Virginia may require a loyalty oath from GOP presidential election contenders. Good move or bad move?

Will the first Republican debate become 'The Donald Trump Show'?

The first Republican presidential debate is almost upon us, and all eyes turn to the candidate with the highest ranking in GOP polls: Donald Trump. Considered the wild card of the debate, Trump is known for his controversial comments and actions. Yet, Trump has assured the public that, for this debate, “I’d prefer no conflict, no infighting.” But, he added, “if they hit me, I’ll hit them harder. It’s all going to depend on the moment.” Trump promises to keep the debate “on a high level because he has “a lot of respect” for the other Republican candidates.

Do you trust that Donald Trump will keep the debate civil and avoid personally attacking his fellow debaters?

Are you surprised about the Republican debate roster?

The Republican candidates that will participate in the Fox News’ Republican debate on Thursday have been announced. The presidential candidates are Donald Trump, Jeb Bush, Scott Walker, Mike Huckabee, Ben Carson, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, Rand Paul, Chris Christie and John Kasich. Fox used a national polling system to determine the 10 most favored candidates to be given the chance to be in the debate. This leaves Rick Perry, Bobby Jindal, Carly Fiorina, Lindsey Graham, George Pataki, and Jim Gilmore to appear in a separate debate earlier in the evening.

Does the lineup surprise you?

Are you more afraid of the political crazies or the status quo?

With socialist Bernie Sanders and unfiltered Donald Trump making headlines, New York Times Magazine chief national correspondent Mark Leibovich raised the question of whether we should fear political crazies. Leibovich writes that “Each party has always had passionate elements whom its (mainstream) leaders and candidates have decried as loony tunes.” However, views of what constitutes mainstream and loony can change over time (ex. Tea Party). Additionally, he notes that “it’s arguable that the political status quo is itself a big bag of calcified crazy” as our political process is broken.

So, are you more afraid of political crazies or the status quo?

To read the full article: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/02/magazine/should-we-fear-the-political-crazies.html

Is Donald Trump appealing because of his policies or his ability to say “what’s on his mind”?

Noted businessman and owner of the Dallas Mavericks Mark Cuban voiced his approval of Donald Trump’s political campaign on his Cyber Dust messaging app. He explained the appeal of Trump, stating that “I don’t care what his actual positions are. I don’t care if he says the wrong thing. He says what’s on his mind. He gives honest answers rather than prepared answers. This is more important than anything any candidate has done in years.” Do you think Trump owes his popularity more to his opinions on issues or his unfiltered candor?

Who wins - John McCain's or Donald Trump's kids?

Both John McCain’s kids and Donald Trump’s kids have responded to the backlash Trump has received after commenting that McCain is “not a war hero.” In his comments on Saturday, Trump said, “He was a war hero because he was captured. I like people who weren’t captured.” McCain’s daughter, Meghan McCain, told Megyn Kelly on Monday, “This is one of the grossest, most disgusting comments I’ve ever heard which is really saying something. I’m 30 years old. And it’s because it’s not just an attack on my father, it’s an attack on all veterans and it’s an attack on all POWs.” Her brother Jack was also asked his opinion on the matter. “Donald Trump has to understand he’s running to be the commander in chief of the United States military,” Jack said. “When you’re doing so, if an individual gets rolled up and becomes a prisoner of war, then is he going to abandon them simply because he doesn’t like people who are captured?"

In defense of their father, Donald Jr., Ivanka, and Eric Trump made a joint statement. “Our father, Donald J. Trump is a true visionary and a great mentor,” the Trumps said. “He is a brilliant negotiator with a proven track record of getting things done. Most importantly, he is an incredible dad and role model. He raised us to work hard and strive for excellence in all that we do.” Who wins this round of “Defending Our Fathers”?

Better social media diss? Lindsey Graham or Katy Perry?

In reaction to Donald Trump revealing his phone number to the public, Lindsey Graham posted a YouTube video titled “How to Destroy Your Cell Phone With Sen. Lindsey Graham.” In the video, we see the senator destroying his flip phone in various ways. “And if all else fails, you can always give your number to the Donald,” Graham says at the end of the video. He then proceeds to throw his phone off-screen after adding, “This is for all the veterans.” His last statement is a jab at Trump’s statement about Senator John McCain last week, when the business mogul said that the senator was not a war hero because he liked people who weren’t captured.

Nicki Minaj and Taylor Swift had a bit of a Twitter argument on Wednesday (although both have cleared up their apparent misunderstandings since). Insert Katy Perry into the situation, who has had bad blood with Swift after she hired Swift’s backup dancers in the middle of the popstar’s tour and Swift retaliated with her viral music video “Bad Blood.” Perry weighed in on the Minaj and Swift twitter conversation by sending a general tweet: “Finding it ironic to parade the pit women against other women argument about as one unmeasurably capitalizes on the take down of a woman.” Perry’s tweet is quite clearly targeted towards Swift, who had tweeted Minaj “I’ve done nothing but love & support you. It’s unlike you to pit women against each other. Maybe one of the men took your slot..” See the tweets below to understand the whole situation.

Let us know: Who do you think made the better diss?

Donald Trump said that Sen. McCain is “not a war hero.” Will this cost Trump his popularity?

Donald Trump shocked the nation on Saturday with his comments about Senator John McCain’s war service. McCain, who served in the Vietnam war, was captured and repeatedly tortured in the Hoa Lo Prison sarcastically known as the “Hanoi Hilton.” Trump received five deferments during the war, meaning that he did not have to join the service. In his remarks about McCain, Trump said “He is not a war hero.” The host of the session responded, “He is war hero,” before Trump cut him off by saying “He is a war hero because he was captured. I like people that weren’t captured, OK? I hate to tell you. He is a war hero because he was captured. OK you can have — I believe perhaps he is a war hero.” Trump later went on Twitter to clear up the anger he received for his comment, tweeting “Captured or not, all our soldiers are heroes!” Many of his Republican opponents, who have stayed quiet on their opinions of Trump’s previous inflammatory comments, showed their disapproval of what Trump said on Saturday. Do you think Trump’s statement is going to make him less popular on the polls?

Donald Trump claims that he will win the Latino vote. How likely is this to happen?

Donald Trump says that he will win the Republican Latino vote, despite having made controversial remarks about Mexican immigration recently. In his announcement for candidacy, Trump commented, “When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best… They’re sending people that have a lot of problems, and they’re bringing those problems with us. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.” Despite these inflammatory remarks, Trump says that he was only criticizing illegal immigrants. In an interview with NBC on Wednesday, Trump declared, “I have a great relationship with the Mexican people.” He explained, “I have many legal immigrants working for me. And many of them come from Mexico.” He then continued, “They love me, I love them. And I’ll tell you something, if I get the nomination, I”ll win the Latino vote.” Do you think he will?

Donald Trump is the most preferred GOP nominee right now. Does this mean his candidacy has viability?

In a new national poll, Donald Trump was voted as the most preferred GOP nominee for president. Receiving 15% of the votes, Trump was 4 points ahead of the second most popular nominee - Jeb Bush. Despite the belief that Trump has been tarnishing the GOP’s image with his inflammatory comments on immigration, it is believed that he has raised his popularity by vocalizing his opinions on controversial issues that the other candidates are afraid to broach. Although Trump is doing well in the polls, do you think that this will translate to his candidacy in the long term? Former senator Robert F. Bennett has commented that he thinks Trump will “self-destruct relatively quickly. The dynamic, I think, will change very dramatically and Trump will be yesterday’s news.” Do you agree?