Playing Against the Trump Card

I have said it before, and I’ll say it again and again - opinion polls are more often used to shape, not to report, public opinion. Data can be manipulated and molded to fit whatever point you are trying to make. Therefore, while I do not always discount them entirely, I make a point of looking into the polling method, and then taking the results with a very large grain of salt.

For instance, it seems about three or four times a week, the media makes a top story with some poll telling us who the shoe-in for the White House is. This past week Donald Trump often appears to be the leader in said polls. Is Trump a worthy candidate? Is he someone the American people would truly want in office?

The majority of his appeal, it appears to me, is that he is a straight talker. Whether people agree with him or not, no one can complain that he beats around the bush (no pun intended). Many candidate’s campaign videos sound like a regurgitation of the exact same things strung together in a slightly different order. “Step forward”, “Tired of soundbites”, “It’s time….”, “Let’s stand up”, “Come together”, “Fix our broken government”, etc., etc. Trump has succeeded in turning that kind of talk on its head and gone straight for the throat. This has served him well in getting his name in headlines, which I believe is most likely why he appears to lead in many polls: simple name recognition.

But is this good leadership? I believe it is, to a point. A good leader will not be afraid to state their opinions and debate their positions. They will say what they mean and mean what they say. They will do these things, while at the same time remaining tactful and respectful. You cannot be a good leader and stand strong in your beliefs without offending some people, it’s just a fact of life. However, when you offend someone while remaining tactful and respectful, often you can state your opinion, perhaps they get offended, but you do not lose their respect for you.

I’m afraid this nuance of good leadership may be lost to Mr. Trump.

I think the second thing that has attracted so much attention to Trump is his rather surprising amount of self-confidence. We are attracted to people that are not bashful about who they are or what they believe.

Again, this is a very large part of a good leader - having self-confidence. However, that self-confidence, if not kept in check by humility, often results in what may appear to others as a prideful attitude. And ask anyone, pride is not an attractive quality. A leader, especially when running for president, is going to recite their own accomplishments. The way in which that is done, though, determines whether that self-confidence becomes a prideful attitude.

I do not know Mr. Trump’s heart, I cannot say if he is prideful or not. I’m merely stating what I can see through my computer screen. And for most Americans, that’s most of what we have to go on.

Donald Trump possesses some very good leadership qualities. And his manner has certainly stirred up the debates. However, I believe that before anyone decides to support him or vote for him, we should allow the crucible of time to determine whether these good leadership qualities are properly tempered.

Jonathan Paine

painefultruh76@gmail.com

@painefultruth76