# Trump's Republican primary campaign **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [September 3, 2015, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-republican-primary-campaign/729828 "2015-09-03T18:00:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 124
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2016, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-republican-primary-campaign/729828/2465 "2016-03-14T21:24:07Z")
> [@Hank\_Beecher](#): > > BREAKING: Christian Pastor Loves Jesus and Thinks You Should Too, Tune in at 11:00 to find out how to protect yourself. Uh, you do know Sanders is Jewish, right? [Todd Palin was injured in a snow machine accident. Sarah Trump says this shows her how important it is that Trump be elected President.](http://www.addictinginfo.org/2016/03/14/sarah-palin-my-husband-nearly-dying-made-me-realize-how-important-it-was-to-elect-trump-video/) ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2016, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-republican-primary-campaign/729828/2466 "2016-03-14T21:26:49Z")
> [@Hank\_Beecher](#): > > Anyway…I don’t suppose you have heard Bernie ranting to his supporters about how the Koch brothers are too influential and promising to take care of them when he is president… > > And of course his supporters are already organizing to try to shut down the political speech of their opponents… Money != speech and campaign-finance reform != “shutting own the political speech of their opponents.” But you knew that. ---
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2016, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-republican-primary-campaign/729828/2467 "2016-03-14T21:34:28Z")
Would the Democratic party be better off with a straight up Trump nomination, or an open convention at this point? ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2016, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-republican-primary-campaign/729828/2468 "2016-03-14T21:54:28Z")
> [@Fiveyearlurker](#): > > Would the Democratic party be better off with a straight up Trump nomination, or an open convention at this point? Doubt it will make any difference in November. ---
**Author:** ![Hank\_Beecher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hank_beecher/32/7275_2.png) [@Hank\_Beecher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hank_Beecher)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2016, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-republican-primary-campaign/729828/2469 "2016-03-14T21:57:00Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Money != speech and campaign-finance reform != “shutting own the political speech of their opponents.” But you knew that. First of all Citizen’s United did nothing to enable the Kochs’ to spend _their own money_, so Bernie is being deliberately vague on this issue, just like Trump constantly does on other issues. And secondly, “shutting own the political speech of their opponents.” is exactly what it is. Explicitly. Shutting up the people who are deemed too influential by self appointed progressive arbiters. ---
**Author:** ![Hank\_Beecher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hank_beecher/32/7275_2.png) [@Hank\_Beecher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hank_Beecher)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2016, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-republican-primary-campaign/729828/2470 "2016-03-14T22:01:07Z")
I suppose, once Trump is elected, no one will object should he try to enact and enforce a prohibition against spending any money in order to facilitate criticizing him. All of those who have made the inane “money doesn’t equal speech” arguments will have no credibility when doing so, were such a thing to happen. ---
**Author:** ![Grsz11](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Grsz11](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grsz11)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2016, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-republican-primary-campaign/729828/2471 "2016-03-14T22:18:00Z")
Trump claiming the guy who rushed the stage is ISIS. Of course he has no proof but he has seriously claimed all the proof he needs is that it’s on the internet. I want to see Hanks defense. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2016, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-republican-primary-campaign/729828/2472 "2016-03-14T22:27:25Z")
> [@Hank\_Beecher](#): > > And secondly, “shutting own the political speech of their opponents.” is exactly what it is. Explicitly. Shutting up the people who are deemed too influential by self appointed progressive arbiters. No, it isn’t. If we cut the pipeline between checkbooks and elections, the Kochs are not “shut up,” they remain free to write letters to the editor and show up at political events and post to messageboards just like poor people can. ---
**Author:** ![soonerblue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/soonerblue/32/3302_2.png) [@soonerblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/soonerblue)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2016, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-republican-primary-campaign/729828/2473 "2016-03-15T00:43:45Z")
> [@Grsz11](#): > > People were protesting in public streets. Trump wet his shorts in fear. Joe Scarborough has an interesting column on that Chicago rally. "Friday’s freak show was as prepackaged as a rerun of “The Celebrity Apprentice.” The only difference was that Donald Trump delivered his lines on the phone from a hotel room in the Windy City instead of on the set of his made-for-TV boardroom. It was all a scam" [https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan/wp/2016/03/13/donald-trumps-chicago-scam/](https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan/wp/2016/03/13/donald-trumps-chicago-scam/) ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2016, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-republican-primary-campaign/729828/2474 "2016-03-15T00:57:08Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > No, it isn’t. If we cut the pipeline between checkbooks and elections, the Kochs are not “shut up,” they remain free to write letters to the editor and show up at political events and post to messageboards just like poor people can. Letters to the editor. So if having a better megaphone is wrong, why do we allow editors to decide who gets on the letters page? Heck, the editor gets a HUGE megaphone with the editorial. We should ban editorials. ---
**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:** [March 15, 2016, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-republican-primary-campaign/729828/2475 "2016-03-15T01:50:34Z")
Apologies if this has been mentioned. I didn’t see it. [Benjamin Ginsberg, at Politico](http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/03/republican-contention-chaos-213725), and [Harry Enten at 538](http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/florida-ohio-republican-primary-preview/), say that Trump pretty much has to win Ohio to avoid a contested convention. [And Sam Wang says Kasich winning Ohio maybe helps Trump.](http://election.princeton.edu/2016/03/14/a-kasich-win-in-ohio-helps-trump-indirectly/) So confusing! ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2016, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-republican-primary-campaign/729828/2476 "2016-03-15T02:22:04Z")
Chris Christie is such a lapdog. Trump was criticizing Kasich in Ohio for having spent so much time campaigning in New Hampshire, and he said, “Kasich spent more time in New Hampshire than Chris Christie did.” Then he turned to Christie and said, “Sorry, I had to do that.” ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2016, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-republican-primary-campaign/729828/2477 "2016-03-15T02:36:59Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Letters to the editor. So if having a better megaphone is wrong, why do we allow editors to decide who gets on the letters page? Heck, the editor gets a HUGE megaphone with the editorial. We should ban editorials. A trivial reform in the Information Age; as you know, newspapers are dying and editorial gatekeepers, for better or for worse, are a thing of the past in Cyberspace. And that makes things even fairer for the Kochs, doesn’t it? And also fairer for the rest of us, the entry-costs being so low – doesn’t it? 🙂 Unfortunately, money still **does** matter, as it costs so much to buy TV ads, and money still does inflate the political influence of the rich far out of any fair proportion to their numbers, in elections. ☹ And we don’t have to put up with that. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2016, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-republican-primary-campaign/729828/2478 "2016-03-15T02:57:40Z")
[A group calling itself The Lion’s Guard is forming a militia to “protect” Trump supporters.](http://www.rawstory.com/2016/03/trump-militia-forms-to-forcefully-protect-rally-goers-against-far-left-agitators/) Will they wear brown shirts? ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2016, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-republican-primary-campaign/729828/2479 "2016-03-15T03:14:08Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > Apologies if this has been mentioned. I didn’t see it. > > [Benjamin Ginsberg, at Politico](http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/03/republican-contention-chaos-213725), and [Harry Enten at 538](http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/florida-ohio-republican-primary-preview/), say that Trump pretty much has to win Ohio to avoid a contested convention. > > [And Sam Wang says Kasich winning Ohio maybe helps Trump.](http://election.princeton.edu/2016/03/14/a-kasich-win-in-ohio-helps-trump-indirectly/) > > So confusing! Sam Wang is just wrong, since there is no plausible outcome in Ohio other than Kasich winning or Trump winning. Cruz and Rubio never had a chance there. ---
**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:** [March 15, 2016, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-republican-primary-campaign/729828/2480 "2016-03-15T03:39:26Z")
As I noted on the pit it seems that several outlets of the right wing media are falling apart when their reasonable members (that still exist) have to deal with Trump. Editor-at-large Ben Shapiro, national security reporter Jordan Schachtel and Jarrett Stepman, an editor resign from because they are upset that Breitbart News is not supporting Michelle Fields after she alleged that Donald Trump’s campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, grabbed her arm and pulled her away bruising her as she tried to ask the Republican presidential candidate a question last week. [http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewir...ump-propaganda](http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewir...ump-propaganda) This is notorious for 2 reasons, it shows how Trump is even dividing the right wing press and also shows how the right wing media is going to run over the reporters and news people that still do manage to think independently. Still, one has to mention this: > [@](#): > > “The company no longer resembles the ideals that inspired me to start writing for them three years ago. Some of us have been fighting behind the scenes against the party-line Trump propaganda for some time, but without any success, unfortunately,” Jordan Schachtel, a national security correspondent, wrote in a statement to Politico. > > “Breitbart News is no longer a journalistic enterprise, but instead, in my opinion, something an unaffiliated media Super PAC for the trump campaign. I signed my contract to work as a journalist, not as a member of the Donald J. Trump for President media network,” :smack: You guys just figure it out until now? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2016, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-republican-primary-campaign/729828/2481 "2016-03-15T03:45:11Z")
> [@Hank\_Beecher](#): > > It doesn’t suprise me one bit that Trump would rather have libel laws that looked like Britain’s so he could sue people that lied about him. This is yet another thing I disagree with him on. Personally I have no issue with being able to sue if someone willfully lies. I see no benefit to society with lies being protected speech, even when the lies are directed at someone like Trump. And note that you can sue for libel on the basis of false, defamatory statements in the US; it’s just that the procedure / definition for this varies from state to state. And in most cases it skews more defendant-friendly than most other countries – the plaintiff must show what the truth is, the defendant doesn’t need to show they didn’t just pick an assertion out of thin air. Anyway, the problems that UK libel law has are not inherent to the concept of libel. Pretty much the whole of the developed world has broadly similar libel laws, and manage to avoid libel tourism, shutting down legitimate discussion etc. ---
**Author:** ![Hank\_Beecher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hank_beecher/32/7275_2.png) [@Hank\_Beecher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hank_Beecher)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2016, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-republican-primary-campaign/729828/2482 "2016-03-15T04:50:14Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > No, it isn’t. If we cut the pipeline between checkbooks and elections, the Kochs are not “shut up,” they remain free to write letters to the editor and show up at political events and post to messageboards just like poor people can. And I suppose they might even be allowed to own and operate a printing press, as long as it didn’t produce more controversial books or newspapers than you think are prudent. What a grand bargain you have devised. We should all be grateful! ---
**Author:** ![Hank\_Beecher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hank_beecher/32/7275_2.png) [@Hank\_Beecher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hank_Beecher)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2016, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-republican-primary-campaign/729828/2483 "2016-03-15T04:51:38Z")
> [@Mijin](#): > > Personally I have no issue with being able to sue if someone willfully lies. I see no benefit to society with lies being protected speech, even when the lies are directed at someone like Trump. > > And note that you can sue for libel on the basis of false, defamatory statements in the US; it’s just that the procedure / definition for this varies from state to state. And in most cases it skews more defendant-friendly than most other countries – the plaintiff must show what the truth is, the defendant doesn’t need to show they didn’t just pick an assertion out of thin air. > > Anyway, the problems that UK libel law has are not inherent to the concept of libel. Pretty much the whole of the developed world has broadly similar libel laws, and manage to avoid libel tourism, shutting down legitimate discussion etc. I agree with you generally, but some of the libel cases than have gone down in the UK are way over the line. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2016, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-republican-primary-campaign/729828/2484 "2016-03-15T04:55:56Z")
> [@Hank\_Beecher](#): > > It doesn’t suprise me one bit that Trump would rather have libel laws that looked like Britain’s so he could sue people that lied about him. No, it’s not for that reason, and you know it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-republican-primary-campaign/729828.md?page=123) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-republican-primary-campaign/729828.md?page=125)