This has never been a letter about electoral politics–who’s in, who’s out, who’s up, who’s down, etc.–and I’m not about to change that. But I can’t pass on the Donald Trump phenomenon because of what it represents about our politics early in the 21st century.
I think his popularity with Republicans will ultimately fade, but there are a couple of things to like about the Trump candidacy and I am generally a fan of non-traditional candidates, particularly those from the private sector who have no experience in elected office, like Carly Fiorina. He has obviously hit a nerve with GOP voters who are frustrated with the establishment and the gridlocked system that is dysfunctional on a number of critical issues, and I have a level of sympathy with that. And I like the idea of a guy who doesn’t worry about what people think about his non-politically correct bombs and who disrupts the spin-doctored management of the traditional candidates.
But Trump is of a different order because he is a product of our reality TV celebrity-saturated culture and I fear that his popularity is driven by a polity that is increasingly ignorant of the implications of their choices. I don’t want to come off as elitist, but you don’t need to watch many segments of the Watter’s World interviews of people on the street to be horrified, and Trump is at least partially a product of this culture, which should give all of us pause. And as for his policy positions, he is all over the map over the years, most of it lacks any real depth, and a lot of it is anathema to the movement conservative base, which is damaging. But as I have said many times, with an electorate that twice voted for a charlatan like Barack Obama, anything is possible.
Not a huge Trump fan. That being said I love that he states his opinions on something and doesnt back down because the liberal media demands it of him, or the uninformed public is “offended” If elected, he may be able to turn our economy around and build American businesses, but I’m afraid his diplomatic efforts would be a disaster. I think that he would fail to listen to the American people much like Obama, because he too believes he knows more and is always right. I think he has given the lifelong politicians something to think about as far as the American public is concerned. Maybe he can serve as a wake up call if nothing else
And then along comes Carly! She captures the mood, but does so with grace and intelligence — but not reluctant to call a liar a liar.
I like Carly a lot and hope she is elevated to the top tier. I agree that I like candidates with executive experience like Carly, Kasich, and Walker, in no particular order.
Obama broke the mold for presidential credentials. Once voters decided “first black” topped the selection criteria used for Lincoln and Reagan … Trump, Hillary, Sanders and Farrakhan are now all in play. And to add an exclamation mark to the new doctrine of credentialing, voters doubled down on “first black” with “failed presidency” by electing Obama to a second term. Here’s a fact I’ll take to my grave: There was no amount of Romney stink that could justify re-electing Obama. His economy stunk, Obamacare stunk, his cabinet stunk, his divisive rhetoric stunk, his unemployment rate stunk, his labor participation rate stunk and foreign policy stunk. Obama’s damage to our political olfactory glands will last forever.
I overheard at lunch recently a definition of our current president. ‘The Spawn of Bestiality’. I had to look it up and ask around. Now I wonder where this will go, if it does.