The America We Deserve

Donald Trump doesn't pull any punches when he surveys the American political scene: Pat Buchanan's "totally lost it," Al Gore is "an able, underrated man who seems confused," and Bill Bradley is simply a "disaster." But the real estate tycoon has some ideas of his own about how the United States should be run, and he shares them with the potential electorate for the 2000 presidential race in The America We Deserve. There aren't too many surprises here: Trump lambastes the government bureaucracy that's made a mess of the civic infrastructure, particularly the public school systems; he supports creating opportunities for business developers (both large and small); and he's tougher than tough on crime. He's also prepared to come down hard on America's enemies abroad, such as China, North Korea, and Cuba. Among the more interesting aspects of his platform is his desire to do away completely with soft money in campaign financing and allow unlimited personal contributions--along with full disclosure of political contributions, updated daily on the Internet.

The America We Deserve is an effective combination of Trump's straight-shooting personality and policy-wonk data points. As another American presidential campaign heats up, Trump raises issues that will force voters to give serious consideration to what they want in a candidate. --Ron Hogan