B.C. history provides Trump's critics with grounds for optimism

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      For progressive Americans, there's much to regret in the rise of Donald Trump to the presidency.

      At the top of the list might be the appointment of his alt-right Rasputin, Steve Bannon, as chief strategist.

      Bannon has even been appointed to the National Security Council.

      This is unprecedented for someone in his role.

      New Republic senior editor Jeet Heer recently put out a couple of tweets highlighting what a long struggle it will be to get rid of Trump.

      However, I'm not convinced that the thin-skinned Trump will be around that long.

      In fact, history suggests that Trump could be a political comet, appearing suddenly, attracting enormous attention, and then disappearing relatively quickly.

      We saw this in British Columbia when an insurgent outsider, Bill Vander Zalm, was elected leader of the Social Credit Party and became premier in 1986.

      The Zalm, as he was called, was a right wing populist quick to condemn the status quo.

      He favoured referendums and recall campaigns. He promised that this would give the public a greater say in advancing policies and holding elected officials accountable for their sins.

      Former premier Bill Vander Zalm was a charming politician, but he ran into trouble with members of his own party.
      Stephen Hui

      Vander Zalm capitalized on grassroots Socreds' dissatisfaction with wealthy party elites, whom they felt had hijacked their party.

      Most of the other leadership candidates were deeply distrustful of Vander Zalm.

      Once he became premier, he made spontaneous policy announcements and was often accused of running a one-man show. 

      Like Trump, Vander Zalm had an extremely difficult relationship with the media.

      Sure enough, within a couple of years of Vander Zalm's chaotic rule, the cracks were there for all to see.

      Senior cabinet ministers resigned, four MLAs left the caucus, and one of the party's brightest lights, Kim Campbell, quit provincial politics to run for the federal Conservatives. She eventually became prime minister.

      Vander Zalm ran afoul of most voters fairly early in his term when he tried to prevent public funding of abortion services.

      He met his political Waterloo three years later over the sale of his theme park and home to a businessman seeking a provincial trust-company licence.

      Vander Zalm didn't complete one term as premier and his party eventually lost all of its seats. 

      In its place rose a more modern, more urban-oriented, and somewhat more moderate centre-right party, the B.C. Liberals. They've held power in B.C. since 2001.

      In one term as Minnesota's governor, Jesse Ventura had a rocky relationship with the media.
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      Minnesota provides another example

      More recently in the United States, former pro wrestler Jesse Ventura was elected governor of Minnesota in 1998 on a populist platform.

      Like Trump, Ventura frequently squabbled with the media while in office. And similar to Trump, Ventura was a reality TV star who made the jump to politics, largely on his charisma and his understanding of television.

      Ventura did some unconventional things. He refused to live in the governor's mansion. He posed for a photo as if he were the model for August Rodin's famous bronze sculpture, The Thinker.  Ventura also didn't have detailed policy positions when he became his state's chief executive.

      Before his term ended, Ventura admitted he was tired of the job and sick of the media attacks. He resented his family's loss of privacy, too. And he chose not to run for reelection.

      Trump faces potential potholes

      Trump has already complained about a Saturday Night Live writer's tweet about his son Barron. And he may be seething that his daughter Ivanka's business is suffering as a result of him becoming president. Nordstrom just cut its ties to her brand.

      Meanwhile, Trump's prickly personality has also put him at odds with some Republican lawmakers.

      Like Vander Zalm, Trump has business interests that could bring him in confict with his elected position, not to mention the U.S. Constitution.

      Sooner or later, possibly as a result of litigation, the public may find out who bailed Trump out of his business difficulties in the mid 1990s That's when he told the Internal Revenue Service that he was $916 million in debt.

      Then there's the issue of Trump's repeated criticism of the Central Intelligence Agency, which isn't the smartest way for anyone to start a presidency.

      Add it all up, and Trump looks like a one-term wonder.

      Under a best-case scenario, he might even be hounded out of office within a couple of years if Republicans get tired of his antics and decide they want to install Vice President Mike Pence in his place.

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