# Has any figure in human history 'failed forward' as much as trump has? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 1, 2021, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-figure-in-human-history-failed-forward-as-much-as-trump-has/934039 "2021-03-01T14:02:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2021, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-figure-in-human-history-failed-forward-as-much-as-trump-has/934039/61 "2021-03-08T14:19:28Z")
Trump is the embodiment of the neglected portion of the homily often [misattributed to Lincoln](https://quoteinvestigator.com/2013/12/11/cannot-fool/), “You CAN fool part of the people all of the time.” Often that is enough. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2021, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-figure-in-human-history-failed-forward-as-much-as-trump-has/934039/62 "2021-03-08T14:40:17Z")
> [@Buck\_Godot](#): > > …the neglected portion of the homily often [misattributed to Lincoln](https://quoteinvestigator.com/2013/12/11/cannot-fool/), “You CAN fool part of the people all of the time.” Huh, I did not know that was a misattribution. Ignorance reduced, thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2021, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-figure-in-human-history-failed-forward-as-much-as-trump-has/934039/63 "2021-03-08T16:58:20Z")
Neither did I until I looked it up for that post. ---
**Author:** ![Fotheringay-Phipps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d9b06d/32.png) [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2021, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-figure-in-human-history-failed-forward-as-much-as-trump-has/934039/64 "2021-03-08T18:25:40Z")
> [@Buck\_Godot](#): > > Trump is the embodiment of the neglected portion of the homily often [misattributed to Lincoln](https://quoteinvestigator.com/2013/12/11/cannot-fool/), “You CAN fool part of the people all of the time.” > > Often that is enough. I’ve seen it as “if you can fool some of the people all the time, that’s good enough” - PT Barnum. I would guess that attribution is apocryphal, though. ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2021, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-figure-in-human-history-failed-forward-as-much-as-trump-has/934039/65 "2021-03-10T21:06:20Z")
Face it: Trump will go down in history for his narcissism. Somehow, his constant self-promotion made millions want to flock by his side, to share in his aggressive power. Politicians have tried to maintain a balancing act for centuries, and when they lower their guard for one fateful moment, it can all come crashing down. Remember Gary Hart? He burrowed like a mole in obscurity after his scandal. Clinton survived his scandal and got re-elected. Did he do it through careful planning and political manipulating? No. Democrats may have shook their fingers, but they stayed loyal. Otherwise, their careers would have gone down the toilet. Trump enjoyed the same circumstances. He may have cost the Republicans the House and the Senate, but he’s still the most powerful of their party. He’s already announced his intentions to destroy the GOPpies who didn’t side with him. Trump’s got more support than a congressman’s one mere state, even if he gets jailed. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-figure-in-human-history-failed-forward-as-much-as-trump-has/934039.md?page=3)