I almost hate to be writing this, but after watching John Oliver's takedown of Donald Trump, I just can't resist. Oliver nails Trump in almost every way conceivable that is relevant to Trump's viability as a president - not as a candidate - as a president. We get it that Trump is an entertainer, a successful businessman and that he has a commanding lead in the polls and in the primaries so far.
Oliver walks us through the inconsistencies and incongruities of the statements made by Donald Trump over the years and shows us that in many ways, he's not really accountable to others. Oliver goes on to show us that few of us really know what he's thinking and what he's planning for public policy. He raises serious character issues with Trump that cast doubt on his performance as president. Perhaps the only thing we can be sure of is that Trump would like to build a wall on the southern border of the United States. Or that he would like to defeat ISIS. Or that he would like to make America great again. Trump is of course, scant on the details.
After watching Oliver's video and many others, and considering everything that I've read so far, with all the lies and misdirection spouted by Trump, I think I can fairly say that Trump sees this election as sport. He seems to want to see how far he can go and still maintain a fantastic lead in the polls and the primaries. He's testing the boundaries on racism, logic and memory, yet few people who support him can see that he's a con. People who try to confront him to figure out what his plans are will find that his plan is something like, "Trust me, I'll figure it out once I get into office." From economics to foreign policy, it's the same pea soup.
Trump is making overt what we've known for a long, long time. The GOP is racist and the elites in the GOP seem really upset that Trump is making it so overt. I can hear them saying to Trump, "We think you should be quiet now." There is even a mounting campaign to stop Trump. But Trump has so much momentum behind his campaign now, that if they do manage to stop Trump, they could alienate their racist base and lose the White House again, right when they have control of both houses of Congress. If the GOP loves the Southern Strategy, they aren't showing it with Trump.
I kid you not, when I watch Trump with his race baiting, I cannot help but think that the theme song for his campaign should be "Waiting for the Worms" by Pink Floyd. With a few minor modifications for a more American flavor, that song would fit his campaign perfectly.
I've been watching politics for a long time and I cannot believe that the GOP has turned into this circus. But I must believe it because I'm seeing it, day after day, on social media, on the news on TV, everywhere I look.
A Trump presidency would be truly frightening, considering that he's a man who says one thing and then does another. Politifact can't seem to find facts behind anything he says. Economists have had a good laugh at his economic plans. Many people seem to be following him blindly by what he says on camera, not what he says in writing. Trump is a businessman. He knows that contracts should be in writing. If he really means what he says, he'd put it in writing for the rest of us to see. But most of what we get is soundbites on TV. His is a shallow candidacy, it really is.
As John Oliver notes in his monologue, you can hate Cruz or Rubio all you want, but at least you know where they stand. Trump is the great unknown quantity in this election, even as the front-runner for the GOP. What makes him frightening as president is not just what we know about him, it's what we don't know.
As I said before, I almost hate to write this because I would much rather see Trump get the GOP nomination. Hilary or Bernie can beat Trump. But Hilary can't beat anyone else, and Bernie bests Trump by a wider margin in the polls. Alas, Hilary is the presumed nominee for now.
The GOP is now wedded to an actor running for president. But he's not retired. He's just getting started.
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