Vivek: Another Trump, another mistake

In case you have had any doubt, I am not a Republican. I dated one once in high school, but it wasn’t any fun. She tried to balance my budget (I didn’t know I had one) when I had romance in mind. That’s the way Republicans are, I guess. Many of them make loving them difficult. Vivek Ramaswamy makes it impossible.

Growing up in Minnesota, I knew exceptions- caring Republicans, sensible ones, even moderately liberal ones. None of that has prepared me for Vivek, the “presidential hopeful,” a label that should better read “presidential hopeless.” That any Republican voter takes him seriously is astounding. His resume lists no public service, but he is rich, and he will tell you so. His bumper sticker should read” Entrepreneur for President.”

His platform, proposals and vision for America make Donald Trump look like an obese Thomas Jefferson. I know about him because Vivek has me on his list. I get email from him, courtesy of Sen. Chuck Grassley. He must have taken time off from visiting every county in Iowa. In a recent email, Vivek listed his beliefs and platform. Let me quote from it: “God is Real. There are Two Genders. Humans flourish because of Fossil Fuels., Capitalism lifts people up from poverty. The nuclear family is the greatest form of governance known to mankind.” He thinks the voting age should be raised to 25 years.

The recent debate has given him a boost. Vivek runs far behind Donald Trump but closer to Ron DeSantis, and his 3 percent that qualified him for the debate has gone up. His surge has taken him in various polls to 5 percent to 11 percent of those Republicans polled. It puts him ahead of more rational Republicans like Nikki Halley, Chris Christie, Mike Pence, Asa Hutchinson, and Doug Burgum, all of whom have served in public office for a total of well over 50 years.

Vivek believes “the Republican Party needs to talk about its own agenda rather than just criticize President Biden’s failed policies.” His generous view and suggestion come from his belief that the “deep state managerial class” is running the government.

Which is why, he explained his plans for shutting down the “three-letter government agencies” and how doing so will restore American trust and accountability in the government and revive the economy. Goodbye Department of Agriculture and farm policy.

Videk has done my homework for me. In his latest email, he tells me, tells all of us how popular he is. “FIRST: Chris Christie was on MSNBC to attack me and then went on Fox News calling me ‘dangerous.’ THEN: Nikki Haley attacked me, mischaracterizing my stance on Israel. NOW: Mike Pence (after swinging and missing on the debate stage) is fundraising using a video of me as an 18-year-old questioning Al Sharpton.”

Vivek also repeats the advice his father gave him “If you are going to stand out, you might as well be outstanding.” I assume his dad also told him to run for president.

I wish Sen. Grassley would travel less and join Chris Christie, Nikki Haley, and Mike Pence saving his party.

Norman Sherman of Coralville has worked extensively in politics, including as Vice President Hubert Humphrey’s press secretary.