Dear Commons Community,

Donald Trump is picking up a good deal of publicity as a possible presidential candidate in 2012.  Exactly on what party’s ticket (Republican or Independent), is still up in the air.  David Brooks had a column on why Donald Trump appeals to some people.  He commented:

“there has always been a fan base for the abrasive rich man. There has always been a market for books by people like George Steinbrenner, Ross Perot, Bill O’Reilly, Rush Limbaugh, Bobby Knight, Howard Stern and George Soros. There has always been a large clump of voters who believe that America could reverse its decline if only a straight-talking, obnoxious blowhard would take control. And today, apparently, Donald Trump is that man.”

Richard Cohen in his column for the NY Daily News observed:

“For whatever reason, Trump has risen to the top of potential Republican presidential favorites. Maybe this is on account of name recognition, maybe because the public likes his television manner (kind of a latter-day Mussolini) or maybe because people think the country needs a businessman to do the right thing…. He refers to himself often in the third person. He is bombastic, sometimes cruel, utterly domineering and not in the least bit fastidious about the truth. “Donald is a believer in the big lie theory,” his lawyer told Vanity Fair. “If you say something over and over again, people will believe you.”   Cohen concludes  his column that other candidates should “ B E W A R E”.

But perhaps the best insight into Donald Trump occurred yesterday while being interviewed by George Stephanopoulos for a “Good Morning America” segment that turned rather heated.  Trump lashed out at Stephanopoulos after several questions regarding Trump’s obsession with  President Obama’s birth certificate.  Trump accused  the ABC host of being “co-opted” by President Obama’s “minions” .  See the video below.

Tony

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WEuj7wjCO0&feature=youtu.be[/youtube]