Trump tries to pull back from support for Muslim database

[inanna]

Source: Associated Press

Nov. 21, 2015 2:33 PM ET

WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump on Saturday tried to back away from his support for a government database to track Muslims in the United States, an idea that drew sharp rebukes from his Republican presidential rivals and disbelief from legal experts.

<snip>

In an interview on Fox News Channel on Friday evening, Trump tried to clarify his position. "I want a watch list for the Syrian refugees that (President Barack) Obama's going to let in if we don't stop him as Republicans," he said.

He said he had trouble hearing the NBC reporter's questions. He was not asked specifically if he disavowed a general registry for Muslims living in the country, and he did not condemn the idea on his own.

"I want to have watch lists. I want to have surveillance. I mean, we're not a bunch of babies," he said.

Read more: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2015-11-21-US-Campaign-2016-Muslims/id-20ebf97ec4fd4738af542d4c3792bab7

---

Fuck The Donald.

[Xipe Totec]

1. The "Just the Tip" defense. nt

[uppityperson]

2. Is he seriously clueless about what he said and supports? How it sounds?

[malthaussen]

3. Hmmm. I wonder if this means he's becoming serious about running...

... I can't ever remember him backing down from damned foolishness before, does this indicate he actually thinks he can win the election?

-- Mal

[BumRushDaShow]

4. I don't think so

More and more it's like he's "playing a part" and in doing so, is testing the boundaries of discourse in order to give the "real" GOP candidates the range of positions and type of utterances that could keep their lunatic base on board while picking up indies willing to actually vote. That way, he can "go there" and if there's blow-back, he'll dust off his shoulder and move on because he doesn't give a damn, while his compatriots are given the gift of knowing how far they can go.

That's how he and his kind operate a business - cut all the way to the bone until the product or services nearly fails, and then bring it back a notch.

[malthaussen]

5. Good analysis

It isn't though, beyond belief that he may be starting to believe his own hype. I'd feel more confident you were right if a serious candidate were making any showing at all in the GOP, but it is early yet. Time is fleeting, though.

-- Mal

[BumRushDaShow]

6. Trump doesn't need the Presidency

and he is too much of a wildcard for the establishment to control. But it is true that the establishment is in a big quandary with timing, which is why some of them kept trying to reboot Romney and draft Ryan (the latter now no longer an option).

The only salvageable ones they have are Kasich (who has little or no personality), Rubio (who is a weak candidate), Graham or Pataki (both of whom barely register on the radar), Fiorina, and of course Bush. The rest (Christie, Cruz, Huckabee, Paul, Santorum) are toxic, as is Carson, and Carson ain't staying in much longer - he's got books to sell. The "vetting" (a la what they did to torpedo Herman Cain the last go-around), is in play for Carson. Thankfully, the dim bulbs Jindal & Perry left the race already. They may consider Fiorina in a VP slot to try a re-do of their last attempt to capture female voters (in 2008) and if not her, then try to resurrect Walker (and attempt to make him the "new Ryan" for a VP slot).

The odd combination of a Rubio/Fiorina ticket would actually serve to target Florida and California GOP voters - 2 big ticket states (but their blindness to different ethnicities among Hispanics would have them incorrectly assume that Mexican-Americans in California would automatically support a Cuban-American from Florida). Fiorina however, did give Boxer a contest when running against her for Senate, although obviously CA is very Democratic and Boxer beat her by 10 points.

A Bush/Fiorina ticket might do the same (target Florida & California big ticket states, but also help to solidify Texas as a GOP stalwart for those willing to admit to embracing Poppy and Shrub who both live in Texas) - where in that case, Bush's wife is Mexican-American (with the thinking that she might be able to attract both California & Texas Mexican-Americans).