Donald Trump excels as a speaker. His New Yorkese version of folksiness works pretty well in the flyover states. Trump, a Big Apple real estate hustler, is an unlikely choice as Man of the People but he achieved that status.
The East Coast and West Coach intellectuals recoil from Trump’s style. His base loves the blunt style and they refuse to be talked out of their enthusiasm for the orange-hued president. They will not be backed off by the left-wing animosity toward their leader.
Impeachment is a bad choice. The Democrats need to find a candidate and a platform. Trump has them beat on both counts. His “Make America Great Again” is a great case of branding.
The left suggests they will preserve Obamacare and show respect for women. Those goals are honorable. They do not have an emotional appeal or a breakthrough concept. Barack Obama achieved emotion with, “yes, we can.” The Democrats have not matched that positive message. They seem focused on anti-Trump as a message—and that plays as negative and limited.
If not Trump, what?
I’m not sure. I’ll vote for the Democratic candidate. But I want something more. Notice Obama did not emphasize a pro-immigrant stance. He deported illegal immigrants, but in a quiet way. Obama knew that national identity is not something to be toyed with carelessly. People see huge changes on the horizon and feel threatened.
And then Trump took pro-nationalism to a whole new level—really playing on fears of The Other. But those fears are real. If Democrats take the demographic concerns too lightly they could suffer dearly.
Trump understands that Americans have been pulled through huge demographic changes and do not feel comfortable about a huge influx of more immigrants. Democrats delude themselves if the argument is simply “we need to love everybody” and not sweat the details of immigration. Trump started with an anti-Mexican immigrant message and has not stopped offering that message since his ride down the escalator.
So, what does Trump really believe? He is not a reader or a philosopher or a policy wonk. He’s all instinct and business savvy and self-preservation.
Trump learned from three individuals lurking in the dark corners of American history—Joseph McCarthy, Roy Cohn (his mentor) and Richard Nixon. Trump makes the occasional mention of Ronald Reagan—and Reagan had branding talents of his own.
Trump likes strategists. His role models are men of action. McCarthy accused his liberal enemies communist sympathies, or worse. Roy Cohn, secretive about his homosexuality, taught Donald to go for the jugular. Richard Nixon had the presence of mind to open relations with China. Trump’s version seems to be a Korean love-fest. I think he loves North Korea as a country with much upside. Smart enough to build nukes, maybe North Korea will fly high with just need an injection of capitalism just like the Chinese. Trump’s inquiring mind seems focused on that possible future for Korea. Trump seems bored by more established nations, our traditional allies. He likes to upset the apple cart—and England, France, Germany and Canada—hold little appeal for a guy looking for new markets. Old Europe has given way to an exotic Presidential approach—foiling everybody and everything with a series of insults, muffled threats and a feeling of chaos from above. He’s got us all on the edge of our seats.
