Dictionary.com defines the term “con” as a verb meaning (1) “to swindle; trick” or (2) “to persuade by deception, cajolery, etc.”

I looked up the term after businessman and former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg addressed the Democratic National Convention last Wednesday night.  Playing off of Donald Trump’s defense of “New York values” following the derogatory use of that term by rival Senator Ted Cruz, Bloomberg said, “I am from New York and I know a con when I see one.” He elaborated using Trump’s history of bankruptcy and unmet obligations to address the first definition.  He followed with examples of the Republican’s campaign rhetoric and policies to suggest the second definition also applied to Trump’s efforts to gain voter support.

While the convention attendees cheered and applauded another billionaire’s rebuke of a peer, I had the feeling this was one more example of “he said, he said.”  And as expected, Trump used Bloomberg’s comments to remind his supporters that Hillary Clinton is the favorite of the rich and famous while he is “the voice” of the common American.  Furthermore, accusations that many Trump business deals ended in failure were not news.  They have been documented by the press continuously since Trump secured the Republican nomination.

Which brings us to Khizr and Ghazala Khan.  I have a friend and colleague from my days at Miami University who always urged his students to “be the adult in the room.”  To be honest, there have not been a lot of adults in the room during the current election cycle.  That changed last Thursday night.  Not only did the Khans remind us what makes America exceptional, they, I believe, unintentionally taught us how to deal with bluster and bullying.

References to Trump’s thin skin have been plentiful, including Clinton’s invoking this character flaw in her acceptance speech. “A man you can bait with a tweet is not a man we can trust with nuclear weapons.”  The Khans chose a different tack.  Instead of telling us how Trump responds to criticism, they created a situation in which he could either affirm or disprove charges of hypersensitivity.  They actually gave him a chance to be the adult in the room.  Not only did he fail, he garnered the lowest possible grade on this simple test of character.

Equally amazing, we soon discovered old billionaires can learn new tricks.   At a joint appearance in Omaha, Nebraska with Hillary Clinton on Monday, Warren Buffett drew on what he learned from the Khans.  He did not call Trump names for refusing to release his tax returns.  Like Khizr and Ghazala Khan, the “Oracle of Omaha” created a situation where Trump again has an opportunity to show he is an adult.  Buffett, whose tax returns are also under an IRS audit, said he was willing to make his public if Trump would do the same. Trump has ignored the challenge.

For a year, Donald Trump has warned us radical Islam will destroy us.  How ironic a patriotic Muslim and his wife may have just destroyed any hopes of Trump’s winning this election.  I look forward to the Oxford English Dictionary adding the term “Khan job” to the lexicography.  The definition?  A noun which describes the process of exposing con jobs.

For what it’s worth.
Dr. ESP