SOHUD Castro meeting with Starbucks Howard Schultz, April 20, 2015. U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) photo, public domain.
Howard Schultz, ex Starbucks CEO, has a charisma problem. More like a damp washcloth is the way Karl Notturno in American Greatness puts it. But as Mr. Notturno points out, Schultz says things. Real things that will resonate with voters. And who knows, the man whose net worth is about $3 billion, might improve upon his presentation over the next few months and actually reach voters.
After all, even Trump needed time to get used to the constant onslaught from the media.
The Inept, Corrupt Political Class
The press and the political establishment hate successful people who actually say things because these people are unpredictable, don’t play by the established rules, don’t like being ancillary characters in someone else’s narrative, and typically have the resources to be heard. They also tend to be smart enough to see that the political establishment is inept at everything except widespread corruption.
Political Establishment Still Reeling from Donald Trump
Donald Trump delivered a huge blow to the political establishment from which it is still reeling. But many in the political class thought Trump was an aberration. If Schultz ran as a Democratic-leaning independent, that could serve as a second serious blow to an already beleaguered system. This may help explain some of the anger and hysteria surrounding Schultz’s potential run.
Empty Pontifications from Generic Brand Politicians
But even though we don’t know what a race with a couple of independent billionaires would look like, we do know that it would push forward the conversation and produce many more interesting real ideas than the empty pontifications of Kamala Harris, Cory Booker, Mitt Romney, John Kasich, or any other generic brand politician.
In a town where most people are owned by someone, having a new group of independent politicians who can actually say things would be a welcome breath of fresh air and would force Trump to step up his game even further. And that would be a good thing for the country.
Read more here.
