How long can Donald Trump's electoral vanity parade last?
After former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney lost the presidential election to Barack Obama in 2012, there appeared to be an emerging consensus: Republicans needed to build a more inclusive party, and quickly. Currently, instead of that project being fully on display, there's Trump taking center stage.
Trump's worldview, inasmuch as he has one, revolves around his own narcissism, intolerance and arrogance. Trump speaks like a conceited, immature business school student who's tipsy for the very first time.
Drowning in vanity, he tells us he's so smart and so rich. He reminds us that he's going to make America great again, that he's going to get tough with China. He's ready to build a wall; that's how much of a man he is. That's who Americans need running the country.
Seriously?
Given Trump's consistently obnoxious behavior, it's disappointing that more than a handful of U.S. citizens would even want to have a beer with the guy. The fact that he still leads in the Republican polls (by a large margin) is truly frightening.
Yes, many people in the U.S. are frustrated with a range of issues including immigration, inequality, national security policy and gridlock in Washington, D.C. Nonetheless, do people sincerely believe that Trump has the answers?
Walls? Racism? Hyperbole? Incoherence? Logorrhea?
I spent several weeks abroad in August and virtually everyone I met with (who is at all interested in politics) had a question or two about Trump's rise.
"What do you think about Trump?"
"Do you like Trump?"
"Is Donald Trump going to be your next president?"
"Is his hair fake?"
I could provide more quotes, but it's just too painful.
Trump's early success in the polls has me embarrassed and terrified -- as a U.S. citizen. He acted like a buffoon during the first debate, but has been gaining traction since then. Now, according to a new poll, he's topping 30 percent. That's the first time a Republican candidate has been able to do that this time around!
What will this mean for the Republican Party?
The race for the White House is already heating up and primary season starts in January. The time for GOP voters to dump Trump is now long overdue.
If Trump really wants to move beyond business and television, perhaps he could spend time dealing with another subject he knows quite well -- something pertaining to Narcissistic Personality Disorder might work.
Advocacy. Awareness-raising. Research. Fundraising. Leadership.
Surely the Donald has this covered; after all, he's an Ivy Leaguer.