Patton: Trump Trumps Them All

Donald Trump breaks all the rules of campaigning. First, he personally attacks his rivals. That’s a no-no in conventional politics. The standard tactic is to talk generally about what an adversary is doing or saying without ever mentioning the competitor’s name. Or, if a personal attack is launched, then it is left to a surrogate, not the candidate, to say the hateful things so that the office-seeker’s hands remain clean.

That’s not the Trump way. He personally bad mouths his foes. As Danielle Kurtzleben wrote (NPR, 7/21/15) “But one thing set The Donald’s speech apart from all other campaign speeches: He hurled insult after insult. In a speech that almost felt like a comedy roast of Washington, Trump flung put-downs in every direction. . .

“And then you have this guy (South Carolina Senator) Lindsay Graham, a total lightweight. Here’s the guy - in the private sector he couldn’t get a job. Believe me. Couldn’t get a job. . .

“I see Rick Perry the other day . . . He’s doing very poorly in the polls. He put glasses on so people will think he’s smart. And it just doesn’t work! You know people can see through the glasses . . .

“I’m not a fan of Jeb Bush because Bush is a fan of Common Core and weak on immigration . . . And he’s not a deal maker. Who would you rather have negotiating against China?”

As a final blow to Lindsay Graham, Trump revealed Graham’s cell phone number for all the world to see. The expected happened. Graham was flooded with telephone calls, making his cell phone useless.

When Trump said that John McCain was not a war hero, common wisdom was that Trump had gone too far. McCain spent five years in a North Vietnamese prison where he endured numerous beatings and repeatedly refused offers of release , saying he would not leave until all the American prisoners were let go. Trump said dismissively, “I like people that weren’t captured.”

What a stupid thing to say. That should have been a death knell for Trump’s candidacy. Yet, amazingly, when new poll numbers were released after his comment about McCain, Trump was still running strong.

What keeps Trump so popular? Former CBS anchorman Dan Rather says that Trump is “gaffe proof.” That is, Trump says so many outrageous things that people stop taking them seriously and listen only to be entertained. What people like about Trump is his candid, no-holds-barred way of talking. That boldness stands in contrast to the flannel-mouthed prevarications, obfuscations, and falsehoods of your typical politician. And when Trump is attacked, instead of cringing, whining or retreating like your usual politico, he doubles down and verbally demolishes his critic.

The worst problem for Trump’s competitors is his ability to steal the spotlight from them. His face and voice fill our television screens, denying the others name recognition and an opportunity to make their cases. This dilemma is particularly painful because only 10 of the 17 Republican presidential candidates will be included in the first nationally-televised debate, and these 10 will be the ones with the highest national poll ratings. If some are ignored due to Trump’s omnipresence, they stand no chance of qualifying for the debate, and the likelihood of any of them being the eventual nominee is greatly diminished.

So woe unto Donald Trump’s competitors. They have never seen anything quite like him before. Does that mean that Trump will be the Republican nominee for president? Political commentators argue that the public will tire of his bravado, bullying, and bluster and that a more serious and restrained candidate will be the standard bearer. But making political predictions is a risky business, so a Trump victory party, perhaps in Las Vegas at a casino with glitz, show girls, and famous celebrities, isn’t totally out of the question. Life will never be dull so long as Donald Trump is in the race.

While I’m on the subject of politics, let me note that I have recently published a satirical novel about New Hampshire politics entitled “Selling Mt. Washington.” Here for everyone to see is the sometimes bizarre, sometimes humorous, and sometimes ridiculous political world of the Granite State. “Selling Mt. Washington” by Gary Patton can be purchased in Portsmouth at the River Run Bookstore, Discover Portsmouth, and Tugboat Alley. It is available in Exeter at The Water Street Bookstore and The Country Store at RiverWoods. In Hampton, “Selling Mt. Washington” can be purchased at the Galley Hatch gift shop. “Selling Mt. Washington” can also be obtained on-line at Amazon.com.