No, Trump should not be taken seriously.

[joshcryer]

He's not a serious candidate. He's a baffoon, a clown. An egomaniacal moron who got handed a fortune by a slum lord of a father. A faux businessman whose only claim to fame was a fake reality show. A person who has contributed practically nothing positive to American society, and arguably contributed negatively to American culture.

A carnival Barker not worthy of respect or even acknowledgement. I wouldn't even mention his name, unless specifically referring to his tiny hands.

No, the DNC, the Democrats, and the nominee should not waste their time even pretending that Trump is a credible candidate.

[nemo137]

1. And yet here he is, inciting mobs and topping the ticket for one of the two major parties

I think seriously is the only way to take him.

[joshcryer]

3. That he attracts protests is even more evidence of his irrelevance.

[LanternWaste]

12. By its very nature, one does not protest the irrelevant-- protests are directed towards a concern.

By its very nature, one does not protest the irrelevant-- protests are directed towards a concern.

[joshcryer]

14. Sure.

But politically if you're getting protests you become a pariah, and if you can't hold rallies without mass protest, good luck gaining traction.

[FrodosPet]

22. So if people protest Sec Clinton

Does that make her a pariah?

Nope. Sorry. I am taking the chances of Teflon Donald VERY seriously.

[nemo137]

13. The protests aren't what I'm talking about

It's the guys punching protestors and beating up artists. He's a real thread, of a type we haven't seen here in a while. Treating him as an irrelevance is wrongheaded at best.

[joshcryer]

15. Yeah, that ought to win over more Americans.

C'mon, I can see the ad now.

"Is this what Donny means about making America great again?"

Then show fights breaking out in the civil rights era.

I'm not saying don't run ads, or don't campaign against, I'm saying the tone of the response mocking.

[nemo137]

17. Yeah, mockery will certainly push leaners from Trump to the Dem

Certainly mocking GWB didn't help convince conservatives that they were the beleaguered, righteous majority, beset by smug elitists.

I'm not saying that mockery isn't warranted, or good, or even useful. It's probably best kept as a way of 1.) not succumbing to despair and 2.) increasing solidarity on our side. I'm saying certainly not the only response, and it's a poor general election strategy.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

2. He's not serious, but he should be taken seriously.

That's my hair-splitting take on it.

[Doctor Who]

23. I second that. NT.

[WhiteTara]

4. At our peril. nt

[alc]

5. Voters should be taken seriously

He has quite a few voters and if he's ignored he's likely to get more. It's hard to take his voters and potential voters seriously without treating him as a credible candidate.

Running ads against him means he's a credible candidate. Avoiding running ads against him because he's "not credible" is almost certainly a losing move for Hillary. Bernie may be able to run enough positive ads to win without mentioning Trump. But he'll still need to show up at debates (which gives Trump credibility) and respond to Trump's attacks (which gives Trump credibility).

[joshcryer]

8. Obviously you run against him. But from a non serious standpoint.

I don't believe the majority of the American people will vote for a bigoted sexist racist neo fascist.

[sufrommich]

6. Seriously? No.

I'm taking Trump very seriously.

[DCBob]

7. Totally agree. He is a huge embarrassment to this nation.

Its shocking there are so many idiots in this country.

[joshcryer]

9. Yep, and the strategy should be self awareness of that.

And complete and utter mockery of Trump. People seem to think I'm arguing about not running ads or something, obviously you do, but in a non serious, sarcastic way.

"This guys really going to deport hundreds of thousands of people a month? Could he even get that many people to stay at his hotels?"

[DesertRat]

10. Trump is an offensive bigot

And everyone who supports his candidacy (citizen or politician) is too. IMO, that's the bottom line.

[Softail1]

11. "keeping up with the Kardashians"

...should not be taken seriously either...but unfortunately, a lot of Americans do! Trump is not to be dismissed without a fight...we need to keep our guard up at all times!

[Bucky]

16. I agree. The Republicans are dum to nominate Trump

They may as well have tried to fall in line behind some failed artist!

[NightWatcher]

18. Bookmarking, to check back in November

[joshcryer]

19. I've bookmarked dozens and dozens of "Trump is a winner" posts.

And I'll be adding your post to that, as it's implied.

[NightWatcher]

21. Did I say he's a winner? No, but you said not to take him seriously.

He's no joke and could easily be the next president. You have no idea what could happen between now and November.

[joshcryer]

24. "Easily."

Yeah right.

[FrodosPet]

20. Sit back, relax, Trump has no chance

Do I even need bothering to vote, since it will be a blowout?