The conventional wisdom is that Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump is a populist clown who won’t be able to set the Republican agenda, nor capture the Republican nomination, nor — much less — win the 2016 presidential election. But the conventional wisdom has often been wrong.
Trump’s rise from a real estate mogul and reality show performer to the No. 1 Republican hopeful in the latest polls — he’s leading with 24 percent of vote, followed by Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker with 13 percent, and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush with 12 percent, according to a Washington Post/ABC News poll — reminds me of the rise of the late Venezuelan populist leader Hugo Chávez.
Like Trump, Venezuela’s anti-American demagogue was not taken seriously by many when he started his campaign in the late 1990s.
Granted, Trump and Chávez come from opposite sides of the political spectrum. Trump is the epitome of capitalism, a billionaire who says “I’m rich, ” claims to be worth $10 billion — although independent reports put his wealth at much less — and openly calls for a more capitalist world. Chávez was an army officer who called for socialism.
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Etiquetas: Andres Oppenheimer, Donald Trump, Hugo Chavez
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