily lives. Republicans say Obama should put off naming a replacement for conservative Justice Antonin Scalia, who died this weekend, and leave it to whoever is elected president in November.

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Today candidate Donald Trump kicks off a week of campaign events in South Carolina.  The first event appears to be at noon (eastern) n Mount Pleasant, at the Holiday Inn Charleston – Mount Pleasant.

Live Stream Link – Fox10 Link

There is also a 2:30pm Press Conference scheduled in Charleston (venue unknown but most likely same facility).  Details of presser content are curiously unavailable.

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During the last Republican debate the Wall Street Journal’s Kimberly Stassel challenged Donald Trump on the projected revenue from his proposed tax plan.

In essence Stassel claimed some economists doubted the growth factor Mr. Trump projects in his tax proposal.

In a sixty second response time, it is factually impossible to explain something we have discussed here before.  Specifically, one of the larger hurdles Trump faces is a need to re-educate an entire generation on a fundamentally new vision of the U.S. economy. A return to a goods- based manufacturing and industry driven economic model.

Interestingly, many people have referenced a 1991 (25 years old) video of Donald Trump testifying before congress – as evidence of him being tuned in to political consequences of economic activity.   The entire video is well worth watching because it gives you insight into a very specific moment in time as they discuss the ‘Reagan era’ 1986 tax reform act.

However, for the sake of this discussion post I would like to draw your attention to a very specific exchange between Donald Trump and Representative Helen Delich Bently (R-MD). (more…)

In an effort to keep the Daily Open Thread a little more open topic we are going to start a new daily thread for “2016 Presidential Politics”. Please use this thread to post anything relating to the Presidential Race and/or any of the candidates therein.

This thread will refresh daily and appear above the Open Discussion Thread.

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come. THY WILL BE DONE, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but DELIVER US FROM EVIL.

For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever and ever. Amen †

The 2016 election is the fight we’ve been waiting for…

A new CBS battleground tracking poll (full pdf below) released today shows the top three candidates continue to be Trump, Cruz and Rubio.  Jeb Bush and Dr. Ben Carson are far behind.

Jeb is hoping that bringing his brother, George W. Bush, into the state of South Carolina will provide him more benefit than bringing Mom, Barbara, into New Hampshire.  Although many voters in South Carolina are now asking “why can’t Jeb compete for the nomination on his own merits“?

It does seem oddly weak, and profoundly poor advice, for a presidential candidate to be unable to achieve support – and decide the best option is to rely on Mom, Dad and his brother as a crutch.  (more…)

Donald Trump makes the post debate rounds on the Sunday Talk Shows.  Here’s the interviews:

CBS Face The Nation

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