Another cringe worthy moment from the Donald!

[Turbo3000]

The current head of the FBI doesn't even know current gun laws involving online retailers. They are all fucking imbeciles. Trump, Hilary, Sanders, Obama, Bush, the entire house and senate, all are out of touch idiots.

[Bouncer]

It's a thread from Reddit where they asked people who don't hate trump what they see in him and to explain. These aren't fans of trump, they are simply sick of the bullshit that is today's political game. Trump throws a monkey wrench into the whole thing. You don't seem able to see any point besides your own.

[Scrumhalf]

I don't know who you are quoting there, but most of it is ridiculous The guy is a complete buffoon and will destroy everything.. He just doesn't get it. And if he really says what he believes, then he is even stupider than I thought. I can go over his idiocy point by point, but I frankly don't know if it worth my time. Complete moron. Doesn't have the foggiest idea.

[Bouncer]

"So I've spent the last 30 years living outside D.C. And at least since the Bush Sr. administration I've paid pretty close attention to politics, and have become pretty disillusioned with both parties. Basically as I see it every candidate we get from either side has the same flaws, flaws that Trump, despite being a very flawed individual in his own right, doesn't share.

First, every politician is a corporate whore. Campaign finance law basically exists to be super muddled, keep out 3rd parties, and disguise where any politicians money is coming from. We legitimately don't know who our leaders owe favors to, it's usually a lot of people, and it's definitely influencing policy. With Trump we know exactly where his money came from, it's going to be a lot harder for random lobbyist/backer to manipulate Trump. We've even seen this reflected in some policy ideas he's talked about like the changes to the tax code to close loopholes that he knows as well as anyone because he's used them himself for decades.

Second, if you think about the traits good leaders have had, from a historical figure you admire to a great coach or the boss you really liked, typically those people are straightforward and honest with people, speak their mind and stand up for what they believe in, are open minded but firm in their convictions, and tend to shine when making difficult decisions. I think the traits necessary to be a politician are the opposite of all that. To be a successful politician you have to hide your true thoughts and motives when they're at all controversial and instead give people what they want, you have to avoid tough decisions like the plague and stand for what no one is opposed to. Just look at political debates, no one answers any questions, they all talk and talk and say nothing. Trump seems to legitimately say what he thinks. He seems honest, even when what he thinks is pretty weird. He legitimately doesn't care if people aren't going to like what he has to say. He answers those questions in those debates, it's pretty refreshing.

I'd actually go so far as to argue that Trump is open minded. He used to be a Democrat, now he's a Republican, he's still very liberal on a large number of issues. He was on a Comedy Central roast and was a good sport about it. He's clearly capable of laughing at himself, which implies he's aware he may be wrong at times.

I don't think he's racist at all, though he's definitely more worried about terrorism than I feel is warranted. He's definitely an asshole, but I'm not interested in having him as a friend. George W. seemed like a genuinely nice guy and we invaded two countries, Obama seems like a genuinely nice guy and NSA spying and drone strikes are at an all time high. Maybe being a nice guy isn't that important to running a country.

Trump has been the victim of gotcha journalism and misquotation or out of context quotation pretty heavily recently, and I think people don't know what he really stands for. He believes some weird shit, but it's not all as crazy as it's made out. For instance his statements that made the front page recently on the internet were wildly misrepresented. He was asked specifically about ISIS' ability to recruit online and was talking about trying to take steps to limit that. To me it was obvious from what he said that he doesn't know much about the Internet, but to me what he said about "get with Bill Gates" that was so heavily mocked here was pretty clear in context, that he was saying he wants to meet with experts in the field and see what our options are. As much as it's been ripped I thought he was making a point mentioning Gates. Trump knows Bill Gates politically, and how liberal he is, and I think was implying it's a non-partisan issue and showing the angle they'd take, which was what the next line mocking people crying about freedom of speech was about. Trump knows Bill Gates is the last guy on earth who would want to filter the Internet and restrict freedom, that's the point in dropping his name. I'm far more concerned with the similar statements, from a more informed position, that Hillary and Obama have already made concerning freedoms and spying on the Internet.

summary: All that is not to say that Trump isn't a wildly flawed individual, and I can't say I think Trump would necessarily be a great president. I don't think he can win anyway, but I love what he's brought to the election process. He actually says what he believes in the debates, answers questions honestly, takes stands, and calls people out. He's also clean in a weird way when no politician is, because he was one of the ones buying the politicians in the past. I think there's a chance that if it goes far enough Trump's success can change our political climate and make candidates actually answer questions about real issues in the future. It probably won't but then I never thought he'd do this well to begin with."

[Bouncer]

Something tells me that his taste for politics turned sour during the Bush years.

[Scrumhalf]

GOP needs to convince Colin Powell to run. He's the only Republican who isn't batshit crazy.

[Bouncer]

It's not that people like him so much as it is they are sick of the same old thing. The same PR bullshit that never changes or gets anything done. In the strangest of ways, he is a breath of fresh air to people. I think trump is a clown, but I don't believe any of the other candidates will do a single fucken thing in office. There are differences but there are also scary similarities to the climate in Germany leading to the Nazi party.

[chuckz28]

What I'm finding strange is a couple lifelong democrats I know are in the Trump camp because they don't want anymore Bushes or Clinton's and don't support a self admitted socialist. Most of the Republicans I talk to can't be reasoned with either. They all like his big mouth. It is becoming more evident that I'll stay home this election. Voting for the lesser of two evils bothers me more than ever.

[Scrumhalf]

Not a chance. Which is why the Republicans are freaking.

[Mr I]

Trump

[Scrumhalf]

What are his chances of winning actually?

Who, Trump or Sanders?

[Mr I]

What are his chances of winning actually?

[Scrumhalf]

I hope the disaster that is Trump is a teaching moment. But I'm not holding my breath. We seem to have learned nothing from the disaster that was George W.

[Bouncer]

I don't think there's anything redeeming about trump but I do think his rise may be a wake up call to the system and the American people that something has gone terribly wrong. In that sense, he may push us to become better and fix what's obviously broken.

As far as Sanders goes... I'm a person that needs to be inspired by someone for their passion. Nothing about his character that I find inspiring. Sanders is a smart man and a man I happen to agree with more times than not, but he's no leader. He cannot and will not inspire anyone to do anything. His voice is lost in the crowd for a reason. We need a smart man AND a leader in office.

[Scrumhalf]

I disagree. There is nothing redeeming about Trump. He is a fascist, appealing to the basest of our instincts. There seems to be no place too low that he is not willing to go. It's disgusting, really.

If you are looking for someone who speaks his mind, look at Bernie Sanders. You may not agree with him, but he is unabashedly to the left and if I am not mistaken, pretty much calls himself a socialist candidate. He is upfront and open about what he believes in and what hjs platform is.

Sanders is logical and principled. Unfortunately, he gets very little coverage as mainstream media is fascinated by the dumpster fire that is Trump.

A democracy deserves the government it has. And Trump's popularity perhaps says more about us than about him.