Just to get this out of the way within one 24-hour, all-July-13 “news cycle” — antique term, though useful in this circumstance — here is one last harvest of reader response on what the Trump movement says about 2015-era America.
The first post in this series was here, in which I argued that Donald Trump’s likelihood of becoming president was exactly zero. The second was here, in which Trump loyalists begged to differ. A sample of how they beg to differ: “All you do is write crap!”
Now, to wrap this up, voices from the other side.
A fellow businessman’s perspective.
An American banker with more than 30 years’ experience international finance writes:
As a businessman/banker: what a joke. He's gone into bankruptcy three times. OK, he's never done a minute of public service. But his success as a "shrewd businessman"? It's due to good luck with the US bankruptcy code, allowing him to put his toe into any new business he wants and then if it has troubles, he can junk it and walk away scot free.
I admire Mitt Romney as a businessman. I loathe Donald Trump as a shyster dishonest deal huckster. He deserves no respect in the business community unless you want to deal with him to make money off him.
Another voice from the business world.
Mitch Goldstone, president and CEO of a company called ScanMyPhotos.com, has posted an open letter arguing that entrepreneurs should disagree with Trump. Sample from his open letter:
It’s Mitch Goldstone here. As an entrepreneur, and indirectly connected to another New York real estate dynasty, I’ve had enough.
My Grandmother and her brother founded a real estate empire larger than yours. If not in size, then in class and dignity. While not associated with that firm, like most entrepreneurs, we all have a shared obligation for advocating the highest model of ethics, and an unwavering respect for all people….
Many of my loyal, hardworking employees are of Hispanic descent. Along with millions, they too were emotionally harmed by your disparaging word vomit. Your cloaked motivation for representing every person in the United States is fogged by misinterpreting the art of politics. The art of politics is about diplomacy, and building an infrastructure of metaphoric bridges to unite our country.
Your pronouncements of doom and gloom are misdirected on a nation of entrepreneurs who see the best in people and our precious country.
Sample of his note to me:
When a presidential candidate detonates so many bases, including those of entrepreneurs, it's a recipe for swift failure.
This has been a tough decision for me to deviate from normal business practices to stand up, but as a pro business, consumer advocate, it's too important not to have sent Mr. Trump this letter.
It’s not about him, it’s about us.
From another reader who is down on Trump, but even more down on the culture that is listening to him:
When a culture loses confidence in itself and its values it becomes very vulnerable to any smooth tongued hustler who wanders down the pike. For conservatives who remember what America was and can be again, right now that's Donald Trump. For Progs who have no clue as to why they have inherited a life of relative ease (historically speaking), it's Bernie Sanders and his promise of Big Rock Candy Mountain.
See, this is the problem with the cultural nihilism it's been eating away at this country for the last century. People need something to believe in. The Left has done a great job of tearing down the existing structure, but they haven't replaced it with anything. They claim their end game is to replace it with a perfect communal Utopia, but we all know that's garbage. In their quest for power they hollowed out the foundations of the very society they seek to rule. They have created a vacuum, and nature abhors a vacuum.
Say what you will about Trump, but his persona, the image that he projects, is of someone that people can believe in. He's brash, he's cocky, he doesn't take no shit from nobody. This is what people see, it doesn't matter if it's true, but this is what they're responding to. The strong horse. It doesn't have to be Trump, and the issue doesn't have to be illegal immigrants (although that's a good issue). It's the exact same reason that people are joining ISIS. Yes, they are evil bastards, but they are evil bastards that believe strongly in something.
The political class in America is so amoral, so narcissistic, so selfish and greedy that one would have to be a fool to believe in them. The cultural myths of America that have sustained this country for generations are nothing but fading memories. The prosperity that has been the hallmark of American life for generations is likewise fading. Many Americans feel completely adrift. They can't believe in America, they can't believe in God, they can't believe in the government, apple pie or Superman. There is precious little of western culture that they are allowed to believe in anymore, so they believe in someone like Trump.
It's a poor choice, of course. Trump isn't going to be the nominee, but I wonder if any of the more serious candidates are able to learn the lesson he's teaching.
Thus endeth the Trump chronicles in this space.
This article was originally published at http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/07/are-we-all-part-of-trump-nation-some-readers-say-no/398462/
