Trump's message has great appeal to many people. Hillary supporters ignore this at their peril.
Peter Sage Introduction to a Guest Post: In my post earlier today I describe Hillary Clinton's ad as self destructive and proof that she does not understand either Trump or why there is anger and frustration among a wide swath of Americans. Again, here is the link to the short ad:
The Guest Post below is from a reader who sees Trump as a problem solver. He shares in the GOP notion that America is, indeed, exceptional and that we have the right and duty to act in global leadership with that in mind. This is a different form of "globalism" than held by Obama and the Clintons, who put America within an international system, not the shining leader of it. And Robert Guyer lives in Florida and experiences first hand and close up some of the problems with immigration. For him it is not gauzy thoughts of Ellis Island and huddled masses dreaming to breathe free. It is street crime, and it is the reality that I heard from again and again as I stood in the line to enter the Trump rally in Boca Raton in March.
Guyer's comments confirm what I suggested in my blog post: that the statements attributed to Trump are not damaging to Trump. Generally, they help him. Trump--like Alexander the Great--faced an intractable problem, the Gordian Knot supposedly put before potential leaders as a test. While others dithered and failed attempting to untie the knot Alexander stepped up and solved the problem instantly by slicing it in half with a sword. Sometimes you just need to acknowledge whose side you are on, that there is a job to do, and there is no alternative but to use force. Guyer does not sugar coat Trump. But he sees his appeal, particularly in comparison to Hillary, the continuation of Obama.
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| Robert Guyer |
Robert Guyer Guest Post:
Trump is a business man. Businesses are decisive sociopaths acting first in their own interests. As long as Trump sees America as “his business” he will do whatever necessary to advance the business. Obama’s repudiation of American “exceptionalism” verbally expressed his belief that America needs to be taken down – it is no city on a hill. From the Iran nuclear deal, to ending fossil fuel use on the skimpy foundation of major anthropogenic contribution to climate change, to refusal to acknowledge devout Islam as our enemy within, to releasing hundreds of drug dealers whose victims are many more than the most violent mass murderer - Obama and Democrats show “America First” is not their mantra. Hillary – “Crooked Hillary”- promises policies even worse than Obama’s.
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| If all are exceptional, then none are |
Enter Trump.
He speaks the obvious. Live in Palm Beach county and see the gangs from the Haitian “Top Hats” to Salvadoran MS-13 and Trump's comments on 'rapists and murderers" make visceral sense. Since polls show Muslim support for ISIS ranging from 10-25% his concern with Muslims is reasonable.
Walls work for the Israelis and they are being erected across Europe, so Trump's wall seems workable. Trump says laws are to be followed and lawbreakers to be punished-- be they illegal immigrants or those killing children in utero. Incentivizing America companies to add “bring back” jobs sounds great, too especially to the jobless “victims” of trade deals.
Trump may not be able to fix these but “he feels our pain” and he is going to try to do something about it.
Hillary promises to be more Obama.
Trump gets a pass just like a new employee gets a pass “to learn the ropes.” Tom Daschle told Obama to run for president before he had a record – good advice. Little was known about him except what the fawning MSM trumpeted - or suppressed. He was a charming speaker utterly unqualified for the job. To say Trump could do worse than Obama is ludicrous. And the hope is he will do so much better because instead of “hope and change” he’s going to “make America great again – a clever linking of the human characteristic to remember the past much better than it actually was.
Trump is an arrogant, bombastic, sociopathic, narcissist business man who deals with the realities of the world – domestic and international. “Crooked Hillary” is a similar personality, except she lives in politics ,which is a world that protects its occupants from personal accountability. Bad decisions for politicians have little accountability, be it Benghazi, personal email servers, or “dodging snipers.”
Last night Dana Perino said that only 8% of the electorate is persuadable. Will an ad having Chris Matthews, Anderson Cooper, and the MSM trying to do “gotcha” with the non-politician convince the 8 per cent? As a non-politician Trump gets a certain pass – he’s a business man unartfully speaking. As a business man he is expected to meet ever changing challenges; even if his knee-jerk instantaneous “throw it on the wall to see if it sticks” first-cut solutions need refinement. He doesn’t have all the answers but he will lead the country to finding them – that’s what CEOs do.
On Amazon “Trump-The Art of the Deal” has 4.5 stars from 1129 reviews. The 8 percent will ask - what if we have that guy on our side making deals to fix what we can all see?
Or maybe they will want Hillary “fighting for us” to keep “hope and change” going.
Will the ad motivate Democrat voters who seem unenthused? Perhaps, more importantly will an ad repeating the theme of Trump being a decisive fighter motivate the 8 per cent? I don’t know either answer – but we sure are in for a ride!
4 comments:
"Crooked" Hillary has time and again proven not to be crooked. But I guess facts aren't very persuading either.
I do understand that entrepreneurs (not all business people) take wild chances, and are full of ego, etc.; almost required. But he destroyed businesses, mistreats people, and has bankrupted businesses. Hmm, do his supporters really want him to do that with this country?
And then there's the sociopath part you refer to. I guess folks who support him figure at least he's "their" sociopath. Problem with that is, he could as easily turn on them, like a mad dog. Supporting him is a form of Russian roulette.
And then there was Trump U. Ripping off college kids is just another day at the office.
Thanks for posting, Judi. The "sociopath" description was in the Guest Post by Robert Guyer, but I concur with the notion that a corporation--unlike an actual human--is expected to act with single-mindedness. Current thinking is that businesses are expected to maximize what it good for them, period, and they are constrained by laws and good business practice that involves keeping customers happy and avoiding lawsuits all of which are constraints. But at bottom they look after themselves, comfortable in being designed to maximize profit for themselves. It is a kind of amorality that is made visible when, for example, GM decides the incidence of an accident caused by a certain defect are so vanishingly rare that it is cheaper to pay the wrongful death claim than it is to fix something. In a human being this would be considered manslaughter or murder; in GM it was a cold business decision, and therefore a kind of sociopathy. I see Trump less as a sociopath than as a tribal leader, tapping deep anthropological memories.
Trump doesn't prove things--he asserts things. He begs the question. It calls her "Crooked Hillary" The name assumes the verdict. It is a technique that the current journalistic system doesn't disallow and discredit. Indeed, it rewards it. Trump is an astute media critic. In Jon Stewart's absence Trump is the best one out there, and he has chosen to observe the system and become president using it.
A Portland reader made a similar comment off line, saying that the way to complicate things for Trump was to do as Trump would do, to discredit and delegitimize the Trump brand. Don't disagree on the wall or immigration policy or taxes. Criticize Trump for his motives and character. Make the Trump brand stand for narcissistic rip off.
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