Left leaning media outlets have gone a little funny in their collective noggins the last few days. As Don Trump's ill conceived feud with the Khan family came to a head the news became rife with stories of violent anarchy within his campaign. When he refused to endorse either Paul Ryan, or John McCain before their primaries the frenzy grew to epic proportions.
Rumors of mass desertions among the party ranks filled the airways. Billowing clouds of nitrous oxide and marijuana were inhaled in news rooms across the land. It was declared Trump had finally crossed the line everyone had been praying he would. The word giddy can't even begin to describe the attitude many members of the working press have embraced.
Speculation became so intense at least one story appeared which seemingly suggested the GOP could, or would--somehow after their convention--dump the Don's orange ass. A couple of others detailed the steps the party would take if he dropped out of the race before election day.
We haven't seen this sort of abject craziness since the days leading up to the dreaded Y2K turnover and the end of the Mayan calendar. For those of you with short memories, the public theories that both dates would bring about the end of civilization as we know it were a tad overstated.
Listen, the reality is Donald J. Trump isn't going anywhere except to his next rally.
Indeed, the situation remains dire. A scant few days ago the liberal filmmaker Michael Moore told Bill Maher and his "Real Time" audience he believed Trump would win the presidential election.
He grimly pointed out two reasons he thought that way. First, Trump is such a grotesque buffoon he is too easy to parody, then dismiss. Moore said, liberals are currently living in the same sort of bubble the right wing was four years ago just before it was stunned by Barack Obama's reelection. Second, no matter what vile and stupid things this goof says, tens of millions of people will still vote for him. And, as Brother Moore pointed out, they are going make damn sure they do.
All this clamor of a great schism within the GOP means nothing to Trump, or his brown shirted supporters. He didn't need the GOP movers and shakers during the primary season--in fact he took great glee in serving up their heads on a platter--and he doesn't need, or probably, want them now.
The desertions, so happily reported, consist of a handful of Reagan and Bush guys who have been out of politics for years, a retiring congressman, and the CEO of Hewlett-Packard. People like John Kasich and Ted Cruz remain on the fence. At the same time, McCain and Ryan, while condemning Trump for what he said about the Khans, are steadfastly refusing to withdraw their endorsements of him.
The reason is simple. They might not like Donald J. Trump, but they need his supporters in their primaries. In other words, at least for the moment, he has them both by the balls.
Meanwhile, as George Will said in his newspaper column today, the circus around Trump's debacle with the Khans this week caused the media to overlook even more evidence of his criminal ignorance of global affairs.
During last Sunday's interview with George Stephanopoulos everyone concentrated on Trump's bizarre assertion he had sacrificed a lot by creating jobs and erecting buildings. In that same sit down, Stephanopoulos asked the candidate why he gutted the GOP platform plank which called for providing Ukraine with lethal weapons to defend itself against Russia. His response was, "He's (Putin) not going into Ukraine. OK? Just so you understand. He's not going to go into Ukraine alright? You can mark it down and you can put it down, you can take it where you want."
Stephanopoulos simply gazed at him and said, "Well he's already there isn't he?
Flustered, Trump answered by saying, "OK, well, he's there in a certain way..." He continued with a couple of moments of gibberish so disconnected from logic and the English language there is the very real possibility he was in the midst of a horrific meth binge. He ended the exchange by saying, "From what I've heard, the people of Crimea would rather be with Russia than where they were."
Given his previous statement about the need for Russian computer hackers it is easy to guess where El Don heard it from.
Yes, we can guffaw all we want at this rancid clown. However, as we do it's best to remember large numbers of Germans were doing the same thing when it came to Herr Hitler decades ago and look at who got the last cruel laugh then.
Ladies and gentlemen, as you might guess, the bar is open.
sic vita est
8-4-16
You are wise to warn that Trump will continue to be a serious opponent. As a nation, we are learning a terrible lesson the hard way, that when a significant number of citizens are angry and frustrated for too long -- it matters not if that anger and frustration is warranted -- then anybody willing to tell them what they wish to hear can succeed in running for public office. Democrats and thoughtful conservatives, stay focused, a President Trump in the White House next January is a real possibility. And tell the bartender to make me a double of whatever is left.
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