# 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:** 5
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2011, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-is-now-a-birther/575044/81 "2011-03-19T04:06:47Z")
I doubt he is a birther, he is just an opportunist appealing to the dumbest, most xenophobic, bigoted aspects of the conservative movement by winking at them. That makes him unfit to be president (promoting things you know are lies to appeal to misinformed bigots isn’t very presidential) but I don’t think he honestly believes the birther movement. ---
**Author:** ![DoctorJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctorj/32/2904_2.png) [@DoctorJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DoctorJ)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2011, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-is-now-a-birther/575044/82 "2011-03-19T04:46:10Z")
I like to think that Trump’s candidacy (and its plausibility) will provide a moment of clarity for Republicans, like the way a junkie giving a $5 blowjob behind a Dumpster might suddenly realize just how horribly wrong things had gone. "We’re taking Donald Trump seriously as a Presidential candidate? Is this what we’ve become? ---
**Author:** ![Skip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@Skip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skip)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2011, 11:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-is-now-a-birther/575044/83 "2011-03-19T11:24:56Z")
An increasing number of projects that have the Trump name on them are not actually owned or developed by Trump. He makes a significant chunk of change by licensing out the Trump name to developers. ---
**Author:** ![Tatterdemalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/43a26b/32.png) [@Tatterdemalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tatterdemalion)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2011, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-is-now-a-birther/575044/84 "2011-03-19T14:25:55Z")
> [@DoctorJ](#): > > I like to think that Trump’s candidacy (and its plausibility) will provide a moment of clarity for Republicans, like the way a junkie giving a $5 blowjob behind a Dumpster might suddenly realize just how horribly wrong things had gone. > > "We’re taking Donald Trump seriously as a Presidential candidate? Is this what we’ve become? Is anyone (besides the Donald) taking Donald Trump seriously as a presidential candidate? Serious question, is anyone? ---
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2011, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-is-now-a-birther/575044/85 "2011-03-19T14:45:30Z")
Has a modern CEO ever made a good chief executive of a large-ish government unit (Romney maybe - not sure of his background prior to MA governor)? It’s not like Trump could fire Congress or SCOTUS if they didn’t do things his way. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2011, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-is-now-a-birther/575044/86 "2011-03-19T17:41:46Z")
The Republicans are not going to nominate Donald Trump, Newt Gingrinch or Sarah Palin to be President. They all do have books to promote and careers as celebrities to further, so they may fake some kind of a run to keep themselves in the public eye. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2011, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-is-now-a-birther/575044/87 "2011-03-19T18:26:14Z")
> [@Tatterdemalion](#): > > Is anyone (besides the Donald) taking Donald Trump seriously as a presidential candidate? > > Serious question, is anyone? He was a speaker at CPAC, so he has at least a some support from GOP institutions. But I doubt they, or even he, views him as a serious contender for the nomination. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2011, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-is-now-a-birther/575044/88 "2011-03-19T18:56:43Z")
> [@Folacin](#): > > Has a modern CEO ever made a good chief executive of a large-ish government unit (Romney maybe - not sure of his background prior to MA governor)? It’s not like Trump could fire Congress or SCOTUS if they didn’t do things his way. Mike Bloomberg - Mayor of New York City? But you are correct. Running a large economy is nothing like running a business. You can’t fire underperforming citizens. You can’t spin off unprofitable states. Even the largest multinational company is but a mere fraction of the US GDP. > [@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. We’re talking about in a professional context, not which school threw the most kick-ass tailgates. If you are a lawer, you talk about what law school you went to. If you are an MBA, you talk about what business school you attended. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2011, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-is-now-a-birther/575044/89 "2011-03-19T19:02:26Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > We’re talking about in a professional context, not which school threw the most kick-ass tailgates. If you are a lawer, you talk about what law school you went to. If you are an MBA, you talk about what business school you attended. What if your explaining your qualifications to determine if someone was born in Kenya? ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2011, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-is-now-a-birther/575044/90 "2011-03-19T20:01:34Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > We’re talking about in a professional context, not which school threw the most kick-ass tailgates. If you are a lawer, you talk about what law school you went to. If you are an MBA, you talk about what business school you attended. Wow, I wish I had a professional masters degree. Then I would understand what you’re talking about. …OH WAIT. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2011, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-is-now-a-birther/575044/91 "2011-03-19T20:34:54Z")
> [@The\_Second\_Stone](#): > > The Republicans are not going to nominate Donald Trump, Newt Gingrinch or Sarah Palin to be President. They all do have books to promote and careers as celebrities to further, so they may fake some kind of a run to keep themselves in the public eye. What if one of them wins lots and lots of primaries? ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Girl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7bcc69/32.png) [@Mighty\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Girl)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2011, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-is-now-a-birther/575044/92 "2011-03-19T22:02:32Z")
> [@Wile\_E](#): > > But you are correct. Running a large economy is nothing like running a business. You can’t fire underperforming citizens. You can’t spin off unprofitable states. Sure he can. Selling New Mexico and Arizona to Mexico for a bargain, restructuring Texas, consolidating all the southern states as a separate country, which then files for chapter 11, then a hostile takeover of Canada and firing Congress would surely have the US turning a profit in to time. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2011, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-is-now-a-birther/575044/93 "2011-03-19T22:32:35Z")
> [@j66](#): > > What if one of them wins lots and lots of primaries? What if underneath a few meters of dust the moon turned out to be made of blue cheese? I suppose it would be tasty. And slightly less likely than one of those stooges winning the Republican primaries. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2011, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-is-now-a-birther/575044/94 "2011-03-20T00:12:30Z")
> [@j66](#): > > What if one of them wins lots and lots of primaries? Someone should write a political satire where on of these ‘vanity candidates’ enters the race to boost their book sales, and then panics when they realize they’re on the road to actually winning the nomination. Sort of like ‘The Producers’ for politics. I don’t think its likely, but I guess its possible. Its hard to see Palin actually wanting to be President, as she already bailed on a single term as governor. But its pretty easy to see her getting herself on the primary ballot to stretch out her fifteen minutes, and the Tea Party rallying behind her despite her low chances in the General Election. ---
**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 20, 2011, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-is-now-a-birther/575044/95 "2011-03-20T00:36:56Z")
> [@Simplicio](#): > > Its hard to see Palin actually wanting to be President, as she already bailed on a single term as governor. With her ego and narcissism, she would love to be considered the most powerful person on the planet. The work part, not so much, but she wouldn’t really be making the decisions, just like W. ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2011, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-is-now-a-birther/575044/96 "2011-03-20T01:15:42Z")
> [@The\_Second\_Stone](#): > > What if underneath a few meters of dust the moon turned out to be made of blue cheese? I suppose it would be tasty. And slightly less likely than one of those stooges winning the Republican primaries. So, is your theory that Palin, Trump, and Gingrich are really deep cover Democrats whose only purpose is to discredit the Republican Party? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2011, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-is-now-a-birther/575044/97 "2011-03-20T02:42:37Z")
No. I just don’t think that they have a chance and I think that they are in it for the publicity, and in Sarah’s case for the free clothes. ---
**Author:** ![saoirse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@saoirse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saoirse)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2011, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-is-now-a-birther/575044/98 "2011-03-21T15:53:22Z")
> [@Simplicio](#): > > Someone should write a political satire where on of these ‘vanity candidates’ enters the race to boost their book sales, and then panics when they realize they’re on the road to actually winning the nomination. Sort of like ‘The Producers’ for politics. That would be Al Franken’s [_Why Not Me?_](http://www.amazon.com/Inside-Making-Unmaking-Franken-Presidency/dp/038531809X) It could still be done better, though. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2011, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-is-now-a-birther/575044/99 "2011-03-21T16:07:01Z")
I doubt that Trump is a birther. He is more likely an opportunist. He wants to be president and that requires appealing to the Repub crazies. He can not offend this group of wise citizens who will accept no proof of Obama’s birth. What, does he think they will vote Democratic if he doesn’t agree with them? ---
**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 21, 2011, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-is-now-a-birther/575044/100 "2011-03-21T16:42:16Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > We’re talking about in a professional context, not which school threw the most kick-ass tailgates. If you are a lawer, you talk about what law school you went to. If you are an MBA, you talk about what business school you attended. I’m in law school now. My law school will get my money, but my university will always have my heart. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-is-now-a-birther/575044.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-is-now-a-birther/575044.md?page=6)