# I Think Trump has accidentally done a great thing for this country. **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [June 6, 2020, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-trump-has-accidentally-done-a-great-thing-for-this-country/855131 "2020-06-06T01:03:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2020, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-trump-has-accidentally-done-a-great-thing-for-this-country/855131/21 "2020-06-07T05:41:28Z")
First tell me what you’re disputing. That Democrats run most of the cities these protesters are marching in? That they make sweetheart deals with police unions? Or that policing is primarily a local matter and thus local politicians have primary responsibility for police misconduct? All these are easy to prove, so pick one. Perhaps you don’t believe that it’s mainly affluent liberals opposing affordable housing projects? That’s something i can’t prove definitively but it would be awfully weird if cities with only 30% Republicans saw Republicans powerful enough to block such projects. Who are the Karens calling the cops on black men? Last one was a confirmed Democrat. Most white women in the big cities vote Democrat, so odds are most who call the police on black men for nothing are also Democrats. Maybe you want to blame Republicans instead of Democrats for gentrification? If so, why do primarily Republican areas never get gentrified, only Democratic strongholds? ---
**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:** [June 7, 2020, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-trump-has-accidentally-done-a-great-thing-for-this-country/855131/22 "2020-06-07T06:09:44Z")
I would like to pit the OP. When I read the thread title, I came in here naturally expecting to read that Chump shot himself in the head. (The “accidentally” would be because he again shot himself in the foot but while it was again in his mouth.) ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2020, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-trump-has-accidentally-done-a-great-thing-for-this-country/855131/23 "2020-06-07T06:31:14Z")
Adaher, there have been protests in hundreds of cities in the US. Here’s one in a “sundown” city in Texas, which sure as hell ain’t a democratic party stronghold: [George Floyd protests: Former KKK haven in Vidor, Texas holds peaceful BLM rally, internet says 'it's not enough' | MEAWW](https://meaww.com/george-floyd-protests-social-media-in-disbelief-former-kkk-haven-vidor-texas-peaceful-blm-rally) “Vidor is a small city in western Orange County, Texas with a population of about 11,000 people. The city is best known as a “sundown town,” because African-Americans were not welcome after dark. It is also considered a haven for the white supremacist group, Ku Klux Klan (KKK). When the federal government tried to bring in racial integration in 1993 by bringing a handful of black families into Vidor’s public housing, the Klan marched in the city.” Your opinion isn’t a cite. And if all of those above things are easy to prove, well, put up or shut up. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2020, 10:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-trump-has-accidentally-done-a-great-thing-for-this-country/855131/24 "2020-06-07T10:36:07Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Democrats run the cities where most of the protests are occurring, and make the sweetheart deals with the police unions that shield them from accountability. When affordable housing projects are proposed, it’s affluent white liberals who run to the city council meetings to oppose them. And it’s not Arkansas rednecks who are gentrifying the big cities. This police union is supporting Trump: [https://www.courthousenews.com/police-union-backs-trump-for-re-election-in-2020/](https://www.courthousenews.com/police-union-backs-trump-for-re-election-in-2020/) There’s my useless counter-cite. Also, I’m fairly sure those guys who shot Arbury weren’t Democrats. So, two useless, hand-waving counter-cites! When you have a cite that most racism that African Americans experience is from Democrats, I’ll happily read it. Maybe a cite that it’s actually Democratic governors trying to disenfranchise minority voters through voter laws? Because that’s pretty systemic racism, and it seems to be the province of Republican lawmakers. How about a cite that Democratic strongholds are less diverse than Republican ones? That would go a long way towards making your case. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2020, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-trump-has-accidentally-done-a-great-thing-for-this-country/855131/25 "2020-06-07T12:34:47Z")
He seems to mean that white Democrats aren’t doing enough to make up for all the bad things Republicans do. Interesting how that echoes the sad, oft-repeated observation that blacks need to be twice as smart/polite/eager/focused/lucky as whites to be successful (or even just _alive_) as those whites. ---
**Author:** ![Do\_Not\_Taunt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/do_not_taunt/32/2968_2.png) [@Do\_Not\_Taunt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Do_Not_Taunt)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2020, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-trump-has-accidentally-done-a-great-thing-for-this-country/855131/26 "2020-06-07T21:05:38Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > In practice, most racism African-Americans actually experience is from Democrats. It’s not rednecks in Oklahoma that perpetuate systemic racism. It’s white affluent liberals in the cities. > > As for Trump, he’s done a lot of great things for the country unintentionally: > > 1. We now know exactly what a President is good for, simply by seeing what’s not working with Trump, but also for what is. We’ve basically had no President for the last four years and it’s instructive to see what continues to function well and what doesn’t. > > 2. I think the era of the TV politician is over. That scripted, practiced, coached candidate who learns just enough to go on TV and not look foolish doesn’t wash in the social media era. You can’t get away with having two positions on the same issue any more or just “evolving” in ways convenient to your next campaign. One thing Biden has in common with Trump is bluntness and let’s be kind and say, “lack of polish”. All the scripted flip floppers fell before Biden like muggers falling before Mr. Magoo. > > 3. He’s bringing about a realignment that is long overdue, and possibly may have provoked a civil war in both parties which will be ugly in the short term but beneficial in the long run. Or not. I can see a bad end to this as well, with a socialist party vs. a nativist party. But I’m an optimist. You’re still posting here? Seems like I haven’t seen your name in forever! Anyway, I think it’s too bad everyone wanted to respond to your first (very silly) sentence and not the 3 things that you think Trump’s done that are great. So let’s dig into those! 1. While it’s true that Trump is lazy and doesn’t like to do much himself, he’s still basically put into place most of the structure of the federal government. And from Stephen Miller to William Barr, they’re all incredibly loathsome individuals! So I guess maybe we’ve learned that the most important things the President does is who he appoints (loathsome jackasses), and what he expects from them (absolutely loyalty). But did we really not know that before? What are these things where you’re surprised to see that they’re still continuing on well apace? 2. I agree. I don’t think this is in anyway because of Trump. 3. Ooh, so what’s the good realignment that might come out of this? ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2020, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-trump-has-accidentally-done-a-great-thing-for-this-country/855131/27 "2020-06-08T02:24:54Z")
I may have said in 2016 - I meant to but I don’t remember if I actually posted it - that Trump is what we needed. If Clinton had won, the country would be better off but the 24 hour a day drumbeat of Clinton hatred would destroy society. A Trump win puts all the damage on him and the right. It’s like an addiction; you have to hit bottom to acknowledge that you’re sick. We’ve hit bottom. I think. I hate to think we’re going even lower. Both blacks and whites, across the country, in red and blue states, in big cities, small towns, and white suburbs, are out protesting. Police departments are reforming so fast that they’re leaving contrails. Polls finally are moving away from the eternal 50/50 split on every issue. I have no illusions that a blue wave in November will cause the right to vanish. It’s just that we have to go up from here and that the Republicans have nothing to offer but anchors. You can smell their panic. It’s sweeter than a lilac festival. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2020, 10:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-trump-has-accidentally-done-a-great-thing-for-this-country/855131/28 "2020-06-08T10:45:48Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > I may have said in 2016 - I meant to but I don’t remember if I actually posted it - that Trump is what we needed. If Clinton had won, the country would be better off but the 24 hour a day drumbeat of Clinton hatred would destroy society. A Trump win puts all the damage on him and the right. This is one aspect where I agree with the take that “actually, Hillary would have been worse”. The Republican-controlled congress got away with doing nothing under Obama because they were seen as a counterbalance to him, allegedly an empty suit who overreached with executive orders and was fawned over by the left because he was a black man who gave nice speeches. It would have been the same but worse under Hillary because of the baggage she brought with her. They could have kicked back, flipped the cruise control to “oppose evil baby-eating feminist”, and cashed lobbyist checks for a few years. The Trump administration showed the result when we give America the inchoate rage of the Republican party in all 3 branches. We see the Republican congress as the feckless, greedy schmucks that they are, driven only by a shared desire for tax cuts, court-packing, and racism. It ain’t pretty. Not even 4 years later the country is in flames, the White House is encircled in concertina wire, the President is hiding in a bunker, and we’re talking about abolishing the police and flipping reliably red states. Trump is making America great in the same sense that a nice bracing enema makes my colon great. Ultimately it all comes out right in the end, but it’s a messy process that’s uncomfortable to watch. ---
**Author:** ![Limmin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f04885/32.png) [@Limmin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Limmin)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2020, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-trump-has-accidentally-done-a-great-thing-for-this-country/855131/29 "2020-06-10T02:22:03Z")
> [@HMS\_Irruncible](#): > > This is one aspect where I agree with the take that “actually, Hillary would have been worse”. The Republican-controlled congress got away with doing nothing under Obama because they were seen as a counterbalance to him, allegedly an empty suit who overreached with executive orders and was fawned over by the left because he was a black man who gave nice speeches. It would have been the same but worse under Hillary because of the baggage she brought with her. They could have kicked back, flipped the cruise control to “oppose evil baby-eating feminist”, and cashed lobbyist checks for a few years. > > The Trump administration showed the result when we give America the inchoate rage of the Republican party in all 3 branches. We see the Republican congress as the feckless, greedy schmucks that they are, driven only by a shared desire for tax cuts, court-packing, and racism. It ain’t pretty. Not even 4 years later the country is in flames, the White House is encircled in concertina wire, the President is hiding in a bunker, and we’re talking about abolishing the police and flipping reliably red states. > > Trump is making America great in the same sense that a nice bracing enema makes my colon great. Ultimately it all comes out right in the end, but it’s a messy process that’s uncomfortable to watch. Wow. Better than most opinion pieces in the NYT. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2020, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-trump-has-accidentally-done-a-great-thing-for-this-country/855131/30 "2020-06-10T02:29:52Z")
A bit off topic, but I consider the term “Karen” to be an extremely offensive sexist and classist slur. It specifically refers to a shrill, high-maintenance, upper-middle class woman with bourgeois sensibilities. At least spell it “Carin” so people can refer to it as “the other ‘C-word’”. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2020, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-trump-has-accidentally-done-a-great-thing-for-this-country/855131/31 "2020-06-10T02:44:55Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > A bit off topic, but I consider the term “Karen” to be an extremely offensive sexist and classist slur. I’m the manager, and I can assure you, we are working on this and will take your complaint very seriously. (Honestly, during this time of seeing the effects of stereotyping, I’ve repented of making fun of entitled white women… and dorky white nerds, too) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-trump-has-accidentally-done-a-great-thing-for-this-country/855131.md?page=1)