Is Trump's 2016 campaign the biggest con job in American history?

[Arbitrage1980]

I honestly can't think of a more insidious and massive con job on gullible Americans than Trump's presidential campaign. Even Bernie Madoff's ponzi scheme is child's play compared to what Trump is about to pull if he wins the election.

[uti2]

I honestly can't think of a more insidious and massive con job on gullible Americans than Trump's presidential campaign. Even Bernie Madoff's ponzi scheme is child's play compared to what Trump is about to pull if he wins the election.

How is it any different from GWB conning gullible Americans?

[HagridOfTheDeep]

George W. Bush actually had the requisite knowledge to be president, which is not something we can say about stupid cock Trump.

[uti2]

George W. Bush actually had the requisite knowledge to be president, which is not something we can say about stupid cock Trump.

Did he really, or was that Cheney who did?

[elcorazon]

George W. Bush actually had the requisite knowledge to be president, which is not something we can say about stupid cock Trump.

I would not say this. I would say that he a) had experience as a chief executive and could put together an administration (not to mention his dad was President); and b) while possibly not great on policy or on intellect, he was not a con artist - he might have fooled people into thinking he was better prepared to be President than he was, but his Presidency at least represented an attempt to do what he thought was right....
Trump... not so much...

[uti2]

George W. Bush actually had the requisite knowledge to be president, which is not something we can say about stupid cock Trump.

I would not say this. I would say that he a) had experience as a chief executive and could put together an administration (not to mention his dad was President); and b) while possibly not great on policy or on intellect, he was not a con artist - he might have fooled people into thinking he was better prepared to be President than he was, but his Presidency at least represented an attempt to do what he thought was right....
Trump... not so much...

Are you sure about that?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9SOVzMV2bc

[ag]

yes.

[uti2]

yes.

He is like the other politicians who ran who also conned the public (GWB being his closest comparison), if just dislike him more it's because you disagree with him personally on the issues *you believe* he represents.

[Mr. Smith]

Only if he wins.

[elcorazon]

yes.

He is like the other politicians who ran who also conned the public (GWB being his closest comparison), if just dislike him more it's because you disagree with him personally on the issues *you believe* he represents.

I dunno. Wasn't much I agreed with W on, but he's nowhere near the conman Trump is. Even Trump's resume is a total con job. His businesses are a con. His personality is a con. It amazes me to this day that anyone falls for it.

[Mr. Smith]

yes.

He is like the other politicians who ran who also conned the public (GWB being his closest comparison), if just dislike him more it's because you disagree with him personally on the issues *you believe* he represents.

I dunno. Wasn't much I agreed with W on, but he's nowhere near the conman Trump is. Even Trump's resume is a total con job. His businesses are a con. His personality is a con. It amazes me to this day that anyone falls for it.

Please, W was clearly the pawn to Cheney and Rove in that one.

[Yank2133]

Yup.

Ben Carson, Newt and Cain in 2012 were bad, but Trump has taking grifting to another level this election cycle.

[Virginiá]

yes.

He is like the other politicians who ran who also conned the public (GWB being his closest comparison), if just dislike him more it's because you disagree with him personally on the issues *you believe* he represents.

Well the amusing thing about Trump is that he's so ridiculously inept and awful that what he's doing should be obvious to those who pay close attention. All he cares about is himself and he doesn't give a rats ass about the people he loves so much, the poooorrrllly educated. He has no empathy, he never admits when he is wrong, and he literally has a record of conning people - from fake schools to constantly shorting or trying to get out of paying contractors altogether. On top of this, he very clearly has no idea whatsoever about policy or how government works and has made basically no efforts to educate himself. He just wants power, and it's so freakin obvious.

I would have to say that his con is far more brazen than any previous candidate in modern history that I can think of, but I don't know what the criteria for the 'size' of a presidential campaign 'con' is, so I can't say myself.

[Ebowed]

The Republican party is built around an entire philosophy of economics that is literally a scam: trickle down economics.  We can somehow lift everybody's livelihoods just by making it easier for the rich to hoard wealth, so they say.  Well, we've been trying that for over 30 years and how are those results looking?  Abysmal.

Donald Trump is the natural culmination of a party that deliberately lies to its base, encourages willful ignorance, and exploits fear and division.  Donald Trump is the brain child of Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush.

And don't any of you forget it!

[ag]

yes.

He is like the other politicians who ran who also conned the public (GWB being his closest comparison), if just dislike him more it's because you disagree with him personally on the issues *you believe* he represents.

Not at all. I had issue disagreements with GWBush. With Trump it is far beyond disagreements. He is a clear and pleasant danger to human civilization.

[ag]

The Republican party is built around an entire philosophy of economics that is literally a scam: trickle down economics.  We can somehow lift everybody's livelihoods just by making it easier for the rich to hoard wealth, so they say.  Well, we've been trying that for over 30 years and how are those results looking?  Abysmal.

Donald Trump is the natural culmination of a party that deliberately lies to its base, encourages willful ignorance, and exploits fear and division.  Donald Trump is the brain child of Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush.

I disagree. Do not mix Trump with the general Republican views of the economy. Most real Republicans who have any views on it, do not find anything in Trump that would be appealing to them. He is as antithetical to the Republican traditional economic positions, as he is to anybody else´s.

[uti2]

The Republican party is built around an entire philosophy of economics that is literally a scam: trickle down economics.  We can somehow lift everybody's livelihoods just by making it easier for the rich to hoard wealth, so they say.  Well, we've been trying that for over 30 years and how are those results looking?  Abysmal.

Donald Trump is the natural culmination of a party that deliberately lies to its base, encourages willful ignorance, and exploits fear and division.  Donald Trump is the brain child of Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush.

I disagree. Do not mix Trump with the general Republican views of the economy. Most real Republicans who have any views on it, do not find anything in Trump that would be appealing to them. He is as antithetical to the Republican traditional economic positions, as he is to anybody else´s.

His plan is basically trickle down economics + old school pre-1950s gop protectionism, that is pretty much the 'traditional gop view'.

[uti2]

yes.

He is like the other politicians who ran who also conned the public (GWB being his closest comparison), if just dislike him more it's because you disagree with him personally on the issues *you believe* he represents.

Not at all. I had issue disagreements with GWBush. With Trump it is far beyond disagreements. He is a clear and pleasant danger to human civilization.

To anyone who makes bold statements like this, they should clarify what they think of someone like Pat Buchanan, if they make a similar assertion regarding Buchanan, while calling a Bush 'good compared to Buchanan' then it's clearly bias.

That being said, this is still an exaggeration, were Caudillos 'threats to human civilization'?

[uti2]

yes.

He is like the other politicians who ran who also conned the public (GWB being his closest comparison), if just dislike him more it's because you disagree with him personally on the issues *you believe* he represents.

Well the amusing thing about Trump is that he's so ridiculously inept and awful that what he's doing should be obvious to those who pay close attention. All he cares about is himself and he doesn't give a rats ass about the people he loves so much, the poooorrrllly educated. He has no empathy, he never admits when he is wrong, and he literally has a record of conning people - from fake schools to constantly shorting or trying to get out of paying contractors altogether. On top of this, he very clearly has no idea whatsoever about policy or how government works and has made basically no efforts to educate himself. He just wants power, and it's so freakin obvious.

I would have to say that his con is far more brazen than any previous candidate in modern history that I can think of, but I don't know what the criteria for the 'size' of a presidential campaign 'con' is, so I can't say myself.

see

The Republican party is built around an entire philosophy of economics that is literally a scam: trickle down economics.  We can somehow lift everybody's livelihoods just by making it easier for the rich to hoard wealth, so they say.  Well, we've been trying that for over 30 years and how are those results looking?  Abysmal.

Donald Trump is the natural culmination of a party that deliberately lies to its base, encourages willful ignorance, and exploits fear and division.  Donald Trump is the brain child of Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush.

And don't any of you forget it!

Trump is just a glamorized exaggeration of the con Republicans have been doing for 50 years. Like so-called conservative Reagan, single-handedly transforming the US from the largest creditor nation to the largest debtor nation in 8 years with his massive deficit spending. Or Bush attacking Dukakis using subtle race-baiting (Willie Horton), GWB slamming Gore over nonsensical issues while GWB maintained nebulous incoherent plans of his own. Or 2004, Kerry, a war hero, getting swiftboated on his military service, (same as the attack on mccain and the khans). Trickle down economics being the biggest con of all, claiming to be a conservative in terms of wanting a balanced budget, while supporting insane spending levels, without supporting the tax hikes necessary to sustain them. Reublicans have never fought fair, to whitewash the entire history of the Republican party is otherwise disgraceful, you can absolutely bet that if it was Bernie vs. a Generic R, that the Republicans would never have even bothered to discuss the issues with him once, and would've simply character assassinated him with his 'praise of castro', etc. that is the GOP.

[angus]

Is Trump's 2016 campaign the biggest con job in American history?

Yes!

Well, maybe not the biggest, but I've been saying for a year on this forum that it's just a big publicity stunt.  Trump neither particularly wants, nor knows how to handle, the job.  He just wants the free advertisement.

[uti2]

Is Trump's 2016 campaign the biggest con job in American history?

Yes!

Well, maybe not the biggest, but I've been saying for a year on this forum that it's just a big publicity stunt.  Trump neither particularly wants, nor knows how to handle, the job.  He just wants the free advertisement.

No GOP candidate this year seriously expected to win with the exception of Jeb. The rest were running for publicity/longshot game. Even Cruz's plan was always a longshot convention play in the event that Jeb got less than 1237.

[Mallow]

yes.

He is like the other politicians who ran who also conned the public (GWB being his closest comparison), if just dislike him more it's because you disagree with him personally on the issues *you believe* he represents.

Well the amusing thing about Trump is that he's so ridiculously inept and awful that what he's doing should be obvious to those who pay close attention. All he cares about is himself and he doesn't give a rats ass about the people he loves so much, the poooorrrllly educated. He has no empathy, he never admits when he is wrong, and he literally has a record of conning people - from fake schools to constantly shorting or trying to get out of paying contractors altogether. On top of this, he very clearly has no idea whatsoever about policy or how government works and has made basically no efforts to educate himself. He just wants power, and it's so freakin obvious.

I would have to say that his con is far more brazen than any previous candidate in modern history that I can think of, but I don't know what the criteria for the 'size' of a presidential campaign 'con' is, so I can't say myself.

This. This is the main, important difference between Trump and Bush. Bush had empathy. He was wrong, he was a fool, but he at least cared about others sometimes. Trump is narcissistic beyond belief. Trump doesn't know the meaning of the word empathy. And the danger that poses is exactly the reason that people fear a Trump presidency.

[Virginiá]

see

I do understand, but there are actually many Republicans who really believe in those theories. I've met some. However, I'm not trying to respond as a generalization against the entire party's philosophy. I just wanted to address Trump himself.

I get what he means and to a degree I support it, but only in the idea that many Republicans in power very likely see it doesn't work and continue pushing it due to backing from wealthy donors who want the policies regardless of how much it hurts the country - so long as it helps them, right now.

[ag]

yes.

He is like the other politicians who ran who also conned the public (GWB being his closest comparison), if just dislike him more it's because you disagree with him personally on the issues *you believe* he represents.

Not at all. I had issue disagreements with GWBush. With Trump it is far beyond disagreements. He is a clear and pleasant danger to human civilization.

To anyone who makes bold statements like this, they should clarify what they think of someone like Pat Buchanan, if they make a similar assertion regarding Buchanan, while calling a Bush 'good compared to Buchanan' then it's clearly bias.

That being said, this is still an exaggeration, were Caudillos 'threats to human civilization'?

I have no clue what you are saying. Buchanan was not a serious run. He never conned anyone. It was a minor diversion from the mainstream of American politics. He never stood a chance, he knew it, and so did everybody else.

In any case, Buchanan was infinitely more qualified than Trump. Though, of course, he would have been a disastrous and disgusting president. But, at the very least, however disgusting his views, he was not running on a platform of destroying the United States. Trump is: and he is having a major probability of winning. That is the biggest con in US history. Forget Buchanan: he is beating both Charles Ponzi and Bernie Madoff.

[uti2]

see

I do understand, but there are actually many Republicans who really believe in those theories. I've met some. However, I'm not trying to respond as a generalization against the entire party's philosophy. I just wanted to address Trump himself.

I get what he means and to a degree I support it, but only in the idea that many Republicans in power very likely see it doesn't work and continue pushing it due to backing from wealthy donors who want the policies regardless of how much it hurts the country - so long as it helps them, right now.

And Trump simply represents an exaggerated version of the fantasy that Republicans have been pushing. Believing in Trickle Down fairytales despite all evidence to the contrary is an example of that delusion, that's the type of environment someone like a Trump can thrive in. Even Charlie Sykes admitted that he 'created a monster', by creating a parallel universe of a fact-free environment for those Republicans to live in. This is the standard GOP con, Trump is a part of that. Remember Romney taking the birther's endorsement, and the GOP media flirting with the birthers?