Jeff Flake Won't Run, Trump Gloats, and the Democrats are Doomed

We must never regard as normal the regular and casual undermining of our democratic norms and ideals. We must never meekly accept the daily sundering of our country--the personal attacks, the threats against principles, freedoms, and institutions; the flagrant disregard for truth and dignity. 

Senator Jeff Flake, R-AZ speaking about Donald Trump


Flake also said this, "We must stop pretending that the degradation of our politics and the conduct of some in the executive branch are normal. They are not normal. Reckless, outrageous, and undignified behavior has become excused and countenanced as, 'telling it like it is,' when it is actually just reckless, outrageous, and undignified."

Of course all this came not quite a year too late and during a speech on the Senate floor as Senator Flake was announcing he wouldn't be running for reelection in 2018. It was probably, as White House Press Secretary, Sarah Sanders, said, "A good move." His opponent in the republican primary is a fire breathing Trumpist named Kelli Ward who came within 11 points, or so of knocking off John McCain last year.

And to paraphrase Lloyd Benson, Jeff Flake is no John McCain.

Yes, it would seem some of the rats are jumping ship. Well at least two of them since we already know Bob Corker, R-TN is also calling it quits. The same can't be said about the rest of the rodents. Those would be the ones who had lunch with The Big Orange Guy the other day so they could discuss tax cuts for the fabulously well to do. During the get together, according to one MSNBC account, Trump received three standing ovations.

Unsurprisingly, our man, Don T, celebrated the occasion by taking to Twitter. He wrote, "The meeting with republican senators yesterday, outside of Flake and Corker, was a love fest with standing ovations & great ideas for USA!"

He also took a shot at the retiring senators in another tweet, because--hey--that's what he does. It read, "The reason Flake and Corker dropped out of senate race is very simple, they had zero chance of being elected. Now act so hurt and wounded."

At this point the only surprising thing about the second tweet was it didn't end with, "Nah, Nah, Neeyah, Nah!," followed by an emoji face sticking out its tongue.

Meanwhile Steve Bannon is running about the countryside doing the jelly belly in front of crowds of potential donors who like their president to be, as Corker said on TV, "utterly untruthful." Mr. Bannon is promising to cleanse the congress of any republican who even hints he, or she might be uncomfortable with El Donald grabbing women by their pussies, much less opposing him on political issues.

Normally such savage infighting would lead to jubilation among the opposition party. However, at the moment anyway, the only people who have shown any signs of optimism about the mid term elections are the talking heads at MSNBC. You know--the people who won't have to run against trailer park fascists like Kelli Ward and the millions of dollars Steve Bannon will hand deliver to her and dozens of others.

Indeed, as entertaining as it might be watching Bannon ruthlessly cull the GOP herd the terrible truth remains the party of Franklin Roosevelt is doomed in 2018. A democratic majority in the House is completely unreachable thanks to some astute republican gerrymandering and the odds of taking over the senate are less than 50-50.

The situation is going to stay that way too. At least until the democratic party frees itself of a leadership which is increasingly moribund and irrelevant to middle America, then comes up with some meaningful alternatives to the toxic swill of jingoism and outright lies Donald J. Trump and Steve Bannon are selling.

Ladies and gentlemen, because we all know that's not going to happen any time soon, the bar is most definitely open.



10-25-17

DCCCL