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penpusherJust about nine months ago, I wrote a thinkpost called Why "President Trump" Is NOT As Far-Fetched As You Think", which outlined the basics of why a nonsensical candidate who had no political experience of any kind could wind up being the Republican Nominee for President during this election cycle.
At the time I wrote that piece, a lot of people were saying that Donald Trump was a mere carnival side show, and that his huckster style was entertaining, but would, over time, wear thin and people would eventually come around to select a "real" candidate.
One slight problem with that concept: there was no real candidate! There were about thirteen other terrible, horrible, no good, very bad candidates and Trump. With that configuration it was just a matter of time as round by round, each of those other candidates was forced to suspend their campaigns until we have... Donald Trump.
It's easy to see why Trump won against that crowd. He had two distinct things going for him: he wasn't a part of the Republican establishment, a group that thought that guys like John McCain and Mitt Romney and George W. Bush were adequate people for the job. And he was a successful businessman, which gave some the impression he actually could get things done.
And we can't put too much emphasis on the "backlash" elements that the Conservatives in this country have for President Obama. Anything and everything the GOP has done since 2009 was in an effort to either prevent the President from accomplishing anything useful, or at the very least, make him look as bad as they could. The stagnation created could then be placed on the doorstep of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, and everyone would vote Republican the next time around because look at what that Democratic President did! How's that hopey-changey thing working? Just don't point out the Republican involvement in how it all went down, and maybe people will buy into the rhetoric. Thanks, Obama.
Politics is a big shell game. Admittedly, the Democrats have their problems as well. But there is never a feeling that the Democrats will simply ignore the complaints of their constituents, which has long been the sense coming from the GOP side. But that causes us to examine Trump in a different way because he isn't a typical Republican. He's not really a Republican at all - even his kids didn't re-register as Republican so they couldn't vote for Dad in the New York Primary a few weeks ago.
But here's the crucial element: So far, since Donald J. Trump has entered the race, he really hasn't said ANYTHING. I mean, what has he talked about? He wants to build a wall on the Mexican border, and he's going to make Mexico pay for it. He wants to stop all Muslims from entering the country. He's even considering deporting Muslims. He wants to defund Planned Parenthood. He would consider using nukes in the Middle East. And, before he can say much more than that, protesters interrupt his speeches, fistfights break out in the crowd, he makes some jokes about it and leaves. The candidate, so far, hasn't explained his view of the issues, hasn't shared what makes him a viable choice to be president, hasn't revealed what sorts of practical elements he could do in that role and has skimmed past all of the other information that would be useful in helping decide if a voter should cast a ballot for him.
Additionally, while, yes, the topics he has tackled in interviews and at his rallies are "things," they actually aren't things that the president can do. Those sorts of things fall beyond the Executive branch. So, of all the things Trump has talked about, so far, none of them relate to the job of President of the United States.
In fact, I don't think Donald Trump has any sense about what the job of president of this country really entails, and it shows in his responses. He has no clue about foreign policy. He has no idea about being a representative. His diplomacy is non-existent. Even when it comes to domestic economics, an area you would expect someone of his pedigree to be knowledgeable of, he seems out of his depth and without any reasonable responses.
"It's gonna be so good!" "Watch and see." "We're gonna be winning so much, you're gonna get tired of winning!" None of these comments explain how any of this is going to happen, or even hint that he has some plan to make any of it happen. The Wizard of Oz had more of a concept than the GOP Nominee.
The Man Behind The Curtain says a lot of stuff that makes people angry. When people do get angry about it, it causes distractions which makes for media/video opportunities. The candidate's name gets used over and over and the result is more recognition without any more substance. There is a lot of bluster and a lot of "I'll figure it out once I'm in the Oval Office" kind of response. Is that confidence building or wishful thinking?
The sense I get from this guy is that he may not know what he's doing, but he believes he can just pick a bunch of people who do. The Cabinet will be like the Board Room on "The Apprentice," and if one of them screws up... well, you know the two word phrase.
Why should anyone vote for Trump? I'm still waiting to hear that question answered, and even reports from people who attended his rallies in person had no clear concept of anything to do with the basics of that.
While all of his peccadilloes and colorful verbiage make for a great Reality TV show character, they also make for a horrific Commander-in-Chief. The White House is not a place for "on the job training," especially at this point in history.
Truth be told, a lot of people in the Republican Party do not like Donald Trump and there is already a movement to have Republicans vote for Hillary, just to show you how much the GOP wants to distance itself from The Donald (and, of course, to make sure Hill is a one-term president).
So, with that, I think we can finally exhale. Trump won't have to worry about building a wall, unless it's the wall of some new skyscraper. He won't have to block Muslims from entering, unless it's entering the country club attached to one of his many golf courses. And he won't have to move out of New York for Washington D.C., to a home that he can't put his name on, anyhow.
All in all, I think everyone is relieved.
At the time I wrote that piece, a lot of people were saying that Donald Trump was a mere carnival side show, and that his huckster style was entertaining, but would, over time, wear thin and people would eventually come around to select a "real" candidate.
One slight problem with that concept: there was no real candidate! There were about thirteen other terrible, horrible, no good, very bad candidates and Trump. With that configuration it was just a matter of time as round by round, each of those other candidates was forced to suspend their campaigns until we have... Donald Trump.
It's easy to see why Trump won against that crowd. He had two distinct things going for him: he wasn't a part of the Republican establishment, a group that thought that guys like John McCain and Mitt Romney and George W. Bush were adequate people for the job. And he was a successful businessman, which gave some the impression he actually could get things done.
And we can't put too much emphasis on the "backlash" elements that the Conservatives in this country have for President Obama. Anything and everything the GOP has done since 2009 was in an effort to either prevent the President from accomplishing anything useful, or at the very least, make him look as bad as they could. The stagnation created could then be placed on the doorstep of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, and everyone would vote Republican the next time around because look at what that Democratic President did! How's that hopey-changey thing working? Just don't point out the Republican involvement in how it all went down, and maybe people will buy into the rhetoric. Thanks, Obama.
Politics is a big shell game. Admittedly, the Democrats have their problems as well. But there is never a feeling that the Democrats will simply ignore the complaints of their constituents, which has long been the sense coming from the GOP side. But that causes us to examine Trump in a different way because he isn't a typical Republican. He's not really a Republican at all - even his kids didn't re-register as Republican so they couldn't vote for Dad in the New York Primary a few weeks ago.
But here's the crucial element: So far, since Donald J. Trump has entered the race, he really hasn't said ANYTHING. I mean, what has he talked about? He wants to build a wall on the Mexican border, and he's going to make Mexico pay for it. He wants to stop all Muslims from entering the country. He's even considering deporting Muslims. He wants to defund Planned Parenthood. He would consider using nukes in the Middle East. And, before he can say much more than that, protesters interrupt his speeches, fistfights break out in the crowd, he makes some jokes about it and leaves. The candidate, so far, hasn't explained his view of the issues, hasn't shared what makes him a viable choice to be president, hasn't revealed what sorts of practical elements he could do in that role and has skimmed past all of the other information that would be useful in helping decide if a voter should cast a ballot for him.
Additionally, while, yes, the topics he has tackled in interviews and at his rallies are "things," they actually aren't things that the president can do. Those sorts of things fall beyond the Executive branch. So, of all the things Trump has talked about, so far, none of them relate to the job of President of the United States.
In fact, I don't think Donald Trump has any sense about what the job of president of this country really entails, and it shows in his responses. He has no clue about foreign policy. He has no idea about being a representative. His diplomacy is non-existent. Even when it comes to domestic economics, an area you would expect someone of his pedigree to be knowledgeable of, he seems out of his depth and without any reasonable responses.
"It's gonna be so good!" "Watch and see." "We're gonna be winning so much, you're gonna get tired of winning!" None of these comments explain how any of this is going to happen, or even hint that he has some plan to make any of it happen. The Wizard of Oz had more of a concept than the GOP Nominee.
The Man Behind The Curtain says a lot of stuff that makes people angry. When people do get angry about it, it causes distractions which makes for media/video opportunities. The candidate's name gets used over and over and the result is more recognition without any more substance. There is a lot of bluster and a lot of "I'll figure it out once I'm in the Oval Office" kind of response. Is that confidence building or wishful thinking?
The sense I get from this guy is that he may not know what he's doing, but he believes he can just pick a bunch of people who do. The Cabinet will be like the Board Room on "The Apprentice," and if one of them screws up... well, you know the two word phrase.
Why should anyone vote for Trump? I'm still waiting to hear that question answered, and even reports from people who attended his rallies in person had no clear concept of anything to do with the basics of that.
While all of his peccadilloes and colorful verbiage make for a great Reality TV show character, they also make for a horrific Commander-in-Chief. The White House is not a place for "on the job training," especially at this point in history.
Truth be told, a lot of people in the Republican Party do not like Donald Trump and there is already a movement to have Republicans vote for Hillary, just to show you how much the GOP wants to distance itself from The Donald (and, of course, to make sure Hill is a one-term president).
So, with that, I think we can finally exhale. Trump won't have to worry about building a wall, unless it's the wall of some new skyscraper. He won't have to block Muslims from entering, unless it's entering the country club attached to one of his many golf courses. And he won't have to move out of New York for Washington D.C., to a home that he can't put his name on, anyhow.
All in all, I think everyone is relieved.