(Fred Weinberg) – I’m not nearly as put off by Donald Trump as are many people who identify themselves or their politics as Republican. In fact, I think his presence is good for the process and good for America.
I’m not prepared to endorse him at the moment, but it would appear that there are many Americans who are and therein lies the point of him running in the first place. He represents the frustration of the average guy who doesn’t think his vote counts for very much and appreciates a man who is willing to put his mouth where his money is and say what he thinks.
That happened with Ross Perot in 1992 and 1996.
I don’t think Trump can win the nomination for a couple of reasons. First is that the system is rigged against guys like him. It is run by the Washington Hackockracy which are like croupiers in a casino. Their only job is to rake the money off the table. The second and more important reason is Trump, himself. Running a political campaign—from the local school board to the Presidency—is a difficult, time-consuming, mind-altering experience and it’s very hard to run for the largest office in the world never having done it at any other level. Experience is a tough taskmaster. He is unprepared for this race by definition.
None of that is to say, however, that he cannot win.
This is America and something my late father always taught me is absolutely true. Every little boy or girl can grow up to be President. Look at the Bozo who is there now.
And Donald Trump has major advantages in that he is smart, rich and adaptable.
Whether that is enough to overcome the inertia the system already has in place to stop non-insiders at the door only time will tell.
Whatever happens, however, Trump WILL make the race better. If people such as the chair of the Republican National Committee think they’re doing anybody any favors by suggesting to Trump that he change his rhetoric, they are smoking crack.
Candidly, if Trump DID listen to such entreaties and appropriately modified his behavior, it would show us that he’s just another politician and that would disqualify him from further consideration.
You know how nervous he makes the Hackocracy? NBC’s Meet the Press—the official TV show of the Washington Political Hacks (sounds like a baseball team)—went out of it’s snarky way to do a hit piece on the Donald. This from the news division of a company which broke its contract with Trump to air the Miss USA pageant because they didn’t like something he said on the campaign trail.
Worse, the Ryan Seacrest of politics, Chuck Todd, did it with a straight face.
A little of what Trump said in 1999 out of context, a little of what he said 16 years later and, voila!, a video hit piece which allowed panel members to say Trump is a flip flopper—or something like that.
This from the networks of Brian Williams and Ed Schultz (and formerly Keith Olberman).
If that’s the best the left has got, Trump only has to worry about friendly fire.
If I were one of those other GOP candidates, I’d tell any media that asked that I’m worried about my own campaign, not Trump’s.
Any candidate who does that will be just fine.
Any candidate who panders, will get caught up in his or her own tar patch and sink from the public view.
This is the best bench of candidates—including Trump—that the Grand Old Party has had in years. One can only hope that the party doesn’t do what activist Chuck Muth often accurately accuses it of—that it never blows an opportunity to blow an opportunity.
Mr. Weinberg is publisher of the Penny Press. Get to know more about him by visiting www.PennyPressNV.com.
