It was this bad. Washington Post writer Chris Cillizza compared the latest republican debate to a, "high school cafeteria food fight." Author, Tom Fowler claimed it brought back memories of the behavior which was rampant in his 8th grade gym locker room. Then he posed the question, "Are you satisfied Donald Trump's member is large enough for him to be President of the United States?" Finally one anguished republican tweeted, "My party is committing suicide on national television."
We can only hope.
Unfortunately, after listening to the crowd present in the hall hoot and holler one can easily come to the conclusion that the rubes in Trump's camp might actually think the length and breadth of his penis is a true indication of his presidential acumen.
Yes, that's how low the right wing has sunk. We are no longer watching a political campaign. What we are now witnessing is some sort of surreal TV series--a severely twisted combination of Survivor, Celebrity Apprentice, and Beavis and Butthead.
The ghost of the republican establishment is in full panic mode. The situation is so manic that after the Super Tuesday debacle, former Texas congressman, Tom DeLay lectured MSNBC's Chris Matthews on party rules. DeLay was quick to explain, in no uncertain terms, primaries aren't about winning the popular vote in states, but rather securing delegates. He went on to point out Trump had yet to post a win in which he claimed more than 50% of the convention delegates available. The message was clear, Rubio, Kasich, and Cruz don't need to beat Trump every where. They simply have to prevent him from getting 1,237 delegates in Cleveland.
If they can chaos will ensue at the convention in July. If there is no winner on the first ballot, the republicans can nominate anyone. Speculation is swirling about who that might be. Paul Ryan and even Mitt Romney have been mentioned. The only thing apparently agreed upon at the moment is Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, and John Kasich won't be in the mix.
Of course if Trump is denied the nomination, despite winning, say, two thirds of the primaries and caucuses you can count on a massive revolt by his grass roots support. A third party run becomes a distinct possibility as does the specter of vast numbers of his faithful simply boycotting the general election. Both of those outcomes spell doom for the GOP in November.
In other words, republicans, you are now being seated at that unenviable table between a rock and the hard place.
In the end, though, such a scenario might be viable only in the dreams of those who despise Trump almost as much as they do Hillary Rodham Clinton. First, Trump has to be stopped. On March 15th Florida and Ohio hold their primaries and both are winner take all affairs. That's right, if you win the popular vote in either place by even a single ballot, you get the entire state delegation at the convention.
Rubio is from Florida and Kasich is the governor of Ohio, but Trump currently leads in polls conducted in both places. If he wins in either state the race could come to a quick end and the nightmare of a Trump nomination will become a reality.
Lost in the middle of all this lunacy is the sad and terrible realization that something tragic has happened in America. It's unclear when it did, or why. Let's face it, we've always been brash and maddeningly convinced our political system is superior to every other one in the world. We've also been, since WWII anyway, far too reliant on our military to solve disputes, whether they be real, imagined, or manufactured.
Despite those sins of pride and wrath we have, at least until this year, been civilized enough to demand decorum from those aspiring to the presidency. We've even required that every serious candidate to the highest office in the land possess an understanding of how the government works and a basic knowledge of important issues and the intricacies which make them so difficult to overcome.
After watching those brutal clods in Detroit it is painfully evident none of that shit matters anymore. The truth is, Ron Reagan, even in the depths of late life dementia, was a more viable republican option for the presidency than the boobs on display yesterday will ever be.
Indeed, at this moment it seems, as far as the leading GOP candidate and the field chasing him are concerned, facts, issues, basic civics, and even simple human decency don't matter any more. Right now it's all about who has the biggest cock.
My God, even Richard Milhous Nixon has to be rolling over in his grave.
sic vita est
3-4-16
Very good, thoughtful. One of my favorite Ghost Shirt Papers. Me, I have seen this coming in small, more subtle ways for a long time, but did not expect it to slam into us this forcefully in the person of Donald Trump. We need to remember a couple of things. 1) the chaos of pre-civil war America, where a caning almost killed a member of congress. Think that cannot happen now? Think again. 2) Donald Trump would never have made it this far without the support of those who either cannot, or will not, think his candidacy through to what it really is. I think we should not blame him too much, for he is a symptom of a much deeper and serious problem. You can go to the bank on the fact that future candidates are learning the lesson of his so far successful campaign, very well, and will follow his pathetic example. Times indeed, are a-changin. Well, no they are not, they have already changed and we didn't see it coming.
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