# Tucker Carlson's "Donald Trump Is Shocking, Vulgar and Right" is actually pretty insightful

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tucker-carlsons-donald-trump-is-shocking-vulgar-and-right-is-actually-pretty-insightful/746031>\
**Category:** Politics & Elections\
**Created:** [February 13, 2016, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tucker-carlsons-donald-trump-is-shocking-vulgar-and-right-is-actually-pretty-insightful/746031 "2016-02-13T17:32:55Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 20\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\
**Post date:** [February 13, 2016, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tucker-carlsons-donald-trump-is-shocking-vulgar-and-right-is-actually-pretty-insightful/746031/1 "2016-02-13T17:32:55Z")

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Re Tucker Carlson’s article linked below it’s actually (IMO) a pretty succinct and cogent explanation of why GOP faithful are choosing Trump in droves. It’s an interesting “inside baseball” view by a conservative of the machinery at work in them making this choice.

You may disagree with his political orientation and premises but I think he has his finger on the pulse of why the movement toward Trump occurred.

[Donald Trump Is Shocking, Vulgar and Right](http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/01/donald-trump-is-shocking-vulgar-and-right-213572)

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**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:** [February 13, 2016, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tucker-carlsons-donald-trump-is-shocking-vulgar-and-right-is-actually-pretty-insightful/746031/2 "2016-02-13T17:44:14Z")

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> [@astro](#):
>
> Re Tucker Carlson’s article linked below it’s actually (IMO) a pretty succinct and cogent explanation of why GOP faithful are choosing Trump in droves.

Cogent? Try incoherent. He has a view that only willfully ignores what Trump is doing.

> **[Nonreligious Questions](https://www.patheos.com/nonreligious-questions/)**
>
> Whether you’ve been turned off by religion in the past or have a question about one of the world’s religions, check out what Patheos has to offer.

> [@](#):
>
> Donald Trump may be the most anti-science candidate in the presidential race

> **[That racist Trump tweet about blacks killing whites isn't just false -- it's...](https://www.rawstory.com/2015/11/that-racist-trump-tweet-about-blacks-killing-whites-isnt-just-false-its-neo-nazi-propaganda/)**
>
> Donald Trump capped a week that found him flirting with fascism by sharing a blatantly false, racist graphic that apparently originated with a Hitler-admiring neo-Nazi.The Republican presidential frontrunner tweeted an image Sunday afternoon that...

> [@](#):
>
> That racist Trump tweet about blacks killing whites isn’t just false — it’s neo-Nazi propaganda

So indeed, Trump is wrong. and he is still wrong even if millions think he is right, because even more millions are not impressed by him.

Tucker is only seeing about 35% of the **republican** American voters as the real ones, it is indeed just a setup to a huge disappointment once the presidential contest starts.

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**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\
**Post date:** [February 13, 2016, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tucker-carlsons-donald-trump-is-shocking-vulgar-and-right-is-actually-pretty-insightful/746031/3 "2016-02-13T18:00:42Z")

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Either Tucker Carlson is an idiot, or if he’s right and Trump truly has his finger on the pulse of the GOP faithful, then this country is in far worse shape than I ever imagined.

Whatever Trump’s personal beliefs may be, his bloviations are the worst kind of demagoguery designed to appeal to the lowest common denominator of ignorance and bigotry. Just another random example I came across last night, to add to the litany of Trumpisms:  
“Don’t believe those phony numbers when you hear 4.9 and 5 percent unemployment. The number’s probably 28, 29, as high as 35. In fact, I even heard recently 42 percent.”

> **[PolitiFact - Donald Trump repeats Pants on Fire claim that unemployment rate...](https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2016/feb/11/donald-trump/donald-trump-repeats-pants-fire-claim-unemployment/)**
>
> During his victory speech after the New Hampshire primary, Donald Trump repeated a claim he’d made several times before.

Anyone who actually believes that would have to be insane or have the awareness of a six-year-old. But for Trump, it’s just business as usual, no more outrageous than most of what he utters.

ETA: Actually, another possibility is that Carlson isn’t actually an idiot, but is doing the commercial media thing, whipping up fake sensationalism to sell audience share.

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**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\
**Post date:** [February 13, 2016, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tucker-carlsons-donald-trump-is-shocking-vulgar-and-right-is-actually-pretty-insightful/746031/4 "2016-02-13T19:49:36Z")

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> [@wolfpup](#):
>
> Just another random example I came across last night, to add to the litany of Trumpisms:  
> “Don’t believe those phony numbers when you hear 4.9 and 5 percent unemployment. The number’s probably 28, 29, as high as 35. In fact, I even heard recently 42 percent.”  
> [PolitiFact | Donald Trump repeats Pants on Fire claim that unemployment rate could be 42 percent](http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2016/feb/11/donald-trump/donald-trump-repeats-pants-fire-claim-unemployment/)
> 
> Anyone who actually believes that would have to be insane or have the awareness of a six-year-old. But for Trump, it’s just business as usual, no more outrageous than most of what he utters.

In fairness, said six year old would have to be included in the employment numbers in order for Trump’s statement to approach an honest one.

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**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\
**Post date:** [February 13, 2016, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tucker-carlsons-donald-trump-is-shocking-vulgar-and-right-is-actually-pretty-insightful/746031/5 "2016-02-13T20:24:16Z")

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> [@GIGObuster](#):
>
> Cogent? Try incoherent. He has a view that only willfully ignores what Trump is doing.

The pattern is established early in the piece:

[QUOTE=Tucker Carlson]  
Apart from his line about Mexican rapists early in the campaign, Trump hasn’t said anything especially shocking about immigration.  
[/QUOTE]

Yeah, and apart from the incident with the interloper in the balcony box, Mrs. Lincoln found _Our American Cousin_ to be an enjoyable play.

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**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:** [February 13, 2016, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tucker-carlsons-donald-trump-is-shocking-vulgar-and-right-is-actually-pretty-insightful/746031/6 "2016-02-13T20:30:17Z")

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> [@Fiveyearlurker](#):
>
> In fairness, said six year old would have to be included in the employment numbers in order for Trump’s statement to approach an honest one.

But in the GOP world, that six year old would be working and contributing to the family income.

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**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:** [February 13, 2016, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tucker-carlsons-donald-trump-is-shocking-vulgar-and-right-is-actually-pretty-insightful/746031/7 "2016-02-13T20:35:54Z")

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> [@Donald Trump](#):
>
> Don’t believe those phony numbers when you hear 4.9 and 5 percent unemployment. The number’s probably 28, 29, as high as 35. In fact, I even heard recently 42 percent.

Heard from who?

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**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\
**Post date:** [February 13, 2016, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tucker-carlsons-donald-trump-is-shocking-vulgar-and-right-is-actually-pretty-insightful/746031/8 "2016-02-13T20:42:50Z")

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> [@Fiveyearlurker](#):
>
> In fairness, said six year old would have to be included in the employment numbers in order for Trump’s statement to approach an honest one.

Actually very true! More than 60 million Americans are under 14, and 40 million of these unemployed bastards are less than 10 years old. Every single one of them, in my experience, is an unemployed bum living on handouts. As always, Trump really does have a point! 😉

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**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:** [February 13, 2016, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tucker-carlsons-donald-trump-is-shocking-vulgar-and-right-is-actually-pretty-insightful/746031/9 "2016-02-13T20:50:40Z")

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You have to deconstruct Carlson just a bit to get his point.

IMO this is what Carlson said:

> [@Carlson's Message as Interpreted by LSLGuy](#):
>
> Trump isn’t (necessarily) telling the actual factual truth. Trump is saying the kinds of things that seem self-evidently true to his Fox-fed supporters. Which they perceive as refreshing truth compared to the mealy-mouthed self-serving platitudes of the establishment R apologists for the R elitists.

And while the specifics of Trump’s claims are often exaggerations (e.g. **wolfpup** ’s employment cites above) there’s still a kind of truth there.

You don’t hear mainstream Rs saying the big problem in America is middle class unemployment and underemployment. You do hear Trump saying it via those BS stats of his. The hyped statistics include the all-but-stated: “…and that’s an emergency I will fix greatly. Unlike the mainstream Rs who think it’s just fine since it suppresses wages and increases profits.”  
IOW Carlson’s point is (and IMO too) the essential contradiction of the economic middle-underclass backing the plutocrat party was bound to come to a head eventually. It seems that “eventually” is now and Trump is the Hercules pulling down the temple pillars.

When the economic system is going OK for those folks they can afford to indulge their socially conservative views, be they racial or religious views. Which they generally did from ~1960 to 2008. Now that they’re worried about affording a place to live or whether their kids will even have a job at all, much less one above minimum wage, well … their priorities shift.

Trump’s genius is one of timing. He identified the window of opportunity for a true populist true demagogue in the Peron, Tsipras, or maybe even the Mussolini tradition. And he’s giving it his all. Demagoguery comes easily to his personality and his skill set. Part of why it’s so effective is precisely that, unlike a lot of politicians, it’s not an unnatural act for him.

Carlson is saying the Rs are about to reap what they have so diligently sown these last 20+ years.

Sadly, so might we all be reaping what they so recklessly sowed.

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**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\
**Post date:** [February 13, 2016, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tucker-carlsons-donald-trump-is-shocking-vulgar-and-right-is-actually-pretty-insightful/746031/10 "2016-02-13T21:08:48Z")

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> [@LSLGuy](#):
>
> IOW Carlson’s point is (and IMO too) the essential contradiction of the economic middle-underclass backing the plutocrat party was bound to come to a head eventually. It seems that “eventually” is now and Trump is the Hercules pulling down the temple pillars.
> 
> When the economic system is going OK for those folks they can afford to indulge their socially conservative views, be they racial or religious views. Which they generally did from ~1960 to 2008. Now that they’re worried about affording a place to live or whether their kids will even have a job at all, much less one above minimum wage, well … their priorities shift.
> 
> Trump’s genius is one of timing. He identified the window of opportunity for a true populist true demagogue in the Peron, Tsipras, or maybe even the Mussolini tradition. And he’s giving it his all. Demagoguery comes easily to his personality and his skill set. Part of why it’s so effective is precisely that, unlike a lot of politicians, it’s not an unnatural act for him.

I won’t weigh in on whether or not this is what Carlson is trying to say, but I will say that your analysis in itself is spot-on. The essential contradiction that you describe in your first paragraph is what I’ve been arguing in the several money-in-politics threads recently, and your characterization of Trump’s demagoguery is exactly right. Thank you. [Great little cartoon pertinent to the subject.](http://jensorensen.com/2016/02/01/donald-trump-labor-unions-working-class-voters/)

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**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\
**Post date:** [February 13, 2016, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tucker-carlsons-donald-trump-is-shocking-vulgar-and-right-is-actually-pretty-insightful/746031/11 "2016-02-13T21:40:19Z")

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You guys are way overthinking this. In the end, Trump is a con artist, simple as that.

And he’s benefiting from the political correctness of the media who won’t say what we all know deep down: His followers are just dupes. Fools. They may have some legitimate concerns, but Trump is just taking advantage of that.

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**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\
**Post date:** [February 13, 2016, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tucker-carlsons-donald-trump-is-shocking-vulgar-and-right-is-actually-pretty-insightful/746031/12 "2016-02-13T22:09:10Z")

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> [@guizot](#):
>
> You guys are way overthinking this. In the end, Trump is a con artist, simple as that.
> 
> And he’s benefiting from the political correctness of the media who won’t say what we all know deep down: His followers are just dupes. Fools. They may have some legitimate concerns, but Trump is just taking advantage of that.

I would not dismiss the Trump supporters that easily. I’m not a GOP fan but if I had to wade into a crowd of Hillary supporters or Trump supporters and choose 10 people at random in the respective crowds to build a house, run a business or get shit done generally I think I’d have better luck overall with Trump’s supporters vs Hillary supporters. Republicans are angry and getting angrier when they look at their choices, but they are not fools. Choosing Trump is an attitudinal choice, it’s an “anti-all you others” choice. They realize now how they have been handled and they are reacting.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\
**Post date:** [February 13, 2016, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tucker-carlsons-donald-trump-is-shocking-vulgar-and-right-is-actually-pretty-insightful/746031/13 "2016-02-13T22:14:22Z")

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> [@guizot](#):
>
> You guys are way overthinking this. In the end, Trump is a con artist, simple as that.

Of course he is. But I don’t think most of us are overthinking it, it’s that it’s very valuable to regard him as a sort of diagnostic tool for what ails the US political system. Trump is like a beam of protons in the Large Hadron Collider – you watch what happens when it hits the target and you learn a lot about the makeup of the target by all the shit that spews out in all directions when it hits!

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**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\
**Post date:** [February 13, 2016, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tucker-carlsons-donald-trump-is-shocking-vulgar-and-right-is-actually-pretty-insightful/746031/14 "2016-02-13T22:21:08Z")

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> [@LSLGuy](#):
>
> IOW Carlson’s point is (and IMO too) the essential contradiction of the economic middle-underclass backing the plutocrat party was bound to come to a head eventually. It seems that “eventually” is now and Trump is the Hercules pulling down the temple pillars.

I think you mean Samson.

His power is in his hair . . .

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**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\
**Post date:** [February 13, 2016, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tucker-carlsons-donald-trump-is-shocking-vulgar-and-right-is-actually-pretty-insightful/746031/15 "2016-02-13T22:37:14Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> Quoth **astro** :
> 
> I’m not a GOP fan but if I had to wade into a crowd of Hillary supporters or Trump supporters and choose 10 people at random in the respective crowds to build a house, run a business or get shit done generally I think I’d have better luck overall with Trump’s supporters vs Hillary supporters.

Build a house, maybe. But I have a hard time seeing how anyone capable of running a business successfully could also be capable of supporting Trump.

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**Author:** ![Lakai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de0a6/32.png) [@Lakai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lakai)\
**Post date:** [February 13, 2016, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tucker-carlsons-donald-trump-is-shocking-vulgar-and-right-is-actually-pretty-insightful/746031/16 "2016-02-13T23:37:04Z")

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> [@astro](#):
>
> Re Tucker Carlson’s article linked below it’s actually (IMO) a pretty succinct and cogent explanation of why GOP faithful are choosing Trump in droves. It’s an interesting “inside baseball” view by a conservative of the machinery at work in them making this choice.
> 
> You may disagree with his political orientation and premises but I think he has his finger on the pulse of why the movement toward Trump occurred.
> 
> [Donald Trump Is Shocking, Vulgar and Right](http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/01/donald-trump-is-shocking-vulgar-and-right-213572)

That article basically says that Trump is getting votes because the voters think he’s telling the truth. And then he goes on to defend whatever Trump is saying.

I like this article better: [Trump’s America](http://www.wsj.com/article_email/donald-trumps-america-1455290458-lMyQjAxMTE2MDE5MzYxMzMwWj) by Charles Murray. It has a more detailed explanation of Trump voters and with more evidence to support its claims.

The short summary is that a lot of working class white voters are angry about economy. More white men are unemployed and unmarried and wages for working class white men haven’t gone up since the 1960s. These voters are angry and frustrated with the Republican establishment because of this, and Trump is feeding into their anger.

What’s interesting is that a lot of working class white men support Bernie Sanders for almost the same reasons. Both Trump and Sanders have tapped into anger about the economy and wage stagnation. And their supporters believe that each candidate is not afraid of telling the truth, while everyone else is being dishonest.

In short, this country has a sizable population of voters angry about the economy and politicians are exploiting their anger without offering any real solutions. Welcome to America.

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**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:** [February 14, 2016, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tucker-carlsons-donald-trump-is-shocking-vulgar-and-right-is-actually-pretty-insightful/746031/17 "2016-02-14T00:55:30Z")

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> [@guizot](#):
>
> You guys are way overthinking this. In the end, Trump is a con artist, simple as that.
> 
> And he’s benefiting from the political correctness of the media who won’t say what we all know deep down: His followers are just dupes. Fools. They may have some legitimate concerns, but Trump is just taking advantage of that.

I agree. I also think the exact same thing about the Bernie and his Bros.

> [@wolfpup](#):
>
> Of course he is. But I don’t think most of us are overthinking it, it’s that it’s very valuable to regard him as a sort of diagnostic tool for what ails the US political system. Trump is like a beam of protons in the Large Hadron Collider – you watch what happens when it hits the target and you learn a lot about the makeup of the target by all the shit that spews out in all directions when it hits!

Great analogy!

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<div class="post-metadata">

**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:** [February 14, 2016, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tucker-carlsons-donald-trump-is-shocking-vulgar-and-right-is-actually-pretty-insightful/746031/18 "2016-02-14T01:14:16Z")

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> [@astro](#):
>
> I would not dismiss the Trump supporters that easily. I’m not a GOP fan but if I had to wade into a crowd of Hillary supporters or Trump supporters and choose 10 people at random in the respective crowds to build a house, run a business or get shit done generally I think I’d have better luck overall with Trump’s supporters vs Hillary supporters. Republicans are angry and getting angrier when they look at their choices, but they are not fools. Choosing Trump is an attitudinal choice, it’s an “anti-all you others” choice. They realize now how they have been handled and they are reacting.

Sorry, but I pointed already at the foolishness Trump and his followers believe, it is not really bound to make America great but to make it fail.

> **[Neil deGrasse Tyson on Science Literacy (Part Two) | Moyers & Company |...](https://billmoyers.com/episode/neil-degrasse-tyson-on-science-literacy/)**
>
> Bill talks with the astrophysicist about why science literacy is critical to the future of our democracy, economy and standing in the world.

> [@](#):
>
> BILL MOYERS: All right. According to the Pew Research Center, back in 2009, a comfortable majority of Republicans accepted human evolution as a fact. But now, a plurality rejects it. So I ask you, politics can trump science, can’t it?
> 
> NEIL DEGRASSE TYSON: Well, in a free, elected democracy, of course. You vote who you want on your school board. There is no provision in the constitution for the government to establish what’s taught in schools. That’s all relegated to the states. Hence, we speak state to state about what’s in their science textbook versus another.
> 
> And so that’s the country we’ve all sort of bought into, if you will, or born into. I think it’s a self-correcting phenomenon. Nobody wants to die, okay? So we all care about health. But above all else, among the Republicans I know, especially Republicans, nobody wants to die poor, okay?
> 
> So educated Republicans know the value of innovations in science and technology for the thriving of an economy and business and industry. They know this. If you put something that is not science in a science classroom, pass it off as science, then you are undermining an entire enterprise that was responsible for creating the wealth that we have come to take for granted in this country. So we’re already fading economically. If this, if that trend continues, some Republican is going to wake up and say, “Look guys, we got to split these two. We have to. Otherwise, we will doom ourselves to poverty.” And so I see it as a self-correcting, I don’t know when it’ll happen, but they know.

The ones that **know** are the Republicans that are on the record of not supporting Trump (or Cruz) because they are aware of what what he told us now about what he will do if he gains power. I actually do think this will be like when Roosevelt allegedly told Black activists about “now you make me do it”, there will be a lot of things the extremist Republicans will expect to get from the deal of supporting and voting for Trump.

For all the ones that do think that what he is doing is a con, I have enough historical experience to know that you are really reckless if you don’t take into account what they report to believe now; as his positions have “[del]d[/del]evolved”. Thinking that we will get a different Trump once he becomes president is the true wishful thinking.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\
**Post date:** [February 14, 2016, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tucker-carlsons-donald-trump-is-shocking-vulgar-and-right-is-actually-pretty-insightful/746031/19 "2016-02-14T01:31:39Z")

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> [@astro](#):
>
> Re Tucker Carlson’s article linked below it’s actually (IMO) a pretty succinct and cogent explanation of why GOP faithful are choosing Trump in droves. It’s an interesting “inside baseball” view by a conservative of the machinery at work in them making this choice.
> 
> You may disagree with his political orientation and premises but I think he has his finger on the pulse of why the movement toward Trump occurred.
> 
> [Donald Trump Is Shocking, Vulgar and Right](http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/01/donald-trump-is-shocking-vulgar-and-right-213572)

> [@](#):
>
> Evangelicals understand this better than most. You read surveys that indicate the majority of Christian conservatives support Trump, and then you see the video: Trump on stage with pastors, looking pained as they pray over him, misidentifying key books in the New Testament, and in general doing a ludicrous imitation of a faithful Christian, the least holy roller ever. You wonder as you watch this: How could they be that dumb? He’s so obviously faking it.
> 
> They know that already. I doubt there are many Christian voters who think Trump could recite the Nicene Creed, or even identify it. Evangelicals have given up trying to elect one of their own. What they’re looking for is a bodyguard, someone to shield them from **mounting (and real) threats to their freedom of speech and worship.** Trump fits that role nicely, better in fact than many church-going Republicans. For eight years, there was a born-again in the White House. How’d that work out for Christians, here and in Iraq?

:rolleyes: Well, **that** ain’t very insightful, nor anything else but bullshit.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\
**Post date:** [February 14, 2016, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tucker-carlsons-donald-trump-is-shocking-vulgar-and-right-is-actually-pretty-insightful/746031/20 "2016-02-14T01:54:05Z")

</div>

> [@astro](#):
>
> Choosing Trump is an attitudinal choice, it’s an “anti-all you others” choice. They realize now how they have been handled and they are reacting.

Trump isn’t handling them any better (albeit it differently). He’s implicitly mocking them by pushing their buttons to get a response. He’s an elaborate troll. Only fools feed the troll.

[Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tucker-carlsons-donald-trump-is-shocking-vulgar-and-right-is-actually-pretty-insightful/746031.md?page=2)
