Analysis by Ralph Nader: Trump For President? Giving The GOP Nightmares

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Ralph Nader, Lebanese American consumer rights activist and US presidential candidate
Ralph Nader, Lebanese American consumer rights activist and US presidential candidate

By: Ralph Nader

Donald Trump, the bombastic builder of Trump towers and Trump gambling casinos is moving from his reality TV show to the theater of presidential elections. If he survives the first three months of mass media drubbing him and his notorious affliction of ‘leaving no impulsive opinion behind,’ he’s going to be trouble for the other fifteen or so Republican presidential candidates.

Already the commentators have derided his massive egotitis – he said “I” 195 times in his announcement speech, not counting the 28 times he said “my” or “mine” or the 22 mentions of “me.” But Trump revels in self-promotion and, as one commentator wrote, “plays the media like a harp.”

If he is still campaigning by Labor Day, watch out Republicans! He will be a big nightmare for Republican contenders – from Jeb Bush to Ted Cruz, from John Kasich to Scott Walker. Here are some reasons why:

  1. Many American voters love to vote for very rich candidates, whether they are Republicans or Democrats. They believe they can’t be bought. They love business success stories. And being very rich, the media keeps the very rich candidates in the limelight, as do the national polls.
  2. He can pay for his own media. Remember billionaire Ross Perot and his purchase of national television to show his charts on deficits. People laughed. But Mr. Perot got 19 million votes in 1992, even after dropping out of the campaign in the summer and being labeled a conspiracy theorist before again becoming a candidate in the fall!
  3. Trump regularly and personally attacks the other candidates, which makes for regular news. The other candidates do not like to engage in personal attacks unless under political duress.
  4. Trump turns liabilities into assets, including his vaunted forthcoming disclosures of his net worth – he focused on assets, while ignoring many complex liabilities. While Jeb Bush and Mitt Romney before him tried to play down their wealth, Trump insists he’s worth over ten billion dollars. He even ridiculed Bush who announced for president without wearing a suit and tie. To accusations that he has taken public subsidies and eminent domain protections for his giant projects, Trump replies that capital and tax money create jobs and more businesses.
  5. Trump will crowd other candidates out from valuable TV, radio (Rush Limbaugh thinks highly of him) and print space. To adjust, they may have to become more flamboyant, further expanding the circus-like atmosphere of the Republican Primaries, while the Democratic Party leaders chortle.
  6. Some of Trump’s positions have sizable support among Republican voters. He believes in public works programs on a big scale. He talks jobs, jobs, jobs and says he’s the only one among the candidates, who has been creating jobs. He objects strongly to the trade agreements, including the proposed Trans-Pacific deal now in the news, on the grounds that other countries, such as Japan and China, are superior negotiators and are taking us to the cleaners. He wants to build a tall wall on the Mexican border. He is against Common Core and federalizing education. He warned against invading Iraq in some detail, predicting it would expand Iran’s influence. He is for a strong military and talks about the mistreatment of veterans. He exudes self-confidence and attaches it to American national interests.
  7.  Having survived tough, acidic New York journalism for years, he is almost scandal-proof. Attacks from his business and political enemies have helped to immunize the big-time scapper from serious reporting. He feeds off public cynicism about politics.
  8.  If the Republican bigwigs try to exclude or humiliate him, Trump has the means to run as an Independent candidate for president – as Mr. Perot essentially did under the banner of his Reform Party. Just the prospect of that added nightmare might induce caution at the top levels of the GOP.
  9.  He is not going to run out of money and, unlike his competitors, he doesn’t have to spend any precious campaign time dialing for dollars or making campaign promises. He can hire the smart strategists, speech-writers, election lawyers and primary delegate-seekers.

One hurdle Trump may not be able to surmount is Saturday Night Live (SNL). Lorne Michaels, SNL’s forever producer, uses exaggeration and satire to lampoon politicians. How can he satirize buffoonish satire itself? How can he exaggerate Trump who brags that the master bathroom on his private jet has a 24-karat-gold-plated sink?

Ralph Nader is a former presidential candidate   , activist and the author of Only the Super-Rich Can Save Us!, a novel.

Eurasia Review

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22 responses to “Analysis by Ralph Nader: Trump For President? Giving The GOP Nightmares”

  1. MekensehParty Avatar
    MekensehParty

    Very true,
    The more people vote for Trump in the primaries, the more the GOP will appear as gathering the buffoons of the country, the less independent will be attracted towards a party of buffoons.

    1. Hannibal Avatar
      Hannibal

      If he promises to wipe out ISIS he got my vote… 😛

      1. man-o-war Avatar
        man-o-war

        Promises are easy to make. He already said he has a strategy to defeat them, but he can’t tell anyone how he’ll do it. Not until he’s president. Remember, nobody knows the military like trump the chump. Or walls, lol.

        1. Hannibal Avatar
          Hannibal

          Do you remember how the Lebanese Forces sided with two devils to defeat an imminent threat during the civil war? namely Syria and Israel? Yes I do put those two countries in the same bucket.

          I will side today with ANY devil if that devil defeats ISIS… NO actual wipe wahabism from the face of the Earth.

          Later I will deal with the devil…

          Any country that proclaims a religion as its “official” religion is my enemy… Iran, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Egypt, Pakistan you name it…

          ‘Teacher, we know that you speak and teach what is right, and that you do not show partiality but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?’ He saw through their duplicity and said to them, ‘Show me a denarius. Whose portrait and inscription are on it?’ ‘Caesar’s,’ they replied. He said to them, ‘Then give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.’

          1. I have to say, you’re not exactly inspiring us for a cooperation 🙂

          2. Hannibal Avatar
            Hannibal

            so true… that is why:

            http://www.btselem.org/press_releases/20150507_khirbet_susiya_facing_expulsion

            Stop that bullshit and we may have a long lasting peace (after we defeat ISIS that is) 😉

          3. 5thDrawer Avatar
            5thDrawer

            The ‘master planers’ were not even Caesar’s coin … and thus, they must believe they are ‘the gods’. They can wave a hand over all they covet, and flatten it.

          4. Hannibal Avatar
            Hannibal

            Oh 5th you will never stop to amaze me… What was your major again? 😉

          5. 5thDrawer Avatar
            5thDrawer

            Botany and ZOOology ….

          6. “Later I will deal with the devil…”…your words not mine so if anyone should stop the BS it’s you.
            it’s obvious your intention is to harnes Israel’s power to fight ISIS and then turn on us.

          7. Hannibal Avatar
            Hannibal

            Of course we will be enemies until you go back to your senses as a people and treat others like people… When did I ever say we will be overnight friends? I have great hopes but until then we have a common enemy in ISIS… Even the U.S. sees that and is, behind doors, harnessing the power of Iran to defeat them… Does it make them allies?
            Peace has a price… If you forget the extremist train of thought and those profiteering from the status quo, the price is simple… A lasting solution for Palestine and the return of those willing back to those new defined Palestinian borders.
            Short of that we have nowhere to go. Now let me go… I am busy trying to defeat the black flag 😉

          8. When you will be willing to pay israel’s price for peace as well then we’ll talk 🙂
            Till then good luck defeating isis ,thats about the only subject i can wish you luck on in today’s realiry

          9. Hannibal Avatar
            Hannibal

            you’re gonna miss ALL the fun…

          10. Lol..dont worry.. unfortunatly, “fun” is on its way our direction as well..Sinai desert is ISIS land

          11. I love astrix lol the first comix i read in english

          12. lol typical religious bigot. Funny how no Christian countries made it on your bigoted list.
            Oh and I love how you justify your support of terrorism by saying you will side with anyone to defeat Isis. No morals and no spine and no balls.

          13. Hannibal Avatar
            Hannibal

            No morals maybe… But no balls? How can you say that sweetie? You’re holding them with two hands… 😉
            Name one country (besides the Vatican) which says that Christianity is its official religion.

          14. USA
            UK
            Canada
            Australia
            Etc etc

            Who is the head of the Church of England?
            You see your religious bigotry and xenophobic idiocy is easy to expose

          15. You mean these two little marbles are your balls!!

          16. “NO actual wipe wahabism from the face of the Earth”

            But all the rats that barked at me are suddenly deaf dumb and mute when it comes to religious bigotry by Christians and Shiites. Typical hypocrisy from the hypocrites

    2. 5thDrawer Avatar
      5thDrawer

      The world is laughing again … it’s entertaining, at least. ;-)))

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