How Donald Trump Could Have Been Taken Down With 8 Simple Words

[votesparks]

It was a steamy sunny afternoon in my Philadelphia hotel lobby during the third day of the 2016 Democratic National Convention. I was there to retrieve a package from the desk and was waiting in line while two other customers were talking about the upcoming election.

One man, a Hillary Clinton staffer, was engaging with a woman who claimed to be a pro-Trump voter. He was exhorting her not to vote for Trump for the usual reasons: he’s not what he says, he’s racist, he’s insane…

The two continued their back and fourth to nowhere until I broke in, leaving her time to get away from the conversation I sensed she was a bit annoyed with anyway.

“You know how Donald Trump could have been defeated with eight simple words during the primary?” I asked the Hillary staffer.

“How is that?” he asked.

“The first time he told someone to shut up during one of the debates, like he did to Jeb Bush, all Jeb would have had to reply with was “Then come over here and shut me up.”

Full piece

[uponit7771]

1. BOOM !!! THIS...THIS is how to treat a bully!! Then be ready to throw down !! Even if you lose they

... know not to fuck with you next time !!

People need to learn human pathology when it comes to bullies especially sofF handed bullies like Benedict Donald.

Anyone imagine that guy want to throw some !?

Anyone?!


Me either

[votesparks]

7. This guy?

[uponit7771]

8. I'm HIP !!! Bout as sofF as cotton.. never on a true grind

[votesparks]

11. They're soft, like diaper wipes

[TrekLuver]

25. * Edit...They're soft, like ass wipes

[LaydeeBug]

32. right here...they need to be TOLD.

[Garrett78]

2. Riiiight.

Trump lies more than any person I can think of, he brags about sexually assaulting women, he indicated that nearly all Mexican immigrants are "rapists and drug dealers," he's committed massive fraud (e.g., Trump University), he never released his tax returns, he surrounds himself with and nominates overt racists, he nominates individuals to run agencies/departments that they despise, he suggested violence against his political opponent, his speeches are substanceless ("We're looking at jobs--big league jobs.&quot and virtually incoherent ("word salad" is how some have described his statements), he makes comments as outlandish as anything said by President Dwayne Elizondo Mountain Dew Herbert Camacho, he repeatedly evades questions (such as when asked for some indication as to what will replace the ACA), he mocked and denied mocking a reporter with a disability, etc., etc., etc.

And I haven't even mentioned the Russia connection, which we knew about before the election.

But Jeb Bush saying "Then come over here and shut me up" would have ended Trump's campaign?!? M'kay.

Trump would have replied with something like, "I would but I'm a gentleman." Or, "It's good to see you finally show a bit of energy, Jeb." His cult following would have laughed and that'd be the end of that.

[votesparks]

5. All of the helium from his comb-over bluster

would have made a hiss sound as Donald stood there unwilling and/or able to make his orders come to fruition. And the tough-guy mirage would have faded into the air. Instead, Jeb took it like someone who is afraid to stand up for themselves.

[Garrett78]

10. As I said, Trump would have replied, his supporters would have laughed, and that'd be all she wrote.

[Hoyt]

3. Trump would have walked over and punched him, or have his people rough him up

later. Heck, I bet he would have moved toward Clinton.

His white wing supporters would have applauded.

[KittyWampus]

17. He DID move towards Clinton during the last debate. Remember how he stalked behind her?

[Hoyt]

19. I remember it well. Thank god he stopped himself. I kind of jumped when he did.

I will bet his supporters got excited

[dionysus]

27. Lol, let's not credit trump with toughness he doesn't have. He's just a loudmouth bully,

and like most bullies, i bet you a million bucks he's a coward who never threw a punch in his life.

[Hoyt]

31. Probably true, but I'm sure he would have puffed up and acted like he did with Clinton.

He is definitely a bully.

[MrPurple]

4. Sadly, I don't think anyone was going to beat Trump at his own game

Don't think anyone was going to outbully Trump. But, when Trump called Jeb Bush low energy, he should have responded that he's level headed and that helped him manage a complex state, but that Trump is full of bad, erratic, unstable energy.

He should have replied that being calm is an asset and turned the energy thing into a negative for Trump. Instead, he roughly low fived Trump and tried to act more "high energy" in their interactions, which made Trump look dominant, since he was controlling Jeb's behavior.

[votesparks]

6. It's not "out-bullying"

It's calling the bully out.

[uponit7771]

9. +1, The Mexican president ask's Benedict Donald "what's hood?" Benedict Donald says nothing...

... he's about as soft as wet cotton.

It doesn't matter how this is approached or what form its just Benedict Donald is has a big mouth and little conviction and those type of people are easiest to shut up.

[MrPurple]

12. I get that, but it wouldn't have worked on a debate stage

Trump had years of experience playing to the cameras and his audience. If Jeb had said that, Trump would have responded with something like, "Oh yeah, Jeb, Mr. Tough Guy. I don't need to come over there because I'm at 30% and you're at 5% and pretty soon you're going to be off the stage. Low energy Jeb".

I agree that if Trump was on his own on a subway platform, he wouldn't stand up to a challenge. But, on a debate stage, you're not going to beat him in a WWE smackdown. The problem was more that Jeb smiled at Trump's attacks like they were amusing and acted like a golden retriever. He should have turned the tables on what Trump was saying and said that he was full of dangerous, erratic high energy.

Hillary actually handled Trump well in the debates, I thought.

[votesparks]

13. I think it depends on how it is done

Not backing down, following by, "look America, he's all show and no go" would have gone a long way.

Hillary handled him much better, agreed.

[Garrett78]

14. She kicked his ass in all 3 debates.

I've never seen someone get so dominated in every presidential debate. Trump is substanceless and incoherent.

But it didn't make a damn bit of difference to his cult following.

As you said and as I wrote above, Trump would have had a comeback, Bush would have been neutralized and that'd be that.

Consider all that Trump has gotten away with. And Bush challenging Trump to make him shut up would have ended Trump's campaign? Seriously?

[MrPurple]

15. Hillary made him look foolish in the debates

And she rose in the polls after each debate. 54% of the public voted against Trump, but a much higher percentage thought Hillary won the debates.

I know a lot of the public really had issues with Hillary and the emails and the timing of Comey fictitiously bringing Anthony Weiner into the picture was lethal, but I still find it hard to believe that Trump actually won without some serious help from voter suppression.

[Garrett78]

16. I have little doubt voter suppression alone was enough to make the difference.

In such a tight race, any number of factors (voter suppression made easier by the 2013 Shelby County v. Holder decision, FBI/Comey, piss-poor media coverage, Russia, etc.) could have been the difference between winning and losing the electoral college vote.

[dionysus]

28. Thats the problem with debates. They're subjective, and everyone believes their side won.

I believe liberals, tending to be reality based, are usually right ehen we think we've won, and can even admit when we haven't done so well.

[Garrett78]

30. True. But in the case of the 3 Trump-Clinton debates, there really was no contest.

That could just be me being subjective again, but we're talking about someone in Trump who is substanceless and virtually incoherent.

I don't know how any objective analysis (if such a thing is even truly possible) would reach a different conclusion.

[JI7]

18. It Hurt Rubio when he got down to Trump's Level

[MrPurple]

20. Agreed, but Rubio was walking wounded after that Mr. Roboto debate repeating thing with Christie

I think that was a critical point in the primary. Trump had lost Iowa, Rubio was surging in the polls going into NH and then days before the primary, Rubio imploded in that debate. If Trump opened up losing both Iowa & NH he would have had a different trajectory and Rubio would have become the frontrunner then.

[TeamPooka]

29. Big difference between going down to his level and standing up to a bully right. nt

[Vinca]

21. Jeb was smart not to do that. Donnie might have peed on him.

[votesparks]

23. Then

He should have pissed back.

[ElementaryPenguin]

22. Totally agree.

[baldguy]

24. That would require that a Republican would be brave enough to stand up to a bully.

Cowardice is very strong in Republicans.

[LisaM]

26. Yeah, I have eight words that would have worked.

They would have had to come from the media, though.

"We're not going to fawn over your candidacy".