POTUS 2016

[abelard]

That is precisely why he offends them.

Rove, the Kochs, various people on Fox (Krauthammer especially), Glenn Beck and loads of other balloons spent years and years promoting the idea that any successful GOP candidate had to be tough on immigration, overwhelmingly pro-business, anti-Muslim, American exceptionalist, anti-Washington and isn't afraid to say what he* thinks.

* that is to say, what they tell him to think.

but Trump is all of these things too

he just uses a megaphone where a dog-whistle used to suffice. Ronald Reagan, for example, kicked off his 1980 campaign in Philadelphia, Mississippi (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mississippi_civil_rights_workers'_murders) talking about "States' rights"

That's not exactly subtle.

It's a bit rich for GOP leaders to protest about Trump's racism when this has been a staple of Republican rhetoric since Nixon. Trump is just slightly more brash, although when you look at what Ted Cruz says, it's debatable who is even more belligerent. I suspect this is why most will quite easily make their peace with him.

He is like McGovern or Carter in the 1970s, who Democrat elites reviled in the same way, for much the same reason - it had much less that do with what they said (and what Trump says), and more because they usurped control of the party without greasing the correct wheels and deferring to approved channels.

 

[tsubaki]

but Trump is all of these things too

That is my point; he has basically stolen their party off them after they went around telling everyone that someone like him would be the ideal person to lead them.

 

[Dylan]

Frack me Americans are thick

That's a bit much....23% of people who have voted in our little poll support Trump. And we have a far flung 'constituency'

 

[mmmmsnouts]

I'll seriously consider moving back to the UK if Trump gets in. I may even leave my wife if she won't come with.

Trump is the first candidate who would make me seriously want to leave. There's always been a line - a Presidential candidate would never threaten the well-being (physical or otherwise) of people who disagree with him. That line has been crossed with Trump and his disgusting supporters. Imagine them feeling empowered to openly discriminate against others. Imagine Trump in charge of the NSA and our intelligence apparatus. It could get very ugly very fast.

 

[zirc]

Trump is the first candidate who would make me seriously want to leave. There's always been a line - a Presidential candidate would never threaten the well-being (physical or otherwise) of people who disagree with him. That line has been crossed with Trump and his disgusting supporters. Imagine them feeling empowered to openly discriminate against others. Imagine Trump in charge of the NSA and our intelligence apparatus. It could get very ugly very fast.

Donald Trump is a buffoon but he's far more intelligent that George Bush the Younger was; it's hard to see him doing more damage as well.

 

[mmmmsnouts]

Donald Trump is a buffoon but he's far more intelligent that George Bush the Younger was; it's hard to see him doing more damage as well.

Bush had a lot of nasty people doing the thinking for him... but he at least respected the line I mentioned earlier. Trump does not. It's like voting for Nixon if you knew everything Nixon was going to do before he got into office.

 

[SerenityNigh]

When can we see some results?

Super Tuesday primary voting commits about 25% of the delegates for each party. Will be good reading for you tomorrow morning.

 

[SerenityNigh]

Frack me Americans are thick

That's a bit much....23% of people who have voted in our little poll support Trump. And we have a far flung 'constituency'

Wonder who @ElGato would vote for?

 

[kithnou]

Oh Bill...

 

[zirc]

Bush had a lot of nasty people doing the thinking for him... but he at least respected the line I mentioned earlier. Trump does not. It's like voting for Nixon if you knew everything Nixon was going to do before he got into office.

George W Bush started a war for no reason the aftereffects of which are causing serious problems in a large swathe of the world including Europe where I live. I hardly think Donald Trump's lack of decorum would cause anything on that scale. If the choice were Bush or Nixon I'd have Nixon every day of the week and twice on Sundays.

 

[mmmmsnouts]

George W Bush started a war for no reason the aftereffects of which are causing serious problems in a large swathe of the world including Europe where I live. I hardly think Donald Trump's lack of decorum would cause anything on that scale. If the choice were Bush or Nixon I'd have Nixon every day of the week and twice on Sundays.

I thought it was a stupid, unnecessary war before it even started.

Just because Trump is smarter than Bush doesn't mean anything. For me, the people Trump would get in for his Cabinet and to do all the policy work he has no idea how to do would be even more shocking than the ones Bush got in. That's on top of the awful things that would start happening at home (side note: my wife and her entire family is Hispanic - all US citizens but the crazies don't really care about details). You'll understand if I don't want to stick around for any of that.

 

[VentureBrosEFC]

I thought it was a stupid, unnecessary war before it even started.

Just because Trump is smarter than Bush doesn't mean anything. For me, the people Trump would get in for his Cabinet and to do all the policy work he has no idea how to do would be even more shocking than the ones Bush got in. That's on top of the awful things that would start happening at home (side note: my wife and her entire family is Hispanic - all US citizens but the crazies don't really care about details). You'll understand if I don't want to stick around for any of that.

Do you HONESTLY fear that a widespread anti Hispanic sentiment would become the norm or even policy if he was in power? I think there is far to too much generalization of both "sides" but most people I think are good and wouldn't support discrimination against the Hispanic community just because some narcissist said it's alright, and I'm a misanthrope.

Be careful of how the media portrays a candidates supporters. They're looking for the provocative idiots.

 

[mezzrow]

Be careful of how the media portrays a candidates supporters. They're looking for the provocative idiots.

This, in spades.

 

[Tubey]

Do you HONESTLY fear that a widespread anti Hispanic sentiment would become the norm or even policy if he was in power? I think there is far to too much generalization of both "sides" but most people I think are good and wouldn't support discrimination against the Hispanic community just because some narcissist said it's alright, and I'm a misanthrope.

Be careful of how the media portrays a candidates supporters. They're looking for the provocative idiots.

America would be electing a sociopathic egotist as President on an anti-foreigner or anti-everything-white-American ticket.

That would indicate popular support for such actions. The USA would overnight become a very uncomfortable place to live for a lot of people.

I don't want to use the "Nazi" card, but those who denounced the Weimar Republic and voted for the NSDAP weren't consciously approving the gassing of millions of Jews, but they were nevertheless supporting such actions by voting them in, as it wasn't a hidden secret what Hitler's views were at the time. This is the same thing - if you don't denounce something, you passively or actively support it.

Trump getting the Republican nomination would be a sad day for America, but him becoming President would be a disastrous one.

 

[Pienaar's gloves]

Anyone reckon Trump could actually be president? I was assuming that him winning the republican nomination would just hand the democrat candidate the victory.