At the outset, it should be noted that I generally do not favor having anyone as president. As someone with a more radical free-market bent, I believe any government interference in the economy is by definition harmful. Given that, if we must have a president I hope to high heaven that Donald Trump wins the election.
Trump’s most attractive quality is that he isn’t a politician. Instead of the usual, carefully-crafted, focus-group tested phrases and sound bites that sound nearly inhuman, Trump is an entertainer first and foremost.
I don’t believe that the president really has that much of an impact on the more important aspects of the country. The economy is firmly governed by the Federal Reserve, which is headed up by an appointed individual, not an elected official. Most of the decisions regarding the Fed go through Janet Yellen, not the president. Not only that, but no presidential candidate has at all mentioned any change to Fed policy, one of the most damaging effects to things as they are.
Many people dislike Trump for his racist views and anti-immigration positions. However, Sanders and Clinton both have anti-immigration views, and while they don’t propose building a huge wall, both have come under fire for their views.
More importantly about Trump’s wall, it must be taken into context – it’s a proposal given during the primaries. It’s basically a campaign promise, and campaign promises are meant to be broken. Look at Obama, who promised to protect whistleblowers, but now we have Edward Snowden, one of the most influential whistleblowers hiding out in Russia of all places to escape punishment.
I am far more in favor of a politician that makes ridiculous campaign promises and doesn’t follow through than one that makes reasonable, beneficial campaign promises that get hopes up and doesn’t follow through.
Most of the American public knows not to take campaign promises at face value, but Trump’s get blown out of proportion because of their apparent absurdity. Not that Obama’s promise to protect whistleblowers was any less absurd but everybody loves to get mad at overt racism while glossing over insidious, institutionalized repression.
Regardless of who is elected president, the U.S. has dug itself into a huge hole. Massive debt, a rapidly-inflating dollar that is projected by some to lose half its value as well as its worldwide reserve status and no relief in sight for an economy shackled by a mind-boggling amount of regulation.
No candidate even halfway considered for the presidency is planning to do anything to stop the hemorrhaging, so the way I see it – as long as Rome is going to burn – we might as well have a good fiddler playing us out.
Being of the generation that spends a lot of time on the Internet, Trump will be an unending source of content for all the memers out there. A phrase I’ve seen making the rounds is “A vote against Trump is a vote against dank memes,” and I’m forced to agree.
There may be Sanders memes, but come on. Trump is far more self-aware. Trump even posted a “Can’t Stump the Trump” video and a Trump Pepe meme from his Twitter. Some may say it cheapens him, but he’s only proving his worth in entertainment value.
There is also a very tangible benefit to Trump being in the White House, and that is the anti-war left will return. When George W. Bush was in charge, there were massive protests and marches against the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Pictures of Bush with Hitler moustaches and a push to have him arrested and tried as a war criminal were everywhere. Under Obama’s watch, the military bombs a Doctors without Borders hospital, and nobody bats an eye.
The anti-war left has left. I suppose they don’t want to protest a Nobel Peace Prize winner regardless of how many hospitals get bombed and innocents get killed in drone strikes. If Trump gets elected, they’ll come roaring back and suddenly start caring about drone strikes and boots on the ground.
Washington DC is a circus. An utterly farcical cluster of idiocy, corruption, greed and deceit. The least we can do is have a clown in charge.