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Keller @ Large: Please Ignore Donald Trump

BOSTON (CBS) - Right up front, let me explain – this is an appeal to all serious news media to reconsider their policy on talking about the political impact of Donald Trump, as if there were such a thing.

Listen to Jon's commentary:

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I have to acknowledge, doing so requires that I do exactly what Trump wants me to do, and precisely what I'm hoping we will no longer do – talk about him.

Right off the bat, this shows you how diabolically clever Trump is, that he's able to turn even harsh criticism into a potential source of revenue.

But while there's no question Trump is an accomplished showman, he has little of value to offer to American politics, and it's past time for some of us to stop pretending that he does.

Trump's latest farce involves a GOP presidential debate later this month that he was scheduled to moderate.

In a reassuring show of common sense, all the Republican candidates except Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum refused to participate in the debate.

If you've seen some of the gong shows they've all participated in this year, it will give you a sense of the low bar the Trump debate was unable to clear.

But to Trump, this is not a repudiation of his latest inappropriate publicity stunt, not like last May when Trump was dumped by the Indy 500 as celebrity pace-car driver when outraged racing fans demanded someone else.

The candidates are simply afraid that appearing on the same stage with him will be such an unflattering comparison that pressure would immediately start building for a Trump run for president as an independent.

I am not kidding, that was the gist of Trump's statement yesterday on why he's pulling out as debate moderator.

And when might Trump be thinking of launching this ill-fated campaign?

Why, right after the final episode of his TV show airs, look for it in your local listings.

If Trump had ever said anything truly insightful about public policy, I'd say, hey, everybody needs a gimmick, let's give him a hearing.

But that hasn't happened.

So my vote is for the rest of Trump's long quest for the title of most annoying baby-boomer ever to be carried out privately.

And please, forget I ever mentioned this.

You can listen to Keller At Large on WBZ News Radio every weekday at 7:55 a.m. and 12:25 p.m. You can also watch Jon on WBZ-TV News.

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