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"First, The Donald tantalized us earlier this year, and his polling numbers went--briefly--through the roof. Then he dropped out, but left the door open just a crack. Over the last few months, many of the Republican Presidential wannabes have made the trek to his office (for what--money? his blessing?). The Washington Post had a great piece on their blog in early December titled "2012 Republican are kissing Donald Trump's ring. But why?" It seems that Donald Trump, like most of the rest of the American electorate, has found Republican Clown War sorely lacking in substance, in a viable candidate, a rational platform--lacking in just about everything. Now, Trump has switched his political affiliation to "Independent," and is possibly considering running again. At least that is what some staffers and a spokesperson say. No word on how this would affect his reality show, which could be subject to equal time provisions from other candidates if he did decide to run.
From today's Christian Science Monitor:
"Given his not-too-shabby polling numbers, deep pockets, and new-found status as a registered independent, business mogul Donald Trump is in a decent position to launch a third-party run for president of the United States.
"The snark on the street is that Mr. Trump, a temperamental fellow who has toggled his party affiliation before, dumped the Republican Party on Thursday in anger after only two in the large field of GOP presidential candidates agreed to attend a debate he was slated to moderate. Some Republican hopefuls had questioned whether it was ethical for Trump to host a debate while considering a potential presidential run himself.
"A Trump spokesman, however, said his boss dropped out of the debate and changed his party affiliation "to preserve his right to run for president as an independent."
"With the exception of maybe Barack Obama, whom they've irrationally loathed with the fire of a thousands suns, it's tough to name anyone conservatives have more vigorously derided throughout the years than Hillary Clinton. Even her husband, as much as they tried to take him down at every turn, earned a begrudging respect from many in the Republican party. Beating him up for, say, his sexual proclivities was the height of Beltway hypocrisy and they knew it, but politics demanded they grab onto any potential scandal they could with both hands and ride it as far as it would take them. While it's true many were bitterly jealous of Clinton's seemingly depthless charisma and sorcerer's way with voters, for the GOP leadership at the time it wasn't personal -- just really dirty business. Hillary on the other hand has always been cast as an arrogant bitch, a soulless bête noire, an irredeemably corrupt and fundamentally dishonest political hustler. From the very beginning of her time in the national political limelight, she was vilified for refusing to simply sit back and be an ornament on the White House Christmas tree, as she was apparently supposed to. And when she ventured out into her own separate political career, what was considered calculating but somehow forgivable from her husband became merely calculating -- and nefariously so -- from her. Bill was allowed to be Slick Willy. Hillary was just a rotten to the core."