When pundits and reporters talk about Donald Trump’s skill or talent as a politician, he generally gets credit for being charismatic, a good entertainer, and in touch with the aggravations that animate the typical Republican voter. All of this may be true, but he’s also an innovator, a visionary, and a disrupter in the fields of political science and campaign strategy.

From his crudest cheap shots at other candidates to his most provocative ideas about where to build a wall or what racial group is “doing the raping,” Trump puts all of his chips on the table, as it were, when the game begins; every thought he has is delivered to the public the second it enters his mind. (Come to think of it, strategy might not be the best word for this. But it amounts to a strategy.) Hell, it’s been more than a year since the guy declared his candidacy for the election, which is still not happening for another 10 months. This, in politics, is unusual.

There are ways to rationalize why other candidates don’t behave in the same way. Allegedly, it’s more leaderlike to appear “above the fray” early in a race and to avoid alienating voters who claim to be put off by negativity or who might not like your take on a “wedge issue.” Joining a campaign too early makes you appear more concerned about your own career than the everyday blah blah blah and the kitchen-table zzzzzzzzzz that really matters to the people of whatever backwater you’re pretending to care about while you plan a route to the presidency.

In the end, though, candidates probably run cautious, three-paragraphs-of-bullshit........

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