(August 1, 2016 at 9:46 pm)Anomalocaris Wrote: I don't think his main goals are book deals and speaking fees. His annual revenue from his Realestate empire is around 30 times what the Clintons earned through speaking fees and book deals during all of the last 15 years.
I think his main goal is to bind some disgruntled know-nothing segment of the electorate to the name trump, and through them create a trump political family dynasty. He probably has the Kennedy family, or even the bush or Clinton family in mind. But unlike these other families, which, even the Bushes, all at some point had demonstrated positive outlook for the republic, outstanding public service, professional political skill, or impressive policy mastery with which to found political dynasties, trump seem to be totally cynical and regard greasy fortune and pure demoguagary of the crudest kind as sufficient basis for establishment of political dynasty in America. Even the unscrupulous bootlegger and Nazi sympathizer Joseph Kennedy Sr had sufficient respect for the American republic and the deserts of the American electorate to not run himself, but give his offspring the necessary training and experience to pursue a proper public political career.
I don't think he has nearly the money or revenue he says he does. He has obviously inflated his net worth and his revenue disclosures have tried to pass off gross revenue as net revenue. He may actually need the money or at least need it to maintain his lifestyle. But if the idea is to make money the last laugh may be on Trump as his hotels and other properties are suffering from his publicly, and his core supporters can't afford them.
But I think the real reason he's running is shear narcissistism.
If there is a god, I want to believe that there is a god. If there is not a god, I want to believe that there is no god.