Quite The Contrary ...
By now, with the millions and millions of dollars' worth of negative ads against billionaire presidential candidate Donald Trump over the last few weeks, you could be forgiven if you start to think that this vulgar, ignorant, inexperienced, phony and dangerous fascist and religious bigot should never be allowed to run for the US presidency. Often called a sexist, a racist and a bully, the attacks on his intellect and his character seem unabated while the votes he earned kept on rising. To me, it seems such a mystery why so many people in his own party and in the media seem to hate him so much that they all forgot to be fair. Highly illustrative of such mocking ridicule is John Oliver's diatribe against Trump last week:
Oliver tried to pour cold water on Trump's supposed 4 qualities that attracted voters. Ok, let me truly address those 4 qualities:
(1) "We like him. He tells it like it is. He says what he means. I ..., I honestly believe he is telling the truth!"
Oliver misinterpreted this as a claim that Trump is 100% an honest guy and swiftly showed that Trump was often factually wrong and accused him of lying.
Well, Trump has his faults, but what people actually appreciate about him is not for being 100% honest, but for having the courage and forthrightness to tell people the ugly truth about the failures of his country and his fearless recommendations of politically-incorrect remedies.
(2) "He is funding his own campaign, nobody owns him!"
Oliver dwelled only on how little of his own money Trump actually spends on his campaign. He also highlighted that he actually receives donations from individual supporters.
Yet, Trump had repeatedly stressed that the unique thing about himself is that he does not owe any favour to any lobby or special interest group because he receives no money from them; and therefore would be free to act for the benefit of his country in whatever way he sees fit.
(3) "Trump is aggressive; and he is strong; and he is bold!"
Oliver humorously pointed out that Trump is actually a wimp because he has a laughably thin skin and often failed to carry out his threats to sue others.
Yet, what people see is that he can be quite unconventional and unpredictable in his thinking and opinions. He also seems unafraid to voice unpopular, outlandish and politically-incorrect statements against overwhelming odds. He doesn't hesitate to contradict himself and shows a willingness to sometimes change his mind and be flexible. That seems to attract voters who are fed up with the old inertia of true politicians.
(4) "I think Trump is an incredible businessman! If he runs the country like he runs his organization, we would be in good shape!"
Oliver talked about Trump's past business failures and financial difficulties; questioned the actual magnitude of his wealth and attributed his success to the head-start Trump got when he inherited millions from his father.
On the other hand, many people admired Trump for his optimistic self-confidence, his ability to think and dream big for his country, his resilience in recovering from every setback and most of all, his authenticity in passionately believing in what he is saying, pursuing power not for himself, but for unwisely setting aside his comfortable life to take on the thankless job of trying to make America great again.
Conclusion
If we see Trump through the lens of conventional politics, he seems like an ignorant and reckless opportunist who does not play by the normal rules of the game. But, if we believe he is the vanguard of a new movement of non-politics as a form of political innovation, then we may begin to understand this whole Donald Trump phenomenon. Apparently disgusted by the lack of success of conventional politics and politicians, Trump is now attempting to conduct politics as a form of business, borrowing heavily from his own business principles and expertise. He is now ready to be the President of the United States. The big question is whether the people are ready for him.
Meanwhile, we hear the chants: "USA! USA!"
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