# Donald Trump is now a birther **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 17, 2011, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-is-now-a-birther/575044 "2011-03-17T17:38:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2011, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-is-now-a-birther/575044/61 "2011-03-18T15:35:53Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > I don’t think he has a snowflake’s chance in hell of the nom, fortunately. If the GOP thinks they have that little a chance to win the White House, they might as well run Palin and be done with it. > > Besides, I thought that _first_ you ran for public office, _then_ you got the reality show. Beaten to the punch. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2011, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-is-now-a-birther/575044/62 "2011-03-18T15:43:26Z")
> [@fjs1fs](#): > > Many will argue that Wharton (Penn) where he got his MBA is the best school in the country–at least the best business school (you’ll often hear similar arguments about Harvard, Stanford and a few others). He’s referring to Wharton, not Fordham. Then he should have said he went to the best _business_ school in the country. It’s totally misleading to leave out that word. I did my master’s degree at a university with another highly-ranked business school, and most of the b-schoolers I met during that time were a pack of douchebags who couldn’t tell their ass from a hole in the ground. So I tend not to have a particularly high opinion of MBAs, as a general rule. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2011, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-is-now-a-birther/575044/63 "2011-03-18T15:54:48Z")
There needs to be a rule that participating in any kind of reality television automatically disqualifies you from running the country. ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2011, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-is-now-a-birther/575044/64 "2011-03-18T15:55:50Z")
> [@Blaster\_Master](#): > > So, sure, he’s pandering to some idiots, but every politician has to do it to some extent and it doesn’t seem any worse than countless other examples to me. Some politicians seem to find it more necessary than others. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Kumquat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4491bb/32.png) [@Gary\_Kumquat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Kumquat)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2011, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-is-now-a-birther/575044/65 "2011-03-18T15:58:47Z")
> [@Smeghead](#): > > There needs to be a rule that participating in any kind of reality television automatically disqualifies you from running the country. But President Hogan would be awesome! And I could really get behind Prime Minister Osbourne. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2011, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-is-now-a-birther/575044/66 "2011-03-18T16:27:41Z")
How do you feel about Speaker of the House Snooki? ---
**Author:** ![flight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbce88/32.png) [@flight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flight)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2011, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-is-now-a-birther/575044/67 "2011-03-18T16:41:09Z")
> [@Kyla](#): > > Then he should have said he went to the best _business_ school in the country. It’s totally misleading to leave out that word. When someone references the school they went to, in my experience they mean the one they got their highest degree from. Also, people have said in this thread that everything this guy does is about making money. I disagree. It appears to me that everything this guy does is about self-promotion. In that vein, trying to run for office would be right up his alley. I do agree that financial disclosure might make it impossible for him to bring himself to do it and this may just be hype on his part. ---
**Author:** ![Scuba\_Ben](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/278dde/32.png) [@Scuba\_Ben](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scuba_Ben)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2011, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-is-now-a-birther/575044/68 "2011-03-18T16:42:12Z")
> [@Gary\_Kumquat](#): > > The UN would collapse into just a bunch of arguing factions getting nothing done. When was the UN not a bunch of arguing factions getting nothing done? ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2011, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-is-now-a-birther/575044/69 "2011-03-18T17:06:56Z")
> [@flight](#): > > When someone references the school they went to, in my experience they mean the one they got their highest degree from. I guess it would depend on context, but that is the opposite of my experience. Most people I know seem to have greater school spirit and pride in their undergrad universities than where they went to grad school. I went to a Big Ten university for grad school and some of my classmates went to rival universities for their undergrads. They ALWAYS rooted for their undergrads when our school went up against them in sports. ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2011, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-is-now-a-birther/575044/70 "2011-03-18T17:15:12Z")
> [@flight](#): > > … > > Also, people have said in this thread that everything this guy does is about making money. I disagree. It appears to me that everything this guy does is about self-promotion. In that vein, trying to run for office would be right up his alley. I do agree that financial disclosure might make it impossible for him to bring himself to do it and this may just be hype on his part. Oh, I agree. I think he got a taste of fame way back when and now does everything he can to be in the public eye, and that would include running for office. I can’t think of any other rich businessman that spends so much time in the public eye. I don’t think he will get a lot of support from the family values crowd with the three marriages and the first one ending when he cheated with the second one. I don’t think I could stand all the “You’re fired” jokes we’d have to hear if he were president. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2011, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-is-now-a-birther/575044/71 "2011-03-18T17:16:03Z")
That’s probably just because you have more fun as an undergrad. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2011, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-is-now-a-birther/575044/72 "2011-03-18T17:16:46Z")
> [@Starving\_Artist](#): > > A lot worse. Trump’s smart as hell, hires smart and talented people, deals effectively with bureaucracies, is a great negotiator, plays a mean game of hardball when needed, and can generally be counted on to outsmart his opponents. Trump plays a very sophisticated game, and on a very high level. It would be very interesting to see how he would run the country and deal with foreign governments. I suspect he would be very effective at both. [/QUOTE] He seems like a nice enough guy in real life and he’s definitely smart and passionate but he is essentially a risk taker. He’s gone “all in” on more than one occassion and he hasn’t always come out on top on those occassions. Its not that he takes stupid risks but you don’t turn a million dollars into a billion dollars by playing it safe. ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2011, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-is-now-a-birther/575044/73 "2011-03-18T17:18:35Z")
> [@Starving\_Artist](#): > > Yeah, Trump got into trouble during a financial downturn and went bankrupt 20 or so years ago. But he stayed in business, fought back and came back bigger than ever - many times over. > > So I guess he’d be a good President in that he could walk us through the process. Umm, he’s declared bankruptcy at least half a dozen times. Not eprsonal bankruptcy but he has reorganized several times and experience at doing bankruptcy workouts is not a particularly relevant skill when our biggest problem is a sluggish economy. ---
**Author:** ![saoirse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@saoirse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saoirse)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2011, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-is-now-a-birther/575044/74 "2011-03-18T17:22:48Z")
> [@Scuba\_Ben](#): > > When was the UN not a bunch of arguing factions getting nothing done? What does a whoosh sound like underwater? ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2011, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-is-now-a-birther/575044/75 "2011-03-18T17:36:29Z")
> [@Starving\_Artist](#): > > I doubt that you’ve ever known a single person in your life who operates on Trump’s level, at the negotiating table or otherwise. I think you grossly overestimate his negotiating skill. > [@](#): > > And I would imagine most of the sales guys/bankers who deal with him would tell you the same. I imagine that they wouldn’t say he was particularly extraordinary. He’s a celebrity real estate developer but he’s not particularly extraordinary. ---
**Author:** ![Scuba\_Ben](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/278dde/32.png) [@Scuba\_Ben](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scuba_Ben)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2011, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-is-now-a-birther/575044/76 "2011-03-18T19:51:31Z")
> [@saoirse](#): > > What does a whoosh sound like underwater? About the same as on land, only much larger. And with more teeth. ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2011, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-is-now-a-birther/575044/77 "2011-03-18T20:58:17Z")
> [@flight](#): > > Also, people have said in this thread that everything this guy does is about making money. I disagree. It appears to me that everything this guy does is about self-promotion. In that vein, trying to run for office would be right up his alley. I do agree that financial disclosure might make it impossible for him to bring himself to do it and this may just be hype on his part. This. The real problem I have with Trump running for president is that he isn’t doing it so because he has an idea of the direction the country should take and believes that he is the best one to lead it there. He just wants to be president to feed his own ego. Palin is the same way and I think GW Bush may have been too. For them the presidency isn’t a means to an end, it is the end. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2011, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-is-now-a-birther/575044/78 "2011-03-18T21:25:13Z")
> [@Kyla](#): > > I guess it would depend on context, but that is the opposite of my experience. Most people I know seem to have greater school spirit and pride in their undergrad universities than where they went to grad school. I went to a Big Ten university for grad school and some of my classmates went to rival universities for their undergrads. They ALWAYS rooted for their undergrads when our school went up against them in sports. Yeah, that’s my experience as well. I mean, if you asked me where I went to school I guess I’d tell you both, but I don’t think of myself as an alumna of the University of South Carolina, god no. I’m an Agnes Scott alum. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Peyote\_Coyote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5f8ce5/32.png) [@The\_Peyote\_Coyote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Peyote_Coyote)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2011, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-is-now-a-birther/575044/79 "2011-03-19T00:51:59Z")
Trump you, Smeghead! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![MacCat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maccat/32/216_2.png) [@MacCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacCat)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2011, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-is-now-a-birther/575044/80 "2011-03-19T01:55:30Z")
> [@Gary\_Kumquat](#): > > It’s also worth considering the sheer vision that sees him currently trying to build a golf resort in a particularly rain prone stretch of the north east cost of Scotland that is famous for the haar, a particularly thick coastal fog that during the summer months reduces visibility down to about 20 feet, often for several hours per day. He believes that this makes it ideal for what he claims will be the worlds finest golf resort. I’m not much of a golfer, but my understanding is that for most players it’s a good idea to see where the flag is. > > And finally. That wig. Seriously, you want a CiC with what appears to be a giant hairball flattened to the top of his head? Honestly, all the cool countries will point and laugh at you. And whoever’s running Italy or France at the time will end up boffing his wife on the side. You just don’t want that. He’s been involved with rebuilding a restaurant in the historic and beautiful Jones Beach, Long Island complex. It’s a debacle due to his attempt to ignore the permit not allowing a basement because of groundwater issues. The man has abysmal taste and to allow his involvement with such an important place was almost criminal. The “hair”. I want to see THAT thing near the rotors of Marine 1. Probably trail two feet behind him. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-is-now-a-birther/575044.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-is-now-a-birther/575044.md?page=5)