# Donald Trump's 2016 General Election Campaign
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901
**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:** 233
### Author:  [@Anny\_Middon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anny_Middon)
#### Post date: [August 18, 2016, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/4643 "2016-08-18T17:24:26Z")
> [@CarnalK](#):
>
> Well when I look at conventions since 1952, the period of time the article is talking about, they’re pretty all over the map. These are quite a bit earlier than the last couple but not really out of the ordinary.
I looked from 1972 on, just to get a handle on the dates. I agree that they are all over the map, What struck me though is how close together the conventions have been in 2008, 2012 and 2016. In all three of these years, the time between the scheduled\* opening gavel of the earlier convention and the closing gavel of the later convention was only 10 or 11 days.
1996 and 2000 had 17 days between gavels. The remainder all had at least 31 days.
- I say “scheduled” because the 2012 RNC convention started late due to Hurricane Isaac.
---
### Author:  [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)
#### Post date: [August 18, 2016, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/4644 "2016-08-18T17:28:39Z")
> [@SlackerInc](#):
>
> Indeed! And a lot more people are familiar with what happened in Cologne than these posters credit.
But most people DONT know the actual facts of that New Year’s Night, as they have come to light [after months of thorough investigation.](https://decorrespondent.nl/4401/Time-for-the-facts-What-do-we-know-about-Cologne-four-months-later-/399935276928-276acabc)
> [@](#):
>
> Based on what we know so far, a more accurate description of what happened last New Year’s Eve might be: several dozen young men, many of North African origin -and illegally in Germany, so, whithout a refugee status-, are suspected of sexually assaulting and robbing hundreds of women in the crowd. The crimes were made possible by the crowded New Year’s Eve conditions in and around Cologne’s main train station. They appear to have been further facilitated by poor coordination among the different police forces responsible for responding to the situation.
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### Author:  [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)
#### Post date: [August 18, 2016, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/4645 "2016-08-18T17:32:41Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#):
>
> I thought about it and have finally realized what he’s suggesting:
>
> George Bush will touch her inappropriately during a meeting.
That was my first thought.
My second was that my impression was that she did a pretty ok job of keeping Germany pretty unscathed by the recession and that she’s a fairly good leader in Germany. Or in other words, I don’t see the problem.
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### Author:  [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)
#### Post date: [August 18, 2016, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/4646 "2016-08-18T17:36:32Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#):
>
> Most Americans will think that Angela Merkel is the mom of a black kid with suspenders who had a TV show. I don’t remember much about him except he was annoying as hell. And Hilary wants to be his _mother_??
I understand that reference.
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### Author:  [@MN\_Maenad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MN_Maenad)
#### Post date: [August 18, 2016, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/4647 "2016-08-18T17:49:50Z")
New York Times [piles on](http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/19/us/politics/donald-trump-white-men.html?_r=2). Most brutal quote:
> [@](#):
>
> “If you set out to design a strategy to produce the lowest popular vote possible in the new American electorate of 2016, you would be hard-pressed to do a better job than Donald Trump has,” said Whit Ayres, a pollster who has advised Republican presidential and Senate candidates for more than 25 years. “This is an electoral disaster waiting to happen.”
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### Author:  [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)
#### Post date: [August 18, 2016, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/4648 "2016-08-18T17:56:00Z")
Even if they know about Germany and the refugee thing, how many do you think actually know who Merkel is? And how many know enough about how Germany’s political system and politics to blame her for the refugees?
I only know who Merkel is due to the fact that I use the BBC as a news source. She’s just not remotely a common name over here in the U.S.
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### Author:  [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)
#### Post date: [August 18, 2016, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/4649 "2016-08-18T18:16:07Z")
> [@BigT](#):
>
> Even if they know about Germany and the refugee thing, how many do you think actually know who Merkel is? And how many know enough about how Germany’s political system and politics to blame her for the refugees?
>
> I only know who Merkel is due to the fact that I use the BBC as a news source. She’s just not remotely a common name over here in the U.S.
Why would they need to understand the German political system? If you have read/seen anything at all on the German refugee situation you know Merkel is the German leader and she has publicly and repeatedly stated that she supports these large refugee numbers. And even if the Merkel reference is some dog whistle it’s basically the same as the bullhorn message:“we don’t want all these refugees”.
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### Author:  [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)
#### Post date: [August 18, 2016, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/4650 "2016-08-18T18:21:00Z")
> [@BigT](#):
>
> Even if they know about Germany and the refugee thing, how many do you think actually know who Merkel is? And how many know enough about how Germany’s political system and politics to blame her for the refugees?
>
> I only know who Merkel is due to the fact that I use the BBC as a news source. She’s just not remotely a common name over here in the U.S.
I also know about her from following international news.
[Breitbart readers](http://www.breitbart.com/tag/german-chancellor-angela-merkel/) know about Angela Merkel. Read the comments to understand Trump’s Base.
---
### Author:  [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)
#### Post date: [August 18, 2016, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/4651 "2016-08-18T18:28:33Z")
Every time I see a picture of Bannon, I think it’s John Goodman.
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### Author:  [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)
#### Post date: [August 18, 2016, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/4652 "2016-08-18T18:29:22Z")
> [@Bridget\_Burke](#):
>
> I also know about her from following international news.
>
> [Breitbart readers](http://www.breitbart.com/tag/german-chancellor-angela-merkel/) know about Angela Merkel. Read the comments to understand Trump’s Base.
Anybody else feel dirty just at the thought of clicking on that link?
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### Author:  [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)
#### Post date: [August 18, 2016, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/4653 "2016-08-18T18:30:59Z")
> [@CarnalK](#):
>
> Why would they need to understand the German political system? If you have read/seen anything at all on the German refugee situation…
You’ve already bored 95% of the electorate out of any interest in what you’re saying. Campaign fail. Move on to the next strategy. What’s happening in Germany? Who cares?
I’m quite serious. **If the voter has to connect more than two dots, it’s a stupid campaign strategy.** Most voters, and ALL low information voters, don’t care. The few that do are absolute hard core racists whose votes were already won.
“Make America Great Again” is a good campaign statement. “Crooked Hillary,” better still. “Trump can’t be trusted with the button” is good too. Installs fear! The all time champ is “Are you better off than you were four years ago?” That was a sensational one because\* it even worked as a callback.\* If you can fit it into one sentence, it’s a winner.
Winners state. Losers explain.
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### Author:  [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)
#### Post date: [August 18, 2016, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/4654 "2016-08-18T18:33:33Z")
> [@Bridget\_Burke](#):
>
> I also know about her from following international news.
>
> [Breitbart readers](http://www.breitbart.com/tag/german-chancellor-angela-merkel/) know about Angela Merkel. Read the comments to understand Trump’s Base.
There isn’t a comment section in your link.
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### Author:  [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)
#### Post date: [August 18, 2016, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/4655 "2016-08-18T18:37:38Z")
> [@CarnalK](#):
>
> There isn’t a comment section in your link.
There is on any one of the articles linked to, however.
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### Author:  [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)
#### Post date: [August 18, 2016, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/4656 "2016-08-18T18:38:23Z")
> [@RickJay](#):
>
> You’ve already bored 95% of the electorate out of any interest in what you’re saying. Campaign fail. Move on to the next strategy.
>
> I’m quite serious. If the voter has to connect more than two dots, it’s a stupid campaign strategy. Most voters, and ALL low information voters, don’t care. The few that do are absolute hard core racists whose votes were already won.
You’re acting like Trump mass mailed “Clinton=Merkel” bumper stickers with no other comment. He was giving a speech and clearly said Hillary wants shitloads of refugees, just like Merkel, and look how badly that’s gone in Germany.
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### Author:  [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)
#### Post date: [August 18, 2016, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/4657 "2016-08-18T18:40:34Z")
> [@CarnalK](#):
>
> You’re acting like Trump mass mailed “Clinton=Merkel” bumper stickers with no other comment. He was giving a speech and clearly said Hillary wants shitloads of refugees, just like Merkel, and look how badly that’s gone in Germany.
He did promulgate the hashtag #AmericasMerkel.
---
### Author:  [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)
#### Post date: [August 18, 2016, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/4658 "2016-08-18T18:41:56Z")
> [@Jack\_Batty](#):
>
> There is on any one of the articles linked to, however.
I clicked the first article, went down to the first bit of comments and saw the exact same retarded comments I see on every single news site. That’s about as much work as I am willing to do.
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### Author:  [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)
#### Post date: [August 18, 2016, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/4659 "2016-08-18T18:42:59Z")
Then what are you bitching about?
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### Author:  [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)
#### Post date: [August 18, 2016, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/4660 "2016-08-18T18:46:08Z")
Us, mostly.
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### Author:  [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)
#### Post date: [August 18, 2016, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/4661 "2016-08-18T18:48:25Z")
While it is tempting to accuse Trump of dog whistling every time he says words like “second amendment people”, sometimes he is going to have to talk about real-world issues too, so it’s like CarnelK says: sometimes a Merkel is just a Merkel.
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### Author:  [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)
#### Post date: [August 18, 2016, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/4662 "2016-08-18T18:58:38Z")
> [@Jack\_Batty](#):
>
> Then what are you bitching about?
A completely lazy “cite” that was about the level of linking to a Google search. What are you defending?
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