Former Obama White House Economist Austan Goolsbee, commenting on the recent Republican debate, said it was a "strange" and "entertaining" event, featuring unconventional candidates. He suggested that one of them, Donald Trump, is too "thin-skinned" to be president. "Something is going on in the Republican primary electorate. They just really don't like conventional, establishment-type candidates. So it's going to be interesting to see how it plays out," Goolsbee told Bloomberg TV on Tuesday. That brought the conversation around to Trump -- and how the business tycoon would fit in the White House and what his presidency would mean for fiscal and economic policy. "We don't totally know," Goolsbee said. "He hasn't outlined most of his policy ideas except build a wall on the border with Mexico and make Mexico pay for it. "I think this kind of harsh attitude -- 'I'm going to get up and tell everybody they're a loser, and a fat slob and a jerk if I'm criticized' -- it has been a long time since we've had a very thin-skinned person in the White House. "I think it would be a little bit of a weird fit," Goolsbee continued, "because if you're in the White House, boy, every day you're taking incoming fire and criticism of everything you do. So I think it would be an interesting approach to say the least." President Obama has been described as thin-skinned by people, including former Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer, who have opposed his my-way-or-the-highway approach to governing. Bloomberg News last year published a report titled "A History of 'Visibly Angry' Obama," noting that Obama's normally cool demeanor makes his flashes of temper all the more noticeable. Other memorable moments include what CBS News described as "Obama's frontal assault on the Supreme Court" in his 2010 State of the Union Address; and more recently, his pique at a news conference when a reporter asked him why he didn't make the Iran nuclear deal contingent on the release of four Americans held by Tehran. Just last week, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told Obama to stop demonizing Republicans, after Obama compared “Death to America”-chanting Iranians to Republicans in Congress. Goolsbee on Tuesday predicted that because Trump is a businessman, "a lot of people in the Republican primary would be inclined to give him some latitude. If he says this is how business works, they would say, 'Ah he must know.' So I wouldn't be surprised if you start hearing some of the more traditional massive tax cuts that pay for themselves, that kind of policy thing coming from Trump. "But I don't know. If you have -- I don't have any deep psychological or policy insights into the mind of Donald Trump. I do think that the other candidates are going to get sucked toward that vortex. You have got this gravity toward bluntness and kind of an abusive style." Goolsbee also said Democrats will be thrilled if Trump is the Republican nominee because it would allow Democrats to make the case that "we're for ordinary people." "Hold on a second," host Stephanie Ruhle told Goolsbee. "Hold on a second. Hold -- wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Donald Trump might not be an ordinary person, but do you think Bill and Hillary Clinton are ordinary people?" she asked. "I don't -- I have met Hillary Clinton and Bill Clinton only a few times. I think their policy is way geared toward middle-class people," Goolsbee said. "I think thus far, if Donald Trump's campaign goes the way his personality has been taking it, it's not going to be about finding college affordability. It's going to be about things that are more geared toward business and also anti-immigrant type of stuff. So I think they're going to be clear contrast on the policy side." CNS News: Ex-Obama Aide: 'It Has Been a Long Time Since We've Had a Very Thin-Skinned Person in the White House' http://cnsnews.com/news/article/susan-jones/ex-obama-aide-it-has-been-long-time-weve-had-very-thin-skinned-person-white

• published: 12 Aug 2015
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