Vincent J. Curtis
16 Aug 2016
Let me close out the discussion on the advice that David
Catanese of U.S. News & World Report offered the Trump campaign and
Republicans in general. Catanese was
appalled that Trump would admit on the campaign trail that he could lose the
election, and it wouldn’t matter all that much to him. To be sure, the admission of possible defeat
breaks another political mould, for it is a frequent technique of journalists
to try to get losing politicians to admit that they are going to lose. Usually, such an admission is the final nail
in the campaign’s coffin.
This admission isn’t going to work in Trump’s case. Trump really does not need the job. He could stay home, enjoy his grandkids, and
count his money. He could spend a lot of
time flying around the world and playing golf on his many Trump-owned golf
courses. Trump is offering his candidacy
because, he says, it is a way of giving thanks to America for making his life
possible. America is not in a good spot
right now, and Trump thinks he knows what to do to get it to a better place. He wants to make America great again, and he
thinks his lifetime in business gives him the set of skills that America needs
right now to get turned around.
On the stump, he jokes about working harder now than ever
before, when a man his age should be retiring and taking it easy. Then he turns to the workers in his audience
and remarks that they too are having to work harder than ever before, just to
make ends meet. They have not had a pay
raise in eighteen years, and in their lifetime of work many of them have lost
their jobs because of illegal immigration or unwise trade deals. Not a bad riff.
In a previous post, I mentioned the difference between
logical reasoning and practical reasoning.
Practical reasoning is driven by appetite (conation as it is known in
philosophy) and leads to a decision about what to do. Logical reasoning can provide practical
reasoning with data input, but the two kinds of reasoning, though similar in
form, are distinctly different.
Practical reason leads to a good decision if it is in accordance with right desire.
To be sure, there is an element of ego-gratification in the
seeking of the presidency. But
disregarding that, Trump`s motivation is to make America great again. You can differ with him about the measures he
would employ to achieve that, but there is no doubt that Trump is motivated by
right desire.
Hillary is motivated by the desire for self-enrichment, and
the applause of a segment of the electorate, which will be gratified by the
punishment and shaming of another segment.
The theme of Hillary`s campaign is, ironically, “Stronger Together.” Her enemies are, by her own admission,
Republicans.
Thus when Trump says he could lose the election, he admits
to nothing more than an obvious fact.
Hillary could lose it also. It is
only the middle of August. But Trump is
also placing before the electorate that he is not being deceitful with
them. He has made his money. There is no selfish gain to be had for him by
being elected president. He is motivated
by the right desire, the desire to make America great again.
The American people are not used to a politician levelling
with them like this. Americans expect
and even like having their politicians tell them stories.
Mitt Romney was in the same position that Trump is in now,
but was too dense or perhaps too decent to play off the caricature that
Democrats had made of him. The Democrats
had made out that Romney was heartless, who outsourced jobs, liked firing
people, and deprived the sick of their health care.
Romney, at the last debate, did not look into the camera and
say to the American people, let’s take all that as read. That I am such a person. I am also quite rich, if you didn’t already
know. When this election is over, win or
lose, I’ll be all right, Jack. But how
will you be doing? How will you be doing
four years from now? You think that
Obama is going to get you a raise?
Provide plenty of well-paying jobs?
Get this economy moving again? He
couldn’t run a hot dog stand, and hasn’t.
But I’ve turned around my share of hot dog stands, and the Salt Lake
City Olympics, and the state of Connecticut, and built a great company. I could go back to it after the
election. Now, do you want this sort of
person working for you, or against you?
A lot of smart, wealthy people became wealthy by being smart enough to
hire me. You could too. Your future is up to you. I’ll be all right, regardless of your decision
in November.
Romney didn’t say this, and he lost. This would have been a classic ju jitsu move,
to take the pressure the opponent is applying and use it to pull him off
balance. Romney didn’t think of it.
Trump is in exactly the same position that Romney was, a
rich guy, well-motivated, and with the turning around of America as his final
life’s project, an application of one of America’s great talents to solving the
problems of America. Admitting he could
lose is a way for Trump to show the electorate that he is well motivated.
The journalists just don’t get Trump.
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