Keller @ Large: Goodbye, Donald Trump
BOSTON (CBS) - As the brief summer flirtation of a segment of the Republican Party with Donald Trump finally begins to fade, let's take a moment to consider the morals of the story.
First, for all of the mostly-justified scorn that is heaped on professional politicians, Trump has illuminated some of the reasons why we rarely elevate non-politicians to top political jobs.
As egomaniacal as some pols can be, they are by the nature of their jobs forced to acknowledge their boundaries. Even the president of the United States can't always do what he wants, or, as Trump would put it, "get things done." He or she must deal with the co-equal branches of government, with an often-contentious media, and ultimately, with the will of the people themselves.
This is a humbling experience that forces even the non-humble pol to do their homework and be ready to explain themselves. On both of those counts, Trump, unprepared and inarticulate, was a flop in Thursday night's GOP debate.
Secondly, Trump has caught the fancy of a temporary plurality through his blunt speaking style and unrestrained expressions of anger and frustration. But as Jeb Bush pointed out Thursday night, nurturing a "grievance environment" only gets you so far, and creates as many problems as it solves, if not more.
Trump offered no positive solutions at the debate beyond his own alleged brilliance, and that is mighty thin gruel. Plus, his comments about women are vulgar and speak to a lack of character, not a "fun" sense of humor, as he spun it.
Goodbye, Donald Trump.
Your unwarranted narcissism won't be missed.
Listen to Jon's commentary:
You can listen to Keller At Large on WBZ News Radio every weekday at 7:55 a.m. You can also watch Jon on WBZ-TV News.
