As one who has played hours of euchre in my wasted youth, I am quite familiar with the term “trump suit.” In fact, it’s legendary euchre mythology that the nine of trump is always worth a “trick.” Donald Trump’s recent actions and words have prompted me to liken him to a deck of cards. He has been “clubbing” President Obama over the birth certificate issue. He has attempted to use his “spades” to dig a deeper hole for the Obama presidency. His “heart” appears to be pointedly focused on himself, and the “diamonds” represent his constant bragging about his personal wealth and success.
Amateur magicians do card tricks, and, for me, it will take much more than verbal agility and sleight of hand to win my vote. So far The Donald has not won me over. His bombast efforts to capitalize on the “birther” issue have been quite entertaining, and at times Obama’s people appear to be squirming. What is alarming, however, is that so many citizens mistake Trump’s statements as proof of his courage and candor. Donald Trump is first and foremost a showman. He has rightly discerned that his attacks on the president’s lack of birth documents would be an issue that would result in TV and radio bookings and numerous queries from perplexed members of the Main Stream Media. For many in the nation the birth place question is an intriguing one. For Trump it is a gimmick. Pure and simple. He doesn’t really care about the circumstances surrounding the president’s origins. He merely seeks to “stir the pot.”
On policy issues Trump’s answers and responses are extremely shallow. Although he claims to appreciate and honor the Constitution, many of his solutions for vexing problems are clearly outside the parameters designed by the Founders. Herbert Hoover encouraged restrictive tariffs to create an economic fortress America in an effort to thwart the recession or depression that was on the immediate horizon. Trump’s proposed 25% tariff on the Chinese will wreak similar havoc in our present fragile economic condition. In addition it will radically tick off a major holder of our national debt at a time when we have yet to devise a solution for reducing our costly indebtedness. If Donald were a farm boy, he would know that it is unwise to poke the hornets’ nest with a stick…especially when the surly hornets have bad attitudes. Although he claims to support the Tea Party movement and to be a committed conservative, Trump’s mercurial and inconsistent history would suggest that he’s merely pandering to the most energized elements of the electorate. In other words like any other momentum-grabbing populist, he’s playing to the crowd.
If you are one of those voters who are enamored with Trump’s “tell it like it is” approach, please note that in 2009 and 2010 he contributed campaign funds to Anthony Weiner, Chuck Schumer and Rahm Emanuel. Those may have been expedient and opportunistic moves for him and his business enterprises, but the underwriting of destructive lefties is not a principled stand. Certainly we want a president who can “get things done.” We should prefer someone who molds his policies and goals to fit within the Constitution, to protect and defend individual liberty, and to be anchored to enduring principles. I see no evidence of those positions in the Trump agenda…whatever it may be. Please recall that many people were won over by the Obama sizzle while many of us were warning that the underlying steak was rotten. We should not; we cannot afford to chase the sizzle again. Our situation is too fragile to allow our nation to gamble on a gambling kingpin.
Trump’s bravado and bombastic style have sucked some of the air out of Obama’s grand scheme for announcing that he’s seeking reelection. That is good. Trump’s incessant demands for a birth certificate have forced the media to acknowledge a very troubling issue. In March I addressed that issue with a column (Birth of a Nation-03-07-2011) so I believe that it’s a fruitless pursuit, but I’m pleased that someone is willing to chase his tail while the rabbit hops away. In showbiz parlance…Trump is an energetic and entertaining opening act. Now bring on the main event.
It certainly seems like an appropriate time for Gary Johnson to announce his run at the presidency. He has a track record that proves what he can do and he is an avid follower of the Constitution.
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