# For posterity **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [December 16, 2016, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-posterity/774867 "2016-12-16T16:41:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2016, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-posterity/774867/21 "2016-12-17T00:06:57Z")
People gave nuclear weapons to a man with no morals nor self-control. If that doesn’t scare you shitless, I have no idea what would ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2016, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-posterity/774867/22 "2016-12-17T00:15:43Z")
Mind you, I don’t know for certain that Trump will nuke Mexico. The point is, that’s the sort of thing that’s plausible to consider for him. The whole political landscape needs to be recalibrated to account for Trump. Ordinarily, when you’re choosing a President, you need to consider questions like “Will this person raise my taxes?”. But there are a whole load of questions that have greater importance than that, that you used to take for granted, that you can’t any more. We didn’t use to have to ask “Will this person nuke Mexico?”. But now we do. ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2016, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-posterity/774867/23 "2016-12-17T00:18:22Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > We didn’t use to have to ask “Will this person nuke Mexico?”. But now we do. Well, I don’t have to ask that. It’s not one of my concerns, but I guess people have different perceptions of what’s plausible. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2016, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-posterity/774867/24 "2016-12-17T00:18:34Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Mind you, I don’t know for certain that Trump will nuke Mexico. The point is, that’s the sort of thing that’s plausible to consider for him. The whole political landscape needs to be recalibrated to account for Trump. Ordinarily, when you’re choosing a President, you need to consider questions like “Will this person raise my taxes?”. But there are a whole load of questions that have greater importance than that, that you used to take for granted, that you can’t any more. We didn’t use to have to ask “Will this person nuke Mexico?”. But now we do. Trump won’t nuke Mexico, he has companies counting on profiting from building The Wall. ---
**Author:** ![raventhief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/raventhief/32/4_2.png) [@raventhief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raventhief)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2016, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-posterity/774867/25 "2016-12-17T00:23:04Z")
A man who can be provoked by a tweet - or a bad restaurant review - is going to be holding the nuclear football. You may find that comforting and reassuring - I do not. ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2016, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-posterity/774867/26 "2016-12-17T00:25:15Z")
> [@raventhief](#): > > A man who can be provoked by a tweet - or a bad restaurant review - is going to be holding the nuclear football. You may find that comforting and reassuring - I do not. Oh I’m sure he won’t hold it himself. He’s got people to do that for him. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2016, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-posterity/774867/27 "2016-12-17T00:59:13Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > Oh I’m sure he won’t hold it himself. He’s got people to do that for him. They’re specially screened for finger length. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2016, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-posterity/774867/28 "2016-12-17T01:53:15Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > They’re specially screened for finger length. Nobody in the White House will be allowed to have bigger hands than the President. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2016, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-posterity/774867/29 "2016-12-17T01:56:51Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Nobody in the White House will be allowed to have bigger hands than the President. That confirms it. Melania and Barron will not be moving from NYC. ---
**Author:** ![raventhief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/raventhief/32/4_2.png) [@raventhief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raventhief)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2016, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-posterity/774867/30 "2016-12-17T03:19:58Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > Oh I’m sure he won’t hold it himself. He’s got people to do that for him. What a relief! ---
**Author:** ![Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/budget_player_cadet/32/205_2.png) [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Budget_Player_Cadet)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2016, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-posterity/774867/31 "2016-12-17T14:47:41Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > Oh I’m sure he won’t hold it himself. He’s got people to do that for him. Do you find this funny? I mean, really? ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2016, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-posterity/774867/32 "2016-12-17T15:44:54Z")
> [@Fretful\_Porpentine](#): > > […] It’s like putting someone who has never driven before behind the wheel of a truck that is going 70 miles an hour on a busy highway. It _might_ work out by sheer dumb luck, but I wouldn’t bet on it – particularly if the amateur truck driver has a dangerous level of overconfidence in his own abilities, and refuses to take advice from people who do know how things work. Worked okay for Sandra Bullock. ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2016, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-posterity/774867/33 "2016-12-17T15:53:01Z")
> [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](#): > > Do you find this funny? I mean, really? I answered this upthread. I’m not worried that Trump is going to nuke Mexico. Or really anyone else who doesn’t richly deserve it. I consider fears over him having access to nukes to be borderline hysteria. So, funny? Yeah, maybe a little. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2016, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-posterity/774867/34 "2016-12-17T17:47:11Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > Or really anyone else who doesn’t richly deserve it. You don’t nuke someone because they “deserve it.” You nuke them, if at all, for strategic reasons. Trump has suggested using nukes against Isis. This simply shows he doesn’t have a clue about why and how nuclear weapons might be used. That’s not in the least bit funny. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2016, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-posterity/774867/35 "2016-12-17T18:04:15Z")
China, yesterday, decides to test American response by openly stealing a piece of equipment. Trump responded on Twitter. Undiplomatically and with a silly misspelling. I do not know how anyone can be sanguine about the _already deteriorating_ relations we are having with China. Are we looking at a situation in 2, 3 years where we join with Russia in a war against Chinese interests? Or, worse, we go to war with China with Putin sitting on the sidelines? I would not be having these questions about any Presidential elect/major party nominee _other than_ Donald Trump. Not HRC. Not Jeb!. Not Kasich. (Well, Carson, yes, I’ll concede that). ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2016, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-posterity/774867/36 "2016-12-17T18:07:22Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > You don’t nuke someone because they “deserve it.” You nuke them, if at all, for strategic reasons. > > Trump has suggested using nukes against Isis. This simply shows he doesn’t have a clue about why and how nuclear weapons might be used. That’s not in the least bit funny. He’s going Ted Cruz one better with _precision_ nuclear bombings. And we really will see if the sand glows in the dark. ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2016, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-posterity/774867/37 "2016-12-17T18:45:58Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > He’s going Ted Cruz one better with _precision_ nuclear bombings. And we really will see if the sand glows in the dark. What are you saying! He’s got the smartest bombs! ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2016, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-posterity/774867/38 "2016-12-17T19:00:05Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > You don’t nuke someone because they “deserve it.” You nuke them, if at all, for strategic reasons. That’s what I meant by “richly deserve it”. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2016, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-posterity/774867/39 "2016-12-17T19:28:15Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > I would not be having these questions about any Presidential elect/major party nominee _other than_ Donald Trump. Not HRC. Not Jeb!. Not Kasich. (Well, Carson, yes, I’ll concede that). Even Carson seems to have a little humility. That’s Trump’s problem; he’s arrogant far beyond his abilities. We’ve had mediocre Presidents before. But they were aware of their mediocrity and avoided situations they weren’t capable of handling. I worry that Trump won’t do that. Some people know how to swim. Some people don’t know how to swim but know to stay out of deep water. Trump seems like somebody who doesn’t know how to swim but dives into the deep end anyway. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2016, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-posterity/774867/40 "2016-12-17T20:16:37Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > China, yesterday, decides to test American response by openly stealing a piece of equipment. > > Trump responded on Twitter. Undiplomatically and with a silly misspelling. > > I do not know how anyone can be sanguine about the _already deteriorating_ relations we are having with China. Are we looking at a situation in 2, 3 years where we join with Russia in a war against Chinese interests? Or, worse, we go to war with China with Putin sitting on the sidelines? > > I would not be having these questions about any Presidential elect/major party nominee _other than_ Donald Trump. Not HRC. Not Jeb!. Not Kasich. (Well, Carson, yes, I’ll concede that). I don’t know if “scared shitless” would at all characterize my attitude, but it’s foreign policy that causes me the greatest concern in the Trump administration. I’ve been trying to be fair and just shutting up and waiting to see what happens, but my cautious optimism has degraded into cautious pessimism, given his cabinet picks so far. I really do want him to prove me wrong, but I’ll be happy if we return to this thread in two years and we haven’t experienced a serious international crisis due to Trump poking the bear (whether by tweet, phone call, impromptu speech, etc.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-posterity/774867.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-posterity/774867.md?page=3)