# The 2016 Republican candidates **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [January 9, 2015, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444 "2015-01-09T22:38:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 85
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2015, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/1682 "2015-06-24T15:12:44Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > …Now that Haley’s starting to show a sense of responsibility, he may not even be the most popular Indian-American governor in the party. Well, it IS a select group… ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2015, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/1683 "2015-06-24T15:40:09Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > Now that Haley’s starting to show a sense of responsibility, he may not even be the most popular Indian-American governor in the party. [Ann Coulter](http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/ann-coulter-nikki-haley-immigrant): > [@](#): > > “I’m appalled by –– though, I really like to like Nikki Haley since she is a Republican. On the other hand, she is an immigrant and does not understand America’s history.” Now that Haley’s said something Coulter doesn’t like, Haley’s an “immigrant” who “does not understand America’s history.” How quickly we disown our friends when they’re politically incorrect! FWIW, Nikki Haley was born in the U.S. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2015, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/1684 "2015-06-24T16:42:29Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > The movement to the GOP began after the passage of the Civil Rights Act, but still hasn’t peaked even now. Old habits die hard for some. There were still lots of Democratic Senators and governors in the South during the Reagan era (remember the “Boll Weevils”?), including some fairly liberal ones. The switch did NOT begin in earnest in 1964. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2015, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/1685 "2015-06-24T16:55:39Z")
That would be because racism isn’t what prompted the switch. With Jim Crow no longer supported by either party, other issues took precedence, and on those issues Republicans had a natural advantage in the South. Republicans believe that this is also true of other groups that are “solid Democrat”. Many Republicans believe that we can win Latinos and Asians, because once you remove the open sores that motivate them to vote Democrat, other issues will become more important and on those other issues, they will favor Republicans. Although I’m sure Democrats will say they all became racist against black people and that’s why they vote Republican. What makes the revisionist history so offensive is that Republicans could have stopped the Civil Rights Act at any time. Why would racists support the party directly responsible for letting the Civil Rights Act pass? Why would they support the ones who kept on introducing it over southern objections? One could accuse them of political calculation. They knew it was an issue that would drive a wedge between Democrats. But if so, why not lionize them for doing the same thing LBJ did? ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2015, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/1686 "2015-06-24T17:02:19Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > With Jim Crow no longer supported by either party Yanno, there’s really nothing to say in reply to that, is there? > [@](#): > > Many Republicans believe that we can win Latinos and Asians, because once you remove the open sores that motivate them to vote Democrat, other issues will become more important and on those other issues, they will favor Republicans. So that explains their immigrant-bashing. It’s all part of a plan to get their votes! > [@](#): > > What makes the revisionist history so offensive is that Republicans could have stopped the Civil Rights Act at any time. Why would racists support the party directly responsible for letting the Civil Rights Act pass? In an alternate universe where the Republicans had repudiated Jim Crow rather than courted it, that might be a reasonable question. This is all very amusing, but the rest of us are discussing _this_ universe. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2015, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/1687 "2015-06-24T17:08:38Z")
Voting against Jim Crow and then courting racist southerners would make about as much sense as voting against immigration reform and then courting immigrants. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2015, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/1688 "2015-06-24T17:09:49Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Republicans believe that this is also true of other groups that are “solid Democrat”. Many Republicans believe that we can win Latinos and Asians, because once you remove the open sores that motivate them to vote Democrat, other issues will become more important and on those other issues, they will favor Republicans. Like what? What issue does a Republican support that would motivate anyone to vote for them? Serious question. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2015, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/1689 "2015-06-24T17:10:48Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Voting against Jim Crow and then courting racist southerners would make about as much sense as voting against immigration reform and then courting immigrants. Do go educate yourself about the Southern Strategy, please. You’ve been asked many times here. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2015, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/1690 "2015-06-24T17:13:16Z")
You need to get an education. The southern strategy wooed white southerners by focusing on issues like crime, welfare, and busing, issues where Republicans were on the right side long before the civil rights era, and furthermore these are issues where Republicans were on the right side of history. The liberals who supported soft on crime policies, welfare as a right, and busing students away from their neighborhood schools were dead wrong. That’s why those policies don’t exist anymore and why even Democrats eventually agreed to reform them. But you see, that’s why Republicans are so hated. Because they won. Because they were right. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2015, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/1691 "2015-06-24T17:17:06Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > Like what? What issue does a Republican support that would motivate anyone to vote for them? Serious question. Lower taxes, safer streets, respect for religion, respect for entrepeneurs(very important in many immigrant communities). Latino voters already are much less likely to vote Democrat as they move up the income scale: > **[Latino Voters in the 2012 Election](https://www.pewresearch.org/race-and-ethnicity/2012/11/07/latino-voters-in-the-2012-election/)** > > Latinos voted for President Barack Obama over Republican Mitt Romney by 71% to 27%, according to an analysis of exit polls by the Pew Hispanic Center, a the only way Democrats can really win is by rooting for people to fail. Republicans need them to succeed. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2015, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/1692 "2015-06-24T17:26:35Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > You need to get an education. The southern strategy wooed white southerners by focusing on issues like crime, welfare, and busing And you know what those were surrogates for, don’t you? [Here, let Lee Atwater explain it to you.](http://www.thenation.com/article/170841/exclusive-lee-atwaters-infamous-1981-interview-southern-strategy) :rolleyes: Hell, just tell us why busing existed, and why it was fought. Just that one. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2015, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/1693 "2015-06-24T17:33:46Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > the only way Democrats can really win is by rooting for people to fail. Republicans need them to succeed. Obama won twice by rooting for everyone to win. I don’t recall any rooting for failure. Economic prosperity is the key to lower taxes and safer streets. I’m going with the Democrats for that. “Respect for entrepreneurs” seems like a buzz phrase. What does that mean and why are Republicans better for that? Respect for religion? Blah. Both parties seem to pander to religion too much for my liking. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2015, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/1694 "2015-06-24T17:44:23Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > You need to get an education. The southern strategy wooed white southerners by focusing on issues like crime, welfare, and busing, issues where Republicans were on the right side long before the civil rights era, and furthermore these are issues where Republicans were on the right side of history. The liberals who supported soft on crime policies, welfare as a right, and busing students away from their neighborhood schools were dead wrong. That’s why those policies don’t exist anymore and why even Democrats eventually agreed to reform them. > > But you see, that’s why Republicans are so hated. Because they won. Because they were right. Are there going to be wizards and unicorns in this story? I like those stories better. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2015, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/1695 "2015-06-24T17:48:05Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > “Respect for entrepreneurs” seems like a buzz phrase. What does that mean…? Cutting taxes on the Job Creators until they’re finally motivated enough to create some jobs. > [@](#): > > Respect for religion? Gay-bashing, abortion, and creationism. As you know. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2015, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/1696 "2015-06-24T17:55:39Z")
Not booing Cardinal Dolan helps too. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2015, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/1697 "2015-06-24T18:02:53Z")
That falls under gay-bashing. As you know. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2015, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/1698 "2015-06-24T18:16:14Z")
So religion-bashing is necessary until religion changes. Which won’t win you many minority voters once Republicans also stop going out of their way to piss them off. Minority voters don’t actually like Democrats. They hate Republicans. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2015, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/1699 "2015-06-24T18:23:33Z")
It isn’t religion-bashing. It’s hate-bashing and ignorance-bashing. Those things do often adopt the cover of religion by way of self-justification, but that doesn’t change what they are, or the need to condemn them. Dolan, your example, is not booed because he’s a cleric, but because he uses his position to promulgate hate and ignorance. Do you grasp that even slightly? > [@](#): > > Minority voters don’t actually like Democrats. They hate Republicans. Supposing that were true, why do you think that is? Are they all just too stupid to know the Republicans are really their friends? Or perhaps do they understand the history and the pretense and the hate and the self-delusion your party has stood for in recent history better than you do? ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2015, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/1700 "2015-06-24T18:24:40Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > So religion-bashing is necessary until religion changes. Which won’t win you many minority voters once Republicans also stop going out of their way to piss them off. > > Minority voters don’t actually like Democrats. They hate Republicans. There is the fact that Republican policies tend to increase the amount of human misery in the country. Really \*everyone \*should hate Republicans. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2015, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/1701 "2015-06-24T18:24:46Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Minority voters don’t actually like Democrats. They hate Republicans. I think they do both. Which is a bigger problem than you would concede for the Republicans. Although I’d wager most people, minority or not, are not too fond of either party, it is my impression from the “minority” voters I know that they identify much more with the Democratic candidates and positions than the Republicans. It will take more than the Republicans just stopping the extreme hate and stupidity to win over minority voters. They actually have to embrace some policies that make sense. I am unable to imagine a reason a voter would pick Jeb Bush, Rubio, Christie, or Walker over Clinton or O’Malley. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444.md?page=84) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444.md?page=86)