# Will the stupidity and incompetence of Trump hurt the GOP going forward **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [February 9, 2017, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-stupidity-and-incompetence-of-trump-hurt-the-gop-going-forward/779367 "2017-02-09T01:26:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2017, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-stupidity-and-incompetence-of-trump-hurt-the-gop-going-forward/779367/21 "2017-02-09T06:34:19Z")
> [@Pearl\_Clutching\_Provocateur](#): > > The thing is that no one has left after meeting Trump screaming in panic that we’re all going to die. I think people have literally said that after meeting with him. ---
**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:** [February 9, 2017, 7:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-stupidity-and-incompetence-of-trump-hurt-the-gop-going-forward/779367/22 "2017-02-09T07:10:04Z")
You know, like the CEO of Uber who’s dropping from Trump’s economic council. Or the more than a hundred Silicon Valley companies opposing the travel ban. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2017, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-stupidity-and-incompetence-of-trump-hurt-the-gop-going-forward/779367/23 "2017-02-09T07:29:20Z")
I think the GOP have already lost the next two Congresses, unless they pull off some massive election fraud/manipulation. Which they have to do, and they know they have to do, so they will. So free elections may be over in key states. Don’t assume that liberal democracy will survive even two years of one-party rule by a party taught to hate both the words “liberal” and “democrat.” They are not joking. They are crypto-fascists. Everyone who supports Trump is complicit, and none dare “go wobbly.” As for longer-term prospects, the GOP are going to try to purge latinos now, and then anyone who objects. Their paymasters will be happy restricting the franchise to millionaires, so the politicians will be happy too. Freed of the need for democracy, much of the country can be transformed to a slag pit of purely extractive land use. I have warned you and warned you. The GOP has been completely subverted by a syndicate of organized crime, and democracy loses to those willing to slaughter. We are entering an era of war. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2017, 7:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-stupidity-and-incompetence-of-trump-hurt-the-gop-going-forward/779367/24 "2017-02-09T07:45:04Z")
> [@Celidin](#): > > I’m hoping that as Millennials grow up and become more active the Overton window starts to shift back to the left, to the point where there’ll still be a GOP, but it’ll move back to the centrist GOP that existed in previous decades. > > Probably won’t happen, but I’m hopeful. I’m hopeful that they learn to fight in organized resistance brigades, violently overthrow the government, put all high-level Trump collaborators to death, outlaw the conservative movement, and hunt down the billionaires as traitors to America. If, after that happens, someone wants to use the GOP name, well, that sounds reasonable. But they’d basically be like Neo-Nazis. Might be better to kick their teeth in and bury them head down in an unmarked grave–alive. But, you know, your idea, that’s nice. Completely naive, but nice. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2017, 8:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-stupidity-and-incompetence-of-trump-hurt-the-gop-going-forward/779367/25 "2017-02-09T08:01:58Z")
Sorry, I’m getting defeatist again. Yes, OP, I think Trump probably will hurt the GOP. But there will be a hard core that romanticize Trump and defend him furiously, and I’m afraid that many politicians–even Democrats–will normalize him the way they did Reagan. ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2017, 8:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-stupidity-and-incompetence-of-trump-hurt-the-gop-going-forward/779367/26 "2017-02-09T08:36:56Z")
I think Trump will probably be good for the republican party for a while. They’ve had the monopoly on misinformation for some time now, and Trump’s dropped the level of dialogue such that true facts just don’t get a look in. It’s wrestlemania now, and the GOP has better wrestlers. The only reason I say “…for a while” is that at some point enough of the electorate will get tired of childish antics. But I have no idea how long that will take, as I’m astonished at the state of public opinion in nov 2016. ---
**Author:** ![crucible](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@crucible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crucible)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2017, 11:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-stupidity-and-incompetence-of-trump-hurt-the-gop-going-forward/779367/27 "2017-02-09T11:24:40Z")
> [@Pearl\_Clutching\_Provocateur](#): > > With news like this Trump can be as incompetent as he wants to be: > > Intel Will Invest $7 Billion in Chip Factory in Arizona (and create 3000 jobs) > > [https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/08/technology/trump-intel-chip-factory-arizona.html?\_r=0](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/08/technology/trump-intel-chip-factory-arizona.html?_r=0) > > Besides the main stream liberal media no longer has a stranglehold on narrative of what’s happening the country. He’ll tweet past the gatekeepers. Presidential words and actions have always been closely and faithfully reported. The interpretation is the key. Intel’s decision is welcomed, of course, and may, truly, have a little bit to do with Thrump’s supposed policies, but 300 jobs is just a bucket drop in the ocean compared to the 6 years, plus, of constant 150000-250000 jobs each month the economy, despite the obstructionist Republicans, has added. In this world, some jobs and the need for them will go away. If the congress consistently refuses to provide resources for upgrading skills and retraining to similar but still needed jobs, then there will always be a pool of people with resentment that their former position is no longer necessary. It happens, eventually, to most of us, and we have to learn how to best move on, even if it means actually, physically, moving on. When will we see Thrump’s infrastructure initiative? That is what should have been first to be announced, along with repairs to the ACA. If Thrump actually wants what is best for the country, not what is best for Thrump, he should begin to act like it. ---
**Author:** ![crucible](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@crucible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crucible)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2017, 11:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-stupidity-and-incompetence-of-trump-hurt-the-gop-going-forward/779367/28 "2017-02-09T11:29:07Z")
The last three presidents were elected with a majority in each legislative branch, and, for 2 years, mistakenly misinterpreted their victory as a mandate to do whatever they thought they could get through. They all screwed up in the same way, and two years after their election, got smacked down in the midterms. The question with Thrump is whether he will be around for the 2018 elections. IMHO, 2/3 of the voting public still believes he has neither the intelligence or temperament to be POTUS, and the desperate deplorable or shake things up group that elected him are quickly realizing how what they hoped Thrump would do is 180 degrees from actuality. ---
**Author:** ![BeepKillBeep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9e8a1a/32.png) [@BeepKillBeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeepKillBeep)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2017, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-stupidity-and-incompetence-of-trump-hurt-the-gop-going-forward/779367/29 "2017-02-09T12:40:01Z")
> [@Pearl\_Clutching\_Provocateur](#): > > With news like this Trump can be as incompetent as he wants to be: > > Intel Will Invest $7 Billion in Chip Factory in Arizona (and create 3000 jobs) > > [https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/08/technology/trump-intel-chip-factory-arizona.html?\_r=0](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/08/technology/trump-intel-chip-factory-arizona.html?_r=0) > > Besides the main stream liberal media no longer has a stranglehold on narrative of what’s happening the country. He’ll tweet past the gatekeepers. There’s a certain irony to complaining that the the main stream media no longer has a stranglehold on the narrative (implying that they treat Trump unfairly) while citing the New York Times publishing a positive story about Trump. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2017, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-stupidity-and-incompetence-of-trump-hurt-the-gop-going-forward/779367/30 "2017-02-09T14:07:30Z")
> [@Pearl\_Clutching\_Provocateur](#): > > With news like this Trump can be as incompetent as he wants to be: > > Intel Will Invest $7 Billion in Chip Factory in Arizona (and create 3000 jobs) It’s news, but even though it’s factually true, it’s bullshit news. In a mediocre month, our economy generates 150,000 jobs, net - that is, the number of new jobs created, minus the old jobs that vanish, is around 150K, _in a mediocre month_. So Trump making deals for a thousand jobs here, three thousand there, isn’t going to make more than a trivial difference. Suppose he makes enough of these deals to add up to 100,000 jobs over the course of the year. Assuming those jobs actually all come into being this year - a dubious assumption at best - the economy as a whole will be creating between 2 million and 3 million new jobs without his help, assuming he doesn’t start a trade war that plunges us into a recession. The extra jobs created by these deals is window-dressing, and nothing more. ---
**Author:** ![Pearl\_Clutching\_Provocateur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Pearl\_Clutching\_Provocateur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pearl_Clutching_Provocateur)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2017, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-stupidity-and-incompetence-of-trump-hurt-the-gop-going-forward/779367/31 "2017-02-09T14:55:09Z")
> [@drad\_dog](#): > > Cite on silicon valley? It’s not what I’m hearing. From very good people. The best. “Bill Gates says Trump has the opportunity to be like JFK” > **[Bill Gates says Trump has the opportunity to be like JFK](https://www.cnbc.com/2016/12/13/after-talking-with-trump-bill-gates-likens-president-elect-to-jfk.html)** > > President-elect Donald Trump has an opportunity to establish "American leadership through innovation," Bill Gates tells CNBC. “A lot of his message has been about … where he sees things not as good as he’d like,” the billionaire Microsoft co-founder said on “Squawk Box.” “But in the same way President Kennedy talked about the space mission and got the country behind that,” Gates continued, “I think whether it’s education or stopping epidemics … [or] in this energy space, there can be a very upbeat message that [Trump’s] administration [is] going to organize things, get rid of regulatory barriers, and have American leadership through innovation.” ---
**Author:** ![Sinaptics](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/278dde/32.png) [@Sinaptics](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sinaptics)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2017, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-stupidity-and-incompetence-of-trump-hurt-the-gop-going-forward/779367/32 "2017-02-09T15:26:15Z")
> [@Pearl\_Clutching\_Provocateur](#): > > “Bill Gates says Trump has the opportunity to be like JFK” > > [Bill Gates says Trump has the opportunity to be like JFK](http://www.cnbc.com/2016/12/13/after-talking-with-trump-bill-gates-likens-president-elect-to-jfk.html) > > “A lot of his message has been about … where he sees things not as good as he’d like,” the billionaire Microsoft co-founder said on “Squawk Box.” > > “But in the same way President Kennedy talked about the space mission and got the country behind that,” Gates continued, “I think whether it’s education or stopping epidemics … [or] in this energy space, there can be a very upbeat message that [Trump’s] administration [is] going to organize things, get rid of regulatory barriers, and have American leadership through innovation.” I didn’t interpret that the same way at all. He’s not saying good things about Trump, he’s just saying Trump has an opportunity to marshal people into great endeavors. Not that he actually will or do it competently. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2017, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-stupidity-and-incompetence-of-trump-hurt-the-gop-going-forward/779367/33 "2017-02-09T16:11:44Z")
> [@Pearl\_Clutching\_Provocateur](#): > > “Bill Gates says Trump has the opportunity to be like JFK” He has the _opportunity_ to lose 50 pounds, stop making juvenile 5am tweets about inconsequential matters, and make an actual effort to learn about government, geopolitics, economics and other subjects that would help him be a better president, much like I have an opportunity to sever both of my own legs with a chainsaw. ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2017, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-stupidity-and-incompetence-of-trump-hurt-the-gop-going-forward/779367/34 "2017-02-09T16:17:52Z")
Stupidity and incompetence are lost to his supporters. They refuse to accept anything negative due to the conspiracy the “media” has to destroy him. Even Trump’s staff drinks his kool-aid. Republican’s see his beautiful robes while the rest of us see a nude, obese, geriatric, ego-maniac. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2017, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-stupidity-and-incompetence-of-trump-hurt-the-gop-going-forward/779367/35 "2017-02-09T16:58:29Z")
> [@Morgenstern](#): > > Stupidity and incompetence are lost to his supporters. They refuse to accept anything negative due to the conspiracy the “media” has to destroy him. Even Trump’s staff drinks his kool-aid. Republican’s see his beautiful robes while the rest of us see a nude, obese, geriatric, ego-maniac. So-called president trump doesn’t even own a robe. ---
**Author:** ![RadioWave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/91b2a8/32.png) [@RadioWave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RadioWave)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2017, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-stupidity-and-incompetence-of-trump-hurt-the-gop-going-forward/779367/36 "2017-02-09T17:10:50Z")
If you live long enough, you see living proof that those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it. You also see proof that those who don’t forget the past are doomed to repeat it anyways. Just seven years ago, the GOP brand was at its nadir having taken the brunt of the blame for the 2008 financial meltdown and was oozing with the legacy of Bush 43 as the worst administration ever. The Republicans were damaged goods and nobody wanted to vote for anything with the initials G.O.P. on it. The party leaders knew that they couldn’t run on the strength of their ‘brand’ so they instead stoked a populist anger towards all politicians knowing that most of the majority Democratic incumbents who got kicked out would be replaced by Republicans. They got loud, they got angry and they made sure the news was carrying their message. The National mall was covered in people wearing tea bags in their hats and it worked. The people forgot about Wall Street cronyism or dead soldiers in Iraq and the Republicans swept back into power. The same thing will happen after Trump. There will be a few years of public shame, his most ardent supporters will shuffle their feet and swear that Trump was never a true Republican and then they’ll get angry about something else. Ten years from now, Trump won’t even be part of the conversation. TL;DR: If the G.O.P. could come back after Bush 43, Trump won’t cause any long term damage. ---
**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 9, 2017, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-stupidity-and-incompetence-of-trump-hurt-the-gop-going-forward/779367/37 "2017-02-09T17:14:17Z")
> [@drad\_dog](#): > > Cite on silicon valley? It’s not what I’m hearing. From very good people. The best. > [@Pearl\_Clutching\_Provocateur](#): > > With news like this Trump can be as incompetent as he wants to be: > > Intel Will Invest $7 Billion in Chip Factory in Arizona (and create 3000 jobs) As others pointed out almost all of that was made possible by the efforts of both Intel and the Obama administration. But this is about the incompetency of Trump, as pointed before what Trump is doing and wants to do with immigration was not what even Bill Gates thinks America should be doing when we see what he does call an enlightened policy. > **[Bill Gates says Trudeau's approach to immigration, refugees good for business...](https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/bill-gates-says-trudeau-s-approach-to-immigration-refugees-good-for-business-1.3771889)** > > Canada's open approach to immigration and its willingness to welcome tens of thousands of Syrian refugees is an "enlightened" move that will benefit the country's business sector, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates says. > [@](#): > > Bill Gates says Trudeau’s approach to immigration, refugees good for business > > Canada’s open approach to immigration and its willingness to welcome tens of thousands of Syrian refugees is an “enlightened” move that will benefit the country’s business sector, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates says. > > The business leader and philanthropist was in Vancouver on Tuesday to speak at the Emerging Cascadia Innovation Conference, aimed at strengthening the technology and business ties between British Columbia and Washington state. > > “I think Canada’s very well positioned. It’s got good, strong universities, good policies – certainly more enlightened immigration policies than most countries have, which is a real asset,” said Gates, who is listed by the American business magazine Forbes as the richest man in the world with a US$81-billion net worth. > > Gates commended Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for his role in helping people fleeing conflict in the Middle East. > > “He as a leader wants to remind people about openness and taking in refugees in an appropriate way.” As for hurting the GOP, what I pointed here is about how big corporations are being undermined by what Trump is doing, and at the middle and low income levels we are already seeing how bad Trump’s policies are coming up. His willingness to separate families of immigrants was something that many Americans expected that trump was lying about. But now a significant number of people (who are voters) are finding that is taking place. This is bound to hurt the GOP in places like Arizona and Texas. Not instantly, but like Californians many Americans needed to see for themselves how stupidity and incompetence does lead to bad and inhuman results leading to eventually realize that the stupidity and incompetence are part of almost all of the Republicans in congress and the president now. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Economist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c89c15/32.png) [@Evil\_Economist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Economist)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2017, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-stupidity-and-incompetence-of-trump-hurt-the-gop-going-forward/779367/38 "2017-02-09T17:17:05Z")
> [@Pearl\_Clutching\_Provocateur](#): > > With news like this Trump can be as incompetent as he wants to be: > > Intel Will Invest $7 Billion in Chip Factory in Arizona (and create 3000 jobs) > > [https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/08/technology/trump-intel-chip-factory-arizona.html?\_r=0](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/08/technology/trump-intel-chip-factory-arizona.html?_r=0) > > Besides the main stream liberal media no longer has a stranglehold on narrative of what’s happening the country. He’ll tweet past the gatekeepers. They started building that plant in 2011. In fact I have a friend who made real estate investments in that area in 2009 or 2010 on rumors that they would select the site. I think they pretty much finished building it, but delayed making it operational because the PC market started to slow down in 2013. Guess it’s going operational now. Don’t think Trump had much to do with that, other than wanting to take credit. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2017, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-stupidity-and-incompetence-of-trump-hurt-the-gop-going-forward/779367/39 "2017-02-10T00:27:24Z")
> [@Evil\_Economist](#): > > They started building that plant in 2011. In fact I have a friend who made real estate investments in that area in 2009 or 2010 on rumors that they would select the site. > > I think they pretty much finished building it, but delayed making it operational because the PC market started to slow down in 2013. Guess it’s going operational now. Don’t think Trump had much to do with that, other than wanting to take credit. ^ This. That structure has been completed for ages, and has been in mothballs. Intel was going to run 14nm process in the fab, but decided that they had enough capacity, since they were getting slaughtered in the portable market by ARM. Looks like they are now targeting the fab for EUV (Extreme Ultra Violet). I wouldn’t be surprised if it isn’t fully operational for 5 years. [Article](http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1331330). ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2017, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-stupidity-and-incompetence-of-trump-hurt-the-gop-going-forward/779367/40 "2017-02-10T04:24:57Z")
I think that Republicans will retake the White House 12 years after Trump’s departure. He’ll be a heavier weight dragging down the GOP than Bush, and demographics will turn the country bluer and bluer, and it took the Republicans 8 years after Bush to regain the presidency, but ultimately, American voters like change after 8-12 years. After 12 years of Democrats, voters will be weary of Democratic presidents and we’ll have another GOP president again, around 2032 perhaps. Bear in mind that only six years after Nixon resigned after Watergate, the Republicans won a 44-state landslide in the 1980 election. And only four years after Mondale lost a 49-state landslide, the Democratic candidate Dukakis was leading Bush Sr. by a whopping 17 percentage points in the polls (before ultimately still losing.) Political parties are very resilient. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-stupidity-and-incompetence-of-trump-hurt-the-gop-going-forward/779367.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-stupidity-and-incompetence-of-trump-hurt-the-gop-going-forward/779367.md?page=3)