The myth of the 'genius" business manager running the government has long been discussed. A lean and calculating business mogul, with a wolf-like demeanor akin to the "Wolf" of Wall Street, a person that knows the ins and outs and how business operates is the reason many people thought that someone like a Ross Perot or a Michael Bloomberg could run a better kind of government. Now, that charge has been left to the Donald. He is the same man who ran a successful operation on reality TV.
A man whose father bailed him out of many failed business ventures, including casinos in Atlantic City. And who has touted the advantage of bankruptcy and borrowing, with leverage of going into enormous debt. His book, the "Art of the Deal" was a marketing tool he used in his pitch as a front man where he has been successful in leasing the Trump name in building ventures spanning the globe. This has been a successful operation that has catapulted his family business into a worldwide concern, and his adult children have stepped into his role as pitchmen and marketeers.
Governor John Kasich recounted a pitch given to him to step into the role of Vice President. According to Kasich, Trump’s children pitched the job he would be doing as a wonk-ish one where the VP would be responsible for behind the scenes duties of managing the government, whereas Trump would remain essentially the front man, touting his policies and the successes wrought by a Trump administration. Essentially, Trump would do what he does best. And that is marketing a product, while the behind-the-scenes management team would make government function like a well-oiled machine.
The idea that this government is functioning like a well-oiled machine would be hard to argue. The roll-out of the Travel Ban plus the increasing dysfunction witnessed by those who see the behind the scenes machinations of the Trump organization can only make those who are in the know shake their heads as we hear the phrases "uncharted territory" and "unprecedented" being tossed around more and more. Trump seems to be gambling on the fact that no-one will call him out on the many missteps as long as he can throw red meat to the base.
This raises the question as to how long he can continue with a government that doesn't fill key positions. The myth of the genius business manager would mean that someone, a keen overseer and entrepreneur, could be savvy and smart enough to continue to run the federal government, while at the same time capably reducing the operating costs while wheeling and dealing behind the scenes in order to negotiate new and even better trade deals. This genius would use key business people with insider knowledge to run rings around our Allies and competitive trading partners, while all the while being able to steer the ship of state and make business people happy as well as having stocks soar and keep the balance of power by negotiating both sides of the aisle.
Reports are that Trump has been working on his newly re-imagined Art of the Deal. In his mind, his biggest negotiating concern is the ability to create an image of himself as the business savvy President. The stacks of papers that sit on his desk consist of articles that he reads about himself and his imaging. He would like to market this image of Trump and his brand around the world in order to land the best deals and enhance his image. The buck stops with him, only as far as how his image is perceived. After that, the U.S is on its own. The wheels of government may fall off, but that will have to be business for another day.
People like Paul Ryan and Mike Pence will be left to run behind in his wake on clean-up detail. Meanwhile, no one is arguing that this government is running like a well-oiled machine. Trump has alienated the democratic leadership and has created even greater divides in the electorate. He has hunkered down in his self-proclaimed, and incredibly expensive government funded Mar-a-Lago bunker as he runs his ship of state like a newly upgraded version of The Apprentice-Washington style. Where it will end, nobody knows. But it seems clear that if the fan hasn't been hit with a steaming load of Trump-doo, then there's a huge pile just waiting for the inevitable collision between the fan of reality and the world according to Trump.
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