I have
hesitated to make this point earlier because the bottom line is we all have the
right to self-determination. The
franchise of the vote is personal and sacrosanct. However, I have watched with curious
interest, and written on several occasions about the runaway freight train of a
phenomenon that the Trump Primary Electoral Tour has become. Clearly, this post will add to the list.
As we
prepare for the last week of voting before the advent of spring, more and more
Republican leaders, call them Establishment for lack of a better word, have
come out and shown their hand in an effort to galvanize an anti-Trump firewall;
an actual Movement, referred to in some circles as “Never Trump!” This ideological force field's singular
purpose is to prevent Donald J. Trump from securing the GOP Nomination.
Recent
initiatives, including those of Mitt Romney who set out with his own one man
show a week and a half ago, and Marco Rubio who last week went so far as to
cede an entire state, Ohio, by urging Ohio voters to vote for a rival, Ohio
Governor John Kasich in that state’s Primary, rather than himself, all in an
effort to create a Tic-Tac-Toe style block to thwart the Trump machine. That move, Rubio falling on his petard, was
foreshadowing in a way, for while Kasich did win Ohio yesterday, Trump pummeled
Rubio in his home state’s Primary, forcing the Florida Senator to suspend his
flagging Campaign.
In a race
that has become nearly as entertaining as Indiana Jones' pursuit of the Ark of
the Covenant, a number of key Republicans are pulling out all the stops. Here is how you know things have reached a
critical mass. Early in the election
season, most of the candidates systematically and in virtual lockstep routinely
blamed President Obama for every ill in this country, past, present, and
future. Without regard for the facts
this was simply the strategy. For
example, say someone's brother-in-law's cousin's son's classmate's father was
unemployed. President Obama's alleged “horrendous
job policies” were to blame. Forget that
we are in the midst 72 consecutive months of adding jobs to the U.S. economy, the
longest such period of job increases to the economy since records have been
kept. That kind of illogic, in fact
untruth, is emblematic of the kind of fact-free madness that rules the day in
Republican campaign circles.
As recently
as a couple of weeks ago, that was true even for some of the ridiculous antics
surrounding Trump rallies. For months,
there have been reports of Trump supporters verbally and physically attacking
protesters at his rallies. Never mind
why voters who support other candidates would attend Trump rallies in the first
place, be that as it may. They do have a
right to free assembly…but it takes a special kind of person to submit
needlessly to such abuse…when there have been so many examples of what one can
reasonably expect. Nevertheless, several
of Mr. Trump's competitors attributed Trump supporters’ actions to the
President.
That was
then. Fast forward to here and now. This past weekend the intensity of crowds,
protesters, and raw rhetoric all combined to reach a predictable boiling
point. In fact, the environment became
so rough and unstable in Chicago that authorities cancelled the planned event.
So how does
all this dovetail? Well, now, Mr.
Trump's three remaining competitors (two after last night) for the GOP
Nomination have all concluded that he actually has contributed to the
atmosphere that has led to these extracurricular activities at his events. Surprise, surprise; if one were a cynic, one
might think this newfound visionary insight by these men is a product of
routinely getting their pants beat off them by the Donald.
That brings
me to my existential point. All the
finger pointing about the cause of Trump's success; all of it, whether thrust
at President Obama, or even Trump himself, for that matter, is misguided. No matter how much Republicans regret or
resent it, Mr. Obama is the Commander-in-Chief.
Still, his considerable powers, stemming from his high office, do not
enable him to coerce one single Republican voter to cast a ballot for Donald
Trump. In a similar vein, given all the
Donald's bluster, wealth, and considerable influence, he has not cast a single
ballot in any of the GOP Primaries or Caucuses held to date. To frame it in terms of a familiar axiom,
"When you point fingers at someone, three are pointing back at you."
This past Sunday
on CNN’s “Reliable Sources,” journalist Carl Bernstein characterized Trump as a
”neo-fascist who is appealing to nativism, racism, and bigotry.” From many if not most people’s vantage point,
he has been all that and more. Yet, vote
for himself, is not something he has done.
Now, take a
step back, and breath deeply while you are at it. Don't believe the hype, and don't be deceived
by all the talking heads or political genuflection. The compelling question is, who is
responsible for the rise of Donald Trump?
First, let
me tell you who/what is not responsible.
It's not:
⁃
Barack
Obama
⁃
Hillary
Clinton
⁃
Bernie
Sanders
⁃
Mexicans
⁃
Muslims
⁃
Black
Lives Matter (BLM)
⁃
The
Iran Nuclear Deal
⁃
The
Economy
⁃
The
Affordable Care Act (AKA Obamacare)
⁃
Entitlements
Having been
perfectly clear about what has not been responsible for producing Trump
Madness, no sleight intended to March Madness, the culprit in this mystery is
far too evident for all the handwringing and intrigue machinations offered by a
variety of theoreticians. Simply put,
first let's discount the notions of blame, or credit, depending upon one's perspective,
for the unexpected success of Donald Trump.
Instead I suggest we shift the paradigm, and think and speak in terms of
accountability.
That being
said, there is but one element that logically can be held accountable for that
which DJ Trump has become, and that group is, drumroll please...Republican
Primary/Caucus voters...period, full stop, exclamation point for emphasis.
Anyone who
opts to cite one of the 10 factors delineated above, from President Obama to
Entitlements, or any other(s) in lieu of the individual living, breathing,
sentient, beings who actually pulled a lever, or checked a box with Trump's
name affixed thereto, is dissembling, obfuscating, excuse-making, or dare I
say, just plain lying through their teeth.
The most ardent explainers and excuse makers insisted the problem was
simply one of proportionality. They
reasoned that having 17 candidates in the field ensured that the votes were
splintered into too many disparate parts for the will of the people to shine
through. They said as the number of
prospective candidates winnowed down, the votes would go to other candidates
and Trump would fall off and eventually drop by the wayside. That was 13 (now 14) former candidates ago,
and with just 4 (3 as of today) candidates remaining, including The Donald, Mr.
Trump is not only still in the thick of it, he often pulls from 40 to 50
percent of the votes in primaries and caucuses.
So how’s that been working for them?
Ergo, if you
are Republican and Donald Trump prevails, in the off chance you didn't vote for
him, odds are...you have a boatload of friends and associates who did. Feel free to send them a card that reflects
your gratitude, or lack thereof. In case
you're having difficulty coming up with an appropriate sentiment, "Thanks
for nothing" comes to mind.
Conversely,
if Trump becomes the nominee and you rep the GOP, and perchance, you did vote
for him, give yourself an enthusiastic pat on the back, not unlike Mr. Trump
does to himself at the slightest provocation.
What can I say? If that was
really your choice, extra long pause...then undoubtedly, you got the candidate
you deserve!
To be clear,
despite all the efforts and initiatives undertaken by concerned Republican
leaders, Donald Trump is doing just fine, thank you very much. Of course, the grand prize of the day was
Florida, where he literally ran "Little Marco Rubio" (a Trump appellation) out of field. In addition to the Sunshine State, he won in
North Carolina, and Illinois yesterday.
Governor Kasich won Ohio (where Trump finished Second).
At midnight with 99% of the votes reported in Missouri, Donald Trump held a razor-thin lead (2,600 votes). This is actually critical for the guy Trump calls "Lyin' Ted," since of the four of yesterday's contest already decided, Trump had won 3, Kasich 1, and Cruz, none...yet.
Don't get me
wrong. There are those who dismiss the
wisdom of the voters. As a rule, such
people think certain voters have not thoughtfully considered their options, or
they have been hoodwinked and bamboozled, or that they are simply unaware of
the consequences and repercussions, or worse case, all of the above.
I simply do
not believe that to be true. The GOP has
in large measure been baptized by fire in the font of pure unadulterated Obama
hate. Donald Trump has been fashioning
what became his campaign persona all the way back to the time of the Birther
controversy. He is in effect, the
anti-Obama, and as such, the natural candidate of choice for countless
Republicans. Therefore, it stands to
reason, from my observations anyway, Mr. Trump has distinguished himself as the
one guy running who is most un-Obama-like, and as a result, he has established
himself as the man to beat on the way to Cleveland for the Republican National
Convention, July 18-21, 2016. To wit,
finger point all you want to, if you want to; just remember, "Three are
Pointing Back at You!" That’s
ironic, as there are now also (just) three candidates left in the race.
I'm done,
holla back!
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