The Kids Are Alright - For Now

Oh, what a terrific debate last night – a focus on things that actually matter – like the economy and what the hell to do about ISIS. And while I seldom agree with the four gents who tossed around ideas in Preliminary Republican Debate #2, it was nice to hear from folks who at least sounded somewhat informed. As opposed, say, to some of those idiots in the main event who seemed consumed with how rich they are, how great they are or how pesky to the others on the dais they are.

You have Donald Trump who continues to speak in platitudes that only the dumb (that would be 99% of the nation) are willing to try and pretend to understand.

You have Carly Fiorina who keeps saying that Hillary Clinton lies, lies, lies as she – Fiorina – lies, lies, lies.

You have Ben Carson who is basically a scientist who doesn't believe in science, and continues to speak as though our nation was founded on the principle of a faith-based government.

And you have the rest of the bunch that appear to be so jealous of the time the first three are getting that they act like children tugging at mama's skirt just to get a word in.

Yeah, it took those at the kids' table – George Pataki, Rick Santorum, Piyush "Bobby" Jindal and Lindsey Graham – to make those who followed sound like a bunch of children.

That said, there may be hope yet for those at the kids' table as today's numbers show that interest in Trump is dropping, as he slowly reveals that he doesn’t really know anything about the economy at all. (Does he really think his trade policy of raising tariffs would HELP farmers who depend on agriculture exports?)

As The Donald fades away, all we can hope for is that the rest of the Tier 1 elephants learned a little bit about adult behavior from their cohorts at the kids' table.

Kim Davis - Free at Last!

It's been quite a few days in Morehead, Kentucky, replete with the kind of publicity that I'd guess 99% of its residents wouldn't wish upon their worst enemies (even pro-choice folks) with a gun to their collective heads. And I bet there are plenty of guns in and around Morehead. This is truly His country where the locals love God and Guns, and hate Gays.

And nobody hates 'em more than Kim Davis, the county clerk who went to jail on September 3^rd rather than obey the law by issuing marriage licenses to same sex couples. Bad as that alone is, it's really a riot when you consider that Davis thinks it's okay for her to pass judgment by taking the law into her own hands after three divorces!

If Kim Davis is the latest face of resistance to gay marriage, she is also the newest face (of many) of intolerance, defiance and ignorance of the Constitution of the United States of America. As always with this bunch, while the stance is nauseating enough, it's the hypocrisy that accompanies it that is so utterly astounding. But that was seemingly lost on the faithful who gathered today to witness with great acclaim Kim Davis' coming out party, flanked by none other but one of the biggest fools around, Mike Huckabee – always anxious to milk any kind of publicity he can.

Yes, Kim Davis is free now. And fret not, friends - the tale of Kim Davis of Kentucky is going to turn out just fine. She's never going to work again as she becomes yet another nutball martyr for the far right, reaping fortunes under the table to endorse who ever needs endorsing at any given the time.

If the men among the far right contingent had any real guts, these 16^th-century minded Republicans would start applying a little 16^th-century discipline to this upstart hussy. Unfortunately, I imagine that burning at the stake wouldn't pass legal muster.

Even in Kentucky.

Ted Cruz Piles On

Donald "The Mouth" Trump is a hard act to keep up with but it looks like Ted Cruz is going to give it an honest Ivy League try, what with his mouthing off of late reaching a new low. At first, Cruz seemed to be one of the real screwballs – like Huckabee and Santorum – but over time, and a few mainstream talk shows here and there in recent weeks, he has proven to be fairly docile. His appearance the other day on Chris Matthews' show was especially telling in its timidity, and the true sign of a phony, albeit one in desperation mode.

 

Cruz opened his mouth again today and it was a beauty. Get this: He laid blame for the death of the Texas Deputy Sheriff in Houston at the feet of none other than President Barack Obama. I know what you're thinking – big surprise, right? I mean, everything that goes wrong in this country is directly attributed to Obama in the eyes of Cruz.

 

Cruz wasn't the only politician to pile on Jimmy Carter in the wake of the former president's announcement of the cancer that seems to have found a home in various parts of his body. Chris Christie put his own unique brand of stupidity on display again. But with Christie, it's a simple slip of the tongue; a by-product of his small brain. However, in Cruz' case, you can be damn sure that such statements are absolutely calculated; no doubt as planned and rehearsed as any of his stump speeches.

 

The reality is that none other than Ted Cruz is to blame for the cold blooded murder of that poor guy in Houston. Ted Cruz and every other lowlife in the U.S. Congress who continues to fortify the gun culture in this country by NOT somehow slamming some sort of gun control legislation down the collective throats of this gun-loving nation, thereby advocating the kind of vigilante law mindset that makes such an act as what happened in Houston possible.

 

"If I don't like a feller, I git to shoot him right? Ain't that what they gave me this gun for?"

 

This kind of thinking is the result of the inaction in Washington.

 

As for Ted Cruz in particular, we keep hearing how smart this greasy little guy is and maybe he is smart in some ways … the way Joe McCarthy was "smart" or William Jennings Bryan was "smart" … smart with the sound bite and hanging out that red meat rhetoric for the lemmings to lap up, or maybe smart in the way he baits people.

 

But "smart" in terms of solutions? He hasn't offered a single idea that could help the country – not in the area of healthcare, about which he has mouthed off so much; not in the area of economic stimulation; not in the area of national defense; and not in the area of immigration. I mean, hell, even Donald Trump gave us an idea, ludicrous as it is, on immigration – "build a wall and call it the Trump Wall!"

 

It's hard to imagine a more disgusting human being than Ted Cruz these days, if you can even call him human. He's more like a weasel; a sneaky, slippery little weasel; one minute you think you have him captured, then he slips away.

The Trump Phenomenon Explained

Since the Trump Phenomenon kicked into gear, pundits ad nauseum have tried to explain The Donald's rise, including many from both the right and left who tell us that the Republican Party created Trump by breaking promises they'd made to their base. Well, I understand this to a degree, insomuch as the Republicans created an atmosphere in which some yahoo who ISN'T a lazy, tail-kissing money grabber might try to make headlines with a riling message that the "regular" politicians dare not utter. In this era of the Dumb American, this kind of message rings true. But it's more than just a message – it's that it's being uttered by a guy people know – or think they know – because he's been on TeeeeeVeeeee! Generally speaking (and we're into 90%-plus figures here), we are an indolent, moronic population, touched and moved almost exclusively by what we see on television. The more dumb, the more potent. Hence, I give you what no pundit to date has been able to give you – an explanation of the Trump Phenomenon in two words: DUCK DYNASTY. Remember this vile bunch? Now, you might say, "hey, they're religious people." Exactly! And this is what makes them even more vile – the act of hiding behind the bible as so many do. But that's another topic for another day. Today, it's easy to explain what has become known as The Trump Phenomenon: TV created Donald Trump as we know him today.

Sure, Trump wrote a book in the '80s and was a hero to the Wall Street set. And tiny sectors of the country outside of New York may have known of him for his tabloid headline-grabbing rotation of young, money-hungry wives. But it wasn't until he appeared on his own string of what are ridiculously known as reality shows that Trump achieved the revered status of Anna Nicole Smith, the Girls Next Door, Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie, Flavor Flav and his wretched TV offspring, Tia Tequila, the myriad lineups of The Real World, and the Survivor and Housewives shows, and the Kardashians, Bruce/Caitlyn Jenner, and more. How many more? Ha! Here are a few other fine folks that Donald "Duck Dynasty" Trump could call business associates: The Osbournes, Nick & Jessica, the Hulk Hogans and … you get the idea. That's quite a bunch. These are The Donald's peers; his true associates. And The Donald must be proud.

Then there are the shows: the Marry a Millionaire series, the Bachelor and Bachelorette shows, the Real Housewives – who are about as real as Donald Trump's housewives; and, of course, The Apprentice and The Celebrity Apprentice – no doubt inspired by or maybe inspiring to Wife Swap and Celebrity Wife Swap. Frankly, I'm proud to say that I honestly don't know which came first and I'm not about to bother to find out.

But this is Donald Trump's world. These are his people. And he wants to be their President. And yours.

Well, hell, I guess anything is possible.

In a nation in which stupidity is prized, it seems that the crazier, the nuttier, the more nonsensical garbage that spews from Trump's flap, the more people like him. Like him? They claim to identify with him!!! They think he's just like them – except for the money, the beautiful wives and the fact that in truth, he really doesn't give a flip about them. And perhaps some of those pundits may have had something when noting that the party had given rise to its new nemesis, given that so many of the current crop of GOP presidential wannabes initially embraced the rise of the Tea Party, with its roots in anti-intellectualism. Look what it gave them! The Donald – Doyen of the Dumb. The man who hurt Megan Kelly's feelings. Ahhh!!! Funny, how nobody has spoken up through the years in defense of Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi or even Sarah Palin as they've endured brutal personal attacks. But say something derogatory about a Fox fox and ooooohhhhh!!!!!, all hell breaks loose.

All in all, there's really so little of substance that Trump ever has to say because there's so little of substance that his followers understand. Real issues? What real issues?!?! The few core beliefs he has (including pro-choice) don't matter as long as they don't come up. And he doesn't dare bring them up. All Trump followers everywhere know is that "he's on TV so he must be a cool guy. And I like cool guys – and I'd even like to BE a cool guy! But I'll never be a cool guy. But at least by liking a cool guy … well …. maybe that could make me kinda a cool guy … one day."

For the most part, this is the extent of the American intellect.