A Lost Episode of St. Elsewhere and the Thrill was Gone at CPAC

 A week ago today I continued a long tradition among the men of The House Howard by having a heart attack. Unlike many family traditionalists, my brother included, I survived the incident and am carrying on so to speak. As always, to what end remains unknown at this time

While I was mired in what could be described as a lost episode of the 1980;s medical drama , "St. Elsewhere,"  conservatives were gathering at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in Maryland. Well, at least some of them anyways. 

All reports say Donald Trump owned the crowd at the Conservative Political Action Committee conference The annual get together which features all manner of ultra right speakers, merchandise and hallucinatory aids, returned to the D.C. suburbs after a two year stay in Orlando. As usual the highlight was a straw poll taken among attendees to determine who they'd prefer to be the republican nominee for president. 

Brother Don won the poll, overwhelmingly, to no one's surprise. That's what happens when only one other major candidate for the highest office in the land shows up. This shocking lack of attendance by other hopefuls can be explained in one of two ways. Either all the others didn't have the guts to face the big man, or his supporters. Or they simply felt they had someplace more productive to be.

This concept that there was a more productive place to be rather than the CPAC convention turned out to be Donald' Trump's big problem this past weekend. Not only did the other candidates have somewhere else to be, but so did a lot of right wing movers, shakers, and foot soldiers. Rather than packed halls and roaring mobs' speakers were greeted with half filled rooms and crowd responses only a level, or two above tepid. If this CPAC conference was designed to signal a triumphant return of Donald Trump to undisputed king of all media and things republican it failed. Neither the people, or their hearts were there. They had all seen it before. The thrill was, a t long last, gone. 

Not even Trump at his darkest could raise them from their stupor. At the end of a two hour harangue on Sunday he said, "In 2016 I declared I'm your voice. Today I add:  I am your warrior, I am your justice, and to those who have been wronged and betrayed, I am your retribution." In 2016 that line would have brought the house down. Sunday it received polite applause.

Unfortunately one weekend doesn't rid us of Donald Trump. He remains the only republican candidate out there with an established base in each state. Depending where one is, Trump doesn't have to do a single thing to earn upwards of 30% of the GOP vote. And, as we've seen, if Trump is the nominee the remainder of the party will close behind him like a phalanx of Spartans on meth.

In addition, Trump is quite possibly insane enough to claim he is the nominee no matter what the outcome of republican primaries nationwide. In act it is too easy to envision an alternate republican convention with alternate delegates all voting for Donald John Trump. Third party? Who needs a third party? Republicans are whoever Donald Trump says they are. 

Yes, Trump might be a wounded beast, but he is still a dangerous one. And, as the media was quick to point out the last two days, still the one to beat.

3-7-23