There's been a lot of attention to Donald Trump lately, rather more than I think is deserved. (The Huffington Post had it right putting him in the entertainment section.) Still, I think the Trump Phenomenon, if not the person, are worthy of some note.
People like Trump tend to attract attention when there is a void in the political system. If you look at the national debate right now, it is focused on issues-the Confederate Flag, gay and transgender rights, Iran--that are pretty far removed from the average person's concerns. The mainstream presidential candidates are either relatives of former presidents (Clinton, Bush) or people, including Sanders and nearly all the Republicans, who strike most people as second tier. So there is an opening for someone who, however crudely, expresses many people's anxieties with their own future and that of the political system.
The typical response of those dissatisfied with the political system is to talk about campaign finance (Lawrence Lessig is a prime example.) But financing is only one small part of it. A more meaningful reform would have to address the entire way that we elect presidents, and everyone else, from geographic districts to the electoral college to everything else in between. I'll be addressing these issues in a subsequent post.
