# Who's the nuttiest GOP candidate? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [March 21, 2016, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-nuttiest-gop-candidate/749772 "2016-03-21T15:18:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2016, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-nuttiest-gop-candidate/749772/1 "2016-03-21T15:18:05Z")
This is really more of a fun thing, that maybe should be in IMHO or even MPSIMS, so feel free to move it. For all this talk about Crazy Donald, I’m just not convinced he’s the Craziest of the Crazy. I think a strong case can be made for Ben Carson, that guy who thinks the pyramids were grain elevators and has an in-home portrait of him and his pal Jesus. I’m not so sure about Cruz, who I personally think is more evil than crazy, but I could be wrong. I’m giving a pass to Rubio because I think he’s somebody’s pet. Bobby Jindal ought to be mentioned, just because of his involvement in exorcism in college. But he’s so irrelevant now, so who cares? Anyway, make your case for the Nuttiest of the Nutty. Don’t feel restricted by the names I’ve mentioned. Is the Time Cube guy running? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2016, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-nuttiest-gop-candidate/749772/2 "2016-03-21T15:52:32Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > This is really more of a fun thing, that maybe should be in IMHO or even MPSIMS, so feel free to move it. For all this talk about Crazy Donald, I’m just not convinced he’s the Craziest of the Crazy. I think a strong case can be made for Ben Carson, that guy who thinks the pyramids were grain elevators and has an in-home portrait of him and his pal Jesus. I’m not so sure about Cruz, who I personally think is more evil than crazy, but I could be wrong. > > I’m giving a pass to Rubio because I think he’s somebody’s pet. Are you posting this from a month ago? Be that as it may, Trump is the only one I believe would be ‘nutty’ enough to launch missiles for no good reason; I’m not sure there’s a ‘fun’ way to say that. ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2016, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-nuttiest-gop-candidate/749772/3 "2016-03-21T15:59:16Z")
Rubio considering he actually seemed to believe being Republican Obama meant you could get elected mindlessly repeating WSJ/AEI/Weekly Standard talking points provided you had brown skin. It’s quite clear at this point, with the possible exception of Kasich, TRUMP is the only Republican candidate not living in a fantasyland of his own devising. ---
**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:** [March 21, 2016, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-nuttiest-gop-candidate/749772/4 "2016-03-21T16:02:23Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > It’s quite clear at this point, with the possible exception of Kasich, TRUMP is the only Republican candidate not living in a fantasyland of his own devising. You’re kidding, right? ---
**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 21, 2016, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-nuttiest-gop-candidate/749772/5 "2016-03-21T16:20:54Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > Rubio considering he actually seemed to believe being Republican Obama meant you could get elected mindlessly repeating WSJ/AEI/Weekly Standard talking points provided you had brown skin. > > It’s quite clear at this point, with the possible exception of Kasich, TRUMP is the only Republican candidate not living in a fantasyland of his own devising. Ok, here is a simple test, watch this Trump Clip. > **[As Election Year Unfolds, Climate Concern Rises](https://thinc.blog/2016/03/17/as-election-year-unfolds-climate-concern-rises/)** > > Gallup: Americans are taking global warming more seriously than at any time in the past eight years, according to several measures in Gallup’s annual environment poll. Most emblematic is the … Read then what science and even most of the public thinks about the issue: > **[As Election Year Unfolds, Climate Concern Rises](https://thinc.blog/2016/03/17/as-election-year-unfolds-climate-concern-rises/)** > > Gallup: Americans are taking global warming more seriously than at any time in the past eight years, according to several measures in Gallup’s annual environment poll. Most emblematic is the … Who is living in fantasy land? ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2016, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-nuttiest-gop-candidate/749772/6 "2016-03-21T16:23:59Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > It’s quite clear at this point, with the possible exception of Kasich, TRUMP is the only Republican candidate not living in a fantasyland of his own devising. Trump, not TRUMP, certainly **talks** like he lives in a fantasyland of his own devising. Are you implying that he does not actually believe the fantasies, that it’s all for the rubes? ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2016, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-nuttiest-gop-candidate/749772/7 "2016-03-21T16:24:00Z")
Sarah Palin, obviously. Thank God she isn’t running this term but lets hopes she doesn’t in the future as well. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2016, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-nuttiest-gop-candidate/749772/8 "2016-03-21T16:25:02Z")
> [@Drunky\_Smurf](#): > > Sarah Palin, obviously. Thank God she isn’t running this term but lets hopes she doesn’t in the future as well. Palin is stupid, not crazy. Michele Bachmann, OTOH . . . ---
**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 21, 2016, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-nuttiest-gop-candidate/749772/9 "2016-03-21T16:51:16Z")
> [@Drunky\_Smurf](#): > > Sarah Palin, obviously. Thank God she isn’t running this term but lets hopes she doesn’t in the future as well. You are aware that she is endorsing Trump, huh? With a good chunk of Republicans that is music to their ears, for everyone else it is Airhead Vocaloid singing in English. [http://www.thestreet.com/story/13428960/1/sarah-palin-s-endorsement-of-donald-trump-might-hurt-him-in-the-end.html](http://www.thestreet.com/story/13428960/1/sarah-palin-s-endorsement-of-donald-trump-might-hurt-him-in-the-end.html) Among all Americans that actually hurts Trump more than it helps him. That [“I’m with Stupid”](http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nydn-front-pages-2016-gallery-1.2482879?pmSlide=1.2502678) Daily News cover is already a classic for the ages. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2016, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-nuttiest-gop-candidate/749772/10 "2016-03-21T18:00:00Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Trump, not TRUMP, certainly **talks** like he lives in a fantasyland of his own devising. Are you implying that he does not actually believe the fantasies, that it’s all for the rubes? Trump’s a busy guy. He commissioned someone else to devise his fantasyland. ---
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2016, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-nuttiest-gop-candidate/749772/11 "2016-03-21T18:44:18Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Palin is stupid, not crazy. Michele Bachmann, OTOH . . . I’ve always had Palin as stupid AND crazy. Bachmann just the latter. I would go with Palin, but she’s never really run for president. I’d actually put a vote in for Carson. The fact that he had to argue that he did, in fact, once try to stab a guy, when it’s pretty obvious that it never happened, gives him a good lock on crazy. Add in the college test of honesty that never happened, and the full ride to West Point that never happened, and he’s a loon. That’s before we get into what the pyramids were for, how prison turns men gay, and the snake oil company that he didn’t have a relationship with (except that he totally was paid by them). I think he doesn’t even know he is a liar, which makes him even nuttier. In the words of George Costanza, “It’s not a lie. If you believe it!” ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2016, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-nuttiest-gop-candidate/749772/12 "2016-03-21T21:33:50Z")
I think Trump likes blowing hot air- he’s a buffoon and a demagogue, but neither stupid or crazy. Cruz is… a zealot. I wouldn’t call him evil exactly, just a true believer, in the best and worst senses of the term. If you agree with him, he’s awesome, and if you’re in the 85% of the population that doesn’t agree with him, he’s an inflexible idealogue and willing to cut off his own nose to spite his face. Carson is probably the most likely to be actually mentally ill, or at least to have something wrong with his thought processes. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2016, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-nuttiest-gop-candidate/749772/13 "2016-03-21T21:56:29Z")
> [@bump](#): > > I think Trump likes blowing hot air- he’s a buffoon and a demagogue, but neither stupid or crazy. Obviously I hope you’re right. But enlighten me: do you think he’s short-tempered? Impulsive? When he yells to rough someone up as it happens, is he following a script or making it up as he goes along? When he loudly interrupts people trying to bring stuff to his attention, does that reflect a reasoned plan or reflexive hostility? ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2016, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-nuttiest-gop-candidate/749772/14 "2016-03-21T22:34:18Z")
Huckabee, by a mile. Trump looks almost normal, standing next to him. ---
**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 21, 2016, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-nuttiest-gop-candidate/749772/15 "2016-03-21T22:38:41Z")
Probably Cruz, he is just about as loony as Bernie. ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2016, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-nuttiest-gop-candidate/749772/16 "2016-03-21T22:49:23Z")
> [@Hank\_Beecher](#): > > Probably Cruz, he is just about as loony as Bernie. Bernie wants to make America more like Norway. Cruz wants to turn the US into a _The Handmaid’s Tale_ themepark. ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2016, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-nuttiest-gop-candidate/749772/17 "2016-03-21T23:11:52Z")
> [@Drunky\_Smurf](#): > > Sarah Palin, obviously. Thank God she isn’t running this term but lets hopes she doesn’t in the future as well. Trump(et) has not chosen his VP candidate yet. Be careful what you say. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2016, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-nuttiest-gop-candidate/749772/18 "2016-03-21T23:35:12Z")
I think these guys know they are in a contest to get the most attention, so they say the craziest stuff to the base and see who can out-do the other. What they are saying says volumes about what their base is thinking (or not). The last one standing will be the one saying the craziest things most convincingly and with the most authority in language the rubes connect with the best. Et voila - Trump. For my money I think Carson was the wackiest candidate I have ever seen, for any office, but I doubt be believes a lot of the crap he said. Cruz, OTOH, does believe the junk, which makes him ever more scary. Trump has the knowledge and skill needed to manipulate the masses based on his years as an entertainer. He says nutty things but is not stupid. Palin is motivated to keep her name in the media - her next gig depends on it, whatever stupid stuff she says keeps the gravy coming. ---
**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 22, 2016, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-nuttiest-gop-candidate/749772/19 "2016-03-22T01:32:00Z")
> [@Lobohan](#): > > Bernie wants to make America more like Norway. So he wants America to go from exporting 150 cubic meters per person to 20,000 per person like Norway. Gotcha. That’s a lot of fracking, Bernie! ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2016, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-nuttiest-gop-candidate/749772/20 "2016-03-22T02:53:23Z")
I think it’s more about their wild and carefree exuberance and the passionate abandon with which they live their lives. Or reindeer. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-nuttiest-gop-candidate/749772.md?page=2)