It is a testament to the power of media, especially in this case social media, and it tells me that there is much that goes on in my fourteen-year-old daughter's world that is foreign to me. I certainly do not dispute that there can be much that goes on in grassroots America politically that can fool me. Ever since I attended my first political rally in 1964 in support of Barry Goldwater I have come to understand that my perception of the world, at least of the political world and now the musical world, is not universally shared. The entire arena was sold out with rompin' stompin' enthusiasts for Goldwater. People thronged outside who could not be admitted. On that occasion I returned home and straightaway turned on the eleven o'clock news to see one of the three networks then available to determine how they covered the event. I was absolutely shocked to learn that the pro-Goldwater supporters outside the arena whom I had seen with my own eyes were portrayed by the New York media as Goldwater protesters. What happened to plain talking Goldwater in that election is now history.
So I do not dispute the power of the media to generate action around Donald Trump but I insist that the media also has power to generate opposition to Donald Trump. We are still early in the process in which the electorate tends to fall in love as even conservative Republicans are regrettably prone to do. How much love was wasted on Herman Cain and Rick Perry last cycle? I do not dispute the power of Donald Trump to manipulate the media to generate excitement in a border state which has been overrun to attend a rally against immigration. I concede that Cruz and Walker probably could not duplicate that feat. But does that tell us that candidate Donald Trump is doing this or is the Star of Apprentice drawing the crowd?
We have yet to see whether this excitement translates into votes. We have yet to see whether Trump has longevity. We have yet to see the debates. We have yet to see what the media leaves on the cutting room floor. We have yet to give equal media prominence to other candidates as will happen in an endless number of debates. We have yet to see the institutional forces at work, we have yet to see the power of friction at work. We have yet to see the influence of the ground game. We've yet to see if Trump can or is even inclined to put together a ground game .
In my humble essay I have not disputed the power of Donald Trump to garner support by exploiting the media, in fact, I emphasized it. My question is, can Trump carry this high wire act all the way?
