The Perils Of Being
'Trumped'
By Daniel Riordan,
for dumbhoosier.com
In these days of social media like Facebook and Twitter,
people have been duped into thinking everything is a big damn deal.
With great advances in technology has come instant reaction as well as
the death of perspective and context.
Perhaps nobody knows this more than Donald Trump.
Trump is a huckster but he also knows how to illicit a reaction from
people.
"The Donald" has no shot at being president. None. In fact, no
republican is going to beat Obama in November 2012. That's why marginal
candidates like Trump, Michelle Bachmann and Sarah Palin are even
flirting with the idea of running.
This time four years ago, when it was the Dems who smelled blood in the
water, they trotted every candidate under the sun out for the
nomination.
Republicans know they have no shot in 2012. Even with the Libya
situation, Obama is Teflon Don.
But I digress.
Even if Trump does run he will fail to garner the sort of
surprising support Ross Perot got.
But give Trump credit for one thing – he knows how to get people to
talk about him.
Donald Trump doesn't believe President Barack Obama was born in Kenya.
But he does know there is a loud minority of people who do believe it.
Trump, as shown through his business dealings, has the unique moral
incongruity to say or do anything he can to get attention or make a
buck.
The thing I find most laughable is that Trump seems to me to be what's
really wrong with America. Big business, shady financial dealings,
reality TV stardom - Trump is the poster boy for what's really wrong
with America.
I think people are starting to realize the actions of Wall Street are a
lot more egregious than anything a school teacher or unemployed laborer
is capable of.
Now, you can argue Obama's administration has done nothing but pander
to Wall Street and big business.
But if Barack Obama is a whore to Wall Street then Trump is one if its
pimps.
What Trump is banking on is that in this era of instant news with no
perspective, voters will only see him as a straight-talking
conservative with TEA party values.
And while I hope Americans are smart enough to ignore him before he
gets a bigger platform to reach people under the age of 80 – which
discounts his new show on Fox – to spew his nonsense, I just don't know.
Don't believe the hype.
Look at his record closely it's about as easy to spot as a forged birth
certificate.
I'd call Trump a swampland realtor or snake-oil salesman, but that'd be
an insult to those professions.
Bio: Daniel Riordan is a native of Chicago, lives in Warsaw, IN, and is
an associate editor for the Times-Union newspaper where he covers
county government and business. He can be reached at
daniel.riordan@gmail.com and is available for most birthday parties,
Bar Mitzvahs and barroom debates.
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