I took the liberty the other day of reaching to the other side of the planet for an opinion on Donald Trump.
A fellow I met 15 years ago is a smart and savvy political observer and commentator. Peter Adams used to work as a broadcast journalist and he’s been an astuteĀ observer of American politics for many years. He lives in Adelaide, Australia with his wife and children. He remains keenly interested in happenings in this country and we have stayed in touch over the years.
So, I asked Peter: What’s the word on the street in a major city Down Under about Trump’s Republican nomination candidacy? HeĀ responded with this:
“Much of the TV coverage is devoted to his rather strident rhetoric, while the press/online coverage is already looking at why he won’t get the formal nomination.
“As indicated, we won’t switch on until the primaries next year …Ā so in the meantime we’re enjoying Trump as some sort of political comic relief.
“The fact that he’s even dishing out on Fox News hosts means he adheres to the concept of equal opportunity …Ā i.e. he’ll offend everyone!
“If the political process and media scrutiny don’t get him, satire will. Someone will rise to harpoon him much like Tina Fey did to Sarah Palin.
“A disaster was averted and the world got a bloody good laugh along the way.
” …Trump should be given every legitimate avenue the Republican Party allows to make it abundantly clear to its electoral colleges and the American people why he would be a domestic and foreign policy disaster and would reduce the US to an international laughingstock. To paraphrase Winston Churchill, they’ll eventually do the right thing … once every other option is exhausted. The Democrats will be licking their lips with delight at all of this. Hillary brings enough political baggage with her to fill a jumbo jet, but The Donald may well provide the lucky break that helps turn her career.
“But from there, I can only imagine the weapons-grade political conniving she’ll bring to the Oval Office.”
Strange, isn’t it, how the view from so far away looks so much — to my way of thinking, at least — like the view from right here?