I indicated recently that Trump was a presidential non-starter, and I would like to say just a few things about that. If I may.
The Trump phenomenon/boomlet is reality television meets celebrity buzz meets annoyance on immigration meets faux defiance of political correctness meets hot first lady with nude pics on the Internet meets the ultimate American Trump card, which would of course be money. But we have to be realistic. Trump’s high poll numbers is the Republican primary electorate on a spring break bender in Fort Lauderdale. This is not the girl they are going to marry.
But what is going on in the meantime? The Trump empire of glitz is built like Versailles, only without any taste. It reminds one of that time I was visiting a well-known charismatic television studio, let us not inquire too closely as to why, and everything back stage looked like it was built for the Sun King. But when you got up close, that special je ne sais quoi trailer park quality jumped out at you. Think Saddam palaces with discount molding bought at Home Depot.
What Trump actually represents is a test for the other Republican candidates. And by this I do not mean whether or not they oppose or support him, or understand the indignation he is tapping into, or fiercely denounce what he just said about Mexicans, or are courting his constituency without identifying with him per se. I don’t mean any of that. The test concerns which candidate is willing to demonstrate in public that they understand that Trump is funny.
There was “a thing” going around after the first debate asking this: if Trump can’t handle Megyn Kelly, then how on earth is he going to handle Putin? Well, great question, but let’s expand it a bit. If the Republican candidates generally can’t handle Trump, then how on earth are they going to handle Putin?
For, make no mistake, in the ledgers of ludicrous, American machismo and Russian machismo are just the same number in different columns. Trump would handle Putin by sending him a bevy of concubines, and they would then discover that they were entirely on the same wavelength. Putin could teach Trump how to ride shirtless on a horse, or maybe shoot Cecil’s cousin in Africa, and Trump would teach Putin how to leverage the hair around his ears into a massive bouffant. Peace would then break out, and the only price we would have to pay would be that of being locked in the studio audience in order to watch reality television eat reality.
That is where I make my mistake, you say. Reality television doesn’t have studio audiences. Ah. But they would then. The world would be the studio audience.
Excellent post, except that I question Versailles’ claim to taste. Ostentation and glitz.
Agreed. If you want to see “big house” done correctly, visit Biltmore in Asheville, NC.
Bravo. Slow Clap.
Pastor Wilson,
You mean find him funny like this:
http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/carly-fiorina-donald-trump-remarks-sort-amusing
Don’t know much about Fiorina but she does come off rather well.
Just not a live studio audience.
I agree with your prediction as to how Trump would handle Putin. I don’t see why this would be a bad thing. If the PTB are going to pillage our futures they might as well make it entertaining for us.
Also, it appears that Jesse Ventura is contemplating asking Trump for the VP slot. This must happen.
Hey, Ben. I don’t know if you already referenced this but if not here’s a load of information on WWII and the atomic bomb that might interest you. http://blog.nuclearsecrecy.com/
Been seeing the acronym PTB show up here now and then, so I finally googled it. Glad to know what it means now, but can someone explain why the Portland Trail Blazers would want to pillage our futures?
Trump is not a non-starter because he is a reality show buffoon. Sarah Palin was a reality show buffoon. He isn’t a non-starter for having a history of left-wing policy positions. Mitt Romney supported socialized medicine and see the attached link regarding his support of gay civil unions and various gay rights positions. http://www.massresistance.org/docs/marriage/romney/timeline.html Trump is a non-starter because questioning the fundamental transformation of America through immigration is to the right of the Overton window. One of the fundamental purposes of “conservatives” is policing the right side of the Overton window. Republicans aren’t attacking Trump from the right, they are… Read more »
Good post. While not about Trump, this post shows why the MSM, liberals and so many Republicans are afraid of him: he doesn’t give a darn about his political “status”:
To me, an Australian, Trump represents all that the outside world thinks America truly is. He is just more honest about (or incapable of concealing) the fact that all US politics is nothing more than entertainment and theatre for the inebriated masses.
The only sense in which those outside the US take the US political circus seriously is our awareness that the clown (whoever He may be) actually carries a loaded gun which he enjoys firing at anything with a dollar sign on it.
I’ve thought along those lines but not as clearly as you managed to state in a few lines. It’s both funny and sad.
Wow – everyone outside the U.S. is so sophisticated!
Oh, I wouldn’t say that, Will. We have just as many circus clowns where I am from. But sometimes it’s easier to see the show when your’e sitting a few rows back.
The ridiculousness of kitsch that thinks it’s high art has an opposite: the ridiculousness of high art that mistakes refinement for beauty.
Speaking of Trump being funny.
http://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/donald-trump-through-the-ages
Using the Spring Break analogy….. a friend of mine noted: What if we get her pregnant… shall we then do the right thing and make an honest woman of her?
Can’t make a ho a housewife. – Dr. Dre
Trump is fun for the weekend, but there is no evidence he would be a faithful president.
Pagan press has us right where they want us. Everyone it seems is focused on presidential politics. I dare say that if we spent as much time working to elect a brother to the House as we spent talking about the next president, it wouldn’t matter if Putin were in the White House.
Meanwhile, Trump does an end-run around all the so-called pundits and releases the most serious proposal meant to stop our immigration crisis/demographic overload in years. Go to his website to read it. Anyone not serious about our demographic transformation is frankly a traitor.
Would this be your main concern of all issues when considering a candidate?
Trump _is_ funny, that’s part of his appeal. I’d love to see a more serious person running to his right, but that’s not going to happen, at least this time. He’s not the hero we need, but he’s the hero we deserve. ;-)
“I’ve had it up to here _ with Rand Paul” :) That was funny, un-pc, and on his feet.
Immigration is the number one issue. The battle against abortion will be useless if it is not stopped.
“…visiting a well-known charismatic television studio”
Let’s see–its initials are TBN (even though they have modalists teaching on the air–that’s odd…), and there were 2 cases of Aqua-Net in the green room. And no beer.
Yup…
Trump’s critics, and this post is no exception, seem to exhibit a certain snobbishness. These critics are connoisseurs of getting screwed over by politicians demand a higher level of triangulated pandering and more nuanced platitudes before being exploited for votes and then ignored. Some campaign consultant parsed gestures of false humility and self-deprecation would be greatly appreciated.