President-Elect Donald Trump has all but declared that he
will not appoint a special prosecutor to investigate Hillary Clinton, as he
promised during the campaign. The number of popular and energizing promises
that Mr. Trump made before the election which are now being scuttled continues to
rise. Some cynical political commentators might say that during the campaign
Mr. Trump lied to get votes.
I don’t think
Mr. Trump lied on the campaign trail. I think he was acting. Donald Trump was
acting aggressive, mean-spirited, and vindictive because he knew (or intuited)
that this façade would gain him votes. Like a poker player acting calm with his
straight flush in hand, or a negotiator acting like he has the power
position, Mr. Trump broadcasts whatever is necessary to make the deal that he
wants to make.
Take one
step further into this semi-metaphor of acting. Actors do not make films.
Writers compose the script, producers arrange the logistics. And directors, as
the name implies, really guide the show. Even the best of actors, with poor
direction, can turn a good script into a disaster. Actors are lost without a
good director.
We have
seen what a good actor Mr. Trump is. We know that he can follow the direction
of a discontented citizenry who believes that they have been put last on the
agenda. We know that he can follow the direction of the real estate market and
international business interests. We know that he works well under the
direction of reality television rubrics.
In less
than two months, Mr. Trump will be the President of the United States. The
question is not whether he will be able to act well in that role. The star
actor has stolen the show already. The crucial questions are different. Who
will his director be? Who in fact will be running the show?
~ emry