Very seldom does a pig impale himself on a spit. It is quite a sight.
Donald Trump has been dancing around the campfire for many years. His unique mix of hubris, pretense and bullying has made him an iconic American brand. In fact, he is more brand than human. Even his business "empire" is primarily a complex web of licensing agreements. He licenses his gilded, ostentatious brand to other folks so that they can build residences or "attractions" to appeal to the segment of America I think of as afflu-wannabees; people who believe association with the Trump brand signifies wealth and prestige.
Not that it matters, but people who are really rich wouldn't tarnish their snootier level of prestige and pretense by associating with the Trump brand. It's rather like the difference between a Chrysler with Corinthian Leather and a Rolls Royce. If the allusion is unclear, Trump is not the Rolls.
His serial misogyny, serial spouses and serialized bombast on his Apprentice spectacles was charming, in a National Enquirer sort of way. Because Miss Universe, trophy wives and reality television are just tawdry entertainment, nobody really cared. He was just a sideshow in P.T. Barnum's 21st century America. He has lots of company - for example, most of the cast and crew at Fox News. Like the Donald, brands like Bill O'Reilly, Sean Hannity and Ann Coulter are just a less interesting version of sword-swallowers and conjoined twins of days gone by. No one in their right mind takes them seriously. It's just entertainment.
But then The Donald threw his hat in the ring. Ring of fire as it turns out. Suddenly the bombast, the breathtaking arrogance, the hair... it just wasn't funny anymore. Someone like Coulter can dis Mexicans, but she's never going to be in charge of immigration or economic policy. We all know that. In an instant, The Donald was no longer a sideshow. Just a day before he could have called Mexicans rapists and murderers and everyone would have chuckled. "There he goes again." Hell, he could have fired the whole country of Mexico and no one would have cared.
The Donald's fundamental error was not surprising. He really can't differentiate between a reality show and the United States of America. To him, the United States of America is a reality show. He's been its main showman and huckster for decades. Why would anything change when he went from impresario to contestant? It's still the same game.
But it's not "still the same game," despite the Supreme Court's best efforts to commercialize the government. Even the Koch brothers are smarter (and richer) than The Donald. They manage to appeal to the lowest common denominator without gratuitously insulting 89 percent of the country. The other 11 percent are Trump fans. (I know Mexicans are not 89 percent of the country. The rest of the insulted are those of us with a heart.)
When he walked down the spiral staircase at Trump Tower with his entourage and paid audience in place, he stepped from reality television to reality without even knowing he crossed over a bridge. In a matter of seconds, he went from being the weird, drunk uncle doing bad card tricks at the party, to the guy who might be driving your children home. The standards are different and the poor guy didn't know.
Delusional huckster that he is, The Donald still thinks he's winning. That's been his life. You know the old saying applied to George W; born on third base and thought he hit a triple. In The Donald's case, he was born on third base and has gradually drifted back to second, tripping along the way. He couldn't even parlay privilege into anything meaningful. He's bragging that he's second in the polls. Yep. Eleven percent of the already addled GOP-likely voters like The Donald. He has less chance of getting the GOP nomination than I do. And I'm an uber-progressive atheist.
The really delicious thing is that once roasted, this pig will never slop around in the pen again. It took only days for NBC Universal, Univision, Macy's and the entire city of New York to drop him like a hot slab of bacon. He is cooked. One flurry of blustering, bigoted blather and the whole gilded enterprise is toast.
Live by the brand, die by the brand, Donald. Sue me.