Dried Ink: A Game of Smoke and Mirrors: The Real Wizard Behind the Curtain Revealed

In rodeos clowns are used as decoys to divert the bull's attention away from a fallen rider. They run around, flap their arms and make crazy sounds, performing a smoke and mirror routine. The more absurd they look, the better they perform their job. And when the cowboy gets up off the ground and walks away, the clown's mission has been accomplished.

Since the November 2016 election of Donald Trump and the casting in stone of that deed on January 20, 2017, I have been scratching my head almost raw. I just couldn't make sense of these reoccurring daily events of lunacy. "What the heck is going on?" - became my mantra.

Steve Bannon

First out of the starting gate was Steve Bannon, not a complete unknown and certainly far from being a deadbeat, he most often plays the dormouse role. While Trump went about his task of filling his Cabinet posts, Bannon quickly got himself a seat on the National Security Council, a position rarely held by a political advisor, and a move that for the most part has gone unnoticed.

Steve is the mover and shaker that provides the dance beat. As Trump surely will Tweet one day, "It's all about the beat, the beat."

I must confess that at first I thought Bannon was the 'man behind the curtain'. Now I see him as just another rodeo clown that is there to protect the cowboy. But that being said, you must never take your eyes off him. While he seems rumpled and bumbling, almost Columbo-like, he is there to get the job done for the Wizard.

The Real Wizard

So who is this all powerful man behind the curtain, the real wizard that provides the means to the end?

He is a quiet man, this power player. Often opting to take a seat in the back row at events rather than a more obvious seat up front. You don't see him darting in and out of the White House on a daily basis, Tweeting or clamoring for the attention of reporters. But I would suggest he does have his fingers in many pies, he is just more careful not to leave a trail of crumbs.

This man, the real man behind the curtain, is Robert Mercer. He has been a major contributor to campaigns for some time. And thanks to Citizens United there is no limit as to how much dollar-power he can pour into a candidate.

It has been written that going back to 2010, Mercer has contributed $32 million to help conservative candidates get elected. Of that total, $11 million was contributed to a group supporting the presidential campaign for Ted Cruz.

Mercer didn't like Hilary Clinton, and that is putting it mildly. So when Cruz wasn't going to get the nomination it was an easy switch to go with Trump. Mercer is a poker player and he knows when to hold 'em and he knows when to fold 'em.

He is a quiet player and a very rich player, just the type of man that Trump is attracted to and perhaps even the type of man Trump would listen to.

Robert Mercer, like Donald Trump, has a powerful daughter at his side. Rebekah Mercer is also one of Donald's advisors.

I think the more we learn about Robert Mercer the more we will learn about Trump's motives and direction. But unlike Donald Trump, Mercer is quiet and flies deftly and coolly just under the radar. But if you were to pull back the curtain I feel quite confident that this is the man you will find behind it.

And if you find out what the Mercer investment in Trump benefits him the most, you might just find out what it is that is going to "make America great again".