# Which GOP POTUS contenders are likeable, honorable, & competent? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [August 26, 2015, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-gop-potus-contenders-are-likeable-honorable-competent/728914 "2015-08-26T03:42:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Randolph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Randolph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Randolph)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2015, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-gop-potus-contenders-are-likeable-honorable-competent/728914/21 "2015-08-26T14:59:09Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > But have you ever listened to Carson give a speech? He has all the passion of a mayonnaise sandwich. Dude, you let a mayonnaise sandwich sit long enough, it gets pretty passionate. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2015, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-gop-potus-contenders-are-likeable-honorable-competent/728914/22 "2015-08-26T15:09:12Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Actually, he called for possible drone strikes on drug gangs, not mere border crossers. And he also said that he would take the military’s advice on such an idea, which means it wouldn’t happen. > > Carson’s weird comments are getting fewer as time goes on though. He’s learning how to be a candidate. Nothing he says before January counts if he gets his act together. If he’s just learning how to be a candidate, when does he start learning how to be a president? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2015, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-gop-potus-contenders-are-likeable-honorable-competent/728914/23 "2015-08-26T15:19:07Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > If he’s just learning how to be a candidate, when does he start learning how to be a president? The first term is only a practice run, y’know. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2015, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-gop-potus-contenders-are-likeable-honorable-competent/728914/24 "2015-08-26T15:51:58Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Actually, he called for possible drone strikes on drug gangs, not mere border crossers. And he also said that he would take the military’s advice on such an idea, which means it wouldn’t happen. What happens if the military tells him it’s a bad idea and God tells him it’s a good idea? Who’s Carson going to listen to? > [@adaher](#): > > Carson’s weird comments are getting fewer as time goes on though. He’s learning how to be a candidate. Nothing he says before January counts if he gets his act together. Which means what? That he’s learning to hide his ideas that worry voters? What does that say about his supposed honorability? ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2015, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-gop-potus-contenders-are-likeable-honorable-competent/728914/25 "2015-08-26T16:41:34Z")
**likeable, honorable, & competent** Pick any two? ---
**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:** [August 26, 2015, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-gop-potus-contenders-are-likeable-honorable-competent/728914/26 "2015-08-26T17:59:32Z")
One out of three? ---
**Author:** ![WillFarnaby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/willfarnaby/32/514_2.png) [@WillFarnaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WillFarnaby)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2015, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-gop-potus-contenders-are-likeable-honorable-competent/728914/27 "2015-08-26T18:15:14Z")
Nobody wants to hear this but Donald Trump is clearly more competent and honorable than Hillary Clinton. That being said he is dishonorable and of assumed competence due to his wealth. As far as likability, it’s a wash in my opinion. It’s hard for me to think of a more repellant human being than Hillary Clinton if I am to exclude Dick Cheney. Trump is a shameless xenophobe and huge narcissist. The common folks are absolutely riveted by Trump. He wins this contest on all three counts, as well as the other attributes mentioned by adaher that were intentionally excluded by the OP such as honesty, etc. I will share a telling anecdote on the Trump candidacy. In my work break room, for morning break there is _Maury_ on at one end of the room facing South, while CNN is at the other end facing North. On any given day, Maury enjoys a 90% (of 40-60 folks) viewer share against CNN, including on days with “big” political news. On the day of the Trump announcement, every person was tuned into Trump. Every single person. I work in a manufacturing facility in a severely blighted neighborhood of Baltimore City with a very diverse group of folks. Lately CNN has been usurped by “World’s Dumbest” programs, so I haven’t been able to judge the staying power of Trump. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2015, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-gop-potus-contenders-are-likeable-honorable-competent/728914/28 "2015-08-26T18:17:59Z")
I’ll wager Pataki is competent and probably honorable, I don’t recall any scandals coming out of his administration. I don’t recall having ever seen him make a policy speech or talking in the news at all though, so I’m not sure if he’s likeable. ---
**Author:** ![Lance\_Turbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lance_turbo/32/6156_2.png) [@Lance\_Turbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lance_Turbo)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2015, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-gop-potus-contenders-are-likeable-honorable-competent/728914/29 "2015-08-26T18:21:32Z")
90% of folks are inextricably drawn to watch their own turds spiral down the drain in the toilet. This doesn’t mean they want those turds to be president. ---
**Author:** ![WillFarnaby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/willfarnaby/32/514_2.png) [@WillFarnaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WillFarnaby)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2015, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-gop-potus-contenders-are-likeable-honorable-competent/728914/30 "2015-08-26T18:38:20Z")
> [@Lance\_Turbo](#): > > 90% of folks are inextricably drawn to watch their own turds spiral down the drain in the toilet. This doesn’t mean they want those turds to be president. People pay attention to Trump when he speaks. It speaks to his likability, which in case you weren’t paying attention, is what the thread is about. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2015, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-gop-potus-contenders-are-likeable-honorable-competent/728914/31 "2015-08-26T18:41:49Z")
> [@WillFarnaby](#): > > People pay attention to Trump when he speaks. It speaks to his likability, which in case you weren’t paying attention, is what the thread is about. It doesn’t speak to his “likability” at all-it speaks to our need to gawk at train wrecks. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2015, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-gop-potus-contenders-are-likeable-honorable-competent/728914/32 "2015-08-26T18:53:18Z")
> [@WillFarnaby](#): > > Nobody wants to hear this but Donald Trump is clearly more competent and honorable than Hillary Clinton. Competent at what? Running his own businesses into the ground and then stiffing his creditors with bankruptcy filings? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2015, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-gop-potus-contenders-are-likeable-honorable-competent/728914/33 "2015-08-26T18:56:30Z")
> [@tomndebb](#): > > Competent at what? Running his own businesses into the ground and then stiffing his creditors with bankruptcy filings? How many times? ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2015, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-gop-potus-contenders-are-likeable-honorable-competent/728914/34 "2015-08-26T19:00:05Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > How many times? Only four. (Although he left the last one in such bad shape that they had to file a fifth bankruptcy claim shortly after he sold it.) ---
**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:** [August 26, 2015, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-gop-potus-contenders-are-likeable-honorable-competent/728914/35 "2015-08-26T19:02:18Z")
> [@WillFarnaby](#): > > People pay attention to Trump when he speaks. No, they obviously don’t pay attention to Trump. Otherwise, when he says, “I am going to be the best jobs president ever!” they would ask themselves, How is he going to do that? When he says he is going to get rid of ISIS in a matter of weeks, they would ask themselves, How is he going to do that? When he says he is going to deport 11 million people, including 10% of the employees in the California economy, they would ask themselves, Is that a good thing for the country? But, no, they are not listening to what he is saying. They are just listening to his anger and hatred for others, and that he is going to stick it to 'em good, real good. People who are afraid and angry love to hear that stuff, and rarely pay attention to what is being said. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2015, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-gop-potus-contenders-are-likeable-honorable-competent/728914/36 "2015-08-26T19:06:21Z")
> [@tomndebb](#): > > Competent at what? Running his own businesses into the ground and then stiffing his creditors with bankruptcy filings? He actually gave an honest, though incomplete, answer to that one at the debate - it’s how the system works and he’s good at working the system. ---
**Author:** ![WillFarnaby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/willfarnaby/32/514_2.png) [@WillFarnaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WillFarnaby)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2015, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-gop-potus-contenders-are-likeable-honorable-competent/728914/37 "2015-08-26T19:23:09Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > It doesn’t speak to his “likability” at all-it speaks to our need to gawk at train wrecks. > [@tomndebb](#): > > Competent at what? Running his own businesses into the ground and then stiffing his creditors with bankruptcy filings? > [@Czarcasm](#): > > How many times? > [@tomndebb](#): > > Only four. (Although he left the last one in such bad shape that they had to file a fifth bankruptcy claim shortly after he sold it.) > [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > No, they obviously don’t pay attention to Trump. Otherwise, when he says, “I am going to be the best jobs president ever!” they would ask themselves, How is he going to do that? When he says he is going to get rid of ISIS in a matter of weeks, they would ask themselves, How is he going to do that? When he says he is going to deport 11 million people, including 10% of the employees in the California economy, they would ask themselves, Is that a good thing for the country? > > But, no, they are not listening to what he is saying. They are just listening to his anger and hatred for others, and that he is going to stick it to 'em good, real good. People who are afraid and angry love to hear that stuff, and rarely pay attention to what is being said. You folks are misunderstanding the people. Speaks to a lack of experience, this last post especially. All the people know, and care about, is that Trump has a lot of money and talks in a way they understand. He also is incredible adept at exploiting their fears. What is funny is that with all these comments, nobody actually lays a glove on my point that Trump is a well-liked figure, especially when compared to the other candidates. Nobody cares about policy. Get out of your bubble. ---
**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:** [August 26, 2015, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-gop-potus-contenders-are-likeable-honorable-competent/728914/38 "2015-08-26T19:36:36Z")
> [@WillFarnaby](#): > > What is funny is that with all these comments, nobody actually lays a glove on my point that Trump is a well-liked figure, especially when compared to the other candidates. Nobody cares about policy. Get out of your bubble. He well-liked by people that want to hear that all their problems can be easily fixed, and that all the bastards that cause all of their problems are going to get what they deserve. That will not serve him well in the general election. Most people do care about policy, and Trump is in a bubble if he thinks his good fortune will last past the first primary. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2015, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-gop-potus-contenders-are-likeable-honorable-competent/728914/39 "2015-08-26T19:49:00Z")
> [@WillFarnaby](#): > > What is funny is that with all these comments, nobody actually lays a glove on my point that Trump is a well-liked figure, especially when compared to the other candidates. Nobody cares about policy. Get out of your bubble. Gallup has polled Trump’s favorability ratings seven times since 1999. Would you like to guess how those polls turned out? ---
**Author:** ![WillFarnaby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/willfarnaby/32/514_2.png) [@WillFarnaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WillFarnaby)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2015, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-gop-potus-contenders-are-likeable-honorable-competent/728914/40 "2015-08-26T19:55:24Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > He well-liked by people that want to hear that all their problems can be easily fixed, and that all the bastards that cause all of their problems are going to get what they deserve. That will not serve him well in the general election. Most people do care about policy, and Trump is in a bubble if he thinks his good fortune will last past the first primary. It doesn’t matter by whom he is well liked. He is well liked by a plurality of Republican voters, and has the potential of appropriating some traditionally Democratic voters. The bare fact is he is well-liked. He is liked more than Hillary. Trump is not a threat to Social Security. Trump is not a threat to the welfare state. Trump is not a threat to abortion rights. Trump is not a threat to defense spending. Therefore policy is inconsequential in Trump’s candidacy. There is no potential contending front runner right now. Trump is likely to last much much longer than you and establishment pundits think. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-gop-potus-contenders-are-likeable-honorable-competent/728914.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-gop-potus-contenders-are-likeable-honorable-competent/728914.md?page=3)