[–] [deleted] 0 points 7 points 7 points (+7|-0) ago
[–] Medwin 0 points 6 points 6 points (+6|-0) ago
It seems like I'm sort of the whipping post because I bring it up. And I don't understand whether you are liberal or whether you are conservative or whether you are Republican, Democrat -- why wouldn't you talk about a problem?" Trump said Saturday. "The crime is raging. It's violent, and people don't want to even talk about it. If you talk about it, you are a racist. I don't understand it."
This right here. It seems like everyone else is either ignoring the issue or outright saying the issue doesn't exist. Trump is bringing up a very real issue, he may not have brought it up in the best way, but that doesn't change the problem.
[–] One_Wing_Angel 0 points 6 points 6 points (+6|-0) ago
Trump is being crucified and turned into a caricature, and his private businesses are not only being attacked, but become designated targets for half the country. If you're good, then you better not even do business with the bastard! /sarc
Politics is beginning to dominate our lives. It's not enough to vote the correct way, but you must also denounce the Opponent as evil, and then - It being evil - ostracize and destroy It.
This has always been the case on the fringes, of course, but it is now rapidly consuming the center of the left. This is a malignant development.
[–] Unlucky13 0 points 2 points 2 points (+2|-0) ago
To be fair though, if he was serious about running for office than he should give up control of his businesses. Not doing so just opens him up to massive conflict of interest issues and makes him look like he's entering politics to promote his brand. You can't be surprised when people refuse to buy your products (which have your own name plastered all over them) when you're going around making controversial statements- right or wrong as they may be.
[–] Unlucky13 0 points 1 point 1 point (+1|-0) ago
Meh, if your brand's success is determined by maintaining positive public opinion of you and your products/companies, then diving into politics is the worst thing you could do from a business standpoint. If you absolutely have to get involved, then there's plenty of opportunities to donate and support political candidates without putting your company name out there. The Koch Brothers have mastered this.
Trump went out there with the intention of saying controversial things that he HAD to know was going to make a lot of people upset. He's a pompous egotistical ass who the public has been dying to light on fire for years now, and he finally gave them a lighter to use against him. He's been saying controversial things for years with no repercussions. If anything, it's only raised his value and his profits. So how should people hold him accountable? His money. Go after his money and he may finally realize that he simply cannot make such tone-deaf statements, and perhaps let him know that he is way too out of touch of the average American to be an effective President.
[–] FreeSpeachRocks [S] 0 points 1 point 1 point (+1|-0) ago (edited ago)
I'm a believer in freedom of association and am intolerant of intolerance. I like having bigots out in the open so I can avoid encounters, including doing business with them. It doesn't matter what kind of bigotry (SJW, religious fundamentalist, or extremists of any flavor) they engage in.
That said, I always will defend their right to be an asshole and to speak their mind freely.
Trump is the Republicans' worst nightmare. They promised themselves after the last Presidential election to focus on kissing up to the Latinos. Fair or not, the Republican Party is going to get the Latino backlash from guilt by association. The fact that Trump is actually increasing his approval rating among Republicans after the racist comments sort of tells you about their voter base already.
[–] [deleted] 4 points 16 points 20 points (+20|-4) ago (edited ago)
[–] robsta33 1 point 4 points 5 points (+5|-1) ago
I know that my comment may be seen by some as crass and without tact, but the guy really is a total a-hole.
[–] bill.lee ago
I think there was something else going on...either contracts about to expire or negotiations going awry. Like you said, Trump has been who he is for the past 30-years. I never got the Gordon Gecko cult-of-personality that swirled about him, but it still did exist. And everyone knows what he is like--the statement shouldn't have been surprising. So, the outrage that followed struck me as odd.
[–] binky ago (edited ago)
Having ignored said cult of personality I was shocked to learn what he is like.
[–] HowSoonWasThen ago
Trump is something of an evil genius. Saying something inflammatory and generalizing racially is definitely getting Trump's name in the conversation.
Granted, to anyone paying attention it's bad press. But there will be plenty of people who only hear about this tangentially and will support Trump because he's being picked on, regardless of how fair it is.
So most of us will just write this off as Trump being an asshole but this is one way to build a stronger base, by pretending you're the oppressed, underdog candidate.
[–] WalkingShadow 1 point 5 points 6 points (+6|-1) ago
"Who's doing the raping?" doesn't seem to me to be a very cogent statement on the state of border security, if that's his point.