Name:   copperline - Subject:   2 responses Date:   5/23/2016 10:34:52 AM

Interesting thread, and I’ll limit myself to two comments to keep it simple.   First: I keep mentioning Trump’s TV game show because it is so indicative of where he has come from and what he is about.   He started out as a wealthy son of a developer, made a fortune, inherited a fortune… went on to master the use of media to promote himself.   He did this so well that we now consistently refer to his single most important accomplishment to be ‘promoting his brand’… a series of business ventures that were basically showcases for his personality, i.e., Trump University, Trump Steaks, beauty pageants, and a slew of sleazy interviews that put on display his complete distain for anyone except himself.   He is a master of self-promotion, believes he is beholden to no one…. But also he has no interest in what you would call the Common Good.    His philanthropic efforts have really been about self-inflating publicity, not helping other people.  His history in business is packed with examples of self-indulgent & shameless behavior that, for some reason, his followers admire.   Personally, I think his popularity is a reflection of how much we worship wealth in this country…   no one admires Trump for being a statesman like figure, or a great thinker, or a wise leader… he is given all this devotion simply because he is the richest guy who has mastered self-promotion thru the media.   To me, supporting a guy like that is a huge mistake.  As he tries to make it to the office of President, we would be wise to remember that nothing Trump has done in his life has ever been about the public good.  It’s been about The Donald.

The next thing is harder to describe because I don’t know what to make of it.   Both Hound and Hodja have extensive experience as federal employees and both seem to be saying that they support Trump because he will “shake things up in Washington”.     Both of you seem extremely confident that the disruptions that he would cause will be good for everyone.   Both seem confident that his ‘disruption’ will create something good in the culture of government.      The fact is there is no basis for believing that releasing a bull in this china shop will create a better, more stream-lined or efficient government.  I would suggest that his brand of disruption is more likely to set off a stream of unintended negative consequences here and abroad.   Donald will have as much success in rebuilding government service as I would have if I tore down the engine in my truck and tried to put it back together by trial & error.

It’s surprising to me that people so familiar with the workings of government can have this much confidence in the leadership of a complete novice, and so confident that the world is so safe & stable that his missteps won’t become tragedies that the rest of us will have to live with.     I see huge risks in supporting a guy with his character, and I don’t want to gamble that everything will turn out OK if we have confidence in the Anarchy of Donald Trump.      

And a final factoid:   Colin Powell has supported the Democratic nominee in both of the past two POTUS elections, and is aghast at the prospect of a Trump presidency.    He says he is keeping up his GOP membership “just to annoy” people who have taken his party is the wrong direction.   Maybe GOP supporters should be listening to what he has to say.