There’s been a buzz the last few months about the possibility of Donald Trump running for President. You’d pretty much have to be living under a rock not to know that, or know that polls show there is at least serious curiosity about a Trump candidacy, and genuine interest amongst the GOP. The buzz has been fueled mostly by The Donald himself, but others have helped.
One “helper” is Michael Cohen, an employee of the Trump Organization who ABC News described as “Trump’s ‘pit bull.'” But that “pit bull” runs the risk of biting his master, and Trump would do well to muzzle him.
Cohen is a Democrat, a former supporter of President Obama and clueless to the ways of politics. He told ABC about his role in the Trump Organization:
“It means that if somebody does something Mr. Trump doesn’t like, I do everything in my power to resolve it to Mr. Trump’s benefit. If you do something wrong, I’m going to come at you, grab you by the neck and I’m not going to let you go until I’m finished.”
This interview was this year in a story about his desire that Trump run. While loyalty is to be admired, this is not exactly the smartest choice of words, to say the least.
Being loyal is one thing, being principled is another.
Cohen’s past as a liberal supporter of Obama and other Democrats (he’s donated to Senator Charles Schumer, for example) is not the best, or even a remotely smart way to endear yourself to conservatives.
Trump has obstacles to overcome himself, statements from the past that express support for higher taxes, single-payer health care, President Obama, that to have someone purported to be from his “inner circle” being an admitted liberal is, to put it politely, unsmart.
That’s not to say Trump needs to buy up every Washington Republican political consultant available, his outsider status is a major draw for his theoretical candidacy, but he does need some people around him with some serious conservative bonafides and political sensibilities, not a “pit bull” who touts his willingness to choke people because they dared to disagree with The Donald.
There is a path to the White House for Trump, but it’s rife with obstacles and pitfalls that will require the support of people who know what they’re doing in the world of politics. While Cohen may know how to navigate the business world, he clearly knows nothing of the political world.
An Obama supporter, even a former one, as one of the leading voices in your non-campaign campaign is no way to win the Republican nomination. Conservatives are naturally suspect of politicians, the idea that a President Trump would have a close advisor, or appoint to some position of authority, a liberal Democrat could be the Achilles heel of that effort.