The Call of the Trump(-et)
Love him, like him, admire him, or hate him as you will, but there be no doubt that when Donald Trump does something, he does it in a in a big way. Whether he is opening a golf course, a hotel/casino, or even a presidential campaign, he is a whiz at garnering attention. While that, in and of itself, can be a double-edged sword in the world of politics, there are more than a dozen of his rivals for the Republican presidential nomination who absolutely and undeniably covet the attention that he is commanding in this summer before the convention summer of 2016… and he is not backing down…not anytime soon.
His advantages are obvious. He has the requisite wealth to pursue his quest without having to kowtow to donors, hat in hand, begging them for the cash necessary to mount a serious national campaign. When he speaks, he commands attention and he does so without consulting pollsters and advisors who all-too-often bind a candidate from saying anything that carries any meaning, whatsoever. He is honest when he voices his opinion, albeit perhaps to a fault, but honest, nevertheless. Above all else, he lacks the fear to do so that is so sickeningly obvious in so many other politicos, right and left. He carries the bombastic delivery of a Theodore Roosevelt, the self-confidence of a Ronald Reagan, and the fighting spirit of an Andrew Jackson. When he is lambasted or insulted, he has the cajones to reply in kind, and with the artful modus operandi of a prizefighter, as most recently displayed when he “served” South Carolina Senator Lindsay Graham, after Graham called him a jackass…by forcing the Senator to go through the inconvenience of having to change his wireless phone number…that is absolutely priceless in a world saturated with enough sensitivity and political correctness to make even “Miss Manners” gag on the saccharine soliloquy of acceptable social intercourse that is politics. Senator Graham will no doubt think twice the next time he wants to start a scrape with “the Donald”.
His disadvantages are equally obvious. He has no political experience, per se, aside from donating to multiple candidates over the years, from both parties. His brazenness- part schmaltz, part shtick, with a heavy dose of New York City guile turns off a lot of people in the hinterlands- particularly in the South and the Midwest, where abrasiveness is not so tolerable due to regional social norms which exists, by and large, in those areas. His generally ritzy bearing, in all manners of dress and style, makes him seem incapable of relating to the “average joe”, much the same as Hillary Clinton’s icy seclusion makes her seem out of touch in the same manner. Seemingly devoid of any sense of humility, he has a tendency to sing the song of a braggadocio, which only serves to fuel the disdain that such behavior elicits. Most importantly, he often lacks restraint in what he says which, when he says something corrosive, makes political observers take pause in what otherwise would be the efficacy of a populist campaign.
As things stand now, in this all-too-early presidential campaign, it remains to be seen whether “the Donald” can master his foibles while continuing to capitalize on his considerable gifts of showmanship. Republicans will rightfully fear the possibility of his pulling a “Perot”, and running as a third party candidate, should he be locked out or denied the nomination. Democrats will just as rightfully fear what he would do, facing Hillary, in a debate. For the time being…and it’s damned early…the nomination appears to be his to lose, but there is absolutely no doubt that he has drawn a tremendous amount of interest during a time that usually draws little interest, and left unchallenged, makes him a formidable and viable candidate by any measure. It just depends on whether this Trump (-et) plays “charge” or “taps” at the end of the day…
-Drew Nickell, 22 July 2015
© 2015 by Drew Nickell, all rights reserved