Normally 'the strong man' makes his appearance when all hope is lost - and people are grasping for straws. That's not the situation here either.
Why?
Very few people understand how bad things are... We both know the pattern Rip - and that this isn't quite it. It's possible we might be dealing with what it appears to be: a somewhat brilliant eccentric retired businessman has decided to throw his hat in the ring to help save the country.
“Very few people understand how bad things are...”
Most people around me seem to know that things are very, very bad but they may not have any realistic idea of how things got this way.
“It’s possible we might be dealing with what it appears to be: a somewhat brilliant eccentric retired businessman has decided to throw his hat in the ring to help save the country.”
I believe this is the case.