Vivek Ramaswamy—I like him.
He aligns with American ideals like freedom, equality, meritocracy, innovation, and entrepreneurship.
Short Ramaswamy bio: He is an achiever. Valedictorian of his high school. Graduated from Harvard summa with a biology degree. Earned a law degree from Yale. Worked in investing in pharmaceuticals and biotech and became a multi-millionaire by age 26. Then he started health industry companies that made him $1 billion. He has demonstrated he is a genius at recognizing opportunities and capitalizing on them.
Ramaswamy makes the case the U.S., above any other nation offers residents of all races the most freedom and opportunity to shape their own futures. He is becoming the terminator of wokeness. I cheered when he pointed out some of Ayanna Pressley’s comments on race make her like a Grand Wizard of the modern Ku Klux Klan.
Opinions about Ramaswamy’s presidential campaign believe him to be running for Trump’s vice president or a cabinet position. Maybe. But I think he has a different play in mind. By all accounts, Ramaswamy is innovative and brilliant. He is not accustomed to playing second fiddle to anyone. Running merely for vice president or a Cabinet position is not a new strategy. Others with less brainpower and no competence for their roles have successfully gained the vice presidency and a cabinet position. I don’t want to be so obvious that the Left accuses me of various forms of discrimination over this, so I will just say their initials backwards are H.K. and B.P.
There are major obstacles to Trump becoming the Republican nominee— disapproval rating, never-Trumpers, court cases, potential jail, and that Democrats and many Independents will walk over broken glass to vote against him. I think Ramaswamy’s gamble is that Trump will be forced out of the race.
If Trump drops out, Ramaswamy’s positions, fiery speech, and total support of Trump have allowed him to position himself as the heir apparent. With Trump out of the race, (and an endorsement), Ramaswamy would inherit Trump’s 30% of staunch supporters. He would also gain the 20% that are iffy on Trump since he doesn’t have Trump’s caustic personality. Ramaswamy also could pick up many of the 20% of never-Trumpers who despised Trump personally. During a political interview at the Iowa State Fair, Ramaswamy rapped on stage. He may appeal to younger voters repulsed by the gerontocracy leading both the Republicans and Democrats. Uniting these voting blocks under the Ramaswamy banner would secure him more than 50% of Republican voters and anoint him as the Republican nominee.
But here is the caution about Ramaswamy…
He has capitalized on his charisma, intellect, and persuasiveness to convince people and companies to invest billions of dollars in his ideas. He has started multiple companies with a convoluted number of subsidiaries, spin offs, mergers, and acquisitions. He has quickly moved from one venture to another. These deals have made Ramaswamy’s personal fortune. I am unable to determine the direct profitability of most of the subsidiaries since they have been acquired or merged. I would need an accounting degree to be sure, but it appears the main company is currently $4 billion in the red.
If you have worked for long in companies of any size, you begin to notice a pattern. There are people who are excellent communicators who say the right things in convincing ways. They rise in the ranks. But ultimately they aren’t able to develop an organization that achieves its goals. Just because someone speak well, it doesn’t mean he can do. It remains to be seen if the companies Ramaswamy has created are merely ideas or are successes.
Just as in his business career, in his campaign for president, Ramaswamy is persuading others to get behind him.
But Ramaswamy doesn’t have a track record of digging in and hard slogging to accomplishment. He never had to establish logistics, figure out how to build a customer base, or handle the headaches of directly managing staff. He hasn’t demonstrated he can be the point person who can drive a functioning organization. Unlike business, government’s chief products are inefficiency and red tape, so the obstacles to attaining goals are even more onerous. Ramaswamy could prove to be operationally incapable. We need a president who can get things done. Neither the executive role nor a cabinet role is a fit for him until he builds a portfolio of organizational accomplishment.
However, he loves to debate. He is great on camera. He wants to do the right things to restore America. He has a proven track record of motivating people to get behind a concept….Congress anyone?
https://www.forbes.com/sites/nathanvardi/2015/09/09/the-30-year-old-ceo-conjuring-drug-companies-from-thin-air/?sh=2d344344f392
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vivek_Ramaswamy