Trump for President? Are you insane?

He's not really running, at least not yet. Of course, the candidacy rules are useless, because you can run for president all you want if you don't "declare" your candidacy. But I've started hearing people say that he could straighten out the country, and "run it like a business." People, please - they already "run it like a business" - and the people running it are making money hand over fist. The USA is not a business, it's a Constitutional Republic with democratically elected representation. Its purpose isn't to convert political power into profit, its purpose is to secure the rights of the individual citizen.

But based at least in part on Mr. Trump's persona on his television show, people believe he can turn the country around. Worse, they think he will. Those are two different assumptions, and they are both incorrect.

In the "boardroom" of his TV show, Mr. Trump is in complete control. He is, in the context of each task, an absolute dictator. Of course he looks capable. Everyone around him is kissing his ass, because he is the only one who can say "You're Fired." In the final segment of each show, he appears to be reasonable, listening to opinions and excuses with an open mind - but in truth, by the time the players walk into the set, he knows which team has won, and he knows whom he's going to fire. And it has little to do with who is responsible for losing the task that week.

We are given the strong impression that it's all about responsibility and performance, but it's not. It's about ratings, and who will best keep up the ratings. If he wants the task manager to be fired, that's the easy one. He simply states that the team lost, x is the task manager and therefore responsible. "You're fired!" But if he wants to keep the task manager, he simply manipulates the blaming until everyone is ganging up on the player he wants to fire. All the players are more than willing to point fingers when they can, because just as in real corporate life, you either blame or you get blamed. When the focus is on the correct victim, he lowers the boom, and we see the victim getting in that cab and going home. I hated to do that, but it was the right decision, he says to those still in the boardroom, and they nod in unanimity.

You don't think so? Consider last night. More than on any other task this season, perhaps any season, the task manager was clearly and indisputably at fault for losing. Star, a lawyer with the heart of a predator, a lawyer whose mentor is Johnnie Cochran, had complete control of her task and her team. It was her concept, it was executed by her command, and there was no mutiny. The team did as they were told. There was no way in the land of sanity that it could be blamed on anyone else. Bear in mind that the women's team did the task with five members, while the men were down to three. But when it was almost time to roll the credits, Trump stated that the men's team was very strong, and he wanted the women to have a chance. So he fired Latoya Jackson, and kept the woman who was clearly at fault. You need conflict to have good ratings, you see. And that conflict will continue.

So what he's good at is doing whatever the hell he wants to do while making us think he is being fair and listening to dissent and considering all viewpoints. He misdirects us. This is not the skill of a statesman, it is not the skill of a president who will do what is best for the country. This is the skill of a politician. For the love of God, do we not already have enough politicians? They are lined up like vampires, waiting their turn to bite America's neck.


Trump can't fix what's wrong with this country unless, as in the board room, he is given dictatorial powers. But that's what our problem is in the first place - too much of our government has assumed dictatorial power. Do you really want to elect a man whose life's goals consist proudly of money and power? Really? If so, you would do well to question your own sanity.