"THE TRUMP CHALLENGE"

At first I wasn't sure what all the fuss was about regarding Donald Trump.

Given his recent candidate history of putting on his "jams" and heading for bed - in the middle of the grandiose party that "himself" threw for everyone  - it seemed to be a safe bet he was working on Act 3 of his one- man play.

Now, like you, I'm starting to wonder . What's he really up to?  Is it simply about timing this year?

Trump's made a lot of money by striking when the iron's hot - and with all the major problems in both parties during the last 4 to 8 years, the time may be just about right for "a Trump"..

Many of us claim to be tired of all the political lies, complacency, and gridlock - with people on both sides of the aisle willing to vote a straight party line if for no other reason than self-preservation.

Clearly, you don't have to go to the neighborhood bar to hear a consensus that politicians are more worried about themselves rather than the constituents who put them there to achieve a better America.

 In the last Presidential election only 58% of the eligible voters cast a ballot that counted.. Four years earlier it wasn't much better at 62%. . We haven't seen this low a ballot count since WW II.

Let's face it -if your favorite dictionary contained photos - and you looked up the word "statesman"  - chances are that NONE of the regular Sunday Morning talk show guests would be smiling back at you.

Our voting dissatisfaction is amplified by claims that we're dealing with a "take it or leave it" Congress and, worse yet, an attitude of  "So, what are you going to do about it?".

Sound the trumpets!- Here comes Trump and  he claims he is the answer". Even his critics will acknowledge that in a relatively short period of time he has more followers than the Piped Piper of Hameilin,.

If you read the fable, you may recall that the Piped Piper was a rat catcher in this German town and was enthusiastically hired by the citizens to lure away their rats with his magic pipe - which he did. Unfortunately, when the town people refused to pay him for his service, he retaliated by using his instrument's magic power on their children - leading them away as he did the rats".

Lot's of analogies are available as some of us attempt to evaluate "The Donald".

Here's a politically incorrect example.  One pundit claimed Trumps sudden success was not unlike what happens in a bar when "last call" is announced and all the women you previously ignored became "queens".

Okay, you don't like bar talk? How about religion

It appears that Trump has also caught the attention of the so-called "religious right" who are re-reading "The Book of Revelation in their Tuesday night Bible Study groups particularly as it has to do with defining what constitutes a false prophet.

One assumes that at the end of their re-examination, if they are almost satisfied Trump may not qualify as the beast - they are then rushing over to Trump headquarters. The purpose of their trip is just to assure themselves Trump has never sustained a serious head injury from which he has made a full recovery.

Those among them - now finally convinced Trump is okay - may even drop off some flash cards containing relevant scriptural passages to assist him in his religious defense  during tonight's CNN debate.

Another analogy that comes to mind is that of  George Orwells classic book :"Animal Farm".

This is the one in which the barnyard animals unite against their often drunk master, Farmer Jones - chase him off the property - and rename the place : "Animal Farm". They then establish  seven animal commandments - the most important one being "all animals are equal".

I won't be the spoiler here - but you might look it up, if for no other reason than to obtain the answer to the question, "So, how's that working out for you?"

Okay, I'm sure you'll agree that's enough of the analogies. Just be grateful I didn't include the story about the little obnoxious kid who was determined that if he threw enough tantrums his parents would buy him a pony for Christmas.

So, what's my best guesstimate on Trump?

Probably, the one suggesting he may have rediscovered Lamont Cranston's long lost secret from the Orient.

Enjoy the show.