Good morning, y’all. Proud to say that modern science has provided me with some relief from many of my symptoms. Even better news, the relief came without the threat of bleeding from the eyes and/or ears, constipation and/or “discharges” from other parts of my body. The stuff they advertise on TV sure looks attractive until they get to that long list of the things that can go wrong. I guess there is a reason for counting on a qualified professional to do the right thing.
“Qualified professional” is a great lead in for talking about the latest Republican debates. I relied heavily on Mulva to get the Rec room ready for our potluck supper. While I’m able to move about, too much moving creates a coughing jag that could set some people “off of their feed”, if you know what I mean. As it turns out, the turnout has dropped down to a couple of dozen folks now that the field has narrowed. I don’t think anyone was a “no-show” last night because of the departure of Dr. Carson, though. I do think the overall “spectacle” has diminished now that the field has narrowed to the final four.
Was it just a few months ago that Republican candidates were unpiling from Air Force One like clowns out of a clown car? Now they could all share an Uber together to get to the debates. Not that any self respecting Republican would ever use an Uber. Who knows who might have sat in that seat before you, right? Well, Kasich might, but he’s such an outlier now that he should probably team up with Bernie. They could run on the “People Who Talk Sense” platform. I wonder if they would get any votes at all.
Speaking of a vote deficit, two time loser, “Mittens” Romney weighed in this week with his condemnation of all things Trump. I’m trying to think of a time in history when a former candidate jumped into the fray to try to sabotage another candidate that was actually increasing the party’s base. I mean, I get the fact that the people who The Donald is now championing are the “shadow people” of the Republican base. You know, the white supremacists, the misogynists, the xenophobes, the evangelicals, the pro-lifers, the anti-gay, nut jobs who used to be able to receive in-patient care until Ronald Reagan turned them out onto the streets. Now they wander among us, blending in except for the occasional tin foil hat and the slurred speech of a chronic Haldol user. Is it wrong to try to deny them a candidate that speaks their truth, that says exactly what they’re thinking?
Apparently, so. The “jump Trump” movement was in full swing during the debate. Kasisch continued to stay on the sidelines. “Poor John’s” screen presence was marginalized by the Fox moderators not wanting to hear what he had to say, and his own good sense. I reflected on my Daddy’s old saying while I watched the look of bemused amusement on Kasich’s face as the other three got ready to “drop trou” to show America who the “most qualified” candidate really was. Bocephus, “Bo”, Lite used to say, “don’t go tussling with pigs, you’ll just come home covered in pig sh*t, and the pigs will be happy for the attention”. I learned later in life that Daddy had “borrowed” the phrase from George Bernard Shaw, but the point is the same. Kasich seemed to understand the point as well and is the only candidate that will go home not smelling of pig sh*t.
As for the rest of the dais, well it was an evening to remember. It’s hard to imagine standing on a stage and calling another candidate everything but honorable and then reinforcing your pledge to vote for him if he becomes the party’s standard bearer. It is the trying to have it both ways, the “having your cake and eating it too”, dichotomy that drives me nuts about the Republican party. Not too mention the promotion of candidates that appeal to all of the base elements of humans, and then being surprised when they turn out to be really, really bad Presidents.
It looks like the Republican party has a tiger by the tail with The Donald. While their strategists try to decide how to dump Trump and not prove to the electorate that their voice doesn’t matter, I am reminded of an old limerick I heard in high school. Yes, I can really tell this one, it’s PG:
There was a young lady of Niger
Who smiled as she rode on a tiger;
They returned from the ride
With the lady inside,
And the smile on the face of the tiger.
The Donald kind of has the same hair color as a tiger, don’t you think?