Trump’s instincts were pretty good, but he was mostly successful because he was surrounded by competent people who love this country and executed sound policies, sometimes in spite of him. His tantrums cost him many of his own appointees as he would throw anyone under the bus regardless of their loyalty to him, VP Pence being an excellen…
Trump’s instincts were pretty good, but he was mostly successful because he was surrounded by competent people who love this country and executed sound policies, sometimes in spite of him. His tantrums cost him many of his own appointees as he would throw anyone under the bus regardless of their loyalty to him, VP Pence being an excellent example.
This time around it will be harder to attract such talent, and he seems inclined to appoint sycophants. His abandonment of TPP left a void that China has happily and quickly filled. He bungled COVID and ran up trillions in debt. He did some good things too. McConnell is the one responsible for steering constitutional judges into the Supreme Court. He has had years to refine his policies and tell us what to expect and even who some of his appointees would be. Instead, we get the same old stump speeches.
But If you like what you think his policies are, you have to ask yourself if there is no one else who believes what he does but can attract the best people and execute sound policies without the drama. I think DeSantis and Haley both fit the bill, though DeSantis is a better match in terms of policy instincts.
DeSantis would be better at executing Trump-style policies than Trump himself but he lacks charisma and showmanship which, unfortunately, have become a requirement for high office.
Haley? No. She's the third term of George W. Bush with a touch of Liz Cheney thrown in. Possibly a choice for Secretary of State in a DeSantis Administration.
The whole "showmanship" point is a good one. We used to have many very uncharismatic presidents. In just the last century, Truman, Eisenhower, Ford, Coolidge, Harding and even Bush I come to mind. JFK and television changed all that, and I had several women tell me they voted for Clinton despite his policies because they thought he was "cute". Really? it's so shallow and reduces the pool of qualified candidates by a lot. I agree that DeSantis is probably the optimal pick for those currently running.
Trump’s instincts were pretty good, but he was mostly successful because he was surrounded by competent people who love this country and executed sound policies, sometimes in spite of him. His tantrums cost him many of his own appointees as he would throw anyone under the bus regardless of their loyalty to him, VP Pence being an excellent example.
This time around it will be harder to attract such talent, and he seems inclined to appoint sycophants. His abandonment of TPP left a void that China has happily and quickly filled. He bungled COVID and ran up trillions in debt. He did some good things too. McConnell is the one responsible for steering constitutional judges into the Supreme Court. He has had years to refine his policies and tell us what to expect and even who some of his appointees would be. Instead, we get the same old stump speeches.
But If you like what you think his policies are, you have to ask yourself if there is no one else who believes what he does but can attract the best people and execute sound policies without the drama. I think DeSantis and Haley both fit the bill, though DeSantis is a better match in terms of policy instincts.
DeSantis would be better at executing Trump-style policies than Trump himself but he lacks charisma and showmanship which, unfortunately, have become a requirement for high office.
Haley? No. She's the third term of George W. Bush with a touch of Liz Cheney thrown in. Possibly a choice for Secretary of State in a DeSantis Administration.
The whole "showmanship" point is a good one. We used to have many very uncharismatic presidents. In just the last century, Truman, Eisenhower, Ford, Coolidge, Harding and even Bush I come to mind. JFK and television changed all that, and I had several women tell me they voted for Clinton despite his policies because they thought he was "cute". Really? it's so shallow and reduces the pool of qualified candidates by a lot. I agree that DeSantis is probably the optimal pick for those currently running.