If you're an outsider in an industry or an outsider in politics, you can remain an outsider for a long period of time but few people do. It takes a great deal of discipline and resolve to resist the natural temptation to be friends with your colleagues and violate your fiduciary responsibilities.
Fifty top national-security professionals (amongst several #nevertrump establishment Republicans) have vehemently rejected Donald Trump in a recent letter. As Donald Trump talks about countries taking advantage of the United States through NATO agreements and trade agreements, these ‘security experts’ likely receive calls from former counterparts around the globe. Their ‘friends’ likely express outrage and concern about Trump’s statements and policies.
For 20 years, I’ve been in media and real estate. In my real estate career, I’ve faced the sort of rebuke that Donald Trump has received from other real estate agents/brokers. In housing, most agents concern themselves far more with how their colleagues view them than how their clients view them. In the heat of a transaction, agents shirk their fiduciary duties to clients in favor of being nice (friends) to their colleagues. As a result their clients are damaged and their industry relationships are in tact and improved (allowing their clients to be ‘taken advantage of’ in a deal). That’s why most Americans view real estate agents on the level of a used-car salesman (re: negative). In other words, real estate agents are more worried about being liked in their industry than serving their clients’ interests. You simply can’t do both.
Politicians are no different. Most politicians and government bureaucrats start with a spirit of serving the best interests of the American people. After a short indoctrination, being part of the ‘in-crowd’ or ‘the club’ is far more attractive.
When an insurgent like Trump negatively reviews NATO, talks of China’s currency manipulation or suggests some countries take advantage of the United States’ goodwill, the foreign diplomats start calling. They’re upset. That’s where our security experts and establishment politicians go haywire. They are the ones being called by their international friends who are upset. Trump makes them look bad because he seeks to support American interests first.
The politicians and ‘security experts’ are more concerned with their international relationships than they are with their fiduciary duty to serve your interests (American citizens and voters). It’s no different than the real estate people who are more worried about their reputation in the industry than their service to their clients.
We vote for these people (or the people who appoint the national-security experts) yet they evade their service to you in favor of their friendships with foreign leaders and interests. For them, it’s better to be in the World’s ‘elite club’ than it is to do their job. They’re more interested in being friends with their competitive counterparts than serving you, their ‘client.’ This doesn’t mean they don’t do their job; many just don’t do it well.
Why wouldn’t these people be upset at Trump? All of their foreign friends are upset. They are constantly hearing from foreign counterparts how disturbed they are that Trump may put our country ahead of our ego (re: being liked first and effective later).
#NeverTrump Republicans and government bureaucrats are so upset with Trump because he threatens everything they care about, which is anything but you and everything about themselves.
When I’m hired to serve a client or company, I’m not interested in being liked. I’m interested in helping my people succeed. Remember, all of us receive income as a result of serving a customer or constituent. In order to worry about what people think of my ethical and honest efforts to serve my constituents is selfish, egomaniacal and repugnant.
In other words, I want the , who pay me to serve their interests, to feel as if though I fought for them. If my colleagues don’t like that I fight for my clients (when they try to take advantage of them), I don’t care!
When Republicans and bureaucrats attempt to ‘inform’ the public as to how dangerous a guy like Trump is, I find it abrasive and arrogant. He was nominated by more votes than any other Republican in American history. Trump is an overwhelming reflection of the conservative voters’ wishes in 2016 (and many Democrats who switched parties).
For people who have been appointees of past presidents, elected politicians of past Republican elections - or who presently serve in elected office - to suggest we are too dumb to chose a president for ourselves is arrogant and pompous. Please stop telling ‘Trumpkins’ how dumb we/they are. We know you’re listening to your foreign friends before you hear American voters like us.