That Donald Trump's campaign is a phenomenon is undeniable.
That he considers himself phenomenal is also undeniable.
There's also no doubting that that he has dominated media coverage of the campaign for the Republican nomination, leaving most of his opponents bewildered and off balance.
Conventional wisdom among most politicos has been that Trump would flame-out early, but those forecasts may be in doubt. Much can happen in the weeks ahead to alter the political standings. Can other candidates break Trump's media strangle hold?
To this point, Trump isn't held to the standards of behavior and campaign claims that are normally expected. And that's part of Trump's appeal. He taps into the anger that exists in some corners of the electorate, the strong dissatisfaction with Washington and "politics as usual."
Trump goes out of his way to pick fights. He brags about how smart he is, how rich he is. He mocks and insults his rivals. He exemplifies the celebrity craze that has become ingrained in our society.
We are an entertainment- and media-driven society and we want our politics to be entertaining. Trump understands that, regularly demonstrating his mastery of media manipulation. He attacks the media while using the media to his advantage.
His supporters say they back him because he is "authentic" and "he tells it like it is." However, it is often a matter of telling his backers what they want to hear, even if it doesn't always comport with facts or reality. What might be considered gaffes on the part of others are greeted as gospel. He is authentic in the same way that reality TV is authentic. Remember his role as a "birther," insisting that he had evidence that Barack Obama was not an American citizen and ineligible for the presidency. He is not really held accountable for that sideshow as other candidates might be. He says he has no regrets about his role and "a lot of people love me for it." But, Trump now says, "I really don't want to get into it."
His flip-flops on issues are legion. Trump boasts of his business success, but he also had four corporate bankruptcies. You wonder how deficit hawks, worried about the government's financial status, can stand up for Trump.
He is long on self-certain assertions about what he would do as president and short on details. Is it realistic to believe that China and Mexico would meekly bend to his will? Trump, with all his brassiness, clearly believes in blowing his own trumpet. He is both the anti-politician and is himself a consummate politician.
Pundits and political analysts are trying to categorize him and find historical comparisons. I've seen comparisons ranging from Vladimir Putin to George Wallace to Joe McCarthy to William Randolph Hearst to Ross Perot. None of those strike me as particularly apt. In the case of Wallace, some would compare Trump's anti-immigrant emphasis to Wallace's segregationist ("segregation forever") stands and his attacks on Washington politicians ("send them a message").
It should be noted that Wallace and Perot enjoyed some success as third-party candidates and that may be a route Trump takes if he sees that he won't gain the Republican nomination. Wallace, who drew huge crowds for his campaign appearances, carried five southern states in 1968, including Arkansas, where he received 38.6 percent of the votes in a three-way race.
We have had presidents -- Kennedy, Reagan, Clinton -- who had instinctive ability to communicate effectively through television. Trump has that, in his own unique style, with a Twitter tendency thrown in.
Earlier, we had Franklin D. Roosevelt and his mastery of radio. And another who used radio very successfully was Huey Long, the Louisiana governor/senator who had national political ambitions until he was assassinated in 1935.
Long was entertaining, colorful, folksy and good at telling people what they wanted to hear ("every man a king"). And in Donald Trump we may well have a city-slicker version of Huey Long.
Huey Long was a populist, but also seen by many as a demagogue.
What defines a demagogue? A political leader or aspirant who seeks, gains or maintains power through appeals to emotion or prejudice, often exaggerated or spurious, is a demagogue. The term may be associated with ruthless but charismatic politicians who resort to virtually any tactic to gain advantage.
Are we flirting with a demagogue in Donald Trump?
Commentary on 09/03/2015