# Conservative Leaning Dopers: Will you support Trump in the general election? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [May 8, 2016, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conservative-leaning-dopers-will-you-support-trump-in-the-general-election/754266 "2016-05-08T03:06:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2016, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conservative-leaning-dopers-will-you-support-trump-in-the-general-election/754266/41 "2016-05-09T16:08:27Z")
> [@Peremensoe](#): > > šŸ˜• Your cite in this post, along with every serious look Iā€™ve seen, supports the contention that Trump is _not as successful as he claims_. Well, just being fair, SA was complaining that dopers are saying that Trump was a failure or not smart at all. Not the case; however, it is then valid to point out that a lot of what dopers are reporting about Trump is indeed pointing out what you are saying here, by Trump standards Trump is not as he pretends to be. Just as Carson showed that a brain surgeon can be an ignorant in many other fields, so is Trump showing to be way out of his league if he wants to be president. Using fear and ignorance to win among Republicans should not give him praise either. ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2016, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conservative-leaning-dopers-will-you-support-trump-in-the-general-election/754266/42 "2016-05-09T17:11:00Z")
Voting for Hillary will be the second time Iā€™ve voted for a Democrat. The first time was last year, and it really wasnā€™t Romney I minded but the GOP as a party. The tipping point in that decision: Romney nominating Ryan as VP, and embracing the Ryan tax plan. Bottom line: if the GOP canā€™t figure how to do a primary debate that doesnā€™t sound like racist toddlers explaining the broken cookie jar, they may never get my vote back. Anyway, this time the vote isnā€™t just a protest vote. Hillary really is the better candidate. ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2016, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conservative-leaning-dopers-will-you-support-trump-in-the-general-election/754266/43 "2016-05-09T18:20:27Z")
> [@GIGObuster](#): > > The point was directed to both the ones that claim that Trump was not as successful as he claims as well to the ones that claim that he is the beeā€™s knees or smart. Both extremes are based on an argument from ignorance. > > Hence the point that conservatives should also look at what others independently conclude about what Trump is, a lot of his boastings are likely to be unsightly resume padding. And nothing of what you point out denies that Trump is indeed resorting to ignorance and fear in his current run to the presidency. The success that he boasts in business has little to do with the task he wants to get into now. > > [From the Tower to the White House](http://www.economist.com/news/united-states/21693230-enigma-presidential-candidates-business-affairs-tower-white) Youā€™re mostly arguing against points I never made, and the one point I did make (his being smart) you havenā€™t argued against with any proof to the contrary. All youā€™ve done is deny it and claim that itā€™s ignorant. Iā€™ve said nothing about whether heā€™s as successful as he claims or whether heā€™s using fear and ignorance in his run for the presidency. To take the view that Trump isnā€™t successful because of a few failures is simply incorrect. Most successful people have failures during their career. They make bad decisions or bad investments or life simply takes a different turn than they expect. They are judged to be successful if their overall record is one of success, and Trumpā€™s certainly is. Basically, anyone who claims Trump is stupid or owes his success to daddyā€™s money and fleecing bondholders is letting their bias rule their intellect. I understand the feeling. As Iā€™ve said before I donā€™t like having to acknowledge Bill Clinton is all that when it comes to intelligence, but plenty of evidence exists otherwise so I accept that he is. In other words, I try not to let my bias against him blind me to the facts. People who donā€™t like Trump would be well advised to do the same. As soon as anyone starts in on how stupid he is or starts making a big deal out of his taking four companies bankrupt out of the hundreds he owns, they immediately lose credibility to anyone who knows better. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2016, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conservative-leaning-dopers-will-you-support-trump-in-the-general-election/754266/44 "2016-05-09T18:25:09Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > It is my duty to vote, and therefore it is my duty to make repulsive choices. Letā€™s see, cholera or smallpox. Hmmm, well, cholera doesnā€™t leave scarsā€¦ Can we write in herpes? ---
**Author:** ![Fotheringay-Phipps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d9b06d/32.png) [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2016, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conservative-leaning-dopers-will-you-support-trump-in-the-general-election/754266/45 "2016-05-09T18:26:17Z")
In theory, if I knew that my one vote would make the difference between Trump or Clinton being elected, I would absolutely vote for Trump. Back in the real world however, I intend to either leave the presidential slot blank or vote for a third party (probably Libertarian). ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2016, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conservative-leaning-dopers-will-you-support-trump-in-the-general-election/754266/46 "2016-05-09T18:52:43Z")
I see that some have stated that they will vote Libertarian out of principleā€¦but Iā€™m not seeing any names being mentioned. For those that wonder if going Libertarian is indeed ā€œtaking the high roadā€, [this page has a list and descriptions of this electionā€™s Presidential candidates.](http://2016.libertarian-party.org/) Draw your own conclusions. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2016, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conservative-leaning-dopers-will-you-support-trump-in-the-general-election/754266/47 "2016-05-09T18:57:34Z")
> [@Starving\_Artist](#): > > Youā€™re mostly arguing against points I never made, and the one point I did make (his being smart) you havenā€™t argued against with any proof to the contrary. All youā€™ve done is deny it and claim that itā€™s ignorant. Iā€™ve said nothing about whether heā€™s as successful as he claims or whether heā€™s using fear and ignorance in his run for the presidency. Well, not my problem if you use the ignorance card, his anti-vaccination position should be enough to demonstrate that he has many blind spots and his intelligence is suspect when he does not know how to correct that defect, in other issues this item was posted many times before: > **[As Election Year Unfolds, Climate Concern Rises](https://thinc.blog/2016/03/17/as-election-year-unfolds-climate-concern-rises/)** > > Gallup: Americans are taking global warming more seriously than at any time in the past eight years, according to several measures in Gallupā€™s annual environment poll. Most emblematic is the ā€¦ > **[As Election Year Unfolds, Climate Concern Rises](https://thinc.blog/2016/03/17/as-election-year-unfolds-climate-concern-rises/)** > > Gallup: Americans are taking global warming more seriously than at any time in the past eight years, according to several measures in Gallupā€™s annual environment poll. Most emblematic is the ā€¦ **Womanā€™s question** : ā€œIā€™m a volunteer with a leading conservation voters group and we want to know about what your plan is to reduce pollution that is driving climate change and endangering public health.ā€ **Trump** : ā€œThatā€™s an interesting question. Let me ask you a questionā€¦ Ok, so we have global, let me ask you this, ok to [hissing and some boos from the crowd] take it easyā€¦ How many people, how many people here believe in global warming? [Turns around looks for hands up] You believe in global warming? Who believes in global warming? Who believes in global warming? Raise your hand, nobody? \* **One person** ā€¦ā€ - This is worse than ignorance, it is idiocy. Even professional ā€œskepticsā€ tell us that global warming is happening but is natural, so the answer should had been yes, but not even that :smack: What fake skeptics deny is the climate change that that warming brings and that it is human caused. You may claim an out about us not talking about the same, but it is underwhelming to claim that those are not related. The point was that others can not claim that Trump is a failure or dumb in everything, and you can not claim that Trump is a great genius or successful as you want him to picture it. Just saying. ---
**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:** [May 9, 2016, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conservative-leaning-dopers-will-you-support-trump-in-the-general-election/754266/48 "2016-05-09T19:00:36Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > I see that some have stated that they will vote Libertarian out of principleā€¦but Iā€™m not seeing any names being mentioned. For those that wonder if going Libertarian is indeed ā€œtaking the high roadā€, [this page has a list and descriptions of this electionā€™s Presidential candidates.](http://2016.libertarian-party.org/) > Draw your own conclusions. How can you not love John McAfee > [@](#): > > 2016 Libertarian Presidential Candidate > Anti-Virus Pioneer and Privacy Advocate > 2016 Libertarian Candidate John McAfee > John McAfee Declared 2016 Libertarian Candidate > **John McAfee has a questionable legal past marked by a murder investigation** , but his professional contributions command respect. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2016, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conservative-leaning-dopers-will-you-support-trump-in-the-general-election/754266/49 "2016-05-09T19:04:57Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > I see that some have stated that they will vote Libertarian out of principleā€¦but Iā€™m not seeing any names being mentioned. For those that wonder if going Libertarian is indeed ā€œtaking the high roadā€, [this page has a list and descriptions of this electionā€™s Presidential candidates.](http://2016.libertarian-party.org/) > Draw your own conclusions. Iā€™ve also started a separate thread about the Libertarian candidates [here.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=792686) ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2016, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conservative-leaning-dopers-will-you-support-trump-in-the-general-election/754266/50 "2016-05-09T19:14:59Z")
> [@Starving\_Artist](#): > > Youā€™re mostly arguing against points I never made, and the one point I did make (his being smart) you havenā€™t argued against with any proof to the contrary. All youā€™ve done is deny it and claim that itā€™s ignorant. Iā€™ve said nothing about whether heā€™s as successful as he claims or whether heā€™s using fear and ignorance in his run for the presidency. > > To take the view that Trump isnā€™t successful because of a few failures is simply incorrect. Most successful people have failures during their career. They make bad decisions or bad investments or life simply takes a different turn than they expect. They are judged to be successful if their overall record is one of success, and Trumpā€™s certainly is. > > Basically, anyone who claims Trump is stupid or owes his success to daddyā€™s money and fleecing bondholders is letting their bias rule their intellect. I understand the feeling. As Iā€™ve said before I donā€™t like having to acknowledge Bill Clinton is all that when it comes to intelligence, but plenty of evidence exists otherwise so I accept that he is. In other words, I try not to let my bias against him blind me to the facts. People who donā€™t like Trump would be well advised to do the same. As soon as anyone starts in on how stupid he is or starts making a big deal out of his taking four companies bankrupt out of the hundreds he owns, they immediately lose credibility to anyone who knows better. I think you have made your point abundantly clear, in numerous posts in several threads. Likewise, it seems that most people actually have other, more important reasons for not wanting to vote for Trump than whether or not he can be deemed a successful businessman or not. So could we maybe move on from the broken-record recitation of how many enterprises he happens to have his name on? Just asking here. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2016, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conservative-leaning-dopers-will-you-support-trump-in-the-general-election/754266/51 "2016-05-09T19:19:20Z")
> [@Fotheringay-Phipps](#): > > In theory, if I knew that my one vote would make the difference between Trump or Clinton being elected, I would absolutely vote for Trump. > > Back in the real world however, I intend to either leave the presidential slot blank or vote for a third party (probably Libertarian). This makes no sense to me. If you would prefer Trump to win and you are already in the voting booth, why wouldnā€™t you take the less than half a second to vote for him? ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2016, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conservative-leaning-dopers-will-you-support-trump-in-the-general-election/754266/52 "2016-05-09T19:51:33Z")
I am not going to vote for Trump. I donā€™t think he has a snowballā€™s chance in hell in the general election, but I didnā€™t think he would get the nomination either. So my predictions are worth what they usually are. If the Libertarians nominate a serious person, maybe that person. Maybe Hillary - sheā€™s a paranoid like Nixon was, and maybe she will get caught in a scandal equivalent to Watergate. Probably not, though - the press would try hard to look the other way. Hopefully Trump gets trounced but the GOP retains control of the Senate and House to act as a check on Hillary, and then revamps itself so it doesnā€™t pick another clown next time. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Fotheringay-Phipps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d9b06d/32.png) [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2016, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conservative-leaning-dopers-will-you-support-trump-in-the-general-election/754266/53 "2016-05-09T19:55:08Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > This makes no sense to me. If you would prefer Trump to win and you are already in the voting booth, why wouldnā€™t you take the less than half a second to vote for him? On a personal level I despise Trump. As a practical matter, it would be better if he were president than if Clinton were president. So if my vote would have a practical impact, then whatā€™s practically better would be of greater importance. If my vote is nothing more than an expression of support, then I donā€™t want to express support for Trump. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2016, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conservative-leaning-dopers-will-you-support-trump-in-the-general-election/754266/54 "2016-05-09T19:58:24Z")
To answer the OP: Iā€™d rather vote third-party or abstain from voting, than vote for Trump. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2016, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conservative-leaning-dopers-will-you-support-trump-in-the-general-election/754266/55 "2016-05-09T20:00:50Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > Maybe Hillary - sheā€™s a paranoid like Nixon was, and maybe she will get caught in a scandal equivalent to Watergate. Probably not, though - the press would try hard to look the other way. You mean like how they swept the Benghazi and email scandals under the rug? If only the public knew about that stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2016, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conservative-leaning-dopers-will-you-support-trump-in-the-general-election/754266/56 "2016-05-09T20:10:17Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > You mean like how they swept the Benghazi and email scandals under the rug? If only the public knew about that stuff. Pretty much, yes - they would ignore it as much as possible, spin it in her favor as hard as possible, and then dismiss it as old news as soon as possible. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2016, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conservative-leaning-dopers-will-you-support-trump-in-the-general-election/754266/57 "2016-05-09T20:23:21Z")
Yes I agree if by ā€œignore it as much as possibleā€ you mean ā€œcover it with daily updatesā€. I posted this in response to some paranoid Bernhead but could use repeating here: > [@](#): > > The campaign for the front-runner on the other side of the aisle, Hillary Clinton, was covered for 113 minutes. (Coverage of Clinton controversies dating to her time as Secretary of State was counted separately, and totaled an additional 117 minutes, more than her campaign proper.) > **[How much does Donald Trump dominate TV news coverage? This much](https://money.cnn.com/2015/12/06/media/donald-trump-nightly-news-coverage/)** > > Donald Trump's presidential campaign has received more nightly news attention than all the Democratic campaigns combined, according to a new data analysis. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2016, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conservative-leaning-dopers-will-you-support-trump-in-the-general-election/754266/58 "2016-05-09T20:25:54Z")
People talk about Trump the iconoclast, the game-changer, the guy whoā€™s rewriting all the rules, doing things people said couldnā€™t be done, turning the world on its ear, et ceteraā€¦ but itā€™s only now that it truly sinks in for me, when I see **Starving Artist** and **Shodan** talk about voting for Hillary Clinton. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2016, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conservative-leaning-dopers-will-you-support-trump-in-the-general-election/754266/59 "2016-05-09T20:36:16Z")
Nope. Trump is batshit insane, and I wonā€™t vote for Hillary. This year Iā€™m either writing in myself for POTUS or going third party. ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2016, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conservative-leaning-dopers-will-you-support-trump-in-the-general-election/754266/60 "2016-05-09T20:38:20Z")
> [@El\_Kabong](#): > > I think you have made your point abundantly clear, in numerous posts in several threads. Likewise, it seems that most people actually have other, more important reasons for not wanting to vote for Trump than whether or not he can be deemed a successful businessman or not. So could we maybe move on from the broken-record recitation of how many enterprises he happens to have his name on? Just asking here. I apologize if my inconvenient truths are bothersome to you but we are about fighting ignorance here, arenā€™t we? If you want me to stop pointing out the facts about Trump, Iā€™d suggest you work on trying to suppress the boardā€™s erroneous posts about him instead. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conservative-leaning-dopers-will-you-support-trump-in-the-general-election/754266.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conservative-leaning-dopers-will-you-support-trump-in-the-general-election/754266.md?page=4)