# Trump is the best thing that ever happened to the Democratic Party **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [December 24, 2016, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-the-best-thing-that-ever-happened-to-the-democratic-party/775559 "2016-12-24T20:58:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Okrahoma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90db22/32.png) [@Okrahoma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Okrahoma)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2016, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-the-best-thing-that-ever-happened-to-the-democratic-party/775559/21 "2016-12-25T18:56:43Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > One of the good things about Trump is he has awoken liberals to how dangerously unhinged and irresponsible the base of the right has become. I don’t think a lot of us understood how dangerous these people could be before now. I predict a lot of liberal organization and pushback that will make what we did under Bush look quaint. .. because calling the Republican candidate Hitler and rioting to prevent his appearances (see Chicago) was not “pushback” enough… ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2016, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-the-best-thing-that-ever-happened-to-the-democratic-party/775559/22 "2016-12-25T19:11:34Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > I don’t know. People felt the same way about Bush, and look where we are now. Wimpy dems and crazy republicans. Bush led to massive democratic wins in 06 and 08. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2016, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-the-best-thing-that-ever-happened-to-the-democratic-party/775559/23 "2016-12-25T19:14:54Z")
> [@DigitalC](#): > > Bush led to massive democratic wins in 06 and 08. And Clinton lead to? It is funny that people on both sides of the isle seem to see modest swings one way or the other as massive swings. I’m sorry, but if you take a room of 40 people and manage to get one out of 40 to vote B rather than A. That ain’t no swing. That is almost statistical noise. One person in 40 is flakey as heck and doesn’t know what they want. ---
**Author:** ![Corry\_El](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecae2f/32.png) [@Corry\_El](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Corry_El)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2016, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-the-best-thing-that-ever-happened-to-the-democratic-party/775559/24 "2016-12-25T19:26:18Z")
> [@GIGObuster](#): > > Well, 4 years ago many Republicans thought that Obama was toast. Not sure what this means since in 2012 Obama won but would no longer be able to or have to face the voters again personally, so was never going to be toast personally in a future election. I doubt many Republicans were unaware of that. The Democrats have continued to generally lose ground (Congress, governorships, state legislatures) since then with Obama as their leader though not dramatically, and now have failed to keep the White House, albeit narrowly. However I don’t see how Democrats’ fortunes since 2012 are an unambiguous rebuke of a prediction they wouldn’t do well. That said, even if your point was clearer or more clearly correct, it would still tend to argue for the post you responded to not against it. The point is it’s hard to predict, and butt-hurt recent losers aren’t likely to be the best at predicting objectively. But in case of Trump it’s especially stark. This forum was full of statements that Trump would be thrashed in the 2016 election, not just a different outcome in a few close states to give Clinton a narrow EC win instead, and not just predicting Hillary would lose the election but get more popular votes nationally: predictions Trump would get obliterated, and asking ‘why doesn’t the GOP dump him to avoid catastrophe?’ So I personally had trouble deciding if somebody was actually serious to just make the same statement now but substitute 2020 for 2016. How about just admit we have no idea. ---
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2016, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-the-best-thing-that-ever-happened-to-the-democratic-party/775559/25 "2016-12-25T19:42:58Z")
But, Trump will be the best thing for mankind according to Reince Priebus who, no shit, equated Trump to Jesus in his Christmas message: “Over two millennia ago, a new hope was born into the world, a Savior who would offer the promise of salvation to all mankind. Just as the three wise men did on that night, this Christmas heralds a time to celebrate the good news of a new King.” ---
**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:** [December 25, 2016, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-the-best-thing-that-ever-happened-to-the-democratic-party/775559/26 "2016-12-25T20:06:16Z")
> [@Corry\_El](#): > > Not sure what this means since in 2012 Obama won but would no longer be able to or have to face the voters again personally, so was never going to be toast personally in a future election. I doubt many Republicans were unaware of that. The Democrats have continued to generally lose ground (Congress, governorships, state legislatures) since then with Obama as their leader though not dramatically, and now have failed to keep the White House, albeit narrowly. However I don’t see how Democrats’ fortunes since 2012 are an unambiguous rebuke of a prediction they wouldn’t do well. > > That said, even if your point was clearer or more clearly correct, it would still tend to argue for the post you responded to not against it. The point is it’s hard to predict, and butt-hurt recent losers aren’t likely to be the best at predicting objectively. > > But in case of Trump it’s especially stark. This forum was full of statements that Trump would be thrashed in the 2016 election, not just a different outcome in a few close states to give Clinton a narrow EC win instead, and not just predicting Hillary would lose the election but get more popular votes nationally: predictions Trump would get obliterated, and asking ‘why doesn’t the GOP dump him to avoid catastrophe?’ So I personally had trouble deciding if somebody was actually serious to just make the same statement now but substitute 2020 for 2016. > > How about just admit we have no idea. And you did miss that I already pointed at the flawed predictions, so then looking at history it is. And there is yet another item I forgot to mention regarding Hoover vs Smith, back then also the Republicans were confident that thanks to their gerrymandering they would maintain power for all time, but then their stubbornness in insisting that the people were all in favor of prohibition and for imposing tariffs on many products (it really sounds more familiar) and the depression that in part was caused by those tariffs led many to conclude that the Republicans were more worried about keeping power than helping the American people. ---
**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:** [December 25, 2016, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-the-best-thing-that-ever-happened-to-the-democratic-party/775559/27 "2016-12-25T20:13:13Z")
I forgot to add that there are issues like climate change that will continue to knock on the door of the political body and that _ **will** _ make the Republicans in power to look like total idiots. Taking into account that a plurality of Americans did vote for Clinton I do think that the space of action that the Republicans have is a narrow space to work with; but as I see the pieces of his cabinet they are willing to overreach beyond the moderation than they should be showing. ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2016, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-the-best-thing-that-ever-happened-to-the-democratic-party/775559/28 "2016-12-25T21:25:49Z")
> [@GIGObuster](#): > > I forgot to add that there are issues like climate change that will continue to knock on the door of the political body and that _ **will** _ make the Republicans in power to look like total idiots. Taking into account that a plurality of Americans did vote for Clinton I do think that the space of action that the Republicans have is a narrow space to work with; but as I see the pieces of his cabinet they are willing to overreach beyond the moderation than they should be showing. I think many of the the Republicans suspect they only have a “narrow space.” So they will Smash & Grab with great vigor. (Although Grabbing First & Smashing everything left is the preferred order.) It will be interesting to see how they coordinate: Trump & Congress? Bible Thumpers & Billionaires? Regular Conservatives & Teabaggers? Honest Distresed Workers & the small yet malevolent group of White Nationalists? Interesting–but not amusing. Much damage may occur. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2016, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-the-best-thing-that-ever-happened-to-the-democratic-party/775559/29 "2016-12-25T21:30:01Z")
> [@GIGObuster](#): > > Taking into account that a plurality of Americans did vote for Clinton I do think that the space of action that the Republicans have is a narrow space to work with Cheney/Dubya thought otherwise and got away with it. Trump isn’t even acknowledging his loss in We The People’s vote. ---
**Author:** ![MindsEye\_Watering](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mindseye_watering/32/3619_2.png) [@MindsEye\_Watering](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MindsEye_Watering)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2016, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-the-best-thing-that-ever-happened-to-the-democratic-party/775559/30 "2016-12-25T21:34:14Z")
> [@Okrahoma](#): > > I am surprised, after so many political predictions about Trump that were completely, laughably, utterly wrong, people are still making them. You mean like “Drain the Swamp”? Or “Lock Her Up”? Or “Build the Wall”? ---
**Author:** ![Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/budget_player_cadet/32/205_2.png) [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Budget_Player_Cadet)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2016, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-the-best-thing-that-ever-happened-to-the-democratic-party/775559/31 "2016-12-25T21:49:59Z")
> [@HoneyBadgerDC](#): > > I don’t hear a lot of republicans speaking up besides myself but facebook is just loaded with posts calling the Obamas gorillas and other similar sick shit. I hate to think that any decent person could tolerate this. Where were you six years ago, when everyone was pointing out how messed up the TEA Party was? No, seriously. Where were you then? Let me guess - you don’t see the problem with it, do you? Trump’s been showing us who he is for what’s going on a year and a half. He’s made it explicitly clear how terrible of a person he is, how incredibly unqualified he is, how vulgar, racist, misogynist, and pig-ignorant, since august of 2015. It’s all been on full display. He still won. In fact, he got about as many votes as Romney did. Republicans, by and large, turned out and handed him the presidency. So when you say this: > [@](#): > > It has reached a point I am ashamed to identify as a republican, I see few people speaking out but at least i hope they feel similar. Congratulations. You’re not most republicans. Most republicans seem pretty darn okay with Trump. Even after the Bush years, which should have been the fucking nail in the coffin for the republican party given what a disaster it was, it took a whopping two years before people went back to them. You have far too much faith in the average American voter. ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2016, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-the-best-thing-that-ever-happened-to-the-democratic-party/775559/32 "2016-12-25T22:17:58Z")
Trump didnt win. Clinton lost. And if the election were held today she’d probably lose in greater numbers. Everything that turned off voters for her have been doubled down on. ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2016, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-the-best-thing-that-ever-happened-to-the-democratic-party/775559/33 "2016-12-25T22:25:16Z")
> [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](#): > > Where were you six years ago, when everyone was pointing out how messed up the TEA Party was? No, seriously. Where were you then? Let me guess - you don’t see the problem with it, do you? > > Trump’s been showing us who he is for what’s going on a year and a half. He’s made it explicitly clear how terrible of a person he is, how incredibly unqualified he is, how vulgar, racist, misogynist, and pig-ignorant, since august of 2015. It’s all been on full display. > > He still won. In fact, he got about as many votes as Romney did. Republicans, by and large, turned out and handed him the presidency. > > So when you say this: > > Congratulations. You’re not most republicans. Most republicans seem pretty darn okay with Trump. Even after the Bush years, which should have been the fucking nail in the coffin for the republican party given what a disaster it was, it took a whopping two years before people went back to them. You have far too much faith in the average American voter. I did see the problem with the Tea Party, I called it wrong though. I thought the Tea Party was going to collapse the GOP. I had no idea how many people actually felt that way. I did not take it serious enough, I wrote them off as a bunch of kooks the poiticians would have to pay lip service to but little more. It didn’t take long before they proved themselves to be a major force in the party. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2016, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-the-best-thing-that-ever-happened-to-the-democratic-party/775559/34 "2016-12-25T22:37:29Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Single Jewish Women aren’t enough of a demographic to save the Democrats. Still, if you’ve got any phone numbers… ---
**Author:** ![Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/budget_player_cadet/32/205_2.png) [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Budget_Player_Cadet)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2016, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-the-best-thing-that-ever-happened-to-the-democratic-party/775559/35 "2016-12-25T22:42:37Z")
> [@HoneyBadgerDC](#): > > I did see the problem with the Tea Party, I called it wrong though. I thought the Tea Party was going to collapse the GOP. I had no idea how many people actually felt that way. I did not take it serious enough, I wrote them off as a bunch of kooks the poiticians would have to pay lip service to but little more. It didn’t take long before they proved themselves to be a major force in the party. And here we are again, 6 years later. The TEA Party has given way to Trumpism, and the list of people within the party willing to stand up or speak against it is incredibly short - and the lackeys are doing their best to intimidate them. The party leadership’s response to a candidate they themselves called “unqualified” and “racist” is a big fat “meh”. You’re a distinct minority in your party. You know, someone who is sane and has a brain. Your party leadership seems distinctly uneager in catering to your vote. Perhaps you should consider that when it comes to your party affiliation in the future. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2016, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-the-best-thing-that-ever-happened-to-the-democratic-party/775559/36 "2016-12-25T22:52:47Z")
> [@HoneyBadgerDC](#): > > Trump is exposing a sick underbelly of the republican party. Myself and other decent people I know that formerly voted republican are leaving the party in droves. I believe the democrats suffered a similar fate this last election but nothing to the degree it will hit the republicans in 4 years. I really expected this to be a zombie thread with an OP dated June or July. There was reason back then to believe it might be so. Given last month’s result, I’m just a wee tad less sanguine about it now. ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2016, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-the-best-thing-that-ever-happened-to-the-democratic-party/775559/37 "2016-12-25T22:53:12Z")
> [@Dale\_Sams](#): > > Trump didnt win. Clinton lost. > > And if the election were held today she’d probably lose in greater numbers. Everything that turned off voters for her have been doubled down on. Do you have any specific details of that “doubling down”? ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2016, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-the-best-thing-that-ever-happened-to-the-democratic-party/775559/38 "2016-12-25T23:11:58Z")
> [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](#): > > And here we are again, 6 years later. The TEA Party has given way to Trumpism,… The people they voted for when they were angry have disappointed them, so they voted for someone while they were furious and hope he will be better. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2016, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-the-best-thing-that-ever-happened-to-the-democratic-party/775559/39 "2016-12-25T23:29:05Z")
Unless the Democrats get their stuff together, & start pushing hard for the Working Class, they might not win much. Hillary retiring from public life would help. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2016, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-the-best-thing-that-ever-happened-to-the-democratic-party/775559/40 "2016-12-25T23:30:39Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > I really expected this to be a zombie thread with an OP dated June or July. > > There was reason back then to believe it might be so. Given last month’s result, I’m just a wee tad less sanguine about it now. I don’t know about anyone else, but I’m not making any more predictions about Trump for some time. Every prediction I made over the last year turned out to be wrong. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-the-best-thing-that-ever-happened-to-the-democratic-party/775559.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-the-best-thing-that-ever-happened-to-the-democratic-party/775559.md?page=3)