Trump

[gravy]

According to the National Enquirer. At the best of times it’s a sleazy tabloid that relies on very permissive US libel laws to get away with stretching the truth much further than is possible here. In this case though there’s even more reason to doubt it:

Donald Trump’s Alliance With the National Enquirer

That’s from last year, when they helped him by going after another candidate Ben Carson, who at the time was Trump’s strongest competition. On top of that they’ve targetted Jeb Bush, Carly Fiorina and Clinton:

In The Enquirer primary, Clinton’s campaign is dead — literally

“The desperate and deteriorating 67-year-old won’t make it to the White House — because she’ll be dead in six months.”

Which is completely divorced from reality. Sanders is much older, but out of the two Democrat candidates and Trump it is Trump who is showing his age the most, largely mentally.

Go and read what I posted. It's not a link to the Enquirer and commentary on the story along with corroboration from a number of sources. That's why there's traction to this right now.

Cruz has already blamed Trump for this, it's going to be fireworks whatever the truth behind the story.

You'd do well to remember the John Edwards story from a while back. Or Tiger Woods. They print a lot of shit and there's a load of truth in there too.

[pogo]

The headline of the piece you linked to is

The National Enquirer Runs Story of Multiple Ted Cruz Affairs…

So according to the National Enquirer. The people behind that blog are too sensible to associate themselves with it. They are happy though to associate themselves with Trump’s appalling bigotry:

Why Donald Trump is Correct About Islamic Terrorism and How To Deal With It…

And Edwards and Woods were how long ago? go back far enough and you will find the odd instance of them actually breaking accurate information. Mostly though they rely on their relative immunity under US libel law, and that their claims are so obviously nonsense that it’s not worth people suing them. Their claims that Clinton is about to die for example. Utter nonsense but they know she will not go after them.

[gumboot]

Sanders is much older, but out of the two Democrat candidates and Trump it is Trump who is showing his age the most, largely mentally.

Trump would appear to have a good 70 or 80 years ahead of him, mentally. His mind as fresh and uncluttered as that of a ten year old.

With apologies to any ten years olds refund this.

[pogo]

If he has the mental ability of a ten year old then he’s been regressing: in interviews from a decade ago he seems quite adult. In which case in another eight or nine years after two terms he will be how old, mentally?

[gravy]

The headline of the piece you linked to is

The National Enquirer Runs Story of Multiple Ted Cruz Affairs…

So according to the National Enquirer. The people behind that blog are too sensible to associate themselves with it. They are happy though to associate themselves with Trump’s appalling bigotry:

Why Donald Trump is Correct About Islamic Terrorism and How To Deal With It…

And Edwards and Woods were how long ago? go back far enough and you will find the odd instance of them actually breaking accurate information. Mostly though they rely on their relative immunity under US libel law, and that their claims are so obviously nonsense that it’s not worth people suing them. Their claims that Clinton is about to die for example. Utter nonsense but they know she will not go after them.

When I said "read the piece" I actually meant more than the headline. I fucking hate Breitbart but they're saying they've been sitting on this story for a while. They don't usually lie, just present the truth in an utterly repellent way. There's also been corroboration by a senior journalist from those NUTTERS at the Washington Post.

Trump is a horrendous fuckwit and the Enquirer is indeed a rag. OTOH your implication that a far right politician trading on his Christian faith could have been a serial philanderer stretches credibility is hilarious.

[tufty]

OTOH your implication that a far right politician trading on his Christian faith could have been a serial philanderer stretches credibility is hilarious.

"Just the tip"

[gravy]

And Edwards and Woods were how long ago?

The Enquirer got a Pulitzer for that 6 years ago. Same journalist on this story afaik.

[gravy]

Trump's responded

I have no idea whether or not the cover story about Ted Cruz in this week’s issue of the National Enquirer is true or not, but I had absolutely nothing to do with it, did not know about it, and have not, as yet, read it. Ted Cruz’s problem with the National Enquirer is his and his alone, and while they were right about O.J. Simpson, John Edwards, and many others, I certainly hope they are not right about Lyin’ Ted Cruz.

[pogo]

We’ll see. Looking at the actual article:

and they are “claims”, giving the Enquirer even more deniability than it probably needs. I suspect this will only have a serious impact on Cruz if evidence firms up. Which it should if he really is a serial philanderer, as surely one of the women would be willing to spill the beans on him, especially as there must be quite a payday waiting for the first to go public. Even one that the Enquirer knows nothing about.

[Darkflame]

Trump can spin this either way - if it isnt true, he can just use it as evidence for wanting tighter controls on the press. (ie, what the press say about him)

[pogo]

Interesting look at how Trump made his money

“Brazil in Drag”: Hyman Minsky on Donald Trump

The comparison with Brazil is provocative, but it’s more useful to think of him as typical of many a mogul in the developing world. The odd thing is he arose in the USA, using the lax bankruptcy and corporate governance laws their to essentially con his way the top, ripping off investors, local government and consumers along the way. It could not happen here.

The other parallel at the end is to the last Republican presidential candidate, Mitt Romney. Although a very different personality Romney made his fortune in a similar way, using financial engineering to turn a small fortune into a large one, leaving behind ruined businesses and communities.

Both Republicans are illustrative of how broken the US system is. The bankruptcy laws, the tax laws, the competition laws, all skew the economy to the benefit of corporations and the rich. Only Bernie Sanders is challenging this, but he is losing badly to Clinton.

Trump is channelling much of the anger people have at the system but he is not offering solutions. Thankfully he is very unlikely to be elected as I cannot imagine the anger if he were to win, once voters realise that his platform is a compete con.

[pogo]

[gumboot]

Probably more interesting for the discussion of what's actually been done than what Trump threatens to do:


That said; it makes Trump's plan seem a little less improbable (but no less stupid).

[KlaxonCow]

Again, the YouTube video is "not available in your country" for the UK (because, no doubt, of broadcasting rights being sold to Channel 4 and all that kind of shit), so here it is on Facebook video instead:

https://www.facebook.com/LastWeekTonigh ... 650396212/

[Darkflame]

I remember when Jon Stewart was begging Trump to run for president due to the shear comedy value of it.
Wonder what he thinks now.