# A Theory on Trump **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [September 9, 2015, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-theory-on-trump/730453 "2015-09-09T18:26:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2015, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-theory-on-trump/730453/21 "2015-09-10T17:04:34Z")
> [@davida03801](#): > > He has built, as an owner, a sizable number of large and complex projects. The man is not stupid at all. It takes a substantial amount of work as an owner to coordinate the financing, the architects, the construction managers, etc to bring the projects in at or near budget. > > From that point of view he has more experience than Obama, Biden, and the entire rest of the presidential field in both parties. > > Edit… I have no idea how long his legs are in this race, but saying he has no building experience is incorrect. He couldn’t manage a project to repave a driveway or reshingle a house. He has minions for that. He’s the money man, nothing more. He doesn’t coordinate shit. I know his riches to riches story is compelling to the Republican base, but he was born on third base, he didn’t hit a triple. ---
**Author:** ![davida03801](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5e925/32.png) [@davida03801](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davida03801)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2015, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-theory-on-trump/730453/22 "2015-09-10T17:30:53Z")
> [@davidm](#): > > What’s sickening is that each racist or misogynist statement he makes seems to enhance his popularity. We all knew that there was this dark underbelly to the American electorate, but seeing it exposed like this, and seeing it successfully manipulated so blatantly, is frightening. This is a one way street ? Libs - progressives and Dems seem to get away on a regular basis to call anyone they not like racists, nazis, etc and get away with it. Seems to increase their popularity with certain groups. The dark underbelly extends to both sides. ---
**Author:** ![davida03801](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5e925/32.png) [@davida03801](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davida03801)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2015, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-theory-on-trump/730453/23 "2015-09-10T17:40:49Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > He couldn’t manage a project to repave a driveway or reshingle a house. He has minions for that. He’s the money man, nothing more. He doesn’t coordinate shit. Agreed he has minions, but they have to be managed also. You’re just giving out the typical shtick and drivel cause you not like the dude. Your right to do so, but that is what it is. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2015, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-theory-on-trump/730453/24 "2015-09-10T17:41:18Z")
> [@davida03801](#): > > This is a one way street ? Libs - progressives and Dems seem to get away on a regular basis to call anyone they not like racists, nazis, etc and get away with it. Seems to increase their popularity with certain groups. > > The dark underbelly extends to both sides. Calling out racists for what they are is hardly a dark underbelly. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2015, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-theory-on-trump/730453/25 "2015-09-10T18:02:45Z")
> [@davida03801](#): > > This is a one way street ? Libs - progressives and Dems seem to get away on a regular basis to call anyone they not like racists, nazis, etc and get away with it. Seems to increase their popularity with certain groups. > > The dark underbelly extends to both sides. This sounds like a right-wing myth, not that calling people racists or nazis is nearly as bad as actually doing racist things, anyway. I’m unaware of prominent Democrats routinely calling someone a racist without cause – if you think there are, please cite. Perhaps it’s happened a few times, but I don’t believe it’s a “regular basis”. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2015, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-theory-on-trump/730453/26 "2015-09-10T18:19:23Z")
> [@davida03801](#): > > Agreed he has minions, but they have to be managed also. But personnel management is not the same as construction project management. The latter has a component of the former, but requires some more specific knowledge and skills as well. > [@davida03801](#): > > It takes a substantial amount of work as an owner to coordinate the financing, the architects, the construction managers, etc to bring the projects in at or near budget. Right. But at that level, there’s not really anything specific to _building_ going on. It is, as **BobLibDem** says, a matter of money and paperwork. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Lowry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Sam\_Lowry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Lowry)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2015, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-theory-on-trump/730453/27 "2015-09-10T18:39:12Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > RE: having the necessary contracts: This would be a FAR 36 deal, and almost certainly a stand-alone. There are precious few people out there with experience administering FAR 36 contracts. It’s a horse of a different feather. > > I could see them doing it as a multi-award IDIQ, awarding segments 50-100 miles at a time to various contractors. > > Any specific expertise that Trump lacks he can easily subcontract out. He certainly has the bona-fides as a program management organization; managing multiple contractors to build a skyscraper is no mean feat. I just think his arrogant dismissal of detail would put him in non-compliance pretty fast. > > Of course, it could also get him at the proposal level. “I’ll learn that when I need to know it” will not work in a technical proposal. But “What I don’t know these fifteen small/disadvantaged business will fill in” would put him at the top of the stack. I still don’t understand why you think he would be going for this, when you also think it would be unlikely he would be unable to handle it. As far as I know, he’s not said anything about building it himself. It’s like I could start up a thread theorizing that he’s saying everything against immigrants and how dangerous they are because he wants to start up a gun company, and then saying how badly he’d fail at that because he has no experience making guns and wouldn’t be able to deal with the regulations. It seems like setting up a strawman. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2015, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-theory-on-trump/730453/28 "2015-09-10T18:56:37Z")
> [@davida03801](#): > > This is a one way street ? Libs - progressives and Dems seem to get away on a regular basis to call anyone they not like racists, nazis, etc and get away with it. Seems to increase their popularity with certain groups. > > The dark underbelly extends to both sides. “They’re just as bad as we are! Really, there’s no difference, so you should vote for us!” ---
**Author:** ![davida03801](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5e925/32.png) [@davida03801](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davida03801)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2015, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-theory-on-trump/730453/29 "2015-09-10T19:27:45Z")
> [@Peremensoe](#): > > But personnel management is not the same as construction project management. The latter has a component of the former, but requires some more specific knowledge and skills as well. > > Right. But at that level, there’s not really anything specific to _building_ going on. It is, as **BobLibDem** says, a matter of money and paperwork. Disagree and I have personal experience that tells me so. Tell you small story. 1st job out of college was for a good size contracting firm run by two brothers, and it really was the older brother who ran things. He took over the business, very small at the time, when the father died while he was 3rd year in college. 15 years after the father died when I started there they were a 100 million + business. The joke out in the field was the Dominic (the older brother) could not build a square box if his life depended on it. That was the joke, but everyone knew it was him that kept the firm moving ahead, making it a desirable place to work, and having what it takes to keep all those minions working happily for you. I left after 15 years and started a consulting business, that I am still in. I have seen both sides of it. Men and woman that started in very small circumstances, basically one room offices, and turning those small companies into large ones. I’ve also seen the other side where the sons took over daddies business and were unable to keep it rolling. Yep, the minions do the work but the owners set the pace and style of the business making them successful or not. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2015, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-theory-on-trump/730453/30 "2015-09-15T06:29:22Z")
> [@davida03801](#): > > This is a one way street ? Libs - progressives and Dems seem to get away on a regular basis to call anyone they not like racists, nazis, etc and get away with it. Seems to increase their popularity with certain groups. > > The dark underbelly extends to both sides. Do you know what those words are being used to mean? ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2015, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-theory-on-trump/730453/31 "2015-09-15T14:51:47Z")
> [@Sam\_Lowry](#): > > I still don’t understand why you think he would be going for this, when you also think it would be unlikely he would be unable to handle it. As far as I know, he’s not said anything about building it himself. > > It’s like I could start up a thread theorizing that he’s saying everything against immigrants and how dangerous they are because he wants to start up a gun company, and then saying how badly he’d fail at that because he has no experience making guns and wouldn’t be able to deal with the regulations. It seems like setting up a strawman. First fifteen seconds here: Compare that to the complete lack of any actual statements on issues here: [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPWERFt-gf8) (If you listen to the very end, he does actually say a few words about “Obamacare” in which he excoriates everything the Republicans insisted upon putting in there.) I don’t have time to search for more, but these are pretty good examples. They are not the excellent ones I saw earlier and tried to find just now, but they’ll do. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-theory-on-trump/730453.md?page=1)