✅ A WHOLE NEW ERA OF POLITICS?
TRUMP & SANDERS THE DISRUPTERS✨
First there was Uber. Then there was AirBnB. Then there was Trump. Then Bernie Sanders. Carson & Fiorina.
If we didn’t know any better, and one came from the world of entrepreneurship, one would be tempted to say that what we are currently witnessing in the world of politics, is a massive dose of disruption of the traditional political model for presidential campaigns.
Out with the old model of doing politics. In with the new, where everything appears topsy turvy, defying all conventional wisdom, including the laws of gravitas.
Pundits in general and the establishment political class in particular, can’t figure out what is going on: they dislike Trump pretty intensely for not following the rule book, and would love nothing better than to see him implode. And yet the one doing the imploding is Hillary Clinton - the so-called "inevitable nominee" for the Democratic side.
Notwithstanding serious efforts to take him down - arrgg! much to their dismay - Trump keeps leading in all the polls! He might have lost some points after the Fox debate, but he's still leading - and in some polls by double-digits.
At the same time, while most of the attention has been focused on Trump and the Republican race, Bernie Sanders on the Democratic side too is causing havoc with conventional wisdom.
The "Outsiders" Phase?
In an attempt to discern some pattern which would explain what is going on, the going consensus in the punditry sphere, is that the 2016 race is in its “outsiders” phase - Trump, Carson and Fiorina - and that this phase is nothing but a fleeting, passing phase. The outsiders are capitalizing on the peoples' need to vent their pent-up anger at the status quo; but once they have finished venting and return to their senses, the establishment candidates will surely ultimately prevail.
Well, then, how do you explain Sanders - a career, lifetime politician, no outsider to politics? With every day that passes, his crowds are also getting bigger and bigger.
Perhaps, while a career politician, what arguably makes Sanders an outsider to the prevailing order of things, is that he is an avowed socialist.
Up until now, the word “socialism” and its derivatives, were a huge no-no in American politics. America was founded and reached its apogee as a democratic, capitalist, free market society - the direct opposite of socialism. Consequently, during the Obama’s campaigns, the Democrats would get apoplexy when anyone referred to their candidate as a “socialist,” notwithstanding his Marxist education, community organizer career, and socialist mentors. And yet today, an avowed socialist is beating Hillary Clinton in the New Hampshire polls, and closing the gap in other polls.
As between Trump and Sanders, the more worrisome trend is indeed Sanders if one believes in the America envisioned by the founders - which led to America becoming the No. 1 economic and political power in the world, and has been the reason why everyone in the world wants to immigrate to its shores, legally or illegally.
Still, Sanders too is tapping into a great discontent which must be addressed. Crony capitalism, corruption, never-ending regulations, and a sad state of affairs in education (particularly given that the world is now in the "Knowledge Economy," which by definition requires knowledge to be successful, while the lack thereof will make the inequality gap larger and larger as time goes by), among other things, have made the American Dream increasingly difficult to achieve, and the country does indeed have to change course to address those problems.
Not a Passing Phase
Sooo, is all of this a passing phase? Doubtful.
Paraphrasing Albert Einstein, it is madness to think that doing the same thing over and over will get you different results. The American people are tired of doing and falling for the same things over and over. They want results, and they want them now. And, as Ben Carson has stated, they are looking for people with demonstrated trajectories of achievement and of obtaining results.
The middle class, in particular, is feeling very dis-enfranchised in their own country, at the same time their standard of living is decreasing. Many are working two to three part-time jobs just to keep pace.
Extraordinary as it might sound, Trump and his message appeal to ordinary citizens trying to survive in a globalized economy which they perceive is leaving them behind. They perceive him as their true champion who won't let them down under pressure to conform to a system they perceive as broken. Tough to control someone who cannot be bought and has ideas of his own.
As everyone concurs, there is the element of showmanship at play - at which, everyone also concurs, Trump absolutely excels. But that is not necessarily a bad thing. A big part of being a leader is to persuade. Showmanship goes a long way when trying to persuade - most especially in today's pop culture. Obama himself exploited this fact during his campaigns and his administration.
Having watched Trump give two press conferences and his interviews with various personalities, it is very clear Trump is very at ease in his own skin. As a consequence, he projects and exudes great confidence. He further projects authenticity and genuineness - very rare commodities in the political arena. Without a teleprompter, he speaks directly to his audience, in a high-energy, passionate and enthusiastic tempo, with a power-pose body language which underscores what he is saying. Indeed, people who are telling the truth tend to gesticulate a lot with their hands - something Trump does frequently to emphasize his points.
Those who would dismiss Trump as all entertaining hot air and no substance, would be gravely mistaken. Trump, as he himself states in his book "How to Get Rich," is a well-read man, who daily keeps tabs on the pulse of the world. He clearly knows human psychology and the buttons one needs to push to negotiate and outmaneuver his opponents successfully. He may not always do it artfully, but he generally gets his way. And when he doesn't, he is quite the expert in pivoting the matter to his advantage. Imagine all the practice he has had building his real estate emporium, where he has had to deal with literally thousands of people from all sorts of different fields and from all sorts of social-economic backgrounds. Moreover, like Reagan, he tends to surround himself with the best advisors. Not only that, he can recognize talent when he sees it, having promoted people from humble beginnings to important posts in his companies - and who, as a result have remained with him for their lifetimes.
In addition, he knows the American system inside and out, and is quite brazen about how he has used it to his advantage. Franklin Delano Roosevelt appointed Joe Kennedy Chairman of the SEC precisely because Kennedy knew all the short-cuts in the system, and had used them to his advantage to build his own enormous wealth; thus, who better to reform said system?
If anything, Trump needs to be careful not to saturate the media - too much of a good thing can end up being a bad thing if people do indeed start to tire of him.
Subject to that caveat, Trump still has a lot of up-ending to do, as he proceeds to unveil his policy proposals. As of this writing he has made known his policy on illegal immigration - whether it is good or bad, is a topic for another post.
The Internet's Influence
Politics has definitely entered into a new era, fed in large part by the Internet and social media - and disrupted by newcomers to the political arena, unwilling to tow the conventional line. People are no longer necessarily the captive audience of the established media; they can - and many are now becoming - far more active participants in the process of electing their leaders.
For the same reason, rather than try to control outcomes, the established political class should just let things play themselves out. If Trump is another Reagan, only time and the voting public will tell. There are still 448 days until election day, and in that period, anything can still happen. Future debates may change fortunes, policy positions may prove untenable to the voting public, major gaffes may occur, etc..
On the other hand, if there is any message this phase of the proceedings is sending, is that bases in both parties do not appreciate being forced-fed a candidate not of their choice, but yes of the ruling class.
As between Trump and Sanders, the more worrisome trend is indeed Sanders if one believes in the America envisioned by the founders - which led to America becoming the No. 1 economic and political power in the world, and has been the reason why everyone in the world wants to immigrate to its shores, legally or illegally.
Still, Sanders too is tapping into a great discontent which must be addressed. Crony capitalism, corruption, never-ending regulations, and a sad state of affairs in education (particularly given that the world is now in the "Knowledge Economy," which by definition requires knowledge to be successful, while the lack thereof will make the inequality gap larger and larger as time goes by), among other things, have made the American Dream increasingly difficult to achieve, and the country does indeed have to change course to address those problems.
Not a Passing Phase
Sooo, is all of this a passing phase? Doubtful.
Paraphrasing Albert Einstein, it is madness to think that doing the same thing over and over will get you different results. The American people are tired of doing and falling for the same things over and over. They want results, and they want them now. And, as Ben Carson has stated, they are looking for people with demonstrated trajectories of achievement and of obtaining results.
The middle class, in particular, is feeling very dis-enfranchised in their own country, at the same time their standard of living is decreasing. Many are working two to three part-time jobs just to keep pace.
Extraordinary as it might sound, Trump and his message appeal to ordinary citizens trying to survive in a globalized economy which they perceive is leaving them behind. They perceive him as their true champion who won't let them down under pressure to conform to a system they perceive as broken. Tough to control someone who cannot be bought and has ideas of his own.
As everyone concurs, there is the element of showmanship at play - at which, everyone also concurs, Trump absolutely excels. But that is not necessarily a bad thing. A big part of being a leader is to persuade. Showmanship goes a long way when trying to persuade - most especially in today's pop culture. Obama himself exploited this fact during his campaigns and his administration.
Having watched Trump give two press conferences and his interviews with various personalities, it is very clear Trump is very at ease in his own skin. As a consequence, he projects and exudes great confidence. He further projects authenticity and genuineness - very rare commodities in the political arena. Without a teleprompter, he speaks directly to his audience, in a high-energy, passionate and enthusiastic tempo, with a power-pose body language which underscores what he is saying. Indeed, people who are telling the truth tend to gesticulate a lot with their hands - something Trump does frequently to emphasize his points.
Those who would dismiss Trump as all entertaining hot air and no substance, would be gravely mistaken. Trump, as he himself states in his book "How to Get Rich," is a well-read man, who daily keeps tabs on the pulse of the world. He clearly knows human psychology and the buttons one needs to push to negotiate and outmaneuver his opponents successfully. He may not always do it artfully, but he generally gets his way. And when he doesn't, he is quite the expert in pivoting the matter to his advantage. Imagine all the practice he has had building his real estate emporium, where he has had to deal with literally thousands of people from all sorts of different fields and from all sorts of social-economic backgrounds. Moreover, like Reagan, he tends to surround himself with the best advisors. Not only that, he can recognize talent when he sees it, having promoted people from humble beginnings to important posts in his companies - and who, as a result have remained with him for their lifetimes.
In addition, he knows the American system inside and out, and is quite brazen about how he has used it to his advantage. Franklin Delano Roosevelt appointed Joe Kennedy Chairman of the SEC precisely because Kennedy knew all the short-cuts in the system, and had used them to his advantage to build his own enormous wealth; thus, who better to reform said system?
If anything, Trump needs to be careful not to saturate the media - too much of a good thing can end up being a bad thing if people do indeed start to tire of him.
Subject to that caveat, Trump still has a lot of up-ending to do, as he proceeds to unveil his policy proposals. As of this writing he has made known his policy on illegal immigration - whether it is good or bad, is a topic for another post.
The Internet's Influence
Politics has definitely entered into a new era, fed in large part by the Internet and social media - and disrupted by newcomers to the political arena, unwilling to tow the conventional line. People are no longer necessarily the captive audience of the established media; they can - and many are now becoming - far more active participants in the process of electing their leaders.
For the same reason, rather than try to control outcomes, the established political class should just let things play themselves out. If Trump is another Reagan, only time and the voting public will tell. There are still 448 days until election day, and in that period, anything can still happen. Future debates may change fortunes, policy positions may prove untenable to the voting public, major gaffes may occur, etc..
On the other hand, if there is any message this phase of the proceedings is sending, is that bases in both parties do not appreciate being forced-fed a candidate not of their choice, but yes of the ruling class.
ACEPUNDIT
@ACEPUNDITRY
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