If news reports are to believed, Donald Trump may become the “helicopter” president – dropping in to soak up the admiration and glory, jetting around to meet famous and interesting people, and throwing people under the bus when something goes wrong. Leaving a Vice President, Mike Pence, to run both domestic and foreign policy. Under this scenario, one can imagine Trump lying to the American people about his involvement in governmental affairs much in the same manner that Barack Obama swears that he learns about “bad news” from the mainstream media, feigns outrage, promises to fix the problem, and then goes golfing.

One day this past May, Donald Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., reached out to a senior adviser to Gov. John Kasich of Ohio, who left the presidential race just a few weeks before.

But according to the Kasich adviser (who spoke only under the condition that he not be named), Donald Jr. wanted to make him an offer nonetheless: Did he have any interest in being the most powerful vice president in history?

When Kasich’s adviser asked how this would be the case, Donald Jr. explained that his father’s vice president would be in charge of domestic and foreign policy.

Then what, the adviser asked, would Trump be in charge of? “Making America great again” was the casual reply.

(Neither Donald Jr. nor Paul Manafort, Trump’s campaign chairman, replied to multiple requests on Tuesday for comment for this article. After the article was posted, Donald Jr. disputed the Kasich adviser’s account.) <Source: New York Times>

What makes this assertion appear credible is that this is precisely how Donald Trump currently operates and has operated in the past … offloading the heavy lifting to others, taking credit for successes, and burying failures by denying that they ever happened or spinning an alternative tale that may have little relationship with truth or the actual facts.

One need only look at the current class action lawsuits where Trump’s attorney, Daniel Petrocelli, claims that Trump did not have a major role in Trump University.

A federal judge said Friday that he is inclined to deny a request by Donald Trump's lawyers to dismiss a lawsuit that accuses the Republican presidential nominee of defrauding customers at the now-defunct Trump University.

Trump's attorney, Daniel Petrocelli, urged the judge to reconsider, calling the lawsuit a "gross overreach" of federal civil racketeering statutes. He told the judge the plaintiffs have failed to show that Trump himself orchestrated allegedly misleading marketing claims.

"He did not run Trump University. He was not the chief operating officer. He did not direct the day-to-day affairs," Petrocelli said. "The idea that he is somehow at the center of it is not supported by the evidence in the case."

Trump University's sales pitches "are classic examples of sales puffery common to advertising everywhere," his lawyers said in court documents filed for Friday's hearing arguing the lawsuit is an abuse of federal racketeering conspiracy statutes. They minimize Trump's involvement, saying he delegated responsibilities after creating Trump University in 2005.

Lawyers for the plaintiff wrote mockingly that Trump's lawyers should argue their case on Earth, not in "District Court in Bizarro World." They dismiss Trump's claims of limited involvement, saying, "He only starred in the marketing materials. Signed them. Corrected them. And approved them." <Source>

Classic Trump …

This is indicative of a pattern and practice of not only denying responsibility for adverse events, but also a demonstration of Trump’s propensity to personally attack anyone who does not agree with him. How foolish was it for Trump to go after the Judge by suggesting his Mexican heritage (born in Indiana and went to law school at Indiana University) prejudiced any decision because Trump openly declared he was against illegal aliens and planned to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexican border. First calling the Judge a “hater” who was “unfair” to him. And, then in classic Trump style, refusing to apologize and declaring he was "justified," and that his words had been "misconstrued."

The Judge, based on his associations and record, may very well be a progressive socialist democrat, pro-Hispanic, and pro-open borders, but that is a subject for a recusal motion that is supported with the facts, not a bloviating bully boy attempting to try the case in the court of public opinion. Again, we see another instance of New York values and Trump’s similarity to Hillary Clinton in the propensity to engage in backroom deals. Even to the extent of asking the Judge to bar his video depositions from being released because of a similar bar enacted to protect the video depositions of Hillary’s subordinates who repeatedly exerted their Fifth Amendment rights or had lapses of memory.

Red flags flying …

Watch for these key conversational phrases when Trump is speaking:

• I was told …
• Many people believe …
• Many people thing …
• Many people are saying …
• I don’t know, but that is what people are telling me …
• Just saying …
• Let me tell you …
• You oughta check it out.
• Believe me …
• Trust me …
• Unbelievable …
• No one really knows …
• The system is rigged … (but never explains how he got to the top, or the shenanigans he pulled)
• There’s something going on …
• Then there are the personal attacks (lightweight, loser, over rated, a beauty) 

Bottom line …

This should scare the bejesus out of you. A celebrity president on a perpetual “feel good” trip around America and the world while the problems are handled by unelected bureaucratic apparatchiks under the guiding hand of lobbyists wanting to negotiate deals with the government. Which brings us to the real issue of a Trump Presidency: what would Donald Trump actually do? Crony capitalism in the mode of George Bush? Or simply mirror what others, including Barack Obama, have done by tinkering around the edges. Pretty much why I cannot offer full to support to the nominee who has not given any specifics about a potential Trump Administration beyond “I will make America great again.” Which is fine for bumper stickers and hats, but not so great for America.

And, some people demand I get behind Trump – because to voice concerns is to support Hillary Clinton. Hogwash. We need to know who we are electing, their policies, and their manner of governance.

We are so screwed.

-- steve