It Takes One to Know One

Donald Trump and Willie Brown, among others, in a
1996 episode of "Suddenly Susan" (Getty Images)

Former California Assembly Speaker and San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown [bold added]:

Trump has nonetheless redefined what it is to be a candidate for office in the 24/7 media age.

Until now, every politician in America has had it pounded into their heads that whatever you do, “don’t offend.” We wouldn’t dare actually speak our minds. If we tried to, our internal mechanism would kick in and scream “steer clear, this could be a career killer.”

The game plan has long been to do your best to mirror and blend into whatever constituency has the most votes.

Trump, on the other hand, has torn up the game plan, declaring, “I am going to be me and you have to identify with me.” Instead of trying to sell the voters on Trump, Trump is demanding that voters buy into him.

It’s a total reversal of conventional political thought. And so far, it is working.

Willie Brown entered politics in 1962, long before there were "24/7 media", yet never seemed afraid to speak his mind. From his Wikipedia bio:

He nicknamed himself the "Ayatollah of the Assembly".

Brown was criticized in 1996 for his comments that 49ers backup quarterback Elvis Grbac was "an embarrassment to humankind." He was criticized in 1997 for responding to Golden State Warriors player Latrell Sprewell choking his coach P. J. Carlesimo by saying, "his boss may have needed choking."

Term limits may have seemed like a good idea when they were passed in California in 1990, but all they did was elect Democrats who are less knowledgeable and more ideological than Willie Brown.

Too bad he's not in Sacramento, the State was better run back in the day.