TIME TO GET TOUGH: Trump’s Blockbuster Policy Manifesto -- Breitbart / Big-Government

[bsteadman]

TIME TO GET TOUGH: Trump’s Blockbuster Policy Manifesto

Breitbart /Big-Government
Stephen K. Banon
7/12/2015

Excerpt:

The Washington Establishment’s increasing angst and opposition to billionaire real estate mogul Donald Trump’s presidential candidacy is predicated on the notion that his highly-quotable catchphrases—“Take the oil!” or “Build a wall!”—lack substantive policy prescriptions to back them up. In short, the RINO caucus’ knock on Trump is that his solutions are unserious, unmeasured, quixotic.

Yet if the chattering class fears Trump’s recent surge in the polls, they will go into panic-filled paroxysms when they read Trump’s smart and serious bestseller, Time to Get Tough: Making America #1 Again.

Among Trump’s many bestselling, anecdote-filled books, Time to Get Tough (originally published in 2011) stands out as his most penetrating, serious, and detailed enunciation of his political philosophy and policy views. Trump says it’s the “best book I’ve ever written” and is “better than The Art of the Deal.” Trump added, “It’s the hardest I’ve ever worked on a book. And it’s the most thought I’ve ever put into a book.”

It’s easy to see why. Backed up with nearly 250 endnotes, citing everything from Government Accountability Office (GAO) reports to Sherman Antitrust Act amendments to the Theory of Moral Sentiments, Trump’s book clearly lays out serious policy solutions to vexing U.S. problems. Welfare reform, cyberwarfare, energy, illegal immigration and crime, taxes, healthcare, national defense—you name it, Trump offers his plans, often including specific bills and amendments. Best of all, Trump does it all in his refreshingly blunt and authentic voice—the very voice now resonating with a citizenry fed up with the Political Class and its conceits.
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View the complete article, including images, at:

http://www.breitbart.com/big-governm...icy-manifesto/

[bsteadman]

Insiders warn Jeb: Don't engage with Trump -- Politico, Katie Glueck

Insiders warn Jeb: Don't engage with Trump

'The old maxim applies: Never wrestle with a pig.

Politico
Katie Glueck
7/31/2015

Excerpt:

When Jeb Bush and Donald Trump share a debate stage next week, Bush needs to ignore the real estate mogul at all costs —and if that fails, laugh him off.

That’s the advice given by more than half of the POLITICO Caucus, our weekly, bipartisan survey of the top activists, operatives and strategists in Iowa and New Hampshire.

“The old maxim applies: Never wrestle with a pig,” counseled a New Hampshire Republican. “You get dirty, and besides, the pig likes it.”

At the first GOP primary debate, slated for Aug. 6 in Cleveland, Bush and eight other Republicans will share the stage with Trump, the bombastic businessman who is leading the Republican field in recent polls and dominating headlines. Trump has been critical of a host of other GOP candidates, but he is an especially sharp and persistent critic of Bush — even attacking Bush in his own announcement for president.

But insiders have a message for the former Florida governor: do not engage. Many Republicans expect Trump will zero in on Bush in the debate — and how Bush responds could go a long way toward shaping perceptions about his cool under fire. Bush has not tussled as frequently or as heatedly with Trump as other GOP candidates have, and several insiders advised that the longer the focus is on Trump’s battles with the others, the better it is for Bush to quietly consolidate support while others struggle to break through.

“Donald Who? Allow others to seek media attention with attacks on Trump. Bush needs to be above the fray, because, frankly, he IS above the fray,” said a New Hampshire Democrat, who like all participants was granted anonymity in order to speak freely.

Most early-state Republicans expect Bush to emerge as the victor in the first GOP primary debate next week; he had the highest overall expectations for any one candidate competing in the nationally televised, prime-time event according to the survey. But they expect him to succeed by demonstrating seriousness and a command of the issues onstage — not by taking on Trump.

“Jeb Bush needs to introduce himself as a serious leader for serious times to a large and curious audience,” said an Iowa Republican. “I hope he stands next to Trump on stage. The comparison in knowledge, depth, and quality will be apparent in the first 15 minutes.”

“He should avoid a food fight and be an adult but not a push-over,” said a New Hampshire Republican.

That may be easier said than done, warned some Caucus participants.

“[He] needs to not get ruffled which will be hard to do because Trump doesn’t just throw punches, he throws grenades,” a New Hampshire Democrat said.

But the best way to handle Trump broadsides, advised several insiders, is to disarm him —and the audience —with humor.

“He needs to punch Donald Trump in the nose, but do it with a smile on his face,” an Iowa Democrat said. “He should be funny and confident, but do everything he can to poke holes in his gasbag facade.”

Several added that other presidential contenders, in particular Ronald Reagan, showed a talent for defusing tense debate situations with a lighter touch.

“They all need to remember that Reagan’s classic “there you go again” line [to Jimmy Carter] was delivered not with a snarl and a smirk but rather with a smile and a shrug,” a New Hampshire Republican said.

But if GOP insiders have the highest expectations for Bush, they also believe that, after Trump, he has the most to prove. And a third of Democratic insiders also say Bush has the most to prove, followed by Trump with 21 percent.

“Jeb Bush is still the perceived yet relatively untested front-runner,” said a New Hampshire Republican. “With everyone questioning his fire in the belly for the job, he needs a strong performance before another cycle of ‘can he go the distance’ stories kick in.”
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View the complete article, including image, at:

http://www.politico.com/story/2015/0...mp-120845.html