For original Trump team, a moment to celebrate and reflect

[rooster59]

For original Trump team, a moment to celebrate and reflect

JONATHAN LEMIRE, Associated Press


NEW YORK (AP) — They were the core of the original Trump team, a small group of largely obscure political operatives who signed on a year ago for the seemingly quixotic presidential campaign of an oft-mocked celebrity businessman.

Yet there they were in the lobby of the Trump Tower in New York City, sharing a very public embrace as Donald Trump's victory in Indiana made it clear he was on track to be the Republican nominee for president. The improbable had come to pass.

"It's professionally very satisfying," campaign manager Corey Lewandowski said in an interview. "A lot of us have been here from the very beginning when the professional pundits said this was a career-ender and we weren't going anywhere."

"We've done something no one thought could be done," Lewandowski said.

Lewandowski's path to Trump Tower was an unlikely one. He grew up in Lowell, Massachusetts, worked as a political operative on Capitol Hill, graduated from the New Hampshire state police academy and took a job with Americans for Prosperity, the flagship conservative political organization of the billionaire industrialists Charles and David Koch.

Lewandowski had no national campaign experience when Trump, after a brief introduction, hired him on the spot to run his bid.

Neither did Trump's spokeswoman, Hope Hicks, a former Ralph Lauren fashion model and a public relations pro who worked for Trump's daughter, Ivanka, and became essentially a one-woman communications shop for a campaign that has attracted unprecedented media attention. Nor did Dan Scavino, a longtime executive at the Trump Organization and golf course manager who became the campaign's social media director.

"These are people who just believed in my father and what he was doing," Eric Trump, one of the candidate's children, said in an interview on Thursday. "That's what makes it special. They wanted to drop everything they were doing to help out. We have a fraction of the staff that other campaigns have yet look where we are."

Scavino, Lewandowski and national political director Michael Glassner were among the members of the campaign staff watching on television when Ted Cruz announced he was suspending his campaign, clearing the path for Trump to become the GOP standardbearer. No one quite remembers who initiated the group hug that was captured on Twitter feeds.

"I will never forget that evening," Scavino said. "(I) thought we would be celebrating winning Indiana and it turned out to be the evening we celebrated the nomination. Without question, it was a historical evening that will go down in the history books."

Iowa conservative Sam Clovis signed on with Trump in August, after quitting former Texas Gov. Rick Perry's struggling campaign. At the time, the move prompted more than a few raised eyebrows in the state's Republican circles, but Clovis says now that his instincts were right.

"I never took it personal," said Clovis, national co-chairman and policy adviser. "The idea was that I felt that Mr. Trump had a lot to offer the country and we worked hard. It's been a really hard fought battle."

"We're not a typical campaign," Clovis said. "We've done this with a relatively small number of people."

And it hasn't all been smooth.

Lewandowski was arrested for simple battery of a reporter, though prosecutors declined to press charges. The original team has been expanded, particularly as it girded for a possible battle with Cruz over delegates, and there has been friction between the old guard and the new, more seasoned hires led by longtime Republican operative Paul Manafort. And more changes seem to be on the horizon as the campaign shifts to the general election.

But that Tuesday night won't be soon forgotten.

"We took a lot of arrows for a long time from a lot of people," said George Gigicos, the campaign's lead advance man. "Vindication is a good word. It's been incredible to start at the bottom and end up on top."

-- (c) Associated Press 2016-05-15

[Boon Mee]

The Donald is non-stop reflecting these days - all the way to November!

Trump owns Stephanopoulos, exposes Clinton ties

George Stephanopoulos tried to bash Trump over his tax returns. Bad idea as Trump fired back at the Clinton lackey.

Edited May 15, 2016 by Boon Mee

[boomerangutang]

It brings to mind a certain blustery German man, 70 yrs ago, who came out of obscurity with a small group of dedicated men. With lots of publicity and a rousing message, they wound up celebrating in Paris several years later. .....then what happened after that?

[Boon Mee]

It brings to mind a certain blustery German man,..

Perhaps in your mind that image pops in although for most folks that isn't an association.

Besides, the individual you are possibly referring to was from Austria - not Germany.

[DeaconJohn]

The original Trump team did their job and succeeded in placing their man as the presumptive nominee.

From now on it will be stealth moves to the center to woo mainstream voters without alienating his radical core supporters.

[OMGImInPattaya]

The Donald is non-stop reflecting these days - all the way to November!

Trump owns Stephanopoulos, exposes Clinton ties

George Stephanopoulos tried to bash Trump over his tax returns. Bad idea as Trump fired back at the Clinton lackey.

Total Clinton shill!

[OMGImInPattaya]

It brings to mind a certain blustery German man, 70 yrs ago, who came out of obscurity with a small group of dedicated men. With lots of publicity and a rousing message, they wound up celebrating in Paris several years later. .....then what happened after that?

Give it a rest.

[boomerangutang]

It brings to mind a certain blustery German man, 70 yrs ago, who came out of obscurity with a small group of dedicated men. With lots of publicity and a rousing message, they wound up celebrating in Paris several years later. .....then what happened after that?

Give it a rest.

correction; he was Austrian.

[Boon Mee]

It brings to mind a certain blustery German man, 70 yrs ago, who came out of obscurity with a small group of dedicated men. With lots of publicity and a rousing message, they wound up celebrating in Paris several years later. .....then what happened after that?

Give it a rest.

correction; he was Austrian.

Yes, that's already been corrected.

Post #4

Edited May 15, 2016 by Boon Mee

[boomerangutang]

It's almost funny, but Republican strategists, after losing in 2008 and 2012, came up with a game plan of seven key points which a future Republican candidate needed to abide by, in order to get elected. Those same seven key points are looked at closely in a comparison chart put together by current Republican experts. In the current (recent days) comparison, it compares seven most likely candidates for the Republican ticket. Each candidate is scored on each of the 7 key points. Guess who came out on top? Ryan. Guess who lagged behind the pack: yup, Trump. Reminder (before Trump defenders come charging forth to tear into their opponents): it was Republican insiders who made the criteria and Republican experts who scored the individual candidates. Take a look at the chart at the following URL......

SOURCE NPR news analysis

One of the big deductions is: Republican party heads are completely out of touch with their constituents. Trump is currently the favorite of Republican voters. Let's see what November brings, when the general public votes.

[boomerangutang]

It brings to mind a certain blustery German man, 70 yrs ago, who came out of obscurity with a small group of dedicated men. With lots of publicity and a rousing message, they wound up celebrating in Paris several years later. .....then what happened after that?

Give it a rest.

Sorry, I can't put it to rest. I care too much for the future of the US, its people, its natural environment:

Some things the two men have in common:

>>> neither drink or smoke

>>> both shout about how horrible things are in their home country

>>> both rail against enemies everywhere - who are trying to take advantage of and ruin their home countries.

>>> both incite their followers to hate. Both preach divisiveness.

>>> They rail against certain ethnic/religious groups.

>>> both have/had many armed supporters who won't tolerate any non-praising assessment of their hero

>>> neither had ever been elected to anything prior to their meteoric rise to political prominence .

>>> neither cared about political convention. They both planned to railroad their agendas through, like it or not.

[OMGImInPattaya]

It brings to mind a certain blustery German man, 70 yrs ago, who came out of obscurity with a small group of dedicated men. With lots of publicity and a rousing message, they wound up celebrating in Paris several years later. .....then what happened after that?

Give it a rest.

Sorry, I can't put it to rest. I care too much for the future of the US, its people, its natural environment:

Some things the two men have in common:

>>> neither drink or smoke

>>> both shout about how horrible things are in their home country

>>> both rail against enemies everywhere - who are trying to take advantage of and ruin their home countries.

>>> both incite their followers to hate. Both preach divisiveness.

>>> They rail against certain ethnic/religious groups.

>>> both have/had many armed supporters who won't tolerate any non-praising assessment of their hero

>>> neither had ever been elected to anything prior to their meteoric rise to political prominence .

>>> neither cared about political convention. They both planned to railroad their agendas through, like it or not.

I'm pretty sure the American republic is on a firmer footing than Weimar Germany so I don't loose much sleep over a Trump presidency. But you're free to differ and rant and rave about it like a crazy homeless person till election day ?

[Publicus]

The original Trump gang can congratulate themselves on getting to the nomination but nothing matters except the general election November 8th. That is when one of the two campaigns will celebrate victory.

Of the states mentioned in the first news quote, Obama won Florida, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Virginia, Wisconsin, Colorado, Iowa, New Hampshire -- twice. Obama won North Carolina in 2008 and Hillary Clinton's NC polling average to date is +2%.

“Democrats hold a registration advantage over Republicans in four of seven battleground states likely to play a central role in the presidential election, even as Republicans and independents have made gains,” Bloomberg reports.

“The party that now controls the White House is ahead in registered voters in Florida, Nevada, North Carolina and Pennsylvania, while Republicans hold the lead in Colorado, Iowa and New Hampshire, according to data compiled by Bloomberg Politics. Three other likely battlegrounds — Ohio, Virginia and Wisconsin — don’t register voters by party.”

Georgia is a Red state that voted for Bill Clinton in 1992 but hasn't voted Blue since then. Before that GA voted for Reagan and for Bush in the 1980s.

A new Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll in Georgia finds Donald Trump leading Hillary Clinton by four points, 45% to 41%.

Trump’s 4-point lead over Clinton is within the poll’s margin of error, meaning neither can confidently claim a state that’s voted for the GOP nominee since 1996.

The poll gives new heft to claims by Georgia Democrats that they can turn the Peach State blue, or at least a shade of purple, for the first time since Bill Clinton’s 1992 victory.

Their strategy to reverse the GOP tide relies on two major factors: the possibility that outrage over Trump’s divisive statements could send independent-minded women fleeing from the Republican camp, and a surge of support from minorities that fueled Clinton’s victory in Georgia’s March 1 presidential primary.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker ® “urged about 1,000 Republicans at the convention to ‘focus like a laser beam’ on helping Sen. Ron Johnson win re-election, but he didn’t make the same call to action for Trump. He didn’t even say his name,” the AP reports.

“Walker wasn’t the only one side-stepping Trump. None of the state office holders who spoke Saturday morning referred to him by name, and most avoided talking about the presidential race at all.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Romney got the support of 90% of Republican voters in 2012 and McCain in 2008 was very close to that. Both lost. Trump doesn't have 85% support of Republicans and he's minus 21% among women voters. Romney got 27% of Hispanic voters and he lost. Trump currently has 11% of Hispanic voters. Trump and his gang should enjoy this moment as much as they can because November brings with it the cold temperatures for those who spend all their time getting heated.

Edited May 15, 2016 by Publicus

[wabothai]

It brings to mind a certain blustery German man, 70 yrs ago, who came out of obscurity with a small group of dedicated men. With lots of publicity and a rousing message, they wound up celebrating in Paris several years later. .....then what happened after that?

The EU, just for starters.

Edited May 15, 2016 by wabothai

[wabothai]

It brings to mind a certain blustery German man,..

Perhaps in your mind that image pops in although for most folks that isn't an association.

Besides, the individual you are possibly referring to was from Austria - not Germany.

In case you did not read important history, he became German. But trumpeteers don't know that much anyhow.

[F430murci]

The sky is falling, the sky is falling.

[Publicus]

It brings to mind a certain blustery German man, 70 yrs ago, who came out of obscurity with a small group of dedicated men. With lots of publicity and a rousing message, they wound up celebrating in Paris several years later. .....then what happened after that?

The EU, just for starters.

Trump wants to send the Europeans back to their 1930s this time with nuclear weapons.

Europeans are at their core barbarians who need to be pooled in a common and shared existence or they'll be at each others throats again. Trump is the guy to feed the dogs over there and to turn 'em loose again.

Edited May 15, 2016 by Publicus

[boomerangutang]

....rant and rave about it like a crazy homeless person....

One of Republicans' big heroes was a crazy homeless person .......Jesus.

The sky is falling, the sky is falling.

The IQ is falling, and you get one guess whose avid supporters I'm referring to.

[OMGImInPattaya]

More bad news for the Hilleristas...

[Boon Mee]

More bad news for the Hilleristas...

Screenshot_2016-05-15-13-05-17-1.png

Those numbers are going to only get larger for the Donald and shrink for Clinton as time passes!

[OMGImInPattaya]

More bad news for the Hilleristas...

Screenshot_2016-05-15-13-05-17-1.png

Those numbers are going to only get larger for the Donald and shrink for Clinton as time passes!

Yep, she's got huge racial and gender gaps ?

[DrTuner]

More bad news for the Hilleristas...

Screenshot_2016-05-15-13-05-17-1.png

Shouldn't be a surprise, after all Donald is married to a member of the Roman Empire, where the Hispanics also belonged.

[allanos]

It brings to mind a certain blustery German man, 70 yrs ago, who came out of obscurity with a small group of dedicated men. With lots of publicity and a rousing message, they wound up celebrating in Paris several years later. .....then what happened after that?

This is a nonsense post.

[Boon Mee]

It brings to mind a certain blustery German man, 70 yrs ago, who came out of obscurity with a small group of dedicated men. With lots of publicity and a rousing message, they wound up celebrating in Paris several years later. .....then what happened after that?

This is a nonsense post.

When all else fails, swing to the Hitler comparisons...

[AgMech Cowboy]

What a bunch or idiotic prattle. The worst of which, trying to compare Trump to Hitler. You would probably come closer to comparing Hillary to the Austrian. There are a lot of skeletons in her and Bill's closet. I'm sure Trump has a bunch in his, too.

[Pinot]

Delusional wingnuts are so precious

They actually believe Trump could get elected...chuckles. Awwww it's just so cute. Like wishing for Santa to bring you a pony...or a unicorn.

[Scotwight]

Delusional wingnuts are so precious

They actually believe Trump could get elected...chuckles. Awwww it's just so cute. Like wishing for Santa to bring you a pony...or a unicorn.

That is exactly what most uniformed posters said about him winning the nomination a few months ago.

The more uncivil and dismissive and insulting the anti Trump fellows become the stronger the resolve of the pro Trump supporters.

Insults instead of issues furthers the advancement of your opponents. Keep up the good work.

[OMGImInPattaya]

Delusional wingnuts are so precious

They actually believe Trump could get elected...chuckles. Awwww it's just so cute. Like wishing for Santa to bring you a pony...or a unicorn.

That is exactly what most uniformed posters said about him winning the nomination a few months ago.

The more uncivil and dismissive and insulting the anti Trump fellows become the stronger the resolve of the pro Trump supporters.

Insults instead of issues furthers the advancement of your opponents. Keep up the good work.

[boomerangutang]

OK, OMGIminPattaya, we get it. You've made it clear a dozen times. You're sure T is going to win and you're a big Trump fan. Now, do you have anything else to add to conversation?

I don't hate Trump, but he should stick with what he knows; buying decrepit properties, kicking out old-time residents, adding a coat of paint and selling it to rich Chinese.

By his own admissions he doesn't know how government works. He contradicts (and makes an ass of) himself every time he blows air out his pie hole. I could go on, but I don't want to get Carpal Tunnel.

[JAG]

It brings to mind a certain blustery German man, 70 yrs ago, who came out of obscurity with a small group of dedicated men. With lots of publicity and a rousing message, they wound up celebrating in Paris several years later. .....then what happened after that?

The EU, just for starters.

Or, as it has sometimes been referred to "The Fourth Reich"

A bit of a black joke I know, but its worth googling the European Coal and Steel Community, (the precurser of the Common Market, EEC, EU), just to see what some of its leading lights were up to oh, 7 years or so earlier!

And before anyone gets too worked up, I'm still undecided about which way to vote...

Edited May 15, 2016 by JAG