# "Leave Donald Alone!" Pleads His Press Secretary **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 2, 2017, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leave-donald-alone-pleads-his-press-secretary/776125 "2017-01-02T04:23:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 10
**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:** [January 3, 2017, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leave-donald-alone-pleads-his-press-secretary/776125/181 "2017-01-03T23:37:38Z")
> [@doorhinge](#): > > Hahahaha. Where does he “begged”? Jason Easley, the asshole from politicususa, said he “begged”. Fake news. Yawn. I was pointing out where he complained that Trump was being mocked. Never said a thing about if he was begging or not. Trump has been taking credit for a number of recent business decisions that were in the works before he went poking around with his stubby, little fingers. His claiming credit is fake news. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2017, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leave-donald-alone-pleads-his-press-secretary/776125/182 "2017-01-03T23:39:55Z")
> [@doorhinge](#): > > “Paraphrased”? “Quoted directly”? You must be a Democrat. 😕 Because I understand the difference between a paraphrase and a direct quote? I would hope that at least some Republicans also still can muster that basic level of rational reading comprehension. But the evidence is not encouraging. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2017, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leave-donald-alone-pleads-his-press-secretary/776125/183 "2017-01-03T23:41:56Z")
Explain it as you would to a mud brick, because frankly, you are. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2017, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leave-donald-alone-pleads-his-press-secretary/776125/184 "2017-01-03T23:42:29Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > I was pointing out where he complained that Trump was being mocked. Never said a thing about if he was begging or not. **doorhinge** is upset because Easley’s title of the linked article uses the word “begs” to describe Spicer’s comments, even though Spicer does not explicitly claim that he’s “begging”. Like I said, **doorhinge** has some difficulty understanding the distinction between a direct quote and a mocking paraphrase. ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2017, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leave-donald-alone-pleads-his-press-secretary/776125/185 "2017-01-03T23:55:02Z")
Uh, hey everybody, have you seen where [Ford has scuttled its plans to build a new $1.6 billion dollar plant in Mexico](http://money.cnn.com/2017/01/03/news/economy/ford-700-jobs-trump/index.html) and decided to invest in expanding its Michigan plant and employing an additional 700 workers there instead? Of course to save face they say they didn’t cut a deal with Trump and had already made the decision prior to the election.\* Funny how all these companies are suddenly making retroactive decisions and hiring people they weren’t going to hire before, but Trump had nothing to do with it. Where were they all this time Obama’s been in office? \*But then, talking out of both sides of their mouthingly, they did attribute the decision to the pro-business environment Trump is creating. ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2017, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leave-donald-alone-pleads-his-press-secretary/776125/186 "2017-01-03T23:59:52Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > I was pointing out where he complained that Trump was being mocked. Never said a thing about if he was begging or not. (post shortened) I was pointing out that asshole Jason Easley said he begged when it’s obvious that he wasn’t. ---
**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:** [January 4, 2017, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leave-donald-alone-pleads-his-press-secretary/776125/187 "2017-01-04T00:01:14Z")
> [@Starving\_Artist](#): > > Uh, hey everybody, have you seen where [Ford has scuttled its plans to build a new $1.6 billion dollar plant in Mexico](http://money.cnn.com/2017/01/03/news/economy/ford-700-jobs-trump/index.html) and decided to invest in expanding its Michigan plant and employing an additional 700 workers there instead? > > Of course to save face they say they didn’t cut a deal with Trump and had already made the decision prior to the election.\* > > Funny how all these companies are suddenly making retroactive decisions and hiring people they weren’t going to hire before, but Trump had nothing to do with it. Where were they all this time Obama’s been in office? > > \ ***But then, talking out of both sides of their mouthingly, they did attribute the decision to the pro-business environment Trump is creating.** And why couldn’t they do that without making a direct deal with Trump? Of course, if they had, they could have still sent jobs to Mexico and Trump would give them tax breaks to automate the remaining jobs out of existence. ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2017, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leave-donald-alone-pleads-his-press-secretary/776125/188 "2017-01-04T00:04:29Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > **doorhinge** is upset because Easley’s title of the linked article uses the word “begs” to describe Spicer’s comments, even though Spicer does not explicitly claim that he’s “begging”. Like I said, **doorhinge** has some difficulty understanding the distinction between a direct quote and a mocking paraphrase. It was the asshole author of the article, Jason Easley, who claimed Spicer begged, but you have no way of knowing that. ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2017, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leave-donald-alone-pleads-his-press-secretary/776125/189 "2017-01-04T00:08:54Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > And why couldn’t they do that without making a direct deal with Trump? (post shortened) Why couldn’t who do that without making a deal with Trump? Ford? Mexico? Obama? Sonja Henie? ---
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2017, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leave-donald-alone-pleads-his-press-secretary/776125/190 "2017-01-04T00:11:56Z")
> [@doorhinge](#): > > Fake news. Yawn. You’re not going to take back this term no matter how many times you intentionally misuse it. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2017, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leave-donald-alone-pleads-his-press-secretary/776125/191 "2017-01-04T00:12:11Z")
> [@Starving\_Artist](#): > > Where were they all this time Obama’s been in office? Companies have been creating new US jobs right along while Obama’s been in office, with a total of [over 10 million new private-sector jobs since 2010](http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2016/11/barack-obamas-criminally-underrated-jobs-record/506594/). It’s just that Obama didn’t issue a stop-press announcement for every few hundred or few thousand of those new jobs. As with most of Trump’s activities, it’s not that he’s actually getting anything particularly impressive done, it’s just that he’s very good at marketing it to the gullible as a YUUUUUGE ACCOMPLISHMENT. ---
**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:** [January 4, 2017, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leave-donald-alone-pleads-his-press-secretary/776125/192 "2017-01-04T00:19:47Z")
> [@doorhinge](#): > > (post shortened) > > Why couldn’t who do that without making a deal with Trump? Ford? Mexico? Obama? Sonja Henie? You know who. Starving Artist made a general reference to a number of companies which I quoted, without alteration or deliberate misunderstanding, in post 187. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2017, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leave-donald-alone-pleads-his-press-secretary/776125/193 "2017-01-04T00:24:22Z")
> [@doorhinge](#): > > > [@Kimstu](#): > > > > **doorhinge** is upset because Easley’s title of the linked article uses the word “begs” to describe Spicer’s comments, even though Spicer does not explicitly claim that he’s “begging”. […] > > It was the asshole author of the article, Jason Easley, who claimed Spicer begged, but you have no way of knowing that. :dubious: Wow, those Republican reading-comprehension deficits really **are** getting serious. I **already pointed out right there in the part that you quoted from my post** that it was in fact Easley, the article author, who used the word “begs” in the title of his article. (Although, to be fair, news organizations often have an editor write the titles for articles written by other people; it is not clear what the policy of [politicususa.com](http://politicususa.com) is on this matter.) So, **doorhinge** , have you got it all clear now? You recognize that we all agree that those particular words you’re concerned about in the title of the OP’s link and of this thread itself are not in fact direct quotes from the words uttered by Sean Spicer? I think all the rest of us were pretty clear on that right from the get-go, but it’s nice to have you on the same page too. ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2017, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leave-donald-alone-pleads-his-press-secretary/776125/194 "2017-01-04T00:34:52Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > :dubious: Wow, those Republican reading-comprehension deficits really **are** getting serious. > > I **already pointed out right there in the part that you quoted from my post** that it was in fact Easley, the article author, who used the word “begs” in the title of his article. > > (Although, to be fair, news organizations often have an editor write the titles for articles written by other people; it is not clear what the policy of [politicususa.com](http://politicususa.com) is on this matter.) > > So, **doorhinge** , have you got it all clear now? You recognize that we all agree that those particular words you’re concerned about in the title of the OP’s link and of this thread itself are not in fact direct quotes from the words uttered by Sean Spicer? > > I think all the rest of us were pretty clear on that right from the get-go, but it’s nice to have you on the same page too. Yes. Thank you. Sean Spicer didn’t beg, or plead, for Trump, and he didn’t say “Leave Donald Alone!” Pleads His Press Secretary, which is the title of this fake news thread. ---
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2017, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leave-donald-alone-pleads-his-press-secretary/776125/195 "2017-01-04T00:36:08Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > If Trump thinks that’s the worst photo they could’ve used of him, he’s going to have an aneurysm when he discovers Google Images. > > So [here you go](https://www.google.com/search?q=donald+trump&tbm=isch), Donald. Enjoy! He looks like this [shitstick](https://static.independent.co.uk/s3fs-public/styles/article_large/public/thumbnails/image/2015/09/29/12/Martin-Shkreli.jpg). They even have the same personality. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2017, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leave-donald-alone-pleads-his-press-secretary/776125/196 "2017-01-04T01:08:56Z")
> [@doorhinge](#): > > Sean Spicer didn’t beg, or plead, for Trump, and he didn’t say “Leave Donald Alone!” Pleads His Press Secretary Right. What people are making fun of him for is that the **tone** of his complaint about people mocking Trump **sounded** beggy and pleady: > [@Sean Spicer](#): > > Everything he does right now, he gets […] And everyone starts to mock him. […] And instead of trying to mock him or undermine him, it’s time that people started to give him credit for actually getting things done. This isn’t “fake news”: this is what Spicer actually said. And the reason it’s getting attention and derision is because it comes across as whiny and thin-skinned. Especially given how cavalier Trump himself has constantly been about mocking and undermining others. _“Aw, poor whiny baby, are his feewings hurt because people are mean to him? Poor, poor Twumpy, why don’t people understand that **he’s** the only one allowed to be mean!”_\* \*_Remedial Reading Comprehension Guide: This sarcastic remark is not alleged or suggested in any way to include any direct quote from Spicer or Trump any other person on the subject of Spicer’s and/or Trump’s remarks. It is intended by its sole author, namely the superscribed **Kimstu** , as mocking derision of the perceived **attitude** conveyed by the resentful and miffy tone of said remarks._ ---
**Author:** ![dasmoocher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dbc845/32.png) [@dasmoocher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dasmoocher)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2017, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leave-donald-alone-pleads-his-press-secretary/776125/197 "2017-01-04T01:14:01Z")
> [@doorhinge](#): > > Yes. Thank you. Sean Spicer didn’t beg, or plead, for Trump, and he didn’t say “Leave Donald Alone!” Pleads His Press Secretary, which is the title of this fake news thread. I think I’m going to write an op-ed for my local _Pennysaver_. I’ll call it “ **doorknob** doesn’t understand nuance or satire.” Only that title won’t be fake. ---
**Author:** ![Enginerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bcef8e/32.png) [@Enginerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enginerd)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2017, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leave-donald-alone-pleads-his-press-secretary/776125/198 "2017-01-04T03:50:12Z")
Lot of extra words in that title. I think “doorknob doesn’t understand” is both sufficient and succinct. ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2017, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leave-donald-alone-pleads-his-press-secretary/776125/199 "2017-01-04T05:35:17Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > And why couldn’t they do that without making a direct deal with Trump? Of course they could. That wasn’t the implication. The point was that all these companies are suddenly deciding to stay here in the U.S., clearly as a result either of financial incentives promised by Trump or in anticipation of a healthier business climate under Trump, but few want to be seen giving Trump credit for their decisions. > [@running\_coach](#): > > Of course, if they had, they could have still sent jobs to Mexico and Trump would give them tax breaks to automate the remaining jobs out of existence. Why on earth would he do that? Both scenarios are in direct conflict with both his campaign promises and his actions since being elected. The whole idea of keeping companies in the U.S. is to provide jobs for American workers. ---
**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:** [January 4, 2017, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leave-donald-alone-pleads-his-press-secretary/776125/200 "2017-01-04T05:41:21Z")
> [@Starving\_Artist](#): > > Of course they could. That wasn’t the implication. The point was that all these companies are suddenly deciding to stay here in the U.S., clearly as a result either of financial incentives promised by Trump or in anticipation of a healthier business climate under Trump, but few want to be seen giving Trump credit for their decisions. > > **Why on earth would he do that? Both scenarios are in direct conflict with both his campaign promises and his actions since being elected. The whole idea of keeping companies in the U.S. is to provide jobs for American workers.** That’s what he did with the Carrier deal. Half the jobs are still going to Mexico and just a few days after the deal was made, [the CEO announced the “saved” jobs would be automated out of existence.](http://www.businessinsider.com/united-tech-ceo-says-trump-deal-will-lead-to-more-automation-fewer-jobs-2016-12) On top of that, some of the “saved” jobs were never going to Mexico to begin with. > [@](#): > > Greg Hayes, the CEO of United Technologies, the parent company of the heating and air-conditioner manufacturer Carrier, just let slip a consequence of a deal struck to keep jobs in Indiana. > > GREG HAYES: Right. Well, and again, if you think about what we talked about last week, we’re going to make a $16 million investment in that factory in Indianapolis to automate to drive the cost down so that we can continue to be competitive. Now is it as cheap as moving to Mexico with lower cost of labor? No. But we will make that plant competitive just because we’ll make the capital investments there. > > JIM CRAMER: Right. > > GREG HAYES: But what that ultimately means is there will be fewer jobs. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leave-donald-alone-pleads-his-press-secretary/776125.md?page=9) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leave-donald-alone-pleads-his-press-secretary/776125.md?page=11)