The Gold Plated Fool

A well traveled maxim is that,  "A lawyer who represents himself has a fool for a client."  Multiply that a thousand fold for a presidential candidate who, like Trump, declares he is his own foreign policy advisor.

Presidential candidates retain experts to broaden their knowledge and to develop policy proposals.  Particularly for foreign policy, the press analyzes the experts chosen for insight into the predilections of the candidate.  For instance Jeb and Marco retained neocons, indicating an interventionist foreign policy.

Trump, until recently, has deflected questions about his advisors, or named people he had seen on Sunday talk shows.  Finally the curtain has been lifted.  Trump is the Wizard of Oz.  Some combination of ego and cheapness, explains his decision to fly blind though the complex currents of foreign affairs.  Perhaps, he believes his own foreign affairs with attractive immigrants is sufficient.

The hope that the political neophyte would rely on seasoned veterans has been shattered.  No wonder, as Political Wire blogger Taegan Goddard reports,  "The Economist Intelligence Unit concludes that a Donald Trump presidency poses a top-10 risk event that could disrupt the world economy, lead to political chaos in the United States and heighten security risks for the United States."

The Penny Pinching Billionaire

In August I pointed to Trump's cheapness as a barrier to his presidential ambitions.  More recently, we witnessed and discussed the role an under financed ground game played in his loss in Iowa.  The esteemed blogger for PoliticalWire, has reached the same conclusion.

Trump Risks Little of His Own Money

February 6, 2016By Taegan Goddard6 Comments

Donald Trump “once boasted that he could someday be the only person to turn a profit running for president. He may be closer than anyone realizes,” the New York Times reports.

“What remains is a quintessentially Trumpian endeavor that blurs the line between campaigning and brand-building and complicates Mr. Trump’s claims that he is funding his own White House campaign. About three-quarters of Mr. Trump’s total campaign spending has either gone to reimburse his own businesses or has been covered by funds from grass-roots donors… Virtually all of the money Mr. Trump himself has put into the campaign was lent, rather than donated outright, meaning that he could potentially sell enough hats and T-shirts to pay himself back down the road.”

Promises Kept

For political wonks like me, Taegan Goddard's politicalwire.com, is a great resource.  He has just referenced an excellent video that reminds us, even with an obstructionist Congress, the president has fulfilled most of his promises.  It is worth a look.  http://politicalwire.com/archives/2012/09/06/promises_kept.html