After testy VP debate, Trump rebuffs claim he 'loves' Putin

They say Donald Trump loves Putin. I don’t love, I don’t hate. We’ll see how it works,” Trump told a rally outside Las Vegas.

Containing Russia needs the support and contribution from our allies. I don't think Trump is the right man for the job to build and lead that kind of coalition. And I don't think he has much interest in putting in time to learn about complex issues like this and that will hamper a president's ability to act. We'd most likely see a decline in our partnerships and a decline in our ability to further American interests overseas.

ability to further American interests overseas.

What about the interests back home? Let's get real here. The oft used 'good guy, bad guy' shtick is terribly wornout. How anyone with sound mind and judgement still falls for it I'll never understand.

Leaders that speak to the needs of the people at HOME are what's required right now. The misadventures abroad will inevitably come to a halt in the future. One can only get away with so much for this long.

Even Clinton’s team wasn’t claiming that Kaine had come out on top,

The point was not to 'win,' It was to get Pence to lie his tail off and deny all the horrible things Trump has gibbered and gnashed over the past year.

And then play the video over, and over and over.

The point was not to 'win,'

LOL, okay..

The point was not to 'win,'

That is true in a sense. It was to keep Clinton's negative issues from rising to the surface.

The point was not to 'win,' It was to get Pence to lie his tail off and deny all the horrible things Trump has gibbered and gnashed over the past year.

And thank God, Pence didn't fall for that stupid trap and let Kaine tighten his own noose around his neck. Had Pence tried to defend Trump on the alleged allegations, then he would have done the same thing Trump did and he didn't, good on him for staying away from the loudmouth.

And then play the video over, and over and over.

Of course, that's all that matters to liberals, slandering, mocking, everything else that's important, they couldn't care less.

The point for Pence was to convince the terrified that Trump never said what he's been documented as saying, and that even if he did say so, he didn't mean it. Hence, Pence stated,

You know, the words don’t always come out exactly the way he means them. But I’m telling you what the policy of our administration would be.

It's sort of a reverse Wizard of Oz: Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain! He may be terrifying, but my calm and gentle demeanor should assure you. What I say goes.

Normally, this upstaging would annoy Trump sufficiently to counterattack his own running mate, but fortunately for Trump, he hit upon a tidy rationalization: It was actually HE who won the debate!

Mike Pence did an incredible job, and I’m getting a lot of credit because that’s really my first so-called choice. That was my first hire, as we would say in Las Vegas. ... I’d argue that Mike had the single most decisive victory in the history of vice-presidential debates,... And last night, America also got to look firsthand at my judgment, and that was judgment. You know, you need judgment for people, for deals.

Will some people buy it? Sure! - they can rationalize as well as Trump! Still, the Dems have been provided the opportunity to fill the space until the next debate with juxtapositions of Pence sadly shaking his head and denying Trump had ever said things that he is filmed saying in the adjacent frame.

The Atlantic Monthly -- begun as a publication dedicated to ending slavery, making its first endorsement of Abraham Lincoln as president -- has decided, for only the third time in its long history, to make another endorsement. (Can anyone name a major American thinker or writer whose writing never appeared in its pages?)

The editors write: "[We] are mainly concerned with the Republican Party’s nominee, Donald J. Trump, who might be the most ostentatiously unqualified major-party candidate in the 227-year history of the American presidency."

"Donald Trump ..., has no record of public service and no qualifications for public office. His affect is that of an infomercial huckster; he traffics in conspiracy theories and racist invective; he is appallingly sexist; he is erratic, secretive, and xenophobic; he expresses admiration for authoritarian rulers [like Putin], and evinces authoritarian tendencies himself. He is easily goaded, a poor quality for someone seeking control of America’s nuclear arsenal. He is an enemy of fact-based discourse; he is ignorant of, and indifferent to, the Constitution; he appears not to read."

"...Trump is not a man of ideas. He is a demagogue, a xenophobe, a sexist, a know-nothing, and a liar. He is spectacularly unfit for office, and voters—the statesmen and thinkers of the ballot box—should act in defense of American democracy and elect his opponent."

Did I miss the day that Putin became suddenly classified as a "dictator"?

@Laguna,

Kaine and Clinton both just give a little soundbite or short phrase to come across as being racist, misogynistic etc. For example about Rosie O'Donnell. She was on her the View completely making a fool out of Trump for helping out a Miss Uni who had some issues with drinking. I saw it many times, thats when he retaliated and called her disgusting etc. Quite frankly, I found it funny. The media of course only mention Trumps comeback. It seems these whiners can dish it but can`t take it.

yabits: The Atlantic Monthly ...

That's odd, you could have replaced "Donald Trump" with "Hillary Clinton" in the Atlantic quote and it would have fit her exactly.

Pence was targeting people too lazy or too stupid to know the facts. If, you think about it, that's pretty much his only choice.

The point for Pence was to convince the terrified that Trump never said what he's been documented as saying, and that even if he did say so, he didn't mean it. Hence, Pence stated,

The left do the same thing when it comes to trying to put water on the fire, which is her emails and servers, try to make her more human and a person that can be trusted.

It's sort of a reverse Wizard of Oz: Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain! He may be terrifying, but my calm and gentle demeanor should assure you. What I say goes.

You get that feeling too?! Be honest, I was just about to say the exact same thing about HRC!!! You beat me to the quick!

Will some people buy it? Sure! - they can rationalize as well as Trump! Still, the Dems have been provided the opportunity to fill the space until the next debate with juxtapositions of Pence sadly shaking his head and denying Trump had ever said things that he is filmed saying in the adjacent frame.

No, the Dems are just pissed that Pence was very aware of what Kaine was trying to do and felt, "Nope, not this time!" And you saw a very agitated and annoyed Kaine going nuts that everything he would throw at him, Pence wouldn't take the bait. CBS reported that Kaine interrupted Pence 70 times and Pence interrupted Kaine about 40. Pathetic..as well as deplorable.

"Donald Trump ..., has no record of public service and no qualifications for public office. His affect is that of an infomercial huckster; he traffics in conspiracy theories and racist invective; he is appallingly sexist; he is erratic, secretive, and xenophobic; he expresses admiration for authoritarian rulers [like Putin], and evinces authoritarian tendencies himself. He is easily goaded, a poor quality for someone seeking control of America’s nuclear arsenal. He is an enemy of fact-based discourse; he is ignorant of, and indifferent to, the Constitution; he appears not to read."

Yeah, but he's shown all of us what he is: human and flawed at times. The Washington elite, that includes Obama and Hillary think that they are on the evolutionary scale of humans that are better than all of us. You have two of the absolute worst people representing Washington, Obama made a mess of everything and now Hillary isn't done with punishing us, wants to further the divide, disparity and hatred that is running crazy in this country.

"...Trump is not a man of ideas. He is a demagogue, a xenophobe, a sexist, a know-nothing, and a liar.

so let's see, Hillary and Obama are shining examples of people that are honest to the bone and care for the people? LMAO You guys always know how to make me laugh. Without liberal humor, my life would be boring.

He is spectacularly unfit for office, and voters—the statesmen and thinkers of the ballot box—should act in defense of American democracy and elect his opponent."

Oh, yeah? Go to a Trump rally and see how they turn people away and then go to a Hillary rally and see how they are looking for people, it's so quiet at her rallies, you can hear crickets-chirp.

Trump's disturbing sexual obsession with Putin is uncontested. Him only now denying his stalker-like love makes him seem like a bitter spurned spinster. It is very curious as to why Rebs find these frightening antisocial qualities attractive

Trump said " He was a better leader in his own country." That`s exactly what he said. Kaine is the con artist.

Trump's disturbing sexual obsession with Putin is uncontested. Him only now denying his stalker-like love makes him seem like a bitter spurned spinster. It is very curious as to why Rebs find these frightening antisocial qualities attractive

I distinctly remember Obama trying to put his arm around Fidel and he threw it off.....I dunno.... Obama was going all out to make him and his brother friends....or allies or whatever and what did Obama get out of it? Will they change, will they release their political prisoners? Oh, and let's not forget Obama's best buddies, the Mullahs that flat out lied to his face. Undignified, unqualified and cowardly to the core.

@Base -- "...Kaine interrupted Pence 70 times and Pence interrupted Kaine about 40. Pathetic..as well as deplorable."

And it was also reported that Trump interrupted Clinton 51 times and Clinton interrupted Trump about 17. Is that also "Pathetic..as well as deplorable"? Or do we hold Trump to different standards?

bass4funk: "Of course, that's all that matters to liberals, slandering, mocking, everything else that's important, they couldn't care less."

That's rich, coming from a person thats supports a bigot who does absolutely NOTHING but slander: be it calling Mexicans rapists, beauty queens fat, women disgusting, people who pay taxes stupid, etc. And less we forget, you are STILL stuck on Benghazi despite the fact that your own people have found Clinton innocent FIVE times at least, and Gowdy, unshaven, unshowered, and clearly unhinged, vowing that even though it's over, "It's not over!"... again.

It's not even hypcrisy because you guys engage in it at such a higher level than the Democrats it's not even remotely comparable.

And it was also reported that Trump interrupted Clinton 51 times and Clinton interrupted Trump about 17. Is that also "Pathetic..as well as deplorable"? Or do we hold Trump to different standards?

No, we already covered that on a different thread. I was very critical about that and thought Trump was a fool falling for Hillary's spiel. Pence on that point was smarter and didn't take the bait. So that we covered that part, can we get back to Kaine and Pence?

There's a big difference between saying that you think a person is a strong leader and saying that you like that person. But the media morons don't/won't understand that.

A Grizzly bear is a powerful animal, but that doesn't mean that I like or support them.

Another fascinating theory of how Trump managed to bag a billion in tax credits with OPM - a loophole in tax law that existed until 2002 which enabled S corporations in bankruptcy to count debt relief as investment and thus as applicable to future tax deduction. That was obviously not the intent of the law, and Hillary Clinton was among a vast majority of senators who voted to close the loophole. Whether this is what Trump actually did will remain unclear until he releases his tax returns (i.e., never), but if it is true, it rebuts two GOP talking points: That Trump simply took advantage of existing tax law (this loophole in particular was never intended to be used this way); and that Clinton and the Democrats never acted to close such loopholes (they did).

Fun read here!

http://www.businessinsider.com/why-did-trump-pay-so-little-tax-2016-10

@JBird,

When she went off Trump with ad hominems like racist, misogynist, bigot etc. with no facts he had every right to nail her. Only a women could get away with that. Make the white male curl up into a ball is the plan. Reverse the roles and media goes nuts.

@Smithjapan,

You just proved bass4funks point with your angry non factual point. Also the fact that you think Clinton is totally innocent for all the scandals is perhaps an indication of you being brainwashed.

"When she went off Trump with ad hominems like racist, misogynist, bigot etc. with no facts he had every right to nail her. Only a women could get away with that. Make the white male curl up into a ball is the plan. Reverse the roles and media goes nuts."

I seem to remember Bernie Sanders calling Trump similar things. He's a white male. I think Paul Ryan also accused him of textbook racism. He's also a white male.

You can get away with it because Trump says things which appeal to racists, misogynists and bigots. If you use that kind of rhetoric, expect to be called those names.

Trump offers what fools desire. Simpletons answers to complex problems. Putin would squash him.

Clinton however has the cajones to deal with the Russian Don. If there's one area I would be critical of President Obama is his failure to deal with the Russian dictator. Hillary however I feel would take no crap and has more importantly the experience dealing with the mutlifaced Russian bear whining for respect...

There are only four timy islets between Russia and Japan. Meanwhile, there are 1.5 million square kilometers of "disputed" territory between Zhongnanhai and Kremli..Putin may never imagine that the Chinese war criminals have vowed to retake the lost lands at all costs. So, export as much military technics to China as possible, and await for the Chinese modern silkroad in about 2050.

smithinjapan: And less we forget, you are STILL stuck on Benghazi despite the fact that your own people have found Clinton innocent FIVE times at least, a ...

Yes, you'll often hear that in comments on JT. But I thought the committee reprimanded her, not that they 'found her innocent'.

In fact, the House Foreign Affairs Committee Majority Staff Report on Benghazi castigates the State Dept. And complains that Hillary picked 4 of the 5 members of the Accountability Review Board for the Benghazi affair. So maybe you're thinking of the ARB when you claim Hillary was absolved?

https://foreignaffairs.house.gov/files/HFAC%20Majority%20Staff%20Report%20on%20Benghazi.pdf

... Committee Members have demanded that the appropriate State Department officials be held accountable for their ill-advised decisions, so that similar mistakes are not repeated. Yet neither the White House nor the State Department have stepped up to this responsibility. Instead, the Obama Administration has repeatedly pointed to the final report of the Benghazi Accountability Review Board ("ARB") as the definitive assessment of accountability.

Unfortunately, the Benghazi ARB‘s work was seriously deficient in several respects, most notably in its failure to review or comment on the actions of the Department‘s most senior officials. ... For example, although Secretary Clinton herself championed the U.S. intervention in Libya in early 2011, and testified to the Committee that she was ―engaged...in the issues relating to the deteriorating threat environment‖ in Libya, 11 the ARB never interviewed her or her deputies. ...

Committee investigators believe that these omissions could be related to the fact that Secretary Clinton selected four out of the ARB‘s five members, while other Department officials like Under Secretary Kennedy played some role in developing its initial roster of prospective members. While legally permissible, this compromised the report‘s independence and impartiality. ...

The only person who captures Trump's love is himself. Don't forget that Trump, inter alia, was a casino owner, and a beauty queen organizer. He has been even very proud of his legal taxes evasion. Can you vote for him? Former President Bush declared that he will not vote for Trump.

Trump offers what fools desire. Simpletons answers to complex problems. Putin would squash him.

Clinton however has the cajones to deal with the Russian Don. If there's one area I would be critical of President Obama is his failure to deal with the Russian dictator. Hillary however I feel would take no crap and has more importantly the experience dealing with the mutlifaced Russian bear whining for respect...

Yeah, that stupid Russian reset button really patched things up. Hillary did such a great job.

Trump needs to prove he doesn't have close business ties with Russia or any other country that could complicate the US's relationship with such countries. If other countries have some kind of leverage over him, we all know where that will lead. I have a feeling if all the info about his business dealings and tax info had come out, Trump would have been barred from running. Hence his desperate desire to keep it all secret. The fact that such a person could run for president just goes to show how messed up the GOP was and is.

serendipitous at Oct. 06, 2016 - 04:59PM JST Trump needs to prove he doesn't have close business ties with Russia or any other country that could complicate the US's relationship with such countries.

And his hundreds of millions of dollars debt held by who knows who. Dodgy Chinese banks on the brink of collapse or the Russian oligarchs?

Until Trump has the basic common decency to give transparency to voters on his murky work of debt and dealings any an all speculation is fair...

Had Pence tried to defend Trump on the alleged allegations, then he would have done the same thing Trump did and he didn't, good on him for staying away from the loudmouth.

Instead, Pence just plain lied and did not answer questions. Trumph picked another right wing winner.

Trumph will waste this week parsing his love affair with Putin.

Until Trump has the basic common decency to give transparency to voters on his murky work of debt and dealings any an all speculation is fair...

So you're saying Trump should be transparent, but Hillary shouldn't?? What gives? I'm going to be fair here, both need to become transparent as glass.

So I get 6 down votes for asking a question? Seriously, Clinton thinks Putin is a dictator?

Putin is a dictator. Giving it the apparence of democracy while systematically imprisoning, murdering or beating down all dissent is only fooling you apparently.

Now even Reagan's eldest son is savaging the Trump and the insane Republican party that he's 30 odd days from leading over the abyss. You need to start preparing for defeat. A Yuuuuge one.

http://edition.cnn.com/2016/10/06/politics/michael-reagan-donald-trump-election-2016-don-lemon/index.html

Don the con loves NO ONE but Don the Con ! GO HILLARY ! 1/20/17 - "Madame President" !

what madness is it now?

One could argue Putin is a dictator who played the system so he could continue to be in power. He was barred from a third term by the Constitution so he arranged for his puppet First Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev to be elected as his successor. In a power-switching operation on 8 May 2008, only a day after handing the presidency to Medvedev, Putin was appointed Prime Minister of Russia, maintaining his political dominance. On 4 March 2012, Putin won the 2012 Russian presidential elections in the first round, with 63.6% of the vote, despite widespread accusations of vote-rigging.

Hmm, sounds quite dodgy and dictatorial all round.

Robbie Williams (I'm too old for this!) has a song eviscerating oligarchs wherever they come from - though he chose to focus on Russia, it's not too difficult to imagine Trump in the same role. A doll in a doll - there is no core, no scruples, no point except expanding influence and wealth. Party like a Russian (or like Trump - who can tell the difference these days?)!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdYGQ7B0Vew

Yeah, that stupid Russian reset button really patched things up. Hillary did such a great job.

The reset button was not Secretary Clinton's idea. Like a good cabinet official, she supported her president in public and expressed her reservations with the "reset program" privately at the time. (Along with Defense Secretary Gates and a few others.) This is how mature leaders work. Adolescents who don't understand call things "stupid."

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/03/world/europe/us-russian-ties-still-fall-short-of-reset-goal.html

Laguna,

The song has got the Russians in a real sissy fit. They serously need to lighten up. That said, I don't think Putin deserves to be compared to Rasputin...

Did I miss the day that Putin became suddenly classified as a "dictator"?

Yes. That was the day you stopped reading the news. Putin has been running Russia for 16 years.

True, Madverts - Rasputin never ruled. Has anyone considered what Putin will leave behind following his inevitable demise (he is mortal, after all)? He's so far eliminated or co-opted all Russian non-governmental entities and tolerates none close enough to him to be considered a successor - there no longer remains anything similar to China's Central Committee to reign things in. My fear is that, when his demise comes, there will be no center left to hold. Putin is playing a game dangerous on an historical scale. Still, it's fun while it lasts.

Obama's approval rating is up to 55%.

My 'Trump: Making America Great' t-shirt is in the post. Should be worth a few bob in a few years when he either gets impeached / goes to prison / disappears into obscurity. Hopefully in that order.

Clinton's unfavorable rating is 53.3%.

"testy VP debate"

This is interesting: "Mom of sailor slams Kaine's answer on classified information" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6xWEK7VVtA

Kaine was reported to be so embarrassed and down after his debate performance that Clinton flew into town to take him for ice cream and buy him a toy for his efforts. Hee hee!

Now even Reagan's eldest son is savaging the Trump and the insane Republican party that he's 30 odd days from leading over the abyss. You need to start preparing for defeat. A Yuuuuge one.

Another Washington establishment Republican is shaking in his boots, love it!

Did I miss the day that Putin became suddenly classified as a "dictator"?

You must have. He's been arresting anyone who even remotely looks like they might be a viable alternative candidate - usually for some sort of tax fraud. If they can't find evidence of tax fraud, the potential opponent is usually murdered in a drive-by shooting by "unknown assailants". This effectively turns Russia into a "one-party state" dictatorship. Even though Dmitry Medvedev is ostensibly Prime Minister, "President" (for life) Putin is the one who has been in charge since PUTIN was Prime Minister.

It's funny because this all began when people mistranslated what Putin said about Trump. He didn't say that Trump is bright as in smart, but bright as in flamboyant attention-seeker. And poor Donny thought a world leader actually respected him. Although, Putin probably wouldn't mind having an imbecile like Trump for the US president, but not saying he's afraid of Clinton.

Kaine was reported to be so embarrassed and down after his debate performance that Clinton flew into town to take him for ice cream and buy him a toy for his efforts. Hee hee!

Yeah, I heard Trump flew in and did a bunch of celebratory cocaine with Pence to congratulate him!

I don't actually believe it though. But I have it on good authority. It's probably not true. But people are saying it.

Stranger - Har! And Kaine was more amped than Pete Townsend's Gibson.

Pence is at least coherent and qualified to be a politician. All Trump has proven is that he can sway a lot of mindless people to be paranoid, vote for him, buy his books, and pay his taxes for him.

By the way, I came across this really funny (yet disturbing) video of the "Full Frontal with Samantha Bee" show which interviews several of his supporters who believe that the election will be rigged.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/samantha-bee-meets-trumps-paranoid-fans-who-say-election-is-rigged_us_57f6139de4b0b7aafe0c029c

I really thought it was funny that his supporters think that it is rigged only if Clinton wins, but not if Trump wins. Then the interviewer, Allana Harkin replies, "Isn't that like saying any woman who doesn't want to date you is a lesbian?"

Dear Mr Trump, if you and your kind are not paying taxes ('legal' loopholes or not) then you are NOT entitled to use America's infrastructure. With no money in its coffers America cannot build, maintain, and repair its infrastructure. You do not seem to comprehend just HOW a society works.

The fequirement to show candidate's income tax return copy is personal incomee tax return, nothing to do with his business gain or business loss. His older children are operating Trump Hottel in Las Vegas strip. So I figured he does not wa t people find here is not a bb billionaire.

"I really thought it was funny that his supporters think that it is rigged only if Clinton wins, but not if Trump wins. Then the interviewer, Allana Harkin replies, "Isn't that like saying any woman who doesn't want to date you is a lesbian?"

There is evidence of election fraud favoring Democrats:

https://electionfraud2016.wordpress.com/

There is evidence of election fraud favoring Democrats

I guess that's why Democrats control the Senate. Oh, wait, the GOP controls the Senate. I guess they must have rigged it in their favor.

@Jimizo,

True. From herbivore white males and a Dem. Of course thats what theyll say.