Democrats all over America right now have got to be feeling pretty good about themselves. As the cards in the 2016 deck come together, they are being given one of the best hands and the man who dealt it to them is that self-styled master negotiator, Donald Trump. On Tuesday, Trump announced that he is running for president again. In a rambling speech where he spent a lot of time bragging and talking about himself in the third person, “The Donald” also made some very interesting campaign promises with which the Democrats should be very pleased.
Coming so closely on the heels of Jeb Bush’s presidential announcement, Trump’s speech almost looked like the court jester aping the king, the full text of which has been published by CBS News. He even hit some of the same talking points Bush did, immigration, education and jobs. Both men said no to executive orders on immigration. While Bush said he would not make any executive orders, Trump was more robust. “I will immediately terminate President Obama’s illegal executive order on immigration, immediately.” While the two men disagree on education, particularly common core, they both promised to create more jobs for Americans. Bush touted his time in Florida where he supposedly helped make it more jobs friendly. Trump, on the other hand, said, “I will be the greatest jobs president that God ever created. I tell you that.”
At this point, Democrats are rubbing their hands together in delight. The Christian Science Monitor reports that the Democratic National Convention (DNC) press secretary Holly Shulman issued a statement on Trump’s announcement. “He adds some much-needed seriousness that has previously been lacking from the GOP field, and we look forward to hearing more about his ideas for the nation.” Democrats are definitely looking forward to Trump’s ideas, especially the ones that sound like other Republican candidates.
The similarities between Bush and Trump are good for Democrats because they make Jeb sound really bad. The more connections there are between his policy standpoints and Donald Trumps, the better for Democrats. Donald Trump sounds like a crackpot and most people would largely agree with that estimate. Bush has a better reputation, but it will be damaged the more the media and the Democrats point out where he agrees with the third person talking, wealth bragging, “wall-building” Trump.
As The Christian Science Monitor rightly observed, “To Democrats, Trump is a gift, because he threatens to turn the already-large Republican field into a circus.” As the Republican debates begin, only the top ten contenders will be allowed on stage. Trump is in that top ten and it will be important to see how the other candidates relate to him on policy matters. The more like “The Donald” Trump they are, the worse for them. After all, Trump has the least amount of likeability among Republican voters. Meanwhile, the Democrats can sit back and enjoy as their new Trump card plays havoc with the Republicans.
Opinion by Charlie Carlisle
Photo by Gage Skidmore – Creative Commons License