# Is anyone else just a teeny bit worried about Trump in the general? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [January 6, 2016, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-else-just-a-teeny-bit-worried-about-trump-in-the-general/742332 "2016-01-06T16:37:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2016, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-else-just-a-teeny-bit-worried-about-trump-in-the-general/742332/101 "2016-01-09T20:37:26Z")
As US politics descends ever further into the depths, the opportunities for joe jobs just explode. I’m not suggesting these white nationalists are joe-ing Trump. They’re probably 100% sincere in their utterly misguided beliefs and in believing Trump agrees with them and they with him. But you can sure see in general that there’s lots of ways to inject the wrong ideas into popularly believed memes about candidates. ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2016, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-else-just-a-teeny-bit-worried-about-trump-in-the-general/742332/102 "2016-01-09T22:22:46Z")
[QUOTE=The Atlantic] In CNN/ORC polls, the share of Republicans expressing a **favorable view** of Trump has spiked from 51 percent in July to **71 percent** in December. In Quinnipiac University surveys, Republican favorability toward Trump has soared from 34 percent in May to **63 percent** in December. … n the CNN/ORC poll, Trump’s net favorability has jumped from 9 to 43 percentage points; in Quinnipiac polls, **he’s moved from a net negative rating of 18 points to a net positive of 33** ; and even in the NBC/WSJ survey, his net positive rating has nearly tripled from 9 to 25 percentage points. [/QUOTE] But these are Republicans. While he’ll get some Democratic support among angry white blue-collar males, there is still a vast number of Democratic- and independent-leaning voters who find him intolerable. It’s very unlikely he’ll defeat Hillary. If he does, American politics might finally achieve some catharsis. Win-win. And, although I would be a bit scared of a Trump Presidency, I’m abhorred by the idea of a Cruz, Rubio, or a Carson Presidency – these are the other three popularity leaders. I think I’d rather have Trump as President than any of those three. _ **I continue to hope for a Trump vs Sanders playoff next November.** _ ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2016, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-else-just-a-teeny-bit-worried-about-trump-in-the-general/742332/103 "2016-01-09T22:45:34Z")
> [@Jonathan\_Chance](#): > > You lie down with dogs you’re gonna get fleas. Trumps got no one to blame but himself. But Trump’s got the BEST fleas. Nobody’s got fleas like his. They’re, like, super-fleas. People get flea collars to attract those fleas. ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2016, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-else-just-a-teeny-bit-worried-about-trump-in-the-general/742332/104 "2016-01-10T13:10:22Z")
[This seems to be on point for the OP.](http://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2016-01-08/new-poll-shows-donald-trump-is-a-real-threat-to-hillary-clinton) ---
**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:** [January 10, 2016, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-else-just-a-teeny-bit-worried-about-trump-in-the-general/742332/105 "2016-01-10T15:47:32Z")
He’s got the [white supremacist](http://talkingpointsmemo.com/muckraker/trump-robocalls-white-nationalists-iowa) vote sewn up – they’re going in for Trump like no candidate that I know of since David Duke. Way to go Trump! ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2016, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-else-just-a-teeny-bit-worried-about-trump-in-the-general/742332/106 "2016-01-10T17:45:23Z")
> [@magellan01](#): > > [This seems to be on point for the OP.](http://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2016-01-08/new-poll-shows-donald-trump-is-a-real-threat-to-hillary-clinton) > [@](#): > > But what if Trump lowered the bombast in a general election? The writer mentions that because that is just about the most likely way that the points raised in the article may become reality. IMHO that will only lead Trump to be the one being accused now of becoming a wimp like Jeb. Just about the kiss of death among the ones that want to get “something different” besides the usual politicians. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2016, 10:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-else-just-a-teeny-bit-worried-about-trump-in-the-general/742332/107 "2016-01-11T10:22:36Z")
> [@magellan01](#): > > The last sentence is immaterial to the parallel construction, No it isn’t. It is, in fact the punchline, totally relevant. > [@](#): > > So what verb do you thin was omitted? 😕 Given _I_ think he said “they’re”, I _don’t_ think a verb has been omitted. > [@](#): > > Unless one thinks that Trump actually believes that ALL, or even a majority of, Mexicans are rapists, then the interpretation you’re putting forth makes no sense. No, I think he thinks the Mexicans _coming over_ are majority-rapists. Unless you also think he said all or a majority of Mexicans are bringing drugs, or bringing crime, this reading of yours makes no sense. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2016, 10:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-else-just-a-teeny-bit-worried-about-trump-in-the-general/742332/108 "2016-01-11T10:59:27Z")
He may just tone it down. Think about it. You’re a billionaire from New York with a history of fairly liberal views and support for Democratic candidates. How do you get Republican voters to see past that? Give 'em so much red meat that it intoxicates them. If Trump ran as a “normal” candidate he’s basically just be Chris Christie. But once he has the nomination, he has a different audience. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2016, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-else-just-a-teeny-bit-worried-about-trump-in-the-general/742332/109 "2016-01-11T12:35:22Z")
Trump does not possess the discipline to tone it down for the general election. Even if he did, Latinos, blacks, women, Muslims, etc. aren’t going to forget their demonization by Trump and aren’t going to be sitting on their hands come November. ---
**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:** [January 11, 2016, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-else-just-a-teeny-bit-worried-about-trump-in-the-general/742332/110 "2016-01-11T12:52:51Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > He may just tone it down. Think about it. You’re a billionaire from New York with a history of fairly liberal views and support for Democratic candidates. How do you get Republican voters to see past that? Give 'em so much red meat that it intoxicates them. If Trump ran as a “normal” candidate he’s basically just be Chris Christie. > > But once he has the nomination, he has a different audience. Unfortunately for Trump, technology has been invented that can record what he said before and play it back to this “different audience”. ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2016, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-else-just-a-teeny-bit-worried-about-trump-in-the-general/742332/111 "2016-01-11T13:34:51Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > He may just tone it down… > But once he has the nomination, he has a different audience. So now we know how GOP analysts estimate the length of the average American voter’s attention span. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![davida03801](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5e925/32.png) [@davida03801](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davida03801)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2016, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-else-just-a-teeny-bit-worried-about-trump-in-the-general/742332/112 "2016-01-11T15:58:23Z")
The OP reminds me of the old joke. When the Gods want to punish you, they answer your prayers. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-else-just-a-teeny-bit-worried-about-trump-in-the-general/742332.md?page=5)