The trouble about Trump; will Americans vote for him?
By: Mike Alivernia
Staff Writer
It is an inconceivable conundrum that Donald Trump has surged to an early lead in this year’s made-for-TV mockumentary of an American presidential election. Being ahead this early in primary election polling is the equivalent of being that horse who sprinted to a lead in the first length of the Kentucky Derby before the inevitable pitfalls pushed it back to the pack and into utter obscurity — leaving those brave souls who bet on the long-shot twice as heartbroken and embarrassed when thinking of how they danced in the aisle clutching their tickets through every moment of the first turn.
The pitfalls that usually destroy most candidates – such as trying to leg out the other thoroughbreds down the final stretch – have already been encountered by Trump fresh out of the gate. President Obama still backpedals from Biden blunders that seem like child’s play compared to the stances Trump is willing to take and stand behind. Mexican immigrants? Most of them are criminals. The Chinese? We should be killing them in commerce. Rosie O’Donnell? She’s still a pig. The politicians in office? They’re idiots compared to “The Don.” If it were up to him, he’d round up Hillary and all her dummies in Washington and throw ’em over his Mexican-financed wall. This brash and over-the-top persona that usually pricks the voters of middle-America the wrong way is apparently being viewed as a breath of fresh air from a straight-shooting maverick. Oh how far we’ve come: Donald Trump is being admired for his unfiltered opinions.
Four years ago, Trump appropriately pronounced his ambitions for a presidential bid during his roast on Comedy Central. He spent a few months loudly questioning the President’s birthplace before ultimately choosing to continue filming “The Apprentice” over campaigning full-time – surprising no one in doing so. He went on building his name and face recognition, which according to Trump was already peaking. Trump was quoted by “The Guardian” saying, “I maintain the strong conviction that if I were to run, I would be able to win the primary and, ultimately, the general election.”
Many suspected Trump’s political thrashings to be nothing more than an attempt to bolster his TV show’s ratings. We should now look at his own ridiculous show – and four years of forced appearances everywhere else – to have been nothing more than a series of marvelous marketing maneuvers, making sure that bored young adult or that jaded veteran of the voting troughs looks over this year’s round-up of robots in ties or pant suits and recognizes one name above them all: Trump.
Ross Perot was the last unabashed millionaire from the private sector to try and completely kick over the apple cart. He aimed to win the race while everyone stood pondering the meaning of such a ghastly series of events. The key to Perot and Trump’s strong appeal with some is ,unfortunately for them (and in a way, all of us, too), the reason their loss in the general elections is fait accompli. They are so far outside of the political box that they’ll always have the might of both parties straining to suppress uppity sarcasm. To suppose one could become President of the United States of America, based solely on wealth, personal money-raising ability and unabashed, populist pandering power is one thing; Trump coming out and proclaiming that he’s used his money to buy the very politicians standing next to him during a presidential debate – well that’s one toke over the line for the two-party establishment.
This particular Republican primary should prove to be interesting. A pile of established right-wing robots all praying that Americans will vote for keeping things the same as they’ve always been, will be on one side. On the other stands the emperor with no clothes. Like him or hate him, Donald Trump is the fruition and embodiment of the American capitalist system, as it really is – and he is not ashamed.
Who’s got the nerve to vote for that?
