Donald John Trump, billionaire, reality TV show star, and elder boomer (he turns 70 next month) will be the next President of the United States of America. His campaign has the momentum, his competing teammates have all quit the race, and his remaining opponents are a woman neck deep in scandal, past and present, and a 74-year-old socialist from Vermont. So, as of today, I am calling for a Reaganesque victory for Trump over Clinton in November 2016.
I wasn't always sure he would win, and while I do like trolling my more progressive friends by chanting "Trump, Trump, Trump!" ever louder, I must admit that Trump is not my first choice and certainly not a true conservative by any measure. He is the result of anger in many different demographics at the incompetence from Washington at home and abroad that has lead to more unemployment, more debt, and more crises than ever before. He is a man of the angry people.
Of course emotionality is no basis for a system of government. But by that same token, the first black President of the United States has a lot to answer for as well. Obama campaigned on hope and change, emotional promises that were never fulfilled. One of his greatest sound bites in his first election was "we are not red states and blue states, we are the United States," and yet eight years later the country is almost as divided as it was during the 1968 election.
Dwelling on the broken promises and mismanagement from the American federal government over the last 20 years illuminates just how brilliant Trump's campaign team is in both how they craft his message and the slogans they plaster on t-shirts. "Make America Great Again" is a slogan borrowed from Reagan, and it establishes three things: first, the current operators are incompetent; second, we had greatness once; and third, we can become great again.
That's a message that resonates no matter what side of the spectrum you are on. In fact it's the exact sentiment that Trudeau expressed when he declared that "Canada is back" after being elected. And during the campaign, I heard even local Liberal candidates proclaim the glory days of the pre-Harper era, a magical time before Canada was harsh, self-serving, and obsessed with resource development. Nostalgia is a powerful force, and it is used by both the right and left.
Of course the other thing that helps Trump is his "high energy" persona. In a race where the median age of the main competitors is 70-plus, Trump still appears younger than his Democrat opponents. He has a young man's energy as we walks off the plane to greet supporters, speak at rallies, and attack his detractors. His smile is both confident and mischievous, giving him an almost boyish look at times. He has been on reality TV for years and clearly knows how to carry himself.
And finally, even the most cynical political commentator really does believe the Donald when he says he is going to do something, whether it's fix Obamacare or build a wall between the US and Mexico. Can he do everything he promises? That question is irrelevant for two reasons: first, Trump has a long record of doing things - not always the right thing, but things nonetheless; second, Americans have always liked fighters, and that is what Trump is promising them.
So as the American election drags on until November, expect to see Trump's numbers continue to rise as Clinton's continue to falter. If nothing else, we will see the final climax of the now two generation-long war between the different mentalities of the Boomers: the social-reformer Bernie put out to pasture by cynics; the careerist Hillary finally called to account for her many sins; and the populist, "freedom 55" championing Trump carried to victory by mad as hell voters.
It will certainly be the craziest election we've seen in a long time. But then again, at least America believes in liberty enough to give protest candidates a chance. I can't say the same of us.
