1. I walked out of Trump’s rally last week in Carmel and tweeted, “Almost 25 years of covering politics. Nothing compares to a Trump speech.” That was not a compliment but rather a reminder of the power of something that is new and different. This is particularly powerful in politics, with so many voters so tired of predictable, talking-point politicians. When voters are fed up, they are often willing to take a chance on something or someone that might seem unthinkable. And make no mistake about it, millions of voters on both sides of the aisle are fed up. If they want something different — well, what is more different than Donald Trump?

2. Yes, his message is based in fantasy and thin promises. But that message is the clearest, most easily digestible of any we’ve seen in a long time in presidential politics, right up there with “Yes, we can.”

“Believe me, folks, we’re building a wall,” Trump said to wild applause last Monday. At another point: “We’re going to go out and make our country so great again.” And then: “It’s going to be America first, on every deal.”

Shake your head if you want. I do. But his is a crisp message. And it’s a lot easier to sell a crisp message than a nuanced or fuzzy one.