# The Republicans will say anything to hold onto power **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [October 23, 2018, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republicans-will-say-anything-to-hold-onto-power/823382 "2018-10-23T13:16:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Scylla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@Scylla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scylla)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2018, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republicans-will-say-anything-to-hold-onto-power/823382/41 "2018-10-24T13:16:54Z")
Republican ads have been pretty bad. This one from the Dems is pretty good: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/gjzeNBSZFUo/maxresdefault.jpg "New Democrat Campaign "Ad"") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjzeNBSZFUo) ---
**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:** [October 24, 2018, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republicans-will-say-anything-to-hold-onto-power/823382/42 "2018-10-24T13:32:39Z")
> [@Scylla](#): > > Republican ads have been pretty bad. > > This one from the Dems is pretty good: > > [https://youtu.be/gjzeNBSZFUo](https://youtu.be/gjzeNBSZFUo) As Lincoln said, for those that like that sort of thing, that’s the sort of thing they like. The phony ad was nothing but a string of strawmen. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2018, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republicans-will-say-anything-to-hold-onto-power/823382/43 "2018-10-24T13:45:02Z")
> [@Scylla](#): > > Republican ads have been pretty bad. > > This one from the Dems is pretty good: > > [https://youtu.be/gjzeNBSZFUo](https://youtu.be/gjzeNBSZFUo) That you thought that that ad was produced by the democrats actually explains quite a bit about your posts in this thread. You should be aware that that was not actually produced by the democrats. I can see how someone who hates everything about their political opponent and demonizes them would believe that those are actually democratic beliefs. No, that ad was produced by someone on the right who wants to drive a divide and increase the hostility between the parties. They thank you kindly for your help. ---
**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:** [October 24, 2018, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republicans-will-say-anything-to-hold-onto-power/823382/44 "2018-10-24T13:49:09Z")
> [@Scylla](#): > > Republican ads have been pretty bad. > > This one from the Dems is pretty good: > > [https://youtu.be/gjzeNBSZFUo](https://youtu.be/gjzeNBSZFUo) :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Scylla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@Scylla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scylla)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2018, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republicans-will-say-anything-to-hold-onto-power/823382/45 "2018-10-24T13:54:49Z")
> [@k9bfriender](#): > > That you thought that that ad was produced by the democrats actually explains quite a bit about your posts in this thread. > > You should be aware that that was not actually produced by the democrats. I can see how someone who hates everything about their political opponent and demonizes them would believe that those are actually democratic beliefs. > > No, that ad was produced by someone on the right who wants to drive a divide and increase the hostility between the parties. They thank you kindly for your help. Thank you for clearing that up for me. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2018, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republicans-will-say-anything-to-hold-onto-power/823382/46 "2018-10-24T14:13:08Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > ‘People will just believe you. You just tell them and they believe you.’ – Donald Trump to Billy Bush. > [@Scylla](#): > > Republican ads have been pretty bad. > > This one from the Dems is pretty good: > > [https://youtu.be/gjzeNBSZFUo](https://youtu.be/gjzeNBSZFUo) I don’t want to pile on **Scylla** , as (if he really thought the ad was from the Democrats) he seems to have understood that he’d been duped… > [@Scylla](#): > > Thank you for clearing that up for me. … but I found the sequential posts amusing. ---
**Author:** ![Scylla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@Scylla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scylla)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2018, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republicans-will-say-anything-to-hold-onto-power/823382/47 "2018-10-24T14:27:32Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > I don’t want to pile on **Scylla** , as (if he really thought the ad was from the Democrats) he seems to have understood that he’d been duped… I am still in shock from the eery verisimilitude. Oh well, you guys may say bad things about Trump, but at least he has the good humor to go on SNL every week and poke fun at himself. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2018, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republicans-will-say-anything-to-hold-onto-power/823382/48 "2018-10-24T14:45:48Z")
Uh, Scylla ain’t the one being duped; he’s yankin yer chain. ---
**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:** [October 24, 2018, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republicans-will-say-anything-to-hold-onto-power/823382/49 "2018-10-24T14:45:51Z")
**Scylla** , you remind me of [this](https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2018/10/david-gelernter-donald-trump-why-liberals-hate-trump-op-ed.html)dude. ---
**Author:** ![Scylla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@Scylla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scylla)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2018, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republicans-will-say-anything-to-hold-onto-power/823382/50 "2018-10-24T14:51:51Z")
> [@Richard\_Parker](#): > > **Scylla** , you remind me of [this](https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2018/10/david-gelernter-donald-trump-why-liberals-hate-trump-op-ed.html)dude. That’s ridiculous and offensive. I would never teach at Yale. ---
**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:** [October 24, 2018, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republicans-will-say-anything-to-hold-onto-power/823382/51 "2018-10-24T14:54:10Z")
> [@Scylla](#): > > That’s ridiculous and offensive. I would never teach at Yale. Indeed, colleges and universities are now on the bottom of the list of trusted institutions for Republicans, along with the media and the FBI. Top of the list are local police and military along with the commander-in-chief himself. What could go wrong? ---
**Author:** ![Scylla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@Scylla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scylla)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2018, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republicans-will-say-anything-to-hold-onto-power/823382/52 "2018-10-24T14:56:56Z")
> [@Richard\_Parker](#): > > Indeed, colleges and universities are now on the bottom of the list of trusted institutions for Republicans, along with the media and the FBI. Top of the list are local police and military along with the commander-in-chief himself. What could go wrong? I think the critique of Colleges is very well founded. ---
**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:** [October 24, 2018, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republicans-will-say-anything-to-hold-onto-power/823382/53 "2018-10-24T14:59:15Z")
> [@Scylla](#): > > I think the critique of Colleges is very well founded. I am shocked. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2018, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republicans-will-say-anything-to-hold-onto-power/823382/54 "2018-10-24T15:25:19Z")
> [@asahi](#): > > Uh, Scylla ain’t the one being duped; he’s yankin yer chain. I give him the benefit of the doubt, as this is the elections forum, and posting something like that in bad faith would not be appropriate for it, so I treat it as though he did in fact, believe that it was a democratic ad when he posted it. He is welcome to demonstrate that he was not duped by his willingness to believe false things about his opponents because they agreed with his preconceptions and instead knowingly posted a video with a misleading description with the intent of causing a negative reaction with other posters. It is a good thing that he shared that video, so that we could fight his ignorance. Otherwise, h may have continued to think that it was real, and even shared it with his friends and other social media acquaintances. Now that he knows that it was not a real ad, he not only knows not to share such false information in the future, he also is better equipped to fight his own ignorance, and better spot these divisive attacks, disguised as an opponent’s campaign ad. ---
**Author:** ![Scylla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@Scylla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scylla)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2018, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republicans-will-say-anything-to-hold-onto-power/823382/55 "2018-10-24T15:41:46Z")
> [@k9bfriender](#): > > I give him the benefit of the doubt, as this is the elections forum, and posting something like that in bad faith would not be appropriate for it, so I treat it as though he did in fact, believe that it was a democratic ad when he posted it. Yes. It was very subtle satire. > [@](#): > > He is welcome to demonstrate that he was not duped by his willingness to believe false things about his opponents because they agreed with his preconceptions and instead knowingly posted a video with a misleading description with the intent of causing a negative reaction with other posters. David Foster Wallace could not have said it better. > [@](#): > > It is a good thing that he shared that video, so that we could fight his ignorance. Otherwise, h may have continued to think that it was real, and even shared it with his friends and other social media acquaintances. Now that he knows that it was not a real ad, he not only knows not to share such false information in the future, he also is better equipped to fight his own ignorance, and better spot these divisive attacks, disguised as an opponent’s campaign ad. It’s funny you mention that. A similar thing happened when I took my daughter to Sesame Place. A five year old informed me that it wasn’t a real Cookie Monster, but just a guy in a costume. I thanked him with the same solemnity that I thank you. Keep up the good work! ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2018, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republicans-will-say-anything-to-hold-onto-power/823382/56 "2018-10-24T16:40:56Z")
> [@Scylla](#): > > Yes. It was very subtle satire. Keep working on it, you’ll be able to identify them more quickly. It really wasn’t that subtle. If you already believe bad things about your political opponents, then it may make it harder to identify their actual message, vs your own side’s spin on that message. Try not starting from the standpoint of wanting to dehumanize and harm the other citizens of your country who happen to be of a different political party, and instead, treat them as simply people, just like yourself, who have similar goals and interests. You will do much better at sorting fact from fiction. > [@](#): > > David Foster Wallace could not have said it better. Well, to be fair, he’s dead. > [@](#): > > It’s funny you mention that. A similar thing happened when I took my daughter to Sesame Place. A five year old informed me that it wasn’t a real Cookie Monster, but just a guy in a costume. > > I thanked him with the same solemnity that I thank you. Yeah, I get that. When I was 4, I thought that the smurfs on TV were just people in costumes like at King’s Island. Then I turned 5, and I knew better. > [@](#): > > Keep up the good work! It seems as though you have a very long road ahead of you in telling fact from fiction. I am glad that you have embarked on this journey, but I don’t really have the time, resources, or honestly, patience, to guide another adult to what he should have learned as a toddler. ---
**Author:** ![Scylla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@Scylla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scylla)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2018, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republicans-will-say-anything-to-hold-onto-power/823382/57 "2018-10-24T16:43:49Z")
I understand. Your gifts are needed elsewhere. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2018, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republicans-will-say-anything-to-hold-onto-power/823382/58 "2018-10-24T21:02:37Z")
The Washington Examiner has been willing to publish something denouncing the lies: > **[Republicans: Cool it with the conspiracy theories or let the migrant crisis...](https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/republicans-cool-it-with-the-conspiracy-theories-or-let-the-migrant-crisis-go-to-waste)** > > It doesn’t matter who is funding the migrant caravan trekking north toward the U.S.-Mexico border at the moment, because President Trump is the one who benefits. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2018, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republicans-will-say-anything-to-hold-onto-power/823382/59 "2018-10-24T21:07:29Z")
> [@Scylla](#): > > I think the critique of Colleges is very well founded. On what basis? Because of incidents at a half-dozen of America’s several thousand colleges and universities over the past two years that Fox News, Republican politicians, and other right-wing media have made such a big deal of that you’d think stuff like that was happening at every college in America? ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2018, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republicans-will-say-anything-to-hold-onto-power/823382/60 "2018-10-24T21:26:40Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > The Washington Examiner has been willing to publish something denouncing the lies: > > [https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/republicans-cool-it-with-the-conspiracy-theories-or-let-the-migrant-crisis-go-to-waste](https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/republicans-cool-it-with-the-conspiracy-theories-or-let-the-migrant-crisis-go-to-waste) “Stop making shit up because it might backfire politically” is _almost_ a moral stance. Guess it’ll have to do until “because lying is fucking wrong” occurs to one of them. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republicans-will-say-anything-to-hold-onto-power/823382.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republicans-will-say-anything-to-hold-onto-power/823382.md?page=4)