# The Republican national Convention **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [June 18, 2016, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republican-national-convention/757729 "2016-06-18T21:53:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 64
**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:** [July 22, 2016, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republican-national-convention/757729/1262 "2016-07-22T07:12:13Z")
> [@Superdude](#): > > If so, then Trump has been running a con longer than anyone believed possible. It’s not just recently that he’s been that way. Watch the old Phil Hartman characterization of Donald Trump; it’s evident there. It’s definitely a persona, and one that’s he’s put out there for as long as he’s been famous. But my opinion is that it’s just that, a persona, that he utilizes because it pays off for him. Based on just about everything I’ve read by people who know him or who’ve been contestants on _The Apprentice_, he’s not like that in private. Most seem to admire him very much and think he’s a great guy. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2016, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republican-national-convention/757729/1263 "2016-07-22T07:12:33Z")
> [@Starving\_Artist](#): > > Trump is a guy who’s extremely skilled at making the seemingly impossible happen. I think what you meant was “Trump is a guy who’s extremely skilled at making the impossible seem to happen”. ---
**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:** [July 22, 2016, 7:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republican-national-convention/757729/1264 "2016-07-22T07:20:40Z")
Is it your impression then that Trump only seems to be the Republican nominee for president? ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2016, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republican-national-convention/757729/1265 "2016-07-22T07:24:04Z")
> [@SlackerInc](#): > > Link? I loved Phil Hartman (sigh), but I don’t remember this. > > Here’s another nice graph that shows immigrants are less violent than native-born Americans: [x.com](https://twitter.com/SteveRattner/status/756315282491203584) [http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/trump-divorce-cold-opening/n9870](http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/trump-divorce-cold-opening/n9870) ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2016, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republican-national-convention/757729/1266 "2016-07-22T07:29:47Z")
> [@Starving\_Artist](#): > > Is it your impression then that Trump only seems to be the Republican nominee for president? I would tend to withhold judgment on whether someone is extremely skilled at something until I’d seen a lot of examples. Your mileage clearly varies. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2016, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republican-national-convention/757729/1267 "2016-07-22T07:57:50Z")
> [@Peremensoe](#): > > Clinton’s immigration policy may be weak, but “zilch about border security,” at least, is the correct value. “Border security,” in the present context, is a fantasy. The United States is already past the point of diminishing returns on physical-interdiction spending on the southern land border. The more any current politician invokes “securing the border” as a meaningful step in their immigration policy, the less serious that policy is. Trump’s Wall is the ultimate expression of the bullshit–vastly expensive and almost irrelevant in real added effect–but _all_ calls for increased Border Patrol are similarly ignorant. Obama has maintained near-record staffing and funding levels despite dramatic decreases in illegal immigration since he entered office. By border security I’m including all forms of immigration enforcement. Border security is just the buzz phrase in common usage. Of course the worst enforcement isn’t at the border itself, but among visa overstayers. ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2016, 7:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republican-national-convention/757729/1268 "2016-07-22T07:58:45Z")
> [@Starving\_Artist](#): > > It’s definitely a persona, and one that’s he’s put out there for as long as he’s been famous. But my opinion is that it’s just that, a persona, that he utilizes because it pays off for him. Based on just about everything I’ve read by people who know him or who’ve been contestants on _The Apprentice_, he’s not like that in private. Most seem to admire him very much and think he’s a great guy. Here’s another perspective: [http://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/low-dollar-same-grift](http://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/low-dollar-same-grift) [INDENT][INDENT][INDENT] There is a personality type with a New York developer, one Donald learned from Fred when he carried his dad’s briefcase to acquisition meetings out in the boroughs and it goes like this: Donald contracts for a service or good, or the acquisition of a piece of land for $1 million. He then does not pay you You ask Donald for your million dollars Donald yells at you, basely, abusively, wholly out of character to the rich gentleman you broke bread with and made the deal with. He tells you that no, YOU owe him $200,000. Gives you no reason but screams how can you be such a son of a bitch to rip him off, how he’s going to sue you, expose you as a cheat, etc. You’re off your pins, defensive. How could this be the guy who was so nice when he picked up the check at Per Se? [/INDENT][/INDENT][/INDENT] Here’s another perspective from the author of _Art of the Deal_ [INDENT][INDENT][INDENT] As far as Schwartz could tell, Trump spent very little time with his family and had no close friends. In “The Art of the Deal,” Trump describes Roy Cohn, his personal lawyer, in the warmest terms, calling him “the sort of guy who’d be there at your hospital bed . . . literally standing by you to the death.” Cohn, who in the fifties assisted Senator Joseph McCarthy in his vicious crusade against Communism, was closeted. He felt abandoned by Trump when he became fatally ill from AIDS, and said, “Donald pisses ice water.” Schwartz says of Trump, “He’d like people when they were helpful, and turn on them when they weren’t. It wasn’t personal. He’s a transactional man—it was all about what you could do for him.” [/INDENT][/INDENT][/INDENT] Schwartz spent 18 months shadowing Trump. [Donald Trump’s Ghostwriter Tells All | The New Yorker](http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/07/25/donald-trumps-ghostwriter-tells-all) My take is that the nice guy thing is just as much a facade as the guy who yelled at us tonight. Trump is a salesguy: he says what he thinks you want to hear. He seeks attention: that’s his main motive. And he has difficulty focusing on something for an extended length of time. ---
**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:** [July 22, 2016, 8:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republican-national-convention/757729/1269 "2016-07-22T08:07:40Z")
I’m about to call it a night, but before I go I have to say I’m highly skeptical of these contractor rip off stories. Word on that kind of behavior would get around quick and Trump would never have been able to hire all the people who’ve built his tons of projects. ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2016, 8:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republican-national-convention/757729/1270 "2016-07-22T08:08:49Z")
> [@Superdude](#): > > [http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/trump-divorce-cold-opening/n9870](http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/trump-divorce-cold-opening/n9870) Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Ace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/6bbea6/32.png) [@Johnny\_Ace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Ace)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2016, 8:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republican-national-convention/757729/1271 "2016-07-22T08:29:38Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > He knows what he is talking about, but straight talker? Obama’s obsession with messaging, spin, and non-transparency are pretty well established and the media has harped on it quite a bit. The only thing that makes him somewhat refreshing is that when other people do it, he describes it perfectly, such as when he responded to Liz Warren by observing that “She’s a politician just like the rest of us.” and dismissing his previous opposition to trade deals as “campaign talk”. Generally politicians are like magicians, they won’t talk about how the spin and messaging get done, or outright admit that they lie to sell policies. Heck, people close to Obama have twice bragged about how they fooled the public, once on health care and once on the Iran deal. So I guess that’s sorta change, the curtain has been pulled away a little by this administration. You do realize that your political orientation completely negates any chance of credibility on this, right? ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2016, 8:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republican-national-convention/757729/1272 "2016-07-22T08:42:47Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > By border security I’m including all forms of immigration enforcement. Border security is just the buzz phrase in common usage. Of course the worst enforcement isn’t at the border itself, but among visa overstayers. It is not a buzz phrase for _all forms of immigration enforcement, especially those not near the border,_ and it is misleading at best, to use it so. ---
**Author:** ![coremelt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@coremelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coremelt)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2016, 9:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republican-national-convention/757729/1273 "2016-07-22T09:52:26Z")
> [@Starving\_Artist](#): > > I’m about to call it a night, but before I go I have to say I’m highly skeptical of these contractor rip off stories. Word on that kind of behavior would get around quick and Trump would never have been able to hire all the people who’ve built his tons of projects. Nope, theres 100s of court cases against various Trump companies over this, those are public records, you can go check them yourself. And various media has already done just that. > **[Reports: Donald Trump stiffs contractors | CNN Politics](https://edition.cnn.com/2016/06/10/politics/donald-trump-unpaid-bills-reports/)** > > Donald Trump has a pattern of not paying or underpaying bills to everyone from waiters to painters and carpenters to a banking firm – and was even facing foreclosure at the Trump National Doral Miami golf club, according to exhaustive new reports. “The court records showed not only a pattern of not paying, but also of Trump companies tying up small businesses and individuals in lengthy legal dealings until they either settle, give up or sometimes go out of business altogether.” Indisputable public record in black and white you cannot spin this any other way. More sources: [http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-trump-bills-specialrepor-idUSKCN0T214Q20151113](http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-trump-bills-specialrepor-idUSKCN0T214Q20151113) > **[Donald Trump’s Many Unpaid IOUs](https://fortune.com/2016/06/10/donald-trumps-many-unpaid-ious/)** > > Donald Trump has been unusually aggressive in withholding payments and fighting contractors in court. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2016, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republican-national-convention/757729/1274 "2016-07-22T11:40:08Z")
> [@Starving\_Artist](#): > > I’m about to call it a night, but before I go I have to say I’m highly skeptical of these contractor rip off stories. Word on that kind of behavior would get around quick and Trump would never have been able to hire all the people who’ve built his tons of projects. “I guess that guy isn’t the admirable figure I thought he was.” Try it out sometime! ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Parker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/35a633/32.png) [@Richard\_Parker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Parker)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2016, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republican-national-convention/757729/1275 "2016-07-22T11:48:58Z")
What Starving Artist said would happen if Trump behaved that way is exactly what happened, isn’t it? He couldn’t get the financing and relationships to build for himself anymore. So he stopped building and started just licensing his brand out to others. ---
**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:** [July 22, 2016, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republican-national-convention/757729/1276 "2016-07-22T11:57:58Z")
I have always known the Republicans were the Party of Hate, but Jesus, Trump takes it to new heights, doesn’t he? ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2016, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republican-national-convention/757729/1277 "2016-07-22T12:10:00Z")
> [@Starving\_Artist](#): > > I’m about to call it a night, but before I go I have to say I’m highly skeptical of these contractor rip off stories. Word on that kind of behavior would get around quick and Trump would never have been able to hire all the people who’ve built his tons of projects. Right. In order for him to continue to hire people, he’d have to be brilliant at a very specific thing: convincing people to hitch their wagon to his, even when doing so is clearly a terrible idea. As you’ve stated, we have evidence that he’s brilliant at something. You and I disagree on what he’s brilliant at. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2016, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republican-national-convention/757729/1278 "2016-07-22T12:15:36Z")
> [@Starving\_Artist](#): > > My opinion is that most of that [Trump being an egotistical, self-aggrandizing narcissist] is just an act. [clarification added] How does this make any sense? How can someone act self-aggrandizing but not actually be self-aggrandizing? What motive does a non-egotistical person have for acting egotistical? Why does someone without narcissistic tendencies spend all their time talking about how great they are? And what possible support do you have for that opinion? Do you have the secret records Washington Post has spent months looking for, records that Trump legit gives money to charity? Have you worked the soup kitchen lines beside him? Does he, incognito, visit your ailing great-aunt in her nursing home and read her books? Does Occam’s razor mean anything to you in this case? ---
**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:** [July 22, 2016, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republican-national-convention/757729/1279 "2016-07-22T12:20:29Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Congress didn’t need the President to ban earmarks, that was a rule they could pass on their own. Banning earmarks is nearly as stupid as term limits. Like it or not, it’s how things got done. I need your vote on raising Social Security tax, what will it cost me? Oh, a new post office in your district? No problem. Think of it as the oil in the gears of government. Banning earmarks eliminates the lubrication, term limits would replace the oil with sand. Looks like Trump took a course at Trump University entitled “The Art of Making Brief and Succinct Speeches” taught by Visiting Assistant Professor Fidel Castro. I only could stomach watching brief snippets. Christie looked like he couldn’t wait to get out of there, the crowd seemed listless and inattentive to me. Trump had all the calm demeanor of a man who had horse liniment applied to his hemorrhoids. If you could watch that speech in its entirety and still intend to vote for him, you are by definition a bad citizen. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2016, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republican-national-convention/757729/1280 "2016-07-22T12:25:37Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > [clarification added] > > How does this make any sense? How can someone act self-aggrandizing but not actually be self-aggrandizing? What motive does a non-egotistical person have for acting egotistical? Why does someone without narcissistic tendencies spend all their time talking about how great they are? > > And what possible support do you have for that opinion? Do you have the secret records Washington Post has spent months looking for, records that Trump legit gives money to charity? Have you worked the soup kitchen lines beside him? Does he, incognito, visit your ailing great-aunt in her nursing home and read her books? > > Does Occam’s razor mean anything to you in this case? Warning. You should know that altering anything in quote boxes is a warnable offense. Please don’t do it again. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2016, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republican-national-convention/757729/1281 "2016-07-22T12:26:11Z")
Best summary yet: A Slovenian immigrant plagiarisms the speech of a black woman, being ravenously cheered by a stadium full of white people who rabidly believe immigrants, and people of colour, are destroying their nation! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republican-national-convention/757729.md?page=63) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republican-national-convention/757729.md?page=65)