Posted on 04/03/2011 12:36:19 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
Donald Trump may not be an officially declared candidate, but he is already playing an important role in the run up to the 2012 election. Here's why he may play a key role in the proceedings.
I've never been a real fan of Donald Trump. He always impressed me as more of a showman than anything else, and I've never had much admiration for anyone who made a spectacle of himself. But in the right time and place, Donald Trump, bad hair and all can be an asset. Now may be that time and place.
Don't take this as some kind of endorsement of Trump as a presidential candidate. I have some serious reservations about whether or not he may be able to function in the White House. After all, his personality might find it extremely difficult to handle situations where he can't carry the day by telling anyone in earshot "You're Fired!" There are other concerns on a policy level, but this writing is not directed toward them. There will be plenty of time to go there if he becomes a serious candidate.
In the mean while, what is more important is what a Donald Trump candidacy can bring to the election and to the Republican Party. There are, at bottom line, three things that present a problem on the current electoral scene:
1) Unexciting candidates
2) A lack of disclosure by at least one candidate, and
3) A partisan media.
At present the Democrat Party is dominated by one person; a person who has gone from being a phenomenon to a less than ordinary man, who has now shown himself to be incompetent and in way over his head. The media, which traditionally has acted as a filter for candidates for public office, has failed to admit this in public. Their position can best be described by saying that if Barack Obama committed mass murder in front of a national television audience, they would make excuses for him and assert that he is still the smartest, best and most wonderful person ever to walk the halls of government at any level. This is difficult to counter, but a Donald Trump figure can make a difference in such a situation because he has the ability to attract attention to the issues that the media is ignoring. His outspoken nature and inability to be shamed by an unfriendly press becomes a tremendous asset. .
Meanwhile, the Republican Party has a large number of potential candidates from a variety of backgrounds. None have declared their candidacy yet, which may be part of the problem. In any event, none of these potential candidates have been able to attract enough public attention to create a race that will stir the public out of its slumber. It is as if no one is interested or paying attention. Trump, using his extreme ability to attract attention can help remedy this. His involvement in the birth certificate issue has already made it more significant than it has been in the past. It was known that there were cases at law involving the issue going on, but little attention was paid to them. Trump has made it a significant subject of discussion by his personal involvement. It is likely that he will be able to stir debate on other issues as well, simply by addressing them. This is a necessary aspect of a proper campaign. Issues cannot be allowed to languish, untouched; particularly at a time when the nation is facing a number of critical challenges that cannot be kicked down the road for other generations to face. And there is more.
At present the Republicans are, to a large degree, dependent on TEA Party groups for the support that they need at election time. What is ticking off a large number of influential TEA Party activists is the lack of open confrontation with the Democrat Party. After years of Republican cooperation with Democrat spending and big government programs culminating in George W. Bush's involvement in Medicare Part D and "No Child Left Behind" followed by the disasters of the 2000-2010 legislature, they want a reversal. They have gone so far as to suggest that they might challenge John Boehner in 2012. Mr. Trump has already shown that you can challenge the "establishment" and that you can raise a lot of noise without necessarily damaging your potential. He can also provide a shield against negative media attention by attracting attention away from other candidates, by acting as a media lightning rod. Finally, if someone else takes up the same issues he does, and gets a negative reaction, they can always point at Trump and say "why are you ignoring him when he says the same thing?" This could be a valuable tactic on occasion.
This attention grabbing ability of Trump's may be the most important thing that he may bring to the election. He has a large number of very strong opinions that he has no problem with addressing whenever asked. When he puts those concerns in the public spotlight he may make it much more difficult for the press and the other candidates to ignore them. Equally important to this is that he has essentially nothing hidden about his past. Thus, he acts as a foil against those who prefer to keep their personal backgrounds out of the picture. This is extremely important, for presidential candidates should not be permitted to keep their personal records from public view. The position they seek makes it essential that the public know anything and everything that they may want about anyone who runs for that office. In fact, the law of the land should state that anyone running for the office of president must be placed completely and totally outside of any privacy laws that may exist. It is only fair. If they want the power of the office, then they must prove themselves worthy. But back to Trump.
As stated above, he may not be the best candidate that any party might offer for president in 2012, and he may be a disaster if elected. I don't expect him to be elected. Despite this, he may well be the most important person in the election if he decides to run. Right now, with no declaration of candidacy, what happens next is anyone's guess. And, even if he decides not to run, he may well play a key role in the process of determining who takes over the oval office in 2013. The most important person isn't always the one who wins; he could be the one who makes it possible.
“The rink was closed in 1980 for an announced 2 1/2 years of renovations. When the work was not completed by 1986, Donald Trump persuaded Mayor Ed Koch to let him complete the work and he completed the renovations in four months to have it open by the end of the year. Koch initially objected to the proposal but public pressure prompted him to reverse his position”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wollman_Rink
Trump knows how to cut through the unions delays and mountains of city regulatory paperwork.
Trump gives concise opinions on the issues, no BS which will force the namby pambies of the GOP to listen up. I doubt he will run because it will cost him a fortune but he is doing the GOP a favor, getting the issues out in the open. Deficit, Donald has an opinion; China, Donald has an opinion; birth certificate, Donald has an opinion. Best of all, when someone challenges him, he can say hey, I supported the guy in 08 before I saw exactly what he is, a dunce.
One reason I like Trump doing this is I think he is too big to ‘disappear’.
You may be right about Trump not being a conservative but we are in desperate times. Trump wouldn’t sink the USA.
You may be right about Trump not being a conservative but we are in desperate times. Trump wouldn’t sink the USA.
Do you know what would have made that story even better if trump had left his name off it
Trump has the amazing quality of presenting an issue and making it a reasonable thing. Agree or disagree with him, he can express himself in such a way that one can tell he’s given thought and reason to his position.
He can be disagreed and debated with, but not dismissed.
He is a spoiler. We need someone like him to stir up the hornets nest.
He is also spoiling for a fight and he is armed with the connections to make things tough for his enemy
He may be a joke in many ways but the Democrats sure are not laughing at this point.
And I will agree with you.
I like what he's doing lately and hope he keeps it up, but I do not think he's what we want for POTUS.
I think Harpo has to be careful how and if she uses the race card. She has a lot of (albeit left-leaning) middle-class white women who watch her plus a fledgling TV network to call The Donald an outright racist. But then again she may not care because Donald is sticking it to her boy.
Yes, if his ego was not as large and was content to just get the job done out of good citizenship, but then he wouldn’t be Citizen Trump.
I actually saw someone post, "Scott Brown for President."
Nutz!
It’s easy to see you’re not a New Yorker.
The whole point is that the people *wanted* Trump to get his hands on that project, because they knew he’d do the job exactly as he said. It was all public. Everyone knew what was going on.
“He is also spoiling for a fight and he is armed with the connections to make things tough for his enemy”
A $50,000 donation to Rahm Emmanuel isn’t a bad down payment. I’m sure Rahm knows where all the bodies are buried.
Number one problem with Trump is the FACT he isn’t conservative on any issue I can think of.
I agree with him on the birth issue.
Albert Speers was a great leader, and Trump may too. But being lead by a great leader in the wrong direction still leads us to the wrong place.
Elmer Davis : This will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave.
If you are ashamed to stand by your colors, you had better seek another flag. ~Author Unknown
Donald Trump is another Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.