3 ms·

So I guess the real question is, were the other candidates actually compelling? And more compelling? If so, how were they compelling? I think it's a poor argume

So I guess the real question is, were the other candidates actually compelling? And more compelling? If so, how were they compelling? I think it's a poor argument to say a big chunk of voters basically said "fuck it" to the whole process. What they did say was, well the other candidates are offering us anything compelling to vote for them with; Mr. Trump is. Now, again, maybe the compelling arguments Mr. Trump is giving are totally baseless, racist, ridiculous, and absurd. But, they worked for a majority of voters so far. He's playing politics, and he's winning. He reminds me of about every other politician on either side of the aisle, ever.

mikeash 10y ago
The others weren't compelling, but at least most of them weren't completely nuts. Sure, the Republican primary electorate found Trump compelling, and that's why they won. And that's what scares me. I don't think they necessarily should have found any of the others compelling (what an awful field of candidates, I mean, seriously, what happened there?) but that's beside the point.
- davidw 10y ago
  I'm a bit worried about what will happen if he loses and does not accept it.
  - AnimalMuppet 10y ago
    If by "loses" you mean "loses the general election", that could be a bit problematic. In 2000, Bush mainly kept his mouth shut. But Gore's campaign manager made a series of public statements along the lines of "Gore has clearly won, and if this goes to Bush it's a travesty of the election." That didn't help heal or unite the country after the election; arguably, the division has remained ever since. Trump could do the same thing, but do it much more loudly, bombastically, and in a more attention-grabbing way. The only prevention would be for him to lose so strongly that nobody listens, and everyone writes it off as the whining of a bitter self-deluded loser.
    - davidw 10y ago
      I mean him exhorting his followers to 'do something about it'.
      - AnimalMuppet 10y ago
        Yeah, that could get... interesting. And deadly.

mikeash 10y ago

The others weren't compelling, but at least most of them weren't completely nuts. Sure, the Republican primary electorate found Trump compelling, and that's why they won. And that's what scares me. I don't think they necessarily should have found any of the others compelling (what an awful field of candidates, I mean, seriously, what happened there?) but that's beside the point.

davidw 10y ago
I'm a bit worried about what will happen if he loses and does not accept it.
- AnimalMuppet 10y ago
  If by "loses" you mean "loses the general election", that could be a bit problematic. In 2000, Bush mainly kept his mouth shut. But Gore's campaign manager made a series of public statements along the lines of "Gore has clearly won, and if this goes to Bush it's a travesty of the election." That didn't help heal or unite the country after the election; arguably, the division has remained ever since. Trump could do the same thing, but do it much more loudly, bombastically, and in a more attention-grabbing way. The only prevention would be for him to lose so strongly that nobody listens, and everyone writes it off as the whining of a bitter self-deluded loser.
  - davidw 10y ago
    I mean him exhorting his followers to 'do something about it'.
    - AnimalMuppet 10y ago
      Yeah, that could get... interesting. And deadly.