Iowa: Ben Carson Ties Donald Trump in New Monmouth University Poll

Guess who’s going to be the next target for Mr. Trump?

Retired neurosurgeon Dr. Ben Carson has surged in Iowa to pull into a dead heat with Donald Trump among likely Iowa Republican caucus goers.

Both Carson and Trump received 23 percent of likely caucusgoers’ support, according to the latest Monmouth University poll.

However, Carson leads Trump on favorability – Carson notches an 81% favorable rating while The Donald is down at 52%.

Coming in behind the two front runners, 10% of likely caucusgoers threw their support to Carly Fiorina, 9% to Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), and just 7% for Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R).

At the end of the day (or this day at least) what does this all mean? That the top 3 GOP hopefuls are all non-politicians. That Republicans, at least in Iowa, are tired of career pols and want to maybe try something new?

According to a recent Gallup poll, a dismal 14% of Americans approve of the job the GOP-led Congress is doing.

Donald Trump Presidential Campaign Wrapped Up In One Ad

Pretty much says it all.

From Jimmy Kimmel:

The strangest thing about Donald Trump being on top of the polls for a full month now is that apart from his plan to build a wall to keep Mexicans out, we know absolutely nothing about what he would do as President.

Ordinarily people running for President tell us what they would do if they got the job, but Donald Trump has a much broader approach.

Donald Trump Dodges His Way Around Opposing Marriage Equality

In a recent interview with Bloomberg, 2016 GOP aspirant Donald Trump said he “wouldn’t speak to them at all about it” if he were asked by a son/daughter/grandchild about why he opposes same-sex marriage.

Wow. That’s ‘presidential.’

From LGBTQ Nation:

Trump replied, “Well, it’s the way it is. I wouldn’t speak to them at all about it, other than they are who they are and I want them to be happy and I will love them and I will cherish them.”

“I’ve gone to gay weddings,” he continued. “I’ve been at gay weddings. I have been against it from the standpoint of Bible, from the standpoint of my teachings as growing up and going to Sunday school and going to church and I’ve been opposed to it.”

“We’ll just see how it all comes out,” he concluded, “but if I was ever in that position I’d just have to explain it.”

In recent days, the thrice-married Trump (isn’t divorce a bad thing in the Bible too?) has proclaimed the Bible his favorite book; although, he was not able to quote or reference a single verse from the good book.

What’s clear to many is Trump’s “opposition” to marriage equality is only an attempt to placate evangelical Republicans. I no more believe Trump opposes same-sex marriage than I believe he opposes divorce.

Donald Trump’s Language Towards Latinos Makes Ricky Martin’s Blood “Boil”

Music superstar Ricky Martin is fed up with Donald Trump’s attacks and demeaning tone towards the Latino community, and he’s not going to stay quiet about it.

In a spanish language op-ed (translated on Billboard.com), Martin unleashes his displeasure over The Donald’s harassment that Martin says makes his “blood boil.”

“The fact that an individual like Donald Trump, a candidate for the presidency of the United States for the Republican party, has the audacity to continue to gratuitously harass the Latin community makes my blood boil.

When did this character assume he could make comments that are racist, absurd, and above all incoherent and ignorant about us Latinos?

From the beginning his intention was transparent: basically tell barbarities and lies to remain relevant in the public opinion, for votes or simply to stay on the media’s radar.

Yesterday’s episode against journalist Jorge Ramos, one of the most beloved and respected Latinos in world media, has gotten to the point of enough is enough.

Jorge Ramos was doing HIS JOB as a journalist at a press conference in which he appeared freely and democratically, representing one of the most important Latin television networks in the world and with the same right to freely exercise his profession as all other journalists.

But this new character in American politics verbally attacks him and ejects him from the press conference.

This action from Trump doesn’t surprise me, what does surprise me is that as Hispanics we continue to accept the aggressions and accusations of people like him who attack our dignity.

Enough is enough!

If we are united for some things we should be united for others. We have already shown the United States who we are and we cannot allow this behavior.

We have to defeat the power that Trump pretends to have over Latinos, anchored in low rhetoric and xenophobic speech, which his campaign team is convinced works for him.

Let’s show that our Latin race is to be respected, let’s not allow a political hopeful to plant his campaign in insult and humiliation. Let’s demand respect for those first generations of Latinos who came to the United States and opened a path for us. We have fought for every right that we have today.

Xenophobia as a political strategy is the lowest you can go in search of political power.

This is an issue that unites us and we need to battle it together, not just for us but for the evolution of humanity and those to come.”

Sarah Palin: Asking Donald Trump’s “Favorite Bible Verse” Is A Gotcha Question

Sarah Palin

For several days now, GOP White House hopeful Donald Trump has been freely stating in his campaign appearances that the Bible is his favorite book.

When asked this week if he could share a favorite Bible verse, he was kind of stumped saying it was “too personal” to share.  (The impression to many, after that response, was that perhaps Trump wasn’t all THAT familiar with the Bible).

Personally, I think if you’re bringing up the Bible and how much you like it, referencing one inspirational verse isn’t too personal. Especially when Trump is the one bringing up the Bible.

Well, former half-term governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin (who has been clearly campaigning for the running mate spot on a Trump ticket) came to The Donald’s defense on her Facebook page:

WTH, LAMESTREAM MEDIA! STAY OUT OF MY BIBLE. WTH? Lamestream media asks GOP personal, spiritual “gotchas” that they’d NEVER ask Hillary, or they’d feed the question to her and/or liberal cohorts before they asked it on-air (we know how these things work, lapdog media… the public’s on to you), so good on Trump for screwing with the reporter. By the way, even with my reading scripture everyday I wouldn’t want to answer the guy’s question either… it’s none of his business; it IS personal; what the heck does it have to do with serving as commander-in-chief; and these reporters trying to trip up conservatives can go pound sand until they ask the same things of their favored liberal pals. I’ll cover this in my interview with Donald Trump and other candidates tonight on the One America News Network show “On Point.” The more the media does this, the more they empower America to reject them and their bias as voters run to the anti-status quo candidates daring to Go Rogue.

Palin famously could not name one publication – newspaper, magazine, website – she regularly read when asked by Katie Couric in 2008 when Palin was the GOP vice-presidential nominee.

Palin considered that a “gotcha” question.

Quote Of The Day: Jorge Ramos

“I’ve been a journalist for 30 years, and I’ve never been ejected from any press conference anywhere in the world. Those are the things you see in dictatorships, not in the United States of America.

“It is very important that he answers the questions. He hasn’t answered the questions on, how is he gonna to deport 11 million undocumented immigrants from this country?”

– Univision news anchor Jorge Ramos to Fox News’ Megyn Kelly on being removed from a Donald Trump press conference for asking a question on immigration reform.

Pro-Hillary Clinton PAC Attacks Republican Candidates Stance On Immigrants

A new political ad, produced by the pro-Hillary Clinton super PAC Priorities USA, highlights much of the controversial campaign rhetoric made by Donald Trump and other GOP hopefuls on the issue of immigration including the use of the term “anchor babies.”

The New York Times reports that the ad will begin airing in the swing states of Colorado, Florida and Nevada, all of which have large populations of Hispanics.

Trump Supporter To US Citizen: “Get Out Of My Country”

Moments after 2016 GOP hopeful Donald Trump booted Univision anchor Jorge Ramos out of his press conference yesterday, a Trump supporter confronted Ramos in the hallway outside the presser.

Man: “This is not about you. Get out of my country.”

Ramos: “I am a U.S. citizen.”

Man: “Well, whatever. Univision, no. It’s not about you.”

Ramos: “It’s not about you. It’s about the United States.”

Imagine as a U.S. citizen being treated and spoken to like that because of the color of your skin.

These are the people who are so “passionate” about a Trump presidency.

More at Talking Points Memo.