Straw Man

trumppinata

In response to Donald Trump's Mexican-bashing comments, some artisan has created Donald Trump piñatas so that outraged folks can hang him and hit him with a stick. If I were Trump, I'd be pissed that the hair on the piñata looks more realistic than the hair on my head.

A few friends of mine are worried that Trump, who's currently polling in second place, might get the Republican nomination. I don't know why they're fretting because, first of all, if he did get it, he might well be the easiest of all the contenders to defeat. He has no experience in governing and no real plans to fix any of the things he says he's going to fix. I think a certain part of the population finds Trump amusing and wants him in the race because he insults those they'd like to see insulted…but they're not about to entrust their country to him.

Second of all, I don't believe he's going to get the Republican nomination. Yeah, he's running second behind Jeb Bush but so what? There was a point in the last election when Herman Cain was in first place and then a week or so when Michele Bachmann was in the lead. Newt Gingrich even at one point announced in all seriousness that he had the nomination sewed-up. This far before the actual voting, the voters have plenty of time to tell pollsters anything off the tops of their heads. They're still deciding who they like…or dislike the least.

It matters not that The Donald is in second place. Second place is 10% of Republican voters and he also has, in a recent NBC/Wall Street Journal poll, 74 percent of Republican primary voters saying they could not support him. How do you win the nomination with an unfavorable rating like that? I'm not even sure Barack Obama has a 74 percent unfavorable rating with Republicans.

Trump has the name recognition amidst a field of contenders who aren't too well known. Of course he's going to do well now but he'll fade. The idea that he could win the presidency just on his name with no experience in government is ridiculous. That would be like Arnold Schwarzenegger becoming governor of —

Oh, wait a minute…