I wasn’t very good at Latin in high school, but I’m a lawyer, so what the hell?  The subject is is the unexpected popularity of Donald Trump.  Loosely translated (by Google), “unde venis et quo vadis?” means, “where did you come from and where are you going?”  We’ll take these questions one at a time.

Where did Trump the presidential candidate come from?  More precisely, “what was it that made it possible for Donald Trump to be considered a legitimate candidate for President of the United States?”  This one’s easy.  We need look no further than the people running the Republican Party.  The Establishment.  That’s right, all the masterminds who keep pushing soft, moderate, constantly apologetic punching bags as our Republican presidential nominees.  Those same people who are appalled at Trump’s popularity.  Don’t like him?  Too bad.  You made him.  Trump the candidate is popular not because Trump the man  previously was highly regarded by the public.  Quite the opposite.  Not so long ago, Trump’s unfavorable rating was over 60%.  Since he announced his presidential campaign, his favorable rating is over 60%.  That’s right, it completely turned around.  And did Trump accomplish this by avoiding provocative statements, never taking a real stand and constantly apologizing, “if anyone was offended.”  Nooooooo!  Quite the opposite.  Trump actually tells anyone who will listen exactly what he thinks about any subject.  The experts can’t understand this.  They have repeatedly forecast Trump’s impending doom.  Wrong again.  You see, the experts evaluate Trump by their rules, but Trump doesn’t play by their rules.  Even a high moron should have figured out by now that the Establishment prescription for “acceptable” presidential candidates doesn’t produce Presidents, it produces good losers.  The experts evaluate Trump by their standard for politicians, but Trump doesn’t act like a politician.  And that’s the secret.  Trump is popular because he’s the anti-politician at a time when most people don’t trust politicians.  Not just Obama, with the “you can keep your doctor” crap.  But again, those same Republican establishment folks who told us they needed to run Congress, and then, they would stop Obama.  They would repeal Obamacare, and they would stop him from ignoring the Constitution.  We believed them.  We put them in power.  We expected them to keep their word.  They lied.  Obama is more dangerous than ever, and spending keeps going up.  We are mad as hell and we won’t believe the politicians a second time.  Enter Donald Trump.

Question two – where is Trump going?    I watched his campaign announcement in June and thought he was going nowhere.  I didn’t think then that he was serious.  Now,  I’m not sure.  I have been and continue to support Ted Cruz.  I too, thought the Trump novelty would wear off.  It hasn’t.  I’m not at all sure how a President Trump would fare when he had to govern.  On the other hand, I am intrigued by the prospect of a President who might destroy political correctness once and for all, and who would positively scare hell out of our enemies abroad.  What about the inevitable ads denouncing Trump for changing his position on issues?  Again, that is the orthodox attack on politicians.  Two things.  First, see above, he’s not a politician.  Secondly, what right do politicians, who promise one thing and do another, have to criticize Trump, who so far, hasn’t lied to anybody?

In the final analysis, I have no crystal ball.  I don’t know how this will end, but the Trump phenomenon proves what I have been saying for some time – 2016 presents a golden opportunity for the emergence of a conservative populist candidate.  Such a candidate can be nominated, and can be elected.