Steve Mensing, Editor
♦ Listen November 2016 is still a long way off and much can happen before the country goes to the polls to elect the next president. Depending on your perspective, the worst possible political NIGHTMARE or the next heaven sent political MESSIAH is being hatched on our national TV screens. The Donald is dominating the news and seems specially created for it.
Two month ago I watched Donald Trump on TV and originally thought he was an “Andrew Dice Clay style comedian” on roids running for his next reality show. I didn’t take him seriously then. I thought his “Mexican Rapist” lines were straight out of the Andrew Dice Clay-Joan Rivers school of bad taste comedy. I was amused. Then the Donald began to explain what was happening at the border. It’s a fact that Mexican cartel drug lords are behind drug sales in many cities across the U.S.A. including Salisbury, N.C. and Charlotte. The suspected drug lord Julian Lepe Garcia, allegedly doing a major black tar heroin biz out of his hacienda on North Jackson Street, is alleged to be a Mexican Cartel operative. The Mexican cartel grabbed the hard drug market away from the mob in many American cities. Large quantities of heroin and crack in Salisbury and the county, comes from south of the border cartels.
Donald Trump keeps lengthening his lead over the rest of the Republican contenders and now he’s passed Hillary Clinton in the polls. He threw Lindsay Graham down the funhouse steps by providing his cell phone number to the world. Okay its a juvenile humour, but it got people laughing. Poor Lindsay is now completely out of the running as a contender. Lindsay it’s time to go home–you got smoked early.
The other Republican contenders Scott Walker and Jeb Bush would be crushed by Trump’s commanding presence, his finger tip facts, and natural ability to speak about any subject. He’s bred for the media vortex. Scott and Jeb are watery tea and would be eaten alive by Trump in a political forum. Sorry Scott and Jeb if you’re lucky maybe Donald might offer you jobs as embassy guards in Syria.
Make no mistake Trump has truly tapped onto the American populist psyche. At this point he owns it.
When I look back over presidents since the 1930’s only three presidents had commanding presence. When these presidents spoke, everyone sensed authority. All three were polarizing however they had your attention. People either loved them or hated them.
You may not like some of the individuals on this list because of your political persuasion, but these persons had commanding presence. Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Ronald Reagan. And John Fitzgerald Kennedy. Trump has it in spades.
If ever a man was born for a national audience–it’s Trump. He has now lit up the American public tired of the parade of political stick figures. The silent majority or the great unwashed love Donald Trump and they distrust the news media. If you haven’t noticed, Trump is dominating the media and they, as much as they loathe him, recognize he’s the biggest show-in-town. TV ratings soar when Trump is being interviewed. Nobody else hits the gong at the sideshow.
Trump’s resume is astounding. He is not just a businessman, he is THE BUSINESSMAN. An expert, who has amassed so much money that he can’t fit his more that 11 billion dollars in the slot allotted on an election document. “I am really very rich.”
He’s known failure and came storming back from financial adversity. His campaign contributions have gone to combatants in both parties: conservative, liberal, and moderate.
Trump shows no signs of pretense when you meet him–he’s likeable. Back in the 90’s I sat a seat away from Trump at a Mike Tyson fight in Atlantic City. We talked about fighters and the fight between cards. Trump was very knowledgeable about the fight game and very engaged in our conversation. If I recall at one time he was Mike Tyson’s financial advisor. (Well before Mike Tyson melted down and blew his millions)
Unless a vividly weird twist occurs in the road to election, I’d be willing to bet he stands an excellent chance of being elected as either a Republican or an Independent. He is in touch with the populist everyman–and there a far more of them than anyone else. When you connect with the “everyman” you have a magnificent shot a becoming president.
As for Hillary Clinton I don’t think she’s the same person since she suffered a stroke or a cerebral hemorrhage. Her public performances and interviews are not the measure of what she was back in her 2008 campaign against Barrack Obama. Her current media interviews make Hillary appear strangely wide-eyed. Her answers during interviews and her slowness in turning over emails strikes many as calculating and evasive. According polls, many Americans regard Hillary as untrustworthy. If Clinton’s fading popularity drops any further, the Democrats may be forced to draft someone to run for President. Neither O’Malley or Bernie Sanders are electable.
Trump has over 11 billion dollars of his own and many, many friends with billions more to buy a 100 national elections. He’s a huge fan of business.
What if Hillary Clinton makes it as far as debating Trump and he asks for his money back?
Can you imagine Donald Trump in the oval office?
Hey can you imagine Donald Trump on Salisbury’s City Council?
