Presidential politics, especially in election years, is something of a three-ring circus, complete with high-wire balancing acts, lions leaping through flaming hoops and a ringmaster leading the whole thing.
Any contender for the nomination of either party could be compared to the circus folk at different points of the campaign.
I mean seriously, at times I have thought that the Republican primary ticket could be the proverbial clowns racing to get out of the car… they just keep coming and coming!
Add in Hillary’s investigation by the FBI, walking a mighty fine tight rope there Madame Secretary, and the constant trickle of email releases by the State Department. Well, she won’t be coming down anytime soon!
Trump has been, to date, a ringmaster for the ages, leading from the moment he entered the race. He has taken conventional wisdom and turned it upside down, usually in his favor. He has played Republicans, Democrats, Washington D.C. elites and media types for fools over and over again. Ultimately though, I am unsure who the fools will be in the end, I just hope it isn’t “We the People”.
Senator Ted Cruz seems to me like the big cat trainer… he’s played in the big ring for a few years now. But he doesn’t seem to have earned the respect from the Republican Senators he has worked with.
Anyone who has watched a tiger show knows what happens when you don’t have the animal’s respect – expect teeth and claws. And some Senate Republicans did just that, with stinging statements attacking Cruz as he surged to the top.
For me personally? I really could care less what John McCain or most of the Senators in Washington think about anyone on the ballot, and the ringing un-endorsement actually gave Senator Cruz more credit against the establishment than anything he could have said or done during the campaign.
And Senator Sanders, well – he’s the guy outside in the ticket window letting everyone in for free once the show starts, because we all have the right to entertainment – while saying it really doesn’t matter if there isn’t enough money in the till to pay everyone, we will just tax the fools who paid for the tickets with a surcharge to make up for it!
Outside the ring is where true power lies – not in the audience that buys the tickets, but the owners, managers, and those that truly run this circus. Donors, lobbyists, campaign consultants and the like. These guys (and women) have mucked the political waters so much, it’s amazing anyone of any value wants to dip a toe in, let alone jump feet first into a national campaign.
This would somewhat explain a lot of the candidates we’ve had to chose from over the last 30 years or so.
It is definitely not our best as Americans. And I think William Buckley had it right that he could randomly pick names out of the phonebook and that person could do a better job of running the country in a thoughtful manner than any politician or self-styled intellectual.
I swear – I can’t wait for November!!!
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So there have been a few big endorsements in the Republican primary over the past week.
Sarah Palin came out big for Donald Trump in Iowa. Don’t know how much it helps Trump in the long run. I’m not sure Palin is the king-maker like she was in 2010. “Going Rogue” is no longer part of the national dialogue. I personally like her, but question some of her moves to stay relevant 8 years after bursting onto the national stage.
Glen Beck endorsed Ted Cruz this past weekend – also in Iowa – while introducing Cruz at a campaign rally. This one isn’t so surprising either, Beck has talked up Cruz on his radio show since the campaign started.
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Both Hillary Clinton and Ted Cruz were compared to George Washington this weekend. Both comparisons were laughable.
It started on Saturday, when Beck was introducing Ted Cruz and giving his endorsement. Beck said that “I have prayed for the next George Washington – I believe I have found him”. This was followed the next day by Senator Cory Booker on the campaign trail, calling Clinton “the most qualified person since George Washington” for the presidency.
I get that hyperbole works on the campaign trail, makes for good sound bites on tv. But to try to compare anyone in politics today to the giants of men that helped form this country… um, just no.
Washington was one old white guy that got it right!
Up For Debate 