Enter Donald Trump, the Candidate for
the Buffoon Party
In the sixth series of The West Wing,
President Bartlet is in his final year in office. His Assistant Chief of Staff,
Josh Lyman, is frustrated that the work of the administration might not
continue and he searches for a candidate to carry the Bartlet torch. He becomes
impressed by Matthew Santos, a Congressman from Texas, but Santos is now disillusioned
with the political process in Washington. Lyman decides to get on a plane and
talk to Santos in his home, as time for filing for presidential office is short.
“You are too good at this to give up
now, Matt,” Lyman tells Santos.
“The House just doesn’t work like it
should. It’s time for me to get out and be here with my family,” Santos
replies.
“I don’t want you back in the House. I
want you to run for President,” says Lyman.
Their discussion continues briefly and
Lyman leaves. Mrs Santos approaches her husband, asking “What did Josh want?”
“He wants me to run for President.”
“President of what?” is her answer.
I was reminded of this exchange this
week when I read that Donald Trump had decided to run for the White House,
except the headline said, “Trump Running for President.” President of what, I
asked myself? In this case, it is the United States. How can Trump be serious?
Politics deserves and needs its
eccentrics. In the United Kingdom, over the past forty or fifty years, members
of the Monster Raving Loony Party have challenged at the hustings. Usually, their
candidates lose their deposits but it does not stop them from enjoying
themselves. They add to the political process by poking fun at the mainstream.
Donald Trump would fit in well with
MRLP. What are his qualifications? He is a real estate mogul and reality television
star. Politically, he is a novice. He has not held public office. He has no
Party backing. No doubt he will campaign on his business skills. However, he is
no stranger to bankruptcy. His businesses have cost creditors.
What will he bring to his campaign?
Let’s look at some of the things he said:
“Our country is in
serious trouble. We don't have victories anymore. We used to have victories,
but we don't have them. When was the last time anybody saw us beating, let's
say, China in a trade deal? They kill us. I beat China all the time. All the
time.”
Beat them at what,
Donald? Is your foreign policy one where you will use knuckle-dusters?
“When do we beat Mexico at the
border? They're laughing at us, at our stupidity. And now they are beating us economically.
They are not our friend, believe me. But they're killing us economically.”
This is pure fantasy. True, the
Mexican economy is improving but it is hardly a challenge to US dominance.
“Islamic terrorism is eating up large
portions of the Middle East. They've become rich. I'm in competition with them.
They just built a hotel in Syria. Can you believe this? They built a hotel.
When I have to build a hotel, I pay interest. They don't have to pay interest.”
If one needed evidence of confused
thinking, this is it. Muslims are forbidden to pay interest. Instead, they
share profits with their funders.
On the economy, Trump demonstrated
his lack of knowledge of how public finances are run. “Last quarter, it was
just announced our gross domestic product -- a sign of strength, right? But not
for us. It was below zero. Whoever heard of this? It's never below zero.”
Donald, it does go below zero. If
there are two consecutive below zero quarters, this signifies a recession.
“Our real unemployment is anywhere
from 18 to 20 percent. Don't believe the 5.6. Don't believe it.”
Trump is right on the 5.6%. But in
real terms, the unemployment figure is around 10%, not the 20% he quotes.
“We have a disaster called the big
lie: Obamacare. Obamacare. Yesterday, it came out that costs are going for
people up 29, 39, 49, and even 55 percent, and deductibles are through the
roof. You have to be hit by a tractor, literally, a tractor, to use it, because
the deductibles are so high, it's virtually useless. It's virtually useless. It
is a disaster.”
Healthcare is a serious topic. What
does Trump offer in exchange? Nothing. If it wasn’t so serious, I’d comment as
well on the ‘literal tractor’ issue!
The funniest ‘Trumpism’: “Now, our
country needs - our country needs a truly great leader, and we need a truly
great leader now. We need a leader that wrote ‘The Art of the Deal.’ We need a
leader that can bring back our jobs, can bring back our manufacturing, can
bring back our military, can take care of our vets. Our vets have been
abandoned. And we also need a cheerleader.”
Where do I start? What has
negotiating a property deal to do with running the country? As for leadership,
what has Trump led? A private property development corporation, nothing else.
The biggest lie is contained in the
words: “I will be the greatest jobs president that God ever created. I tell you
that. I'll bring back our jobs from China, from Mexico, from Japan, from so
many places. I'll bring back our jobs, and I'll bring back our money.”
Any first year political student
knows that government does not create lasting jobs. It is business that does
that.
Trump is estimated to be worth $9
billion. He can afford to spend a few hundred million dollars on a nationwide
campaign. He can have fun blowing his mouth off. However, when push gets to
shove, when the laughter stops and the real campaigning begins, I am confident
that all we will see of Donald Trump is his backside as he leaves the political
stage, beaten out of sight. It is the ultimate fate of all political buffoons
to be mocked and dismissed. Step off, Mr Trump.
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