# The Omnibus Trump Pit Thread **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 18, 2015, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-omnibus-trump-pit-thread/725543 "2015-07-18T20:15:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 10
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2015, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-omnibus-trump-pit-thread/725543/181 "2015-07-30T20:40:51Z")
“Ho door!” ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2015, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-omnibus-trump-pit-thread/725543/182 "2015-07-31T13:34:29Z")
> [@davidm](#): > > Here’s a video of a NH focus group on why they like Trump. The focus group is about 2:30 into the video. Unfortunately you can’t skip ahead and have to play it from the beginning (at least that’s how it works for me). > > Among other things they think that a Trump presidency would be “classy”. > [NH focus group finds the positives in Trump](http://www.msnbc.com/morning-joe/watch/nh-focus-group-finds-the-positives-in-trump-494070851605) That’s why I was thinking the group was trolling the pollsters. Trump is the only person (outside the Three Stooges) I have ever heard use the work “classy” non-ironically. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2015, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-omnibus-trump-pit-thread/725543/183 "2015-07-31T13:57:12Z")
> [@Mollie\_Magill](#): > > That’s why I was thinking the group was trolling the pollsters. Trump is the only person (outside the Three Stooges) I have ever heard use the work “classy” non-ironically. I don’t think so. Those people strike me as totally sincere. If they’re not, they deserve an Emmy. ---
**Author:** ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2015, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-omnibus-trump-pit-thread/725543/184 "2015-07-31T15:34:56Z")
> [@davidm](#): > > I don’t think so. Those people strike me as totally sincere. If they’re not, they deserve an Emmy. I have Trump fans in my family who will proudly state how they’d vote for him because A. He’s a “self made man” and B. He’s classy. I think they’re just clueless and they’ll fully support any Republican they think will win. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2015, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-omnibus-trump-pit-thread/725543/185 "2015-07-31T15:41:26Z")
> [@Rushgeekgirl](#): > > A. He’s a “self made man” Actually, he’s not. He got his start at his father’s real estate company, which was already a multi-million dollar business. > [@](#): > > B. He’s classy. They are clearly using a definition of “classy” different from any I am familiar with. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2015, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-omnibus-trump-pit-thread/725543/186 "2015-07-31T15:45:01Z")
I think a number of people equate “classy” and “rich” or even “ostentatiously rich.” In my vocabulary, ostentatiously anything isn’t classy. Trump is rich and tacky. ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2015, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-omnibus-trump-pit-thread/725543/187 "2015-08-03T16:12:35Z")
Donald Trump’s [business website](http://www.trump.com/) has been compromised by someone identifying themselves as TelecomixCanada ([article](http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/08/03/trump_website_hacked/)). The hackers appear to have posted some content to the site but as far as I know haven’t done much else. This was made public several hours ago, and, as of now, the hacker’s content is still up ([http://www.trump.com/\_common/2007/HTML\_Editor/document.html](http://www.trump.com/_common/2007/HTML_Editor/document.html)). [Here](https://archive.is/Hehfi) is an archived version. Anybody can fall victim to a hack (although it sounds like the Trump site was pretty poorly designed). But leaving the content up for going on five hours now is hard to excuse. I guess Trump’s business acumen doesn’t extend to running a tight security operation. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2015, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-omnibus-trump-pit-thread/725543/188 "2015-08-03T21:12:21Z")
I thought [this](http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/book-party/wp/2015/07/30/i-just-binge-read-eight-books-by-donald-trump-heres-what-i-learned/) article was an enjoyable read. Some poor guy read all eight Trump books and tells us what he learned. Also, [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LyONt_ZH_aw) exists for all to see. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2015, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-omnibus-trump-pit-thread/725543/189 "2015-08-05T02:04:15Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > I think a number of people equate “classy” and “rich” or even “ostentatiously rich.” Given that it’s Trump, it’s more like “ostensibly rich”. Do we have any hard figures for his actual net worth, when you subtract out all the debt and liabilities? He’s rich in that he’s so far been able to sucker investors into enabling his burn rate, and then only if you ignore his multiple bankruptcies. His supposed wealth is a form of financial comb-over, is what I’m saying. Anyway, yes, he’s Las Vegas Classy: Lots of bright lights and huge portion sizes, but the building is both recent and slated for demolition and the food is merely acceptable, as opposed to being made from quality ingredients by talented and skilled chefs. Similarly, Trump is the apotheosis of the used-car salesman or high-pressure time-share swindler, being richer (with caveats), louder (by being an employee of a TV show), and luckier than most but generally no more skilled. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2015, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-omnibus-trump-pit-thread/725543/190 "2015-08-05T03:12:53Z")
I heard a (right wing hate radio) analysis of Trump, and they attribute it to his “straight talk.” “He says what he believes.” Okay, whadevah… But they went on to say (and I think this may be valid) that for him to do well in the debates, he’ll have to deliver more of this. The thing is, all the other guys know this too, so it’s gonna be a “straight talk” gab-fest, with all of 'em shooting from the hip and trying to sound loud, brash, and super-confident. It’s going to be one of the best days ever for absolute statements with no qualifications. “Well, it seems to me…” BZZZT! “Da Jews! Read my Mind, No More Abortions! Illegal negroes! 90 per cent of Americans are on Welfare! Take back the country…with Guns! Gay Marriage has Destroyed our Republic!” It’s gonna be comedy gold! Also a gold-mine for quotes to throw at the eventual winner when the serious campaign begins in the summer of '16. Trump is dragging the whole damn field out into the suburbs of loonieville. The blind is leading the halt! ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2015, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-omnibus-trump-pit-thread/725543/191 "2015-08-05T05:33:38Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > I heard a (right wing hate radio) analysis of Trump, and they attribute it to his “straight talk.” “He says what he believes.” > > Okay, whadevah… But they went on to say (and I think this may be valid) that for him to do well in the debates, he’ll have to deliver more of this. The thing is, all the other guys know this too, so it’s gonna be a “straight talk” gab-fest, with all of 'em shooting from the hip and trying to sound loud, brash, and super-confident. It’s going to be one of the best days ever for absolute statements with no qualifications. > > “Well, it seems to me…” BZZZT! “Da Jews! Read my Mind, No More Abortions! Illegal negroes! 90 per cent of Americans are on Welfare! Take back the country…with Guns! Gay Marriage has Destroyed our Republic!” > > It’s gonna be comedy gold! Also a gold-mine for quotes to throw at the eventual winner when the serious campaign begins in the summer of '16. > > Trump is dragging the whole damn field out into the suburbs of loonieville. The blind is leading the halt! This is my basic thesis: Trump is forcing a conflict within the GOP that the party might otherwise have been able to avoid until a little while down the road, when the bulk of the Tea Party supporters begin to die off. He’s the living representation of one faction within the GOP, the xenophobic low-information voter, which the mainstream of the party has heretofore been able to court using dog whistles and keep through the occasional bone without getting too much of their stench on them. That aroma is deeply revolting to a number of other groups the GOP needs to woo in order to win, especially Hispanics and women, and it isn’t very pleasant to the business wing, but the businessmen will hold their noses more than the other factions will. Trump is saturated in the stench. His presence in the race represents a clear challenge: Denounce him, and lose those votes but make yourself minimally acceptable to the broader range of people you’ll need to stand a chance in the generals, or let him rub off on you, and let your tacit acceptance of his toxic positions be used as a weapon against you once the primaries are over. (This applies even if you’re not going to run for President, unless your political ambitions are constrained by this iteration of the GOP.) If you try to take a middle path, you come across as mealy-mouthed and inconsistent, "for it before you were against it before you were for it before you took a nuanced position on it… " and so on. A truly masterful orator might be able to pull it off, but none of the current crop of Republicans are in any danger of that. With Trump making “straight talk” a desiderata, that’s even more dangerous in this cycle than it would be otherwise. Trump being in the debates makes this all the more difficult. Trump is comfortable in front of a camera. He knows how to work an audience. He’s also voicing sheer lunacy, and making a good number of Republicans think being confident involves being crazy like Trump. The difference between him and the competition must be stark; if it isn’t, if the rest of the pack moves too close to him and his messaging, the 2016 general election will be a bloodbath. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2015, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-omnibus-trump-pit-thread/725543/192 "2015-08-05T23:51:14Z")
My previous boss is planning to leave work early so she can have the popcorn ready for the Kiddie Table Debate. She is surprised I’m not doing the same, but she has better control over her blood pressure than I do. I would literally prefer to (not) sell robot insurance to old ladies than watch it because, while I’m self-destructive with a death wish, I’m not a masochist. ---
**Author:** ![PatriotX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c4cdca/32.png) [@PatriotX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatriotX)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2015, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-omnibus-trump-pit-thread/725543/193 "2015-08-06T01:22:58Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > They are clearly using a definition of “classy” different from any I am familiar with. Klassy Trump is classy with a capital K ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2015, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-omnibus-trump-pit-thread/725543/194 "2015-08-06T02:40:11Z")
> [@PatriotX](#): > > Klassy > Trump is classy with a capital K It needs rhinestones and glitter. ---
**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:** [August 6, 2015, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-omnibus-trump-pit-thread/725543/195 "2015-08-06T03:15:57Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > It needs rhinestones and glitter. Hey, Liberace was all about rhinestones and glitter, yet (I contend) he _was_ classy. Donald Trump is no Liberace. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2015, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-omnibus-trump-pit-thread/725543/196 "2015-08-06T19:10:12Z")
Excellent piece at VICE today about Trump: [Why Donald Trump Is Better Than You](http://www.vice.com/read/how-donald-trump-explains-america-806). The whole article is very well researched and written, but it’s awesome because of how it ends:[ > [@](#): > > Some of this helps explain the strong reactions people are having to Trump’s presidential campaign—including why he’s polling near 20 percent among Republican voters, and why Democrats, liberals, and plenty of Republicans are acting like he’s going to take down the Republic. > > Because Trump is, in many ways, a referendum on ourselves. **He doesn’t represent a system of politics or beliefs so much as he does a version of what it means to be successful in America. Trump is very successful in America. Now, how does that make you feel?** ]([http://www.vice.com/read/how-donald-trump-explains-america-806](http://www.vice.com/read/how-donald-trump-explains-america-806))I’d say that’s a dead-on assessment of Trump’s candidacy. ---
**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:** [August 6, 2015, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-omnibus-trump-pit-thread/725543/197 "2015-08-06T19:22:47Z")
One thing I see many in the media go for is the idea that Democrats are worried about Trump. Well, maybe Democrats \*\*are \*\*worried that he will \*\*not \*\*be the Republican nominee that will give the democrats a landslide victory in 2016. In reality many Democrats I know would love to face Trump in the presidential election. [http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2016/president/us/general\_election\_trump\_vs\_clinton-5491.html](http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2016/president/us/general_election_trump_vs_clinton-5491.html) ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2015, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-omnibus-trump-pit-thread/725543/198 "2015-08-06T19:24:43Z")
I’ll admit that I’m “worried” about a political party that would nominate Trump. Does that count? ---
**Author:** ![MacCat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maccat/32/216_2.png) [@MacCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacCat)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2015, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-omnibus-trump-pit-thread/725543/199 "2015-08-06T19:34:06Z")
> [@GIGObuster](#): > > In reality many Democrats I know would love to face Trump in the presidential election. > > [2016 General Election Polls: Trump vs. Clinton | RealClearPolling](http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2016/president/us/general_election_trump_vs_clinton-5491.html) Did Bill sucker The Donald in to disrupt the GOPers in general, and to also be the easiest of the clowns to beat? He is the Dream GOPer Candidate for this lefty… [Chicago Tribune](http://my.chicagotribune.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-84150455/) ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2015, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-omnibus-trump-pit-thread/725543/200 "2015-08-06T19:52:32Z")
> [@MacCat](#): > > Did Bill sucker The Donald in to disrupt the GOPers in general, and to also be the easiest of the clowns to beat? > > He is the Dream GOPer Candidate for this lefty… > > [Chicago Tribune](http://my.chicagotribune.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-84150455/) That Chicago Tribune link is behind a paywall, FYI. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-omnibus-trump-pit-thread/725543.md?page=9) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-omnibus-trump-pit-thread/725543.md?page=11)