# 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:** 336
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2016, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/6703 "2016-09-18T20:39:37Z")
> [@octopus](#): > > Why? Let’s assume so-called birtherism is motivated by racism. How is that worse than being a pathological liar who says anything in order to gain political power? IMO because of the uniquely horrible effect that racism has had on the United States through our history. The base pursuit of power has resulted in some bad things in America, but not nearly on the scale of racism (and the lies that are required to support racist systems, policies, and practices). By the way, do you believe birtherism is motivated by something other than racism? I’ll include George-Wallace style “deliberately appealing to racists while not necessarily believing it” as under the wider umbrella of racist actions. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2016, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/6704 "2016-09-18T20:39:44Z")
> [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](#): > > Pence has a hero. [Guess who.](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/mike-pence-dick-cheney_us_57deacaee4b0071a6e07d120?u75wtd7k955t57b9&) Since Pence would be running the country while Trump did nothing, that makes sense. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2016, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/6705 "2016-09-18T20:44:28Z")
[Trump’s ties to the Russian mob.](http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2016/09/trump-russian-mobster-tokhtakhounov-miss-universe-moscow) ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2016, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/6706 "2016-09-18T20:49:21Z")
> [@Snarky\_Kong](#): > > Since Pence would be running the country while Trump did nothing, that makes sense. And who would be running Pence? Maybe his hero. ---
**Author:** ![octopus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/octopus/32/3716_2.png) [@octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/octopus)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2016, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/6707 "2016-09-18T20:59:31Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > IMO because of the uniquely horrible effect that racism has had on the United States through our history. The base pursuit of power has resulted in some bad things in America, but not nearly on the scale of racism (and the lies that are required to support racist systems, policies, and practices). > > By the way, do you believe birtherism is motivated by something other than racism? I’ll include George-Wallace style “deliberately appealing to racists while not necessarily believing it” as under the wider umbrella of racist actions. I think birtherism is in part an appeal to racists. I also think politicians will do what they can for any advantage. All know is that if politics rewarded the honorable we wouldn’t have either Trump or Clinton as the two possibilities to win the presidency. Again, I blame the electorate more than the candidates. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2016, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/6708 "2016-09-18T21:04:46Z")
> [@octopus](#): > > I think birtherism is in part an appeal to racists. I also think politicians will do what they can for any advantage. All know is that if politics rewarded the honorable we wouldn’t have either Trump or Clinton as the two possibilities to win the presidency. Again, I blame the electorate more than the candidates. I blame the electorate too (not sure if more or less or the same). I think this election shows how large a portion of America is still okay with racism (as long as it’s expressed in certain ways), whether or not they have racist beliefs themselves, and it’s unfortunately still a big, big chunk. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2016, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/6709 "2016-09-18T21:04:53Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > [Trump wants to sue the New York Times for saying mean things about him](https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/777280259875975169). I guess the First Amendment no longer exists. It won’t if he ever has anything to say about it, which I’m sure he no doubt believes he will. ---
**Author:** ![octopus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/octopus/32/3716_2.png) [@octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/octopus)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2016, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/6710 "2016-09-18T21:10:11Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > I blame the electorate too (not sure if more or less or the same). I think this election shows how large a portion of America is still okay with racism (as long as it’s expressed in certain ways), whether or not they have racist beliefs themselves, and it’s unfortunately still a big, big chunk. Or that the impact of playing the race card over every disagreement as a way to demonize a person instead of winning an argument is leading to a loss of effectiveness. Additionally, being upset at what a political opponent labels racist may matter far less in people’s lives than globalization and other economic concerns. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2016, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/6711 "2016-09-18T21:18:05Z")
> [@octopus](#): > > Or that the impact of playing the race card over every disagreement as a way to demonize a person instead of winning an argument is leading to a loss of effectiveness. I think we’ll disagree about how often this has been used, and how legitimate it’s been when it’s been used. > [@](#): > > Additionally, being upset at what a political opponent labels racist may matter far less in people’s lives than globalization and other economic concerns. Considering our history, this is very unfortunate. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2016, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/6712 "2016-09-18T21:29:51Z")
> [@octopus](#): > > Why? Let’s assume so-called birtherism is motivated by racism. How is that worse than being a pathological liar who says anything in order to gain political power? I’ll answer this as a hypothetical because indeed lying in service of racism is significantly worse than many other sorts of lies. In the political sphere a lie that harms the good of the people and goes against our nation’s best interests, is a very bad lie. Lies motivated by racism fall into that group. Bush’s untruth about weapons of mass destruction (assuming he actually knew it was untrue, and was thus lying) is in that group too. A hypothetical lie about going AWOL when in the National Guard as part of a campaign would have been bad but less bad. FDR lying about his VP pick (promising it to several who he did not choose) was not as bad. If Kennedy had not been killed and been asked about his affairs and had lied in response, whether to maintain his popularity and power or his marriage, that would have been bad but not motivated by racism bad either. TL/DNR? Racist lies are up there with lies that needlessly get us into wars. They cause significant harm to our society and thus to our national interest. Trump’s lies are innumerable but his racist ones are his most despicable. ---
**Author:** ![Biffster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biffster/32/339_2.png) [@Biffster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffster)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2016, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/6713 "2016-09-18T22:28:11Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > At tonight’s rally, Trump told his audience that “a bomb went off” in Chelsea (_before_ the cause of the explosion had been determined - _please_ notice this, Alex Jones), then proceeded to brag about his poll numbers, and followed up by [telling everyone to stop asking him how he’s going to do stuff.](https://twitter.com/SopanDeb/status/777331072954531840) > > I guess having his ego challenged by **a girl** at that church in Flint really rattled him and he’s back in “Swing blindly at everyone so they can see that I’m not a loser” mode. There’s a good article in Psychology Today magazine this month about Narcissism. Though it’s not written about Trump specifically, it sure seems to describe him to a T. Check it out if you get a chance. [http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160918/35c20f9d15f52c1b6a04220a01da84a5.jpg](http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160918/35c20f9d15f52c1b6a04220a01da84a5.jpg) Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2016, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/6714 "2016-09-18T22:42:39Z")
I see that in the wake of the NYC bombing and the one in NJ Trump has once again weighed in with thoughtful, observant, and helpful comments. :rolleyes: The Donald has stated that we must be tough, smart, and vigilant. This is excellent guidance for everyone who firmly believed that the winning strategy was to be weak, stupid, and careless. The Donald had also informed everyone earlier, when the news first broke, that “we don’t know what’s going on”. This is also excellent news, because as we know from his earlier pronouncements, Muslims have to be kept out of the country “until we know what’s going on”, and since we don’t, well … So if the Donald is elected, we can look forward to four years of this sort of leadership, or until the Donald gets bored and quits, whichever comes first. Add to that the fact that he has great health, the best health, the greatest health of anyone who has ever run for office, and I can’t think of anyone better suited to be president. ---
**Author:** ![Biffster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biffster/32/339_2.png) [@Biffster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffster)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2016, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/6715 "2016-09-18T23:49:25Z")
> [@octopus](#): > > I don’t know what Trump’s appeal is. I think everyone who supports Trump has their own reasons. People are attracted to Trump because of his brash confidence and his I-don’t-give-a-shit demeanour, all rooted in narcissism. That’s all fine and dandy for now, but when they discover upon crowning him that he still doesn’t give a shit about anyone but himself, they’re going to wonder what they got themselves into. He will not make America great; he will make America an even bigger target than it was before. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2016, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/6716 "2016-09-19T00:42:52Z")
> [@Biffster](#): > > …He will not make America great; he will make America an even bigger target than it was before… In TrumpLand, only countries that are Great Again are worth attacking. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2016, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/6717 "2016-09-19T01:06:53Z")
> [@Biffster](#): > > People are attracted to Trump because of his brash confidence and his I-don’t-give-a-shit demeanour, all rooted in narcissism. That’s all fine and dandy for now, but when they discover upon crowning him that he still doesn’t give a shit about anyone but himself, they’re going to wonder what they got themselves into. He will not make America great; he will make America an even bigger target than it was before. > Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk People like Trump because he doesn’t have any idea what he’s going to do and neither do his supporters – and they don’t care to know either. They’ll just figure it out later. What matters is, he’s white, their white, and he’s saying a bunch of shit that appeals to undereducated white folks that makes them feel good about themselves. ---
**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:** [September 19, 2016, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/6718 "2016-09-19T01:12:35Z")
> [@asahi](#): > > People like Trump because he doesn’t have any idea what he’s going to do and neither do his supporters – and they don’t care to know either. The only thing many of them care about is sticking it to the President, Hillary, Bill, the Dems, the Libs, the Blacks, the Muslims, the Latinos, the poor etc. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2016, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/6719 "2016-09-19T05:41:25Z")
[Trump can’t explain why he calls Hillary a bigot.](http://news.groopspeak.com/trump-has-meltdown-on-cnn-gets-called-out-for-saying-hillarys-a-bigot-cant-explain-why/) ---
**Author:** ![marshmallow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@marshmallow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marshmallow)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2016, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/6720 "2016-09-19T06:05:46Z")
If Trump wins it might finally put a stake in the heart of the idea I’ve seen floating around lefty circles for years now that America is secretly a progressive country if you feed them the right info and ask the right poll questions. That doesn’t even hold up to scrutiny if you focus on the Dems. Bernie got crushed. A lot of minorities aren’t progressive, they’re in a marriage of convenience because they fear the right. A lot of libs use dare I say conservative reasoning to reach their conclusions, like they’re not against war because it’s wrong but because it’s too expensive. Gun control is political suicide because so many Dems are pro-gun. UHC is a non-starter. You can keep going down the line. So the idea that white people in red states are secretly progressive is delusional, but maybe it’s what’s causing some of the shock at Trump’s success. Which is odd, since it wasn’t all that long ago people were drawing [Jesusland maps.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesusland_map) ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2016, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/6721 "2016-09-19T06:08:25Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > Are you hinting at prior involvement? Now \*that \*would be intriguing. I’m not hinting at anything. It’s just that a lot of people are saying Trump knew there was a bomb when nobody knew what is going on. Maybe there’s something happening there. OK? Something’s happening there, and that would be unacceptable. ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2016, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/6722 "2016-09-19T06:10:58Z")
> [@asahi](#): > > People like Trump because he doesn’t have any idea what he’s going to do and neither do his supporters – and they don’t care to know either. They’ll just figure it out later. What matters is, he’s white, their white, and he’s saying a bunch of shit that appeals to undereducated white folks that makes them feel good about themselves. My reasons have nothing to do with race. I’d like to see him win because he’s more likely to pick Supreme Court justices with whom I agree than HRC. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901.md?page=335) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901.md?page=337)