FoxNews stands up to Trump -- forces him to follow through on boycott threat this time...

Maybe we can finally hear what the other candidates have to say without Trump barging in and disparaging what any of the others have to say.

TLK Valentine said:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...re-replacing-megyn-kelly-as-debate-moderator/



I gotta hand it to FoxNews on this one... they didn't back down.

Thoughts?

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This is now interesting. I would guess a calculated move on Trumps part to bolster his image as an outsider who does not have to follow the political rules. We will see if that plus his not having to be nailed down on policy issues outweighs the negative of not having the coverage.

Can anyone explain to me why Trump does not like Megyn Kelly? I do not understand.

Haasrecht said:

Can anyone explain to me why Trump does not like Megyn Kelly? I do not understand.

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Because she's a woman and she asks questions he doesn't like.

Well, good for them for standing behind their employee and not giving in. Tump's Twitter literally said: "It will never happen. Fox will drop Kelly if it means no Trump. Nobody will watch w/o Trump."

Oops.

Guess it all comes down to whether Trump sees his participation in this debate as valuable. I can't see how the exposure isn't to his advantage. Air time is expensive when you have to pay for it yourself, instead of it being provided by someone else. Seems to me Trump should be advised to get over himself and swallow his pride a bit. If he chooses to not participate in the debate, it may appear that he was afraid to face Megan Kelly.

BoltNut said:

Guess it all comes down to whether Trump sees his participation in this debate as valuable. I can't see how the exposure isn't to his advantage. Air time is expensive when you have to pay for it yourself, instead of it being provided by someone else. Seems to me Trump should be advised to get over himself and swallow his pride a bit. If he chooses to not participate in the debate, it may appear that he was afraid to face Megan Kelly.

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His poll numbers have dipped after each debate appearance. That may be how his campaign manager is justifying it (his manager has confirmed that he absolutely will not be there).

Haasrecht said:

His poll numbers have dipped after each debate appearance. That may be how his campaign manager is justifying it (his manager has confirmed that he absolutely will not be there).

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Now his numbers will dip without even going to the debate. LOL

FoxNews stands up to Trump -- forces him to follow through on boycott threat this time...

Trump is probably the only candidate who can skip thus debate without registering a negative impact on his campaign.

The fact that there is a disconnect between the leading conservative candidate and FoxNews/National Review has brought right-wing politics into uncharted territory.

Every other debate in this election cycle has resulted in a political "firestorm" that Trump has been able to exploit for his own benefit, so why should this episode in his ongoing "soap-opera" be any different!

TLK Valentine said:

I gotta hand it to FoxNews on this one... they didn't back down.

Thoughts?

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Can't believe you fell for Trump's self-promotion, Valentine.

Trump will be at the debate. He's just hyping it in advance ... just like any good con man would.

NightHawkeye said:

Can't believe you fell for Trump's self-promotion, Valentine.

Trump will be at the debate. He's just hyping it in advance ... just like any good con man would.

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It's almost like the professional wrestling commercials featuring the hero villain blustering.

He's posted a Twitter poll. The Hill
January 26, 2016, 01:26 pm
Trump polls supporters: 'Should I do the debate?'

Blondepudding said:

It's almost like the professional wrestling commercials featuring the hero villain blustering.

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FoxNews stands up to Trump -- forces him to follow through on boycott threat this time...

I predict that Vince McMahon will be selected as "the Donald's" vice president - a marriage made in Heaven!

Of course Fox won't back down. If they did with all Trump's talk about how he's given money to politicians and they do his bidding when he calls, he'd then look like his ultimatum regarding Kelly succeeded in telling Fox how to run its network.
But now, when we realize there are "reality TV" show fans in the world that think it is really reality they're watching unfold on their TV, people are into drama. Drama, drama, drama. And money!
It's a perfect marriage between Fox and Trump. Ratings will be through the roof as people tune in to see how Trump and Kelly act toward one another after all this.
Fox is considered Republican. Does it make sense they'd not like a Republican candidate who's a billionaire? Who's Murdoch bump into at elite parties?

Rupert Murdoch ‏@rupertmurdoch Jan 15
Cruz bets uniting white conservatives/evangelicals enough, Meanwhile Trump appealing across party lines. Surely the winning strategy.


Rupert Murdoch ‏@rupertmurdoch 11 Dec 2015
GOP mad to think of expelling Trump, or ganging up. Only justify independent run, guarantee Hilary win. Beatable with better based ideas.

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Cruz made a swipe at Trump today talking about how a Presidential candidate doesn't have time to Tweet.
Odd Cruz didn't think people would look to find he Tweets.

It's one big game and they're all in on it. We're just the one's that buy tickets to watch the game come out of the box.

I'm kind of surprised more people aren't calling Trump on this. He's supposed to be a "strong leader" who will stand up to Putin, but a moderator he has beef with is enough to make him not want to come to a debate? Even if that debate is held on ostensibly friendly ground? That's kind of pathetic, honestly.

Haasrecht said:

Can anyone explain to me why Trump does not like Megyn Kelly? I do not understand.

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Below was his question:

"Mr. Trump, one of the things people love about you is you speak your mind and you don't use a politician's filter. However, that is not without its downsides, in particular, when it comes to women. You've called women you don't like 'fat pigs,' 'dogs,' 'slobs' and 'disgusting animals.' ...

Your Twitter account has several disparaging comments about women's looks. You once told a contestant on 'Celebrity Apprentice' it would be a pretty picture to see her on her knees.

Does that sound to you like the temperament of a man we should elect as president, and how will you answer the charge from Hillary Clinton, who was likely to be the Democratic nominee, that you are part of the war on women?"

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(Shrugs) She was trying to bait him, and it didn't do her much good. I think his response was, "Only Rosie O'Donnell". The crowd - including Kelly - were giggling after that. Then he called her out on a dumb question in a way only he can do.

To me he always does the same thing to people - notice not just women. They shoot at him, and he shoots back. He just doesn't do it the PC way.

I think it was a rather petty question myself. As if he never said anything disparaging about men either (eye rolls). She could have asked the question better IMO. The demise was good - and should be addressed. The focus only on women? Didn't do much for me.

Since she was going for the drama? He felt it was unprofessional, and didn't want her back. Fox said she is coming back anyway. He said he wouldn't be.

It wouldn't hurt or help him. Since, he seems to bring in the ratings? It may hurt Fox. The Fox haters will eat this up to, and he will take out all the air in the room once again.

He will be in all the airwaves over this. Their debate may not be. Who knows. This whole campaign this time around has been rather nutty - on both sides.

HannahT said:

They shoot at him, and he shoots back. He just doesn't do it the PC way.

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I keep needing to bring this up for some reason, but his response was not just "not PC". Sure, it was that, but it was also "sexist" and "misogynist" and "childish". As usual, "not PC" is yet again a shorthand defense for really crappy behavior. Attacking a woman by saying she's on her period is sexist, not to mention classless. And was her question really so unreasonable? Trump does have a track record of saying these things, and he seems to think it's important enough to lie about:

And yeah, sorry, but these things are sexist, and calling him out for it, particularly when the Republican Party is dealing with the (according to them unfair) accusations of leading a "war on women" and consistently loses the female vote, is entirely reasonable. And it's not like the other candidates got softballs either. Kelly was also pretty "mean" to Ben Carson on his foreign policy.

Except that she wasn't. This is called journalism. Think of it this way - is it better that these serious issues come up now, before the Republican party has chosen their candidate, or later, as a Clinton attack ad along the lines of, "Donald Trump thinks women would be prettier on their knees. I think women would be better on their feet. Vote Clinton.", when the party can't put its support behind someone else?

And while I bet Trump has said disparaging things about men, there's a difference between "saying something bad about someone you don't like" and "attacking women based on their looks". There's a difference between "I think Megyn Kelly is an idiot" and "Why would anyone listen to that ugly hag?" One's phenomenally sexist, the other is not.

Haasrecht said:

Can anyone explain to me why Trump does not like Megyn Kelly? I do not understand.

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Because he's uncomfortable with some of her bodily functions. It's the same reason he hates all women.