comment: >
  
  The green party aren't beholden to the Russians though. The Russian state does this a lot, they promote dissident groups in adversarial countries independent of that groups stance on any specific issues or ideology. The point is to pour gasoline on the adversary's house and hope that if someone strikes a match in will burn.
context: I'm pretty sure the only thing Trump knows how to do is garner attention and grift people. >
  
  I see this as a threat. If the Republicans don't nominate him he'll run as a independent and tank the Republicans. He's trying to leverage his way back into the protection of the Republicans.
  I already have a $100 bet on this exact scenario playing out with the Democrats winning the Presidency in 2024. >
  
  It is a threat.  He wants a flat playing field in the primary.  Everyone from Mitch McConnell to Kanye West wants Trump gone.  He rattles the 1950s, high road McConnell types and he goes as hard at the democratic party as they do at him.  
  When politics is as charged it was in the Trump presidency, with non stop leaks, investigations and impeachments, two party democracy is working.  The parties need to check the shit out of each other, then no one gets away with anything.  That's how I want it to be. >
  
  The republicans do nothing but vote no and give money to the rich and corporations. And Say Hunter biden or pelosi >
  
  This is like a fifth-grade understanding of the Republican Party. 
  Here’s some context: 
  In my city/county, the Democrats have raised property taxes 15% over the last year in tandem with property assessments that are ludicrously overestimated. They are now raising the sales tax 1% too, to a total of nearly 10%. These politicians are utterly fleecing residents while, at the same time, the city is grappling with a historic shortage of police officers and public employees. Our streets are in disrepair. Our community is not safe. Our school budget was cut. 
  Meanwhile, there’s been a shit load of new “consultants” hired by my city. We have a chief diversity officer reporting to the mayor. We have a chief resilience officer. We have a chief equity officer. All these people are making over 150k a year to do fuck all but campaign while my city services get worse and my taxes go up. Oh, and the council passed a statute to create a monopoly on our trash collection in order to create “efficiency.” It’s probably a total coincidence that a councilman’s family owns that business and my trash rates are ballooning. 
  Do you understand how your conclusion about Republicans giving tax breaks to the rich might not necessarily resonate with someone like me when I’m being robbed by the Democratic Party in my town?
  Edit: Reddit hivemind, I withdraw. Please encourage your politicians to consider  a 100% tax rate so that we can live in a communist utopia! >
  
  Who hell do you think cut the education system? I’ll give you three guesses…. >
  
  Oh, I can answer this! The Democrats. The cut came this fiscal year. Last I checked, Republicans do not have a majority on the city council or school board here. 
  Was that the answer you were looking for? >
  
  The cut to education has been happening since the bush administration but you can try again
  Like you really that this current year’s cut has made an impact on the decline on our education system that we’ve been seeing for 20 years? >
  
  It's mostly attention seeking, and partly a threat to the GOP. 
  If Trump wants to make a serious run as a third party candidate in 2024, there are moves he needs to be making now-- recruiting staff and volunteers, then taking over one of the existing third party organizations or collecting thousands of signatures in each state where he wants to get on the ballot. 
  It doesn't look like Trump is working on any of those third party prep steps. >
  
  I think he still believes he can win the GOP nomination.  He knows he has no path to victory as a third-party candidate, so he is not looking for it as a first option.  But if Trump loses the GOP nomination, he is petty enough to play the spoiler candidate.
  Running as a third-party candidate would also keep his campaign going as long as possible.  That would mean additional millions in campaign contributions and/or money laundering. >
  
  
  I think he still believes he can win the GOP nomination.
  
  He doesn't really have any reason to believe that he won't, everybody hated him last time and then everybody fell in line one after another. >
  
  Trump controls the rural votes.  I still see pickup trucks driving around with Trump flags.  Haven’t seen a single pickup truck with a Desantos flag.  I still read interviews from rural town folk who are still buying what Trump rallies are selling. >
  
  Trump's problem wasn't a lack of Republican love, it's that everybody who isn't a Republican despises him and turns out to vote against him. >
  
  That presents no issues to winning the Republican primary's in which he only has to win over the Republican base. >
  
  Very true, I got sidetracked. >
  
  There are several factors at play:
  - Trump needs the attention
  - He hates losing 
  - He makes lots of money grifting and the longer he stays in the game the longer he can milk money from supporters
  - He has never cared about the GOP or anyone other than himself
  - It is increasingly likely that the winning the Presidency is the only way he will keep himself out of jail
  On the last point, I can envision a scenario where he uses the threat of a third party run as a bargaining chip for a promise of a pardon. This is the only scenario where I cannot see him running as a third party candidate because it is the only scenario where he would benefit from not running. >
  
  Honestly I think the pardon plan would never work out, partly because it's unenforceable, partly because he would view it as an act of submission. >
  
  If he did run third party, it would be the 3rd time he switched political parties. He was a registered democrat first, then an independent, and then a Republican. He goes wherever he feels is most advantageous for him. His only loyalty is to himself. >
  
  He was also a member of the reform party for a couple years. >
  
  He could be the Green Party candidate, they're already puppets for the Russians. He'd jump claim the "green" stands for money... >
  
  Green Party are Russian puppets? Haven’t heard that one before. Anything to back it up? >
  
  Russians launched pro-Jill Stein social media blitz to help Trump win election, reports say
  That infamous Moscow dinner where Michael Flynn and Jill Stein sat with Putin
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