# Donald Trump's 2016 General Election Campaign **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [May 4, 2016, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901 "2016-05-04T02:37:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![ITR\_champion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c67d28/32.png) [@ITR\_champion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ITR_champion)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2016, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/21 "2016-05-04T16:36:23Z")
> [@GrandWino](#): > > So how do you think this will play out? Will there be any policy debates to speak of or will it just be an insult-fest for the next six months. Good question. It’s hard to say what will happen. Trump is unpredictable, deliberately so. His Republican opponents never knew what he was going to do next, so they couldn’t plot a working strategy to defeat him. Time after time, the pundits have told us that Trump has finally gone too far and his campaign will now collapse. They were wrong every time. Can Trump keep the same act up for the next six months and use it to defeat Hillary? I don’t know, but we’re about to find out. Briefly, it seems that Trump probably knows what issues work well for him against Hillary, and which issues don’t. Issues that work for Hillary: [ul] [li]Anything dealing with gender.[/li][li]Anything dealing with race.[/li][li]Political experience.[/li][li]Intellectual seriousness.[/li][/ul] Issues that work for Trump: [ul] [li]Jobs.[/li][li]Taxes. Trump proposes eliminating federal income tax for the poor and much of the lower middle class. People like paying lower taxes.[/li][li]Free trade. Many people are upset about how many jobs have been lost. Trump promises to bring them back. He can’t, of course, but some people believe that it’s possible.[/li][li]Political correctness. Trump is good at exploiting idiotic PC outbreaks.[/li][li]Terrorism. Any major terrorist attacks in the USA or elsewhere will give Trump a chance to sound tough.[/li][li]Health care. Obamacare is still unpopular and prices are rising. Hillary has no real solution. Trump doesn’t either, but Hillary is tied to Obamacare because she’s a Democrat.[/li][/ul] ---
**Author:** ![Claverhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/13edae/32.png) [@Claverhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claverhouse)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2016, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/22 "2016-05-04T16:39:07Z")
> [@GrandWino](#): > > I think you’ll find that to be a pretty lengthy list. Power is power and now that there are no other Republicans running against him, people can come out of the woodwork to line up behind Trump. I won’t be surprised to see some high-profile establishment endorsements being rolled out before the end of today. _“It was always you, Donnie, **always**! There never was nobody else !”_ ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2016, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/23 "2016-05-04T16:40:49Z")
Well, here’s a powerful endorsement from Todd Starnes of Fox News: He assures us that the[nation would survive a Trump presidency.](http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2016/05/04/todd-starnes-crass-beat-class-but-nation-can-survive-trump-presidency.html?intcmp=hpbt1) (Of course, it’s Fox News, so he does let us know that he is certain… CERTAIN… that the nation itself would not survive a Hilary Clinton presidency. That’s correct. Trump may be horrible for a long list of reasons that Starnes lists, but Clinton would utterly, utterly destroy the country completely. Glad to see the foaming at the mouth hyperbole continues on Fox. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2016, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/24 "2016-05-04T16:41:36Z")
> [@GrandWino](#): > > I think you’ll find that to be a pretty lengthy list. Power is power and now that there are no other Republicans running against him, people can come out of the woodwork to line up behind Trump. I won’t be surprised to see some high-profile establishment endorsements being rolled out before the end of today. Being on a doomed Presidential ticket that is likely to live on as a punch line for decades isn’t really “power”. Not sure how much power Fiorina accumulated in her six days as Cruz’s VP pick, for example. Anyhoo, I think he must’ve already promised it to Christie. ---
**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 4, 2016, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/25 "2016-05-04T16:46:36Z")
> [@Simplicio](#): > > Being on a doomed Presidential ticket that is likely to live on as a punch line for decades isn’t really “power”. Not sure how much power Fiorina accumulated in her six days as Cruz’s VP pick, for example. > > Anyhoo, I think he must’ve already promised it to Christie. I certainly hope that’s true-what a scandalous mess of a Christmas present to hand to the Democrats. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2016, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/26 "2016-05-04T16:47:28Z")
> [@Simplicio](#): > > Anyhoo, I think he must’ve already promised it to Christie. Seems like an embarrassing choice. I think he’ll offer it to Ben Carson. Or someone that would make real conservatives feel like there is hope. ---
**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 4, 2016, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/27 "2016-05-04T16:51:11Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Seems like an embarrassing choice. I think he’ll offer it to Ben Carson. Or someone that would make real conservatives feel like there is hope. My ghod-that might be even better. The Democrats could fill the airwaves with the insane ramblings of Carson and have a blast. ---
**Author:** ![oft\_wears\_hats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7993a0/32.png) [@oft\_wears\_hats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oft_wears_hats)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2016, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/28 "2016-05-04T16:51:13Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > As far as who he’ll pick for VP goes, right now it’s a matter of who is willing to accept the job. Given his general shadiness and ignorance of the rules, it seems to me that Trump could have a far greater chance of being impeached and successfully removed from office. That might be an attractive factor to consider for whomever he taps - a higher chance of sitting in the big chair. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2016, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/29 "2016-05-04T16:51:42Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > I’d like to know who the following plan to vote for: > > Mitt Romney > John McCain > Bob Dole > > Despite not being a huge fan of all of those guys, I could have lived with them as President. I wonder if any of them will admit they are voting for Hilary Clinton this time. Or reveal they are voting third part. Or abstaining. Dole said he’d stay home if Cruz was the nominee. I wouldn’t be surprised if he did the same for Trump, and if Kansas is close, the Dems have a landslide anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Claverhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/13edae/32.png) [@Claverhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claverhouse)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2016, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/30 "2016-05-04T16:53:25Z")
> [@bobot](#): > > I will submit this idea for Hillary’s consideration: Don’t even debate him. Just say something like: Hey, we’re gonna shut this down for now, and pick it back up near November. Hang loose. That’s her best strategy: stay tight, keep mum, head below the parapet, run scared, and don’t give him the chance to destroy her in a debate. Of course, her supporters will be crowing over her mad skillz and moral victory even as the Donald takes the inauguration oath. ---
**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 4, 2016, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/31 "2016-05-04T16:53:26Z")
> [@ITR\_champion](#): > > Good question. It’s hard to say what will happen. Trump is unpredictable, deliberately so. His Republican opponents never knew what he was going to do next, so they couldn’t plot a working strategy to defeat him. Time after time, the pundits have told us that Trump has finally gone too far and his campaign will now collapse. They were wrong every time. Can Trump keep the same act up for the next six months and use it to defeat Hillary? I don’t know, but we’re about to find out. > > Briefly, it seems that Trump probably knows what issues work well for him against Hillary, and which issues don’t. > > Issues that work for Hillary: > [ul] > [li]Anything dealing with gender.[/li][li]Anything dealing with race.[/li][li]Political experience.[/li][li]Intellectual seriousness.[/li][/ul] > > [QUOTE=ITR champion] > > Issues that work for Trump: > [ul] > [li]Jobs.[/li][li]Taxes. Trump proposes eliminating federal income tax for the poor and much of the lower middle class. People like paying lower taxes.[/li][li]Free trade. Many people are upset about how many jobs have been lost. Trump promises to bring them back. He can’t, of course, but some people believe that it’s possible.[/li][li]Political correctness. Trump is good at exploiting idiotic PC outbreaks.[/li][li]Terrorism. Any major terrorist attacks in the USA or elsewhere will give Trump a chance to sound tough.[/li][li]Health care. Obamacare is still unpopular and prices are rising. Hillary has no real solution. Trump doesn’t either, but Hillary is tied to Obamacare because she’s a Democrat.[/li][/ul] 1&3 I agree with, as I said above. Point 2 is such a broken record I can’t see it moving many voters. Point 4 I similarly don’t see swaying many voters who aren’t already on the Trump train. Terrorism would at best be a wash and more likely leans in Clinton’s favour - she can sound tough without being whackadoo about it. Healthcare is tricky and if Trump can’t articulate a more useful and comprehensive replacement plan, I don’t think it will get many new people jumping to his side, though banging the anti-Obamacare drum may keep some of the shaky regular Republican voters from defecting. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2016, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/32 "2016-05-04T16:56:52Z")
I read somewhere, TPM I believe, that if you haven’t come out to say you’re for Hillary, or with another candidate, or that you’re staying home - you’re for Trump. So until Romney, Ryan, etc say one of those things - assume they’re for Trump. ETA: Also, FWIW, Trump this morning said that his VP pick would be a Republican (sorry Jim Webb) and probably an experienced politician to help him work with Congress (sorry Dr. Ben). ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2016, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/33 "2016-05-04T17:08:15Z")
> [@ITR\_champion](#): > > Health care. Obamacare is still unpopular and prices are rising. Hillary has no real solution. Trump doesn’t either . . . Sanders does. Just sayin’. ---
**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 4, 2016, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/34 "2016-05-04T17:19:36Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Sanders does. Just sayin’. Great. When he gets back to the Senate he can propose his plan and get it voted on. Since Presidents can’t introduce legislation it’s win-win Sanders is staying there. ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2016, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/35 "2016-05-04T17:25:16Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Sanders does. Just sayin’. Bernie’s plan would make Lenin so proud. ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2016, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/36 "2016-05-04T17:50:54Z")
> [@Morgenstern](#): > > Bernie’s plan would make Lenin so proud. You spelled John’s name wrong. 😃 [QUOTE=ITR Champion] Issues that work for Trump:•Jobs. [/QUOTE] How does “jobs” work as an issue for Trump? Besides him saying “I will be the best jobs President”, what plan does he have? If it is to “return jobs to the U.S.”, isn’t he really inviting some sort of global economic catastrophe if he starts trade wars with other countries by pushing for tariffs, in contravention of existing trade agreements, to prevent offshore manufacturing? ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2016, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/37 "2016-05-04T17:59:58Z")
> [@Claverhouse](#): > > That’s her best strategy: stay tight, keep mum, head below the parapet, run scared, and don’t give him the chance to destroy her in a debate. > . And how’s The Donald going to do that? By yelling that she’s wrong because “she’s bleeding out of her whatever”? Please. This is the big contest. The Donald will be out of his depth on every topic. All he has is one-liners and insults. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2016, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/38 "2016-05-04T18:01:57Z")
> [@Moriarty](#): > > How does “jobs” work as an issue for Trump? Besides him saying “I will be the best jobs President”, what plan does he have? If it is to “return jobs to the U.S.”, isn’t he really inviting some sort of global economic catastrophe if he starts trade wars with other countries by pushing for tariffs, in contravention of existing trade agreements, to prevent offshore manufacturing? His plan is “make this country great again” That’s all. Trump fans do not need any stinkin’ plans. Plans are for those sissy policy wonks. ETA: Beneath it all, I think Trump plans to run the country like his businesses; Use them to promote his name, make some personal money off the notoriety, destroy the business, declare bankruptcy, blame others. ---
**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 4, 2016, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/39 "2016-05-04T18:06:23Z")
Well at this point the idea is getting votes, not producing the most comprehensive and sound trade policy. As a commentator on CNN put it last night “the winners from free trade are dispersed and ungrateful. The losers are many and angry”. ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2016, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/40 "2016-05-04T18:13:20Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > … > > Please. This is the big contest. The Donald will be out of his depth on every topic. All he has is one-liners and insults. This is absolutely correct. Donald would fall flat on his hairpiece in a debate with anyone with a brain. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901.md?page=3)