Confined to bed after a nasty fall, I reluctantly watched TV all day yesterday. It was mind numbing. Especially that tirade by Donald Trump in Dallas last night. How can anyone describe him as entertaining? On what grounds do the pundits find him fresh and surprising?
What I heard was the same old boasts and promises we’ve heard so many times before.
He bragged about his prowess as a business tycoon and negotiator, and made snide remarks about Hillary Clinton and John Kerry, even sinking so low as to make fun of Kerry’s bicycle accident.
And he included a long, rambling dismissal of the media, describing even conservative pundits as “losers.”
Of course he repeated his promise to build a high wall between the US and Mexico and send America’s millions of illegal immigrants back home. That’s always a crowd pleaser.
He also pledged unimaginable prosperity and lower taxes (except for hedge fund managers), and thousands – no millions – of new jobs as businesses are bullied into bringing their factories home from abroad.
Oh yes, there’s that two trillion – or is it three trillion? – dollars supposedly tucked away abroad by American corporations. He would bring that home in a heartbeat. How?
Well you have to take his word on that. He is a master negotiator, remember? He can get it done.
Indeed, Trump isn’t much on “how.” He is more of a “what” kind of guy. And the “what” is enticing to many. Riches beyond their wildest dreams, a victorious America free of illegal immigrants and with the whole world groveling at their feet, lower taxes, less red tape, less government interference in their lives, oil and gas flowing like milk and honey, happy, healthy veterans, and “cherished” American women dancing in the moonlight …
That’s what a lot of voters dream of, I guess. But nobody seems to be asking how Trump proposes to deliver this dream.
The only “how” I can recall from last night’s speech was his plan to threaten Ford with a 35-percent import duty if it builds a plant in Mexico. He doesn’t say how he would get such a tax through Congress. And you and I know he couldn’t. But, what does that matter? The crowd loved it.
Let’s face it. Trump is a hot-air balloon. But it seems Americans enjoy his swagger. CNN is expecting record ratings for the Republican primary debate tomorrow night. Because of Trump. Because TV viewers expect some new and amazing utterance from him.
Yet I bet he will say the same things he always does. The only surprise is who gets insulted next. And even that is getting old.
