# 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:** 176
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2016, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-republican-primary-campaign/729828/3505 "2016-04-12T16:06:37Z")
When Trump wanted to open a casino in Bridgeport, Connecticut that would compete with one owned by the Mashantucket Pequot Nation, a local Native American tribe, [he told the House Subcommittee on Native American Affairs](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/donald-trump-was-also-a-dirtbag-to-native-americans_us_55cb9290e4b0923c12bf0688) that “they don’t look like Indians to me… They don’t look like Indians to Indians.” ---
**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:** [April 12, 2016, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-republican-primary-campaign/729828/3506 "2016-04-12T16:29:08Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > When Trump wanted to open a casino in Bridgeport, Connecticut that would compete with one owned by the Mashantucket Pequot Nation, a local Native American tribe, [he told the House Subcommittee on Native American Affairs](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/donald-trump-was-also-a-dirtbag-to-native-americans_us_55cb9290e4b0923c12bf0688) that “they don’t look like Indians to me… They don’t look like Indians to Indians.” LOL I don’t know if you have ever spent much time around American Indians, but Trump’s statement sounds exactly like something a Choctaw would say about a red-headed, green-eyed “Cherokee”. The Mashantucket Pequot Nation of Connecticut has no minimum blood quantum requirement. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2016, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-republican-primary-campaign/729828/3507 "2016-04-12T16:32:42Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > When Trump wanted to open a casino in Bridgeport, Connecticut that would compete with one owned by the Mashantucket Pequot Nation, a local Native American tribe, [he told the House Subcommittee on Native American Affairs](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/donald-trump-was-also-a-dirtbag-to-native-americans_us_55cb9290e4b0923c12bf0688) that “they don’t look like Indians to me… They don’t look like Indians to Indians.” That’s funny. He doesn’t look Siouxish. ---
**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:** [April 12, 2016, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-republican-primary-campaign/729828/3508 "2016-04-12T16:40:39Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > :dubious: No, it’s racist, because they wouldn’t be saying that, and there would be no Birtherism, if Obama’s father had been French or German or something white, and you know it precious well. Actually, Trump is constantly hinting that Cruz might not be eligible to be POTUS due to being born in Canada. > [@](#): > > Not even you could possibly believe that. If you want your opinions to be relevant then get your head out of Rachael Maddow’s patootie and listen to what Trump is actually saying at his rallies, and what his supporters are saying. It’s not a racist message, it’s explicitly racially inclusive. ---
**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:** [April 12, 2016, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-republican-primary-campaign/729828/3509 "2016-04-12T16:51:30Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > \*Perhaps \*true for you and me. > > For a politician where their entire stock in trade is their audience’s perception of them, everything they say, or do, or don’t do, is another brush stroke in the portrait of themselves they’re painting to show to the world. > > They don’t have the luxury of posting value-neutral “Isn’t this interesting?” stuff. Politics is all about deciding. All about being for or against. There isn’t time or space for disinterested observation. Sure us in the audience can be scholars of the science, disinterested observers of the back and forth. The participants don’t have that luxury. > > Whatever they say, whatever they do, is properly treated as an endorsement, or a denunciation, of whatever it is. And in the absences of an explicit denunciation the only sensible interpretation of a retweet (or any other form of restatement of other’s words) is as an endorsement. Period. Amen. > > So you’re sort of right: It may not strictly mean “I hereby attest that this thing is accurate.” But it does mean “I agree with this.” and/or “I believe this is true or should be true.” Which are very far from value-neutral stances. The message was that black on black crime is a more serious issue than white on black crime or police on black crime. Trump does agree with the message, as do many Americans of all races. He just didn’t vet the particular statistics in that particular meme. Everyone who agrees with the message aren’t racist just because some of the people who agree with it are racist, nor because some people use bogus stats to fluff it. It’s the height of idiocy to use these little quibbles to brand Trump a racist while on the other side of the isle we have a candidate who panders to anti-GMO lunacy, which has caused the deaths of millions of African and Indian children. ---
**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:** [April 12, 2016, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-republican-primary-campaign/729828/3510 "2016-04-12T17:22:02Z")
> [@Hank\_Beecher](#): > > The message was that black on black crime is a more serious issue than white on black crime or police on black crime. The subliminal message is that white on black crime and police on black crime do not matter due to the existence of black on black crime. This is indeed a racist opinion and all who hold it are racists, including Donald Trump. ---
**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:** [April 12, 2016, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-republican-primary-campaign/729828/3511 "2016-04-12T17:32:54Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > The subliminal message is that white on black crime and police on black crime do not matter due to the existence of black on black crime. This is indeed a racist opinion and all who hold it are racists, including Donald Trump. Your simply elaborating and projecting a fantasy. Nothing Trump has said indicates that he believes that white on black crime does not matter. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2016, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-republican-primary-campaign/729828/3512 "2016-04-12T17:41:48Z")
> [@Hank\_Beecher](#): > > Actually, Trump is constantly hinting that Cruz might not be eligible to be POTUS due to being born in Canada. That’s not even nativism, it’s just Trump being Trump, i.e., an asshole. But the difference is that in Cruz’ case the only issue is one of legal interpretation – nobody is disputing facts that are matters of public record. Birthers do exactly that, and would not if Obama were white. ---
**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:** [April 12, 2016, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-republican-primary-campaign/729828/3513 "2016-04-12T17:46:02Z")
> [@Hank\_Beecher](#): > > Your simply elaborating and projecting a fantasy. > > Nothing Trump has said indicates that he believes that white on black crime does not matter. He’ll just help you with your legal bills if you happen to assault a protester. ---
**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:** [April 12, 2016, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-republican-primary-campaign/729828/3514 "2016-04-12T17:46:31Z")
> [@Hank\_Beecher](#): > > Actually, Trump is constantly hinting that Cruz might not be eligible to be POTUS due to being born in Canada. I actually laughed out loud at this. ---
**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:** [April 12, 2016, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-republican-primary-campaign/729828/3515 "2016-04-12T17:50:25Z")
> [@Hank\_Beecher](#): > > If you want your opinions to be relevant then get your head out of Rachael Maddow’s patootie and listen to what Trump is actually saying at his rallies, and what his supporters are saying. It’s not a racist message, it’s explicitly racially inclusive. I really want to comment on this, but I don’t think I can respond without it coming out as an insult. ---
**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:** [April 12, 2016, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-republican-primary-campaign/729828/3516 "2016-04-12T18:17:49Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > That’s not even nativism, it’s just Trump being Trump, i.e., an asshole. But the difference is that in Cruz’ case the only issue is one of legal interpretation – nobody is disputing facts that are matters of public record. Birthers do exactly that, and would not if Obama were white. Your hypothesis predicts that Trumpists would exhibit notable hostility, including birther movements, for other black politicians and political figures, like Ben Carson and Herman Cain, and towards Trump surrogate Omarosa. But there isn’t, because the movement Trump heads is explicitly nativist and American nationalist, which quite clearly means it is racially inclusive, by definition. You might not understand this, but [very many people do understand it.](https://youtu.be/nolbmguzvGk?t=55) Find the icon on your mental map of America’s social terrain, double-click it, and download the update. Your OS is way out of date. It sure doesn’t seem capable of comprehending the appeal to voters of an elderly man who was a young man when the Roots mini series first aired. ---
**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2016, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-republican-primary-campaign/729828/3517 "2016-04-12T18:27:53Z")
> [@Hank\_Beecher](#): > > Your hypothesis predicts that Trumpists would exhibit notable hostility, including birther movements, for other black politicians and political figures, like Ben Carson and Herman Cain, and towards Trump surrogate Omarosa. Not at all. Racists have _always_ made exceptions for the “good ones.” (n.b. I am not calling anyone a racist here, just saying that the existence of a scant handful of Black politicians, powerbrokers, and also-rans does not _in itself_ invalidate the hypothesis.) . ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2016, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-republican-primary-campaign/729828/3518 "2016-04-12T18:30:57Z")
Provided of course those selfsame racists are empowered to choose which ones of the Other are considered “good”. ---
**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:** [April 12, 2016, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-republican-primary-campaign/729828/3519 "2016-04-12T18:36:54Z")
> [@andros](#): > > Not at all. Racists have _always_ made exceptions for the “good ones.” > > (n.b. I am not calling anyone a racist here, just saying that the existence of a scant handful of Black politicians, powerbrokers, and also-rans does not _in itself_ invalidate the hypothesis.) > . Of course they have. Then they can point at the ‘good ones’ and say, “See how racist I’m not?” ---
**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:** [April 12, 2016, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-republican-primary-campaign/729828/3520 "2016-04-12T18:37:32Z")
He’s a credit to his race, you betcha. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Kumquat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4491bb/32.png) [@Gary\_Kumquat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Kumquat)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2016, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-republican-primary-campaign/729828/3521 "2016-04-12T19:05:37Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > That’s funny. He doesn’t look Siouxish. He’s banshee. ---
**Author:** ![Try2B\_Comprehensive](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/try2b_comprehensive/32/65_2.png) [@Try2B\_Comprehensive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Try2B_Comprehensive)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2016, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-republican-primary-campaign/729828/3522 "2016-04-12T19:13:22Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > Bill O’Reilly may be the only person [more racist than Donald Trump](http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2016/04/11/bill_o_reilly_is_really_racist.html): Strange to identify tatoos on foreheads as a black thing, [it isn’t](https://www.google.com/search?q=black+guy+tattoo+on+forehead&biw=1536&bih=759&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiQxdTO4onMAhWMRSYKHWPIB7oQsAQIGw#imgrc=lJBjWRHtUVu2fM%3A). I think [this](http://www.kittyhell.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/hello-kitty-tattoo-forehead.jpg) is my favorite. But what a bizarre line of attack, suggesting that people who go out of their way to be freaks are somehow representative of a group. Anyway, I don’t know if Trump himself is racist, but his talk of cracking down on this or that minority group certainly does get actual racists excited. Trump \*\*appeals \*\*to racists, and that in itself is broadly offensive. Arguing that Trump isn’t really truly in his heart a racist is beside the point. He is simply doing a better job connecting to this standard part of the GOP base better than the dog-whistlers. ---
**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:** [April 12, 2016, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-republican-primary-campaign/729828/3523 "2016-04-12T19:17:25Z")
> [@Hank\_Beecher](#): > > I don’t think you or Politifact know how Twitter work. > > A retweet means “hey look at this thing, what do you think about it?” > > It does not mean “hey, look at this thing, I hereby attest that this thing is accurate” If that were really the case in Trump’s examples, why doesn’t he SAY in those retweets, “What do you think about it?” ---
**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:** [April 12, 2016, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-republican-primary-campaign/729828/3524 "2016-04-12T19:22:09Z")
These are the kind of people Trump appeals to: [Wisconsin girls soccer team targeted by Trump wall chants walks off](http://www.cbssports.com/soccer/eye-on-soccer/25551700/wisconsin-girls-soccer-team-walks-off-after-being-targeted-by-trump-wall-chants) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-republican-primary-campaign/729828.md?page=175) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-republican-primary-campaign/729828.md?page=177)