Now that the impossibly ridiculous has occurred — and Donald Trump has become the latest Republican presidential candidate — it’s perhaps time to assess briefly whether this guy actually has a shot at being elected president of the world’s greatest nation.
This picture of The Donald ought to suggest that there’s no way on God’s Green Earth that he’ll take up residence in the White House on Jan. 20, 2017.
Diplomacy? Nuance? Sensitivity? Is that the face of a man who understands any of that? Say what you will about politicians in general, but it does take some degree of finesse to navigate through tricky pathways.
The Donald doesn’t possess it. What he does possess, though, is conceit, ego, self-absorption, narcissism and self-aggrandizement.
How do those traits play? In the world of popular culture, they play well. Why do you think The Kardashians are so successful? They possess zero actual talent. But there they stand — in front of us constantly.
I put Donald Trump in that category of celebrity.
Which is why it’s treacherous to rule him out completely as a serious contender for — oh, I am loath to say this — for the presidency.
Strange things can happen in this insane world of ours.
Trump is a creature of this popular culture that places zero value on people’s compassion or their ability to actually lead.
He boasts about his fabulous wealth, not giving a damn about those who count getting through the day a major accomplishment. He bellows that “I will make America great again,” all by himself, no doubt. He puts preposterous notions into the public domain questioning whether the current president is constitutionally qualified to hold the office to which he was elected twice.
In that weird, wacky world out there, these things seem to resonate with enough people to — dare I say it? — make him a legitimate candidate for the most powerful public office in the world.
Am I predicting a Trump presidency? Not for a nano-second. But I’m telling ya, the guy’s going to make noise out there. And some folks are actually going to listen to it.
What the heck. I’ll look on the bright side. The Donald’s going to give folks like me plenty of rhetorical ammo.
I’m locked and loaded.