It’s possible that there may be a second billionaire running for the U.S. presidency in 2020.  Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks and a shark on Shark Tank, said in an interview that he is considering a run.

Cuban said he is an independent all the way through, but this seems to contradict his support for Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election.

Cuban has a strong Type A personality that is very similar to Donald Trump.  I think that may be part of the reason that Cuban has been so anti Trump.  There is not enough room for both of their egos in the same room.

There aren’t that many billionaires in the world, yet we face the possibility that we could have two running in the 2020 election.  If Cuban runs as a third-party candidate or as an independent, then maybe we could have three billionaires if Oprah decides to throw her hat in the ring as a Democrat.  It would certainly be a race of outsiders.  Trump would be the only one who could not be considered an outsider at that point.

I see nothing wrong with a billionaire running for president.  It isn’t the money that got Trump elected, as his campaign spent far less than others.  The only significant role that money played was that it got him the prestige and notoriety in the first place.

Some people think it is better for a rich person to be a politician because they aren’t as likely to sell out.  If the person is already rich, then they are not in it for the money.  They are less likely to be bought.

Unfortunately, this theory went out the door in the first six months of the Trump presidency.  They don’t need to buy him.  They (the establishment) just has to pressure him.

That is Trump, but what about Mark Cuban?  Would Cuban make a good president from a libertarian perspective?

Cuban would be 62 years old for the 2020 election.  He looks young for his age.  There is little question that he would hold his own against other candidates.  While Kevin O’Leary (Mr. Wonderful) is probably known as the toughest shark on Shark Tank, I think he is just more sarcastic and funny.  Cuban can actually be the toughest one.  Sometimes he can be downright mean.

I heard suggestions years ago that Cuban is a libertarian or has libertarian leanings.  On a few things, this might be true.  But he is certainly not any kind of principled libertarian.

The man supported Hillary Clinton in 2016.  That is enough said.  He clearly has very poor judgement.  He doesn’t have bad judgement when it comes to business decisions, but he is obviously not a very good judge of character.  He is obviously not very bright when it comes to political issues, unless he is just evil, which I don’t think is the case.

The SEC tried to nail Cuban several years ago for insider trading.  He could have landed in federal prison.  He fought them hard and won.  It was probably his best moment.  And he was proud of beating the charges.  But does he not realize that Hillary Clinton and the establishment that he supports is the very system that almost locked him away for many years?

I hope that all libertarians realize now that things are probably not going to change based on who is sitting in the Oval Office.  Unless the person is a radical libertarian with a long history of sticking to principles, then it won’t matter.  But if the country were to elect someone like Ron Paul, then things would be changing anyway, as it would demonstrate a radical shift in public opinion.

Cuban would not be much different from Trump.  You can’t go into the presidency and make radical changes unless you are prepared for an all-out battle with the establishment.  Trump still faces a huge battle against the establishment even as he has fallen in line.

Unless Cuban is going to withdraw all troops from foreign lands and dismantle all of the so-called intelligence agencies, then nothing significant will change, or at least it won’t change because of who is in office.  Things could change because of a massive depression or other events, but that could happen with anyone in office.

If the spy agencies and the foreign policy don’t significantly change, then nothing significant will change.  Cuban could tinker around the edges with tax rates, just as Trump is trying to do.  He could repeal a few executive orders or make some new ones.  But overall, not much would be different.  He would be corrupted by the establishment very quickly, just as Trump has been.  He would be another billionaire sellout.

Barring a major recession or depression, the federal budget is going to stay above $4 trillion per year.  This is why our living standards have not been advancing at a pace of previous generations.

If we see Trump and Cuban go head to head in 2020, it would make for some good entertainment.  But that is all it would be.  A Cuban presidency would not result in any more change than a Trump presidency.

There are really only two ways we are going to move towards liberty.  One is through changing public opinion.  The other is by having a severe economic downturn, coupled with the broken promises of so-called entitlements.  This will force Congress to reduce spending.  Until this happens, the presidential race and other political races are mostly for entertainment purposes.