Behold. The self fulfilling prophecy of Donald Trump's candidacy for President.

David Brooks (NYT):

And today, apparently, Donald Trump is that man. Trump, currently most famous for telling people that they are fired, has surged toward the top of the presidential primary polls. In one poll, he was in (remote) striking distance in a head-to-head against President Obama. Many people regard Trump as a joke and his popularity a disgrace. But he is actually riding a deep public fantasy: The hunger for the ultimate blowhard who can lead us through dark times.

He is riding something else: The strongest and most subversive ideology in America today. Donald Trump is the living, walking personification of the Gospel of Success.

Eugene Robinson (WaPo):

The consensus is that Trump is not really running — that this is just another of his over-the-top publicity stunts. In the unlikely event that he goes through with a semi-serious candidacy, the political establishment seems to believe, he’ll never win the nomination. These skeptics scoff when it’s pointed out that stranger things have happened. Name one, they say.

That’s hard to do. Still, if this is all a big joke, I’m having trouble laughing. For one thing, the likely Republican field is so timid that nobody seems to want to step out there — and so lackluster that Trump’s pizzazz could prove overpowering. No, I don’t believe that Trump is seriously running for president. But what if he continues this charade past the point of no return? What if he pulls away from Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney and the others? What if he wins primaries and caucuses? What if . . .

Donny Deutsch on Morning Joe:

You have to separate what makes sense. what you talk about, taking the oil fields, versus what makes sense to the American public. And he has that nerve. And even what you call the cartoon element, the other thing he has is, we live in this world of the blending of politics and media, and celebrity and what whatnot. And he is the articulation of that. So the very things that are going to work against him is going to continue to work for him. the American public celebrates that. They don't thumb their nose in it. [Video below.]

Next up the 'be careful what you wish for' phase...though who exactly will be doing the regretting remains to be seen. As Donny Deutsch notes in that same segment part of The Donald's brand is that he gets a pass on shady behavior and excess. Foreign policy plans may be a different story, however.

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