Both Trump and Palin also seem captivated by the idea of being president. They obviously like the idea of running for president, and spend a great deal of time talking about what they would do if they were president. They are about action, displaying power, and explaining how power should be used. Trump’s solution to Somali pirates: “Give me one good admiral and a few ships and I will wipe them out so fast.’’ Palin on $4 gas: “Drill, baby, drill.’’ In the words of Royal Tenenbaum, they are all about “taking it out and chopping it up.’’
In short, they are exactly the type of political figure our country’s founders were worried about.
The framers were troubled — some might say preoccupied — with the potential dangers of ambition, factions, and concentrated power. They were concerned to a point about ideology, predominantly the question of how much power to vest within the newly constituted federal government in relation to that of the states. But they worried even more about the intentions and motives of their adversaries…
For the record, I do not view Palin or Trump as a threat to the republic. But like the framers, I have always felt ill at ease with officeholders or candidates who are too enamored with the idea of holding a particular office.
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