Now that the Donald has pulled even, or even ahead in the polling, those among the punditry that thought he couldn’t win have changed their tune. What will it mean, really, to have that particular personality as our national executive? He will be aligned, in all probability, with a unified government. Without really knowing what he wants to do, other than be richer and more famous, all one can surmise is that he will do whatever he pleases. The Constitution presupposes a willingness to govern; it has minimal defense against ‘play to pay.’
Yes. I reversed the terms of that old formula. Donald, as far as we can tell, has paid very little. There is some evidence that money his “campaign” collects is in part reabsorbed by his enterprises. We know next to nothing about his function as a citizen (taxpayer, philanthropist, or contributor in kind to the public good). We know more about him as a litigant (frequent) and employer (deadbeat). His nobility is, if not non-existent, mostly tainted by unblushing self-regard. His family, also suspect as being on the suck, attest to his heart and generosity. OK then.
It seems to me that his greatest asset is one that is intangibly essential to a public figure: he is a fascinating personality, and one finds it difficult to turn away from him.
In a republic of The People, comprised largely of people of questionable education, discernment, intellectual ability, and discrimination, this factor alone becomes the Achilles’ heel of the functioning of government. I admit that I am among the public listed above, because I also find Trump fascinating. I personally understand the mechanism of public derailment, because earlier on, in a mood to detonate the American experiment, I myself contemplated voting for Trump. That was before, in my fascination, I actually listened to him speak and read his speeches transcribed on the virtual page.
A president Clinton would be interesting in a similar perverse way. One can’t imagine the unified partisan Republican congress with Ryan and McConnell at the helm doing anything different: constant and unrelenting obstruction. The non-functional government we now have would continue for another term or two, even if the Senate flips and becomes a 50/50 chamber. This situation, in itself, is, while perfectly constitutional on the face of it, deeply anti-American in its practical application. The challenges facing the nation (and our species) are already very daunting. What happened to that good old American spirit of ‘dash and derring do,’ or even ‘can do?’
Poof. Deeply divided. Non-functional.
But with Trump at the helm, if the bills can be faxed to him while he flies around on his new and improved aircraft, things will move forward. The spoiled children will have gotten their way, and the sandbox will be theirs. Or his. The question remains: what is it he wants to do? If it’s lining his pockets with the treasury one way or another, what sort of quid pro quo will the congress agree to with him? What will the ‘forward’ be like?
This is the question best pondered now, before the ovals get all blackened. Afterwards, we’ll all be observers. One cannot imagine being in any way better off. Those who do imagine that will be in for the disappointment of their lives.