# 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:** 208
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2016, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-republican-primary-campaign/729828/4146 "2016-05-04T05:32:15Z")
> [@Starving\_Artist](#): > > [Hoosier Daddy?](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/ChkcNWeXEAEsvge.jpg) > > No matter which side of the aisle you’re on, that is funny! It’s funny like Jabba the Hutt biting off the head of a Klatooine paddy frog. Which is what that picture of Donald reminds me of. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2016, 9:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-republican-primary-campaign/729828/4147 "2016-05-04T09:56:50Z")
> [@truthSeeker2](#): > > I didn’t mean he’s going to convert many hardcore Clinton/Obama supporters. There are hardcore supporters on both sides and there are many neutral american voters as well. You overestimate Clinton’s appeal. Yes, there are hardcore Clinton supporters but a goodly chunk of her voters - possibly even a majority - will be the “oh god not Trump” crowd (myself included). Frankly it’s Trump’s supporters who don’t really understand who he is or what he will do. I’m not even sure Trump knows what he’ll do if he wins; his purpose in running for President is to be President. Period. Policy is for losers. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2016, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-republican-primary-campaign/729828/4148 "2016-05-04T13:45:50Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > You overestimate Clinton’s appeal. Yes, there are hardcore Clinton supporters but a goodly chunk of her voters - possibly even a majority - will be the “oh god not Trump” crowd (myself included). > > Frankly it’s Trump’s supporters who don’t really understand who he is or what he will do. I’m not even sure Trump knows what he’ll do if he wins; his purpose in running for President is to be President. Period. Policy is for losers. Consistency in political views? Sad. ---
**Author:** ![truthSeeker2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7cd45c/32.png) [@truthSeeker2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/truthSeeker2)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2016, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-republican-primary-campaign/729828/4149 "2016-05-04T14:45:42Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > You overestimate Clinton’s appeal. Yes, there are hardcore Clinton supporters but a goodly chunk of her voters - possibly even a majority - will be the “oh god not Trump” crowd (myself included). > > Frankly it’s Trump’s supporters who don’t really understand who he is or what he will do. I’m not even sure Trump knows what he’ll do if he wins; his purpose in running for President is to be President. Period. Policy is for losers. Hillary is a likeable person IMO but she is a continuation of Obama. So when Hillary becomes president, public debt will be rising at 10times faster pace than the GDP. Root cause IMO is that dollar is too overvalued for the US to be competitive in trade. I give you one scenario to imagine: Right now, 80-90% of international trade happens in USD and you also have the petrodollar. Now Trump is supposedly critical of Muslims and is anti-immigration. Due to this, let’s say Arab countries get pissed off n stop trading oil for USD and USD doesn’t get used for international trade anymore. Price of USD crashes vis-a-vis Chinese yuan, INR etc. The US manufacturing becomes competitive. US made Tesla 3 becomes affordable in most parts of the world. Good for trade balance, good for environment, good for US blue collar jobs etc. Just a random scenario. Hillary isn’t def. not the solution… Trump is a hope for disruptive change… ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2016, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-republican-primary-campaign/729828/4150 "2016-05-04T15:36:01Z")
> [@truthSeeker2](#): > > Hillary is a likeable person IMO but she is a continuation of Obama. So when Hillary becomes president, public debt will be rising at 10times faster pace than the GDP. By that argument, as a continuation of Obama unemployment will continue to fall and by the end of her first term everyone in America will have three jobs! Extrapolation is fun. > [@](#): > > I give you one scenario to imagine: Right now, 80-90% of international trade happens in USD and you also have the petrodollar. Now Trump is supposedly critical of Muslims and is anti-immigration. Due to this, let’s say Arab countries get pissed off n stop trading oil for USD and USD doesn’t get used for international trade anymore. Price of USD crashes vis-a-vis Chinese yuan, INR etc. The US manufacturing becomes competitive. US made Tesla 3 becomes affordable in most parts of the world. Good for trade balance, good for environment, good for US blue collar jobs etc. Just a random scenario. That is definitely a random scenario. Of course, an increase in US manufacturing is unlikely to translate to many blue collar jobs thanks to automation, the US oil industry is still booming and isn’t going to let electric cars outstrip the gas-burning kind, and the whole scenario would greatly depress the US economy to the point of driving it into another massive depression. But apart from that, it’s a winner! > [@](#): > > Hillary isn’t def. not the solution… Trump is a hope for disruptive change… I must admit the “we need to burn it all down in order to rebuild” approach certainly makes a change from the old “try not to fuck up the country” technique most presidents have aimed for. ---
**Author:** ![truthSeeker2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7cd45c/32.png) [@truthSeeker2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/truthSeeker2)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2016, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-republican-primary-campaign/729828/4151 "2016-05-04T16:31:09Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > By that argument, as a continuation of Obama unemployment will continue to fall and by the end of her first term everyone in America will have three jobs! Extrapolation is fun. > > That is definitely a random scenario. Of course, an increase in US manufacturing is unlikely to translate to many blue collar jobs thanks to automation, the US oil industry is still booming and isn’t going to let electric cars outstrip the gas-burning kind, and the whole scenario would greatly depress the US economy to the point of driving it into another massive depression. But apart from that, it’s a winner! > I must admit the “we need to burn it all down in order to rebuild” approach certainly makes a change from the old “try not to fuck up the country” technique most presidents have aimed for. So let’s say public debt rises 10 times faster than the GDP. Let’s say debt = 100% of GDP presently. Let’s say debt rises at 10% CAGR, growing 10 times faster than the GDP, which is growing at say 1% CAGR. At this rate, debt doubles in ~7 yrs and GDP remains almost the same. So debt becomes ~200% of GDP. You think this system is sustainable? The root cause IMO is the overvalued dollar which doesn’t let the US become competitive in trade. ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2016, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-republican-primary-campaign/729828/4152 "2016-05-04T17:30:13Z")
> [@truthSeeker2](#): > > Hillary is a likeable person IMO but she is a continuation of Obama. So when Hillary becomes president, public debt will be rising at 10times faster pace than the GDP. Oh my. Where does all this ignorance come from? Let me walk you through this with questions: (a) Do tax cuts increase or decrease the deficit? (b) Which party is responsible for recent tax cuts? (c) Did you know that $100’s of millions of the much-derided “Obama stimulus” (actually proposed by Bush) took the form of tax cuts? (d) How much did the Bush Adventure in Iraq cost? ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2016, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-republican-primary-campaign/729828/4153 "2016-05-04T17:31:48Z")
> [@truthSeeker2](#): > > Hillary is a likeable person IMO but she is a continuation of Obama. So when Hillary becomes president, public debt will be rising at 10times faster pace than the GDP. Obama has reduced the deficit by $1T ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2016, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-republican-primary-campaign/729828/4154 "2016-05-04T17:31:54Z")
All of this would be fascinating if Trump was going to reduce the deficit. He’s not. His tax plan will reduce revenues by trillions and he’s ruled out spending cuts. And on top of all that, he’ll probably raise taxes on the rich, which is kinda pointless when you’re cutting taxes on the semi-rich and middle class by trillions. ---
**Author:** ![truthSeeker2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7cd45c/32.png) [@truthSeeker2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/truthSeeker2)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2016, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-republican-primary-campaign/729828/4155 "2016-05-04T18:29:02Z")
Deficit alone doesnt tell the full story. Everyone should read the following 1. > [@](#): > > what’s the difference between the debt and the deficit? > The deficit is the difference between what the U.S. Government takes in from taxes and other revenues, called receipts, and the amount of money it spends, called outlays. The items included in the deficit are considered either on-budget or off-budget. > > You can think of the total debt as accumulated deficits plus accumulated off-budget surpluses. The on-budget deficits require the U.S. Treasury to borrow money to raise cash needed to keep the government operating. It borrows the money by selling securities to the public. > > The Treasury securities issued to the public and to the Government Trust Funds then become part of the total debt. 1. > [@](#): > > off-budget > Spending or revenues excluded from the budget totals by law. Social Security and the Postal Service are “off-budget.” > > “Off-budget” spending is excluded from budget caps, sequestration, and “pay-as-you-go” requirements Your public debt is growing at a rate 10 times faster than the GDP growth. ---
**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:** [May 4, 2016, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-republican-primary-campaign/729828/4156 "2016-05-04T18:44:20Z")
> [@truthSeeker2](#): > > Your public debt is growing at a rate 10 times faster than the GDP growth. Then why do conservatives want to cut taxes, which will reduce revenue, grow the deficit and the debt? ---
**Author:** ![truthSeeker2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7cd45c/32.png) [@truthSeeker2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/truthSeeker2)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2016, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-republican-primary-campaign/729828/4157 "2016-05-05T01:26:45Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > Then why do conservatives want to cut taxes, which will reduce revenue, grow the deficit and the debt? Maybe they will increase the indirect taxes (service tax, import duty etc) and reduce direct tax. This could give push to local manufacturing. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2016, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-republican-primary-campaign/729828/4158 "2016-05-05T01:31:31Z")
> [@truthSeeker2](#): > > Maybe they will increase the indirect taxes (service tax, import duty etc) and reduce direct tax. Do they? I mean, “let’s say” and “maybe” don’t indicate a lot of assurance on your part of what is actually going to happen. Do you have any feeling that Republicans support your views, and if so, what makes you feel so? ---
**Author:** ![truthSeeker2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7cd45c/32.png) [@truthSeeker2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/truthSeeker2)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2016, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-republican-primary-campaign/729828/4159 "2016-05-05T01:40:10Z")
> [@Frank](#): > > Do they? I mean, “let’s say” and “maybe” don’t indicate a lot of assurance on your part of what is actually going to happen. Do you have any feeling that Republicans support your views, and if so, what makes you feel so? About Import duties and incentivising local manufacturing, Trump has consistently talked. He won’t talk about increasing other types of indirect taxes like service tax because he wants votes. ---
**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:** [May 5, 2016, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-republican-primary-campaign/729828/4160 "2016-05-05T06:26:41Z")
> [@truthSeeker2](#): > > Perceptions will change regarding Trump as well if he becomes president. Opinions have already changed. People have gone from thinking he’s a harmless buffoon to thinking he’s an extremely dangerous buffoon. ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2016, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-republican-primary-campaign/729828/4161 "2016-05-25T17:37:27Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > I can characterize a poster’s statements any way I wish, with the exception of saying, “That’s a lie!” Somehow and at some point we decided that calling a statement disingenuous meant something other than calling a statement dishonest when used to accuse the other person of being deceptive in some way. Its like a magic word some people use on this board to accuse others of lying without violating the rule against accusing people of lying. "dis·in·gen·u·ous. 1.not candid or sincere, typically by pretending that one knows less about something than one really does. synonyms: insincere · dishonest · untruthful · false · deceitful · [more]" ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2016, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-republican-primary-campaign/729828/4162 "2016-05-25T17:53:27Z")
> [@truthSeeker2](#): > > About Import duties and incentivising local manufacturing, Trump has consistently talked. He won’t talk about increasing other types of indirect taxes like service tax because he wants votes. What has he said about incentivising local manufacturing as opposed to penalizing foreign manufacturing? ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2016, 8:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-republican-primary-campaign/729828/4163 "2016-05-26T08:43:51Z")
[Trump admits to using aliases two weeks after denying it.](http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/may/26/donald-trump-publicist-alias-jimmy-kimmel-live) So it wasn’t him except when it was, which he denies although he only did it as a joke. Honesty! ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2016, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-republican-primary-campaign/729828/4164 "2016-05-26T14:38:00Z")
According to top Trump aide Paul Manafort, picking a woman or minority for VP is [pandering](http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/donald-trump-vp-pandering). ---
**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:** [May 26, 2016, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-republican-primary-campaign/729828/4165 "2016-05-26T14:56:56Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > According to top Trump aide Paul Manafort, picking a woman or minority for VP is [pandering](http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/donald-trump-vp-pandering). And he needs a VP to do the parts of the job he thinks are boring. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-republican-primary-campaign/729828.md?page=207) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-republican-primary-campaign/729828.md?page=209)