The Zeitgeist

Donald Trump: Bombaster-in-Chief: Can the nation and the GOP be saved from this man?

Anyone but Trump Real Winner in New Hampshire and Iowa

In New Hampshire 64 percent of Republicans voted against Donald Trump. In Iowa 76 percent of Republican voters told Trump that “he’s fired.”

The big story out of Iowa and New Hampshire isn’t that Trump came in first or second, it’s that the overwhelming majority of GOP voters are rejecting him. Trump has failed to approach or surpass the 50 percent threshold to claim any kind of majority whatsoever, yet the media keep proclaiming and anointing him. The real winner was “not Trump.”

Similarly but for very different reasons, the Democratic voters in the aforementioned states also clearly decided that most of their votes would go to “not Hillary.” Unlike Trump however, Bernie Sanders did pull down a whopping 60 percent of the Democratic vote in New Hampshire, which is way more than a simple majority. Again, Trump has been nowhere near that figure.

The Trump phenomenon is partly the Republicans’ own fault and partly the fault of the media, particularly broadcast but also web to a lesser degree.

The Party

The Republican Party in scheduling a bazillion nationally televised debates many months before Iowa and allowing practically anyone with a pulse to participate based on pre-balloting popularity polls of as few as 450 people (how truly representative can even 1,200 be when there are 153 million registered voters?) essentially created a two-ring circus by giving legitimacy and exposure to bloviating dilettantes and amateurs such as Trump and also nice soft-spoken amateurs such as Dr. Ben Carson. While anyone can run for President of these United States, the party should be a way better gatekeeper.

There should have been fewer debates and they should have stared just six weeks before Iowa, not six months. Criteria for admission should have been a mix of polls, funds raised from the American people prior to the first debate (to demonstrate concrete popular support) along with the prospective candidates’ having either held public office, been a serious candidate for national office (i.e., Congress) or have significant military experience (officer). The minimum threshold in the polls should have been at least 10 percent, not one percent. This would not have precluded Trump or Carson or anyone else from running but it would have denied them the Republican Party’s communion until after balloting had actually begun. This would have kept the forums serious and not turned them into a reality TV show.

The party should also have been policing and disqualifying anyone from appearing on the ballot or in debates who espouses racist, misogynist or pejoratively uncivil comments directed against other candidates (no matter how popular these inflammatory comments might be in the ratings) because the party has to have a standard of baseline decency and professionalism to be taken seriously by the American people. The party has to stand for our country’s best values and for professionalism in governance. Let racists, bigots and malicious slanderers run as independents without the party’s imprimatur.

The Media

Trump is serious “vid-bait” and “click-bait,” which is why he’s been irresistible to broadcast producers and many webmasters. It’s no wonder why: Trump has been a successful reality TV star and he knows how to say outlandish things to generate coverage and exposure. There’s a reason why WWE Raw gets such high ratings (and Trump has appeared on professional wrestling shows) – its chock full of trash talk, insults, put-downs and endless smack-downs. The inner id is unleased around the ring and often it’s not about the physical action.

The problem with all this is that broadcasters in particular (and I don’t care if it’s on cable, they use the public spectrum to beam satellite signals all day long) should have a sense of being custodians of the public trust and welfare. Empowering incivility and even outright racism in the pursuit of ratings is an abuse of the public airwaves while enriching themselves in the arena, potentially jeopardizing the nation by providing 24/7 platforms for whatever lunatics might help sell more commercial spots. Serious candidates with real platforms and experience are ignored and the smack-down mashup is what’s offered the American people as serious political discourse. That the country could be made to suffer for many years for this by electing unqualified candidates is somehow not taken into consideration at all.

How to Save the Party

As indicated by the election results, most Republicans thankfully aren’t buying the bullying and the insulting braying spewed by Mr. Trump. The problem is that there are still a whole scrum of

wannabee presidents vying for the GOP nomination and they’re divvying-up that 64 to 76 percent of non-Trump voters so that Trump gets to sit atop the herd along with all the attendant media hoopla that that entails.

The remaining serious Republican candidates and the party need to go back to the 80s for inspiration – the 1880s. The party poohbahs need to push any marginal candidates) to drop out of the race post haste then they need to lock Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, John Kasich and Jeb Bush in a back room somewhere far from the media’s prying eyes. These four guys need to be told to temper their hubris, their overwhelming lust for power and the messianic sense that only in them can the nation find true salvation. They need to hammer out a deal whereby one of them becomes the opposing candidate to Trump, one will become the vice presidential candidate and join forces and the other two will either just go home and wait for next time or be promised cabinet positions or prestigious ambassadorial posts if the Republicans win in November in exchange for their endorsement of a unified ticket. Jeb Bush would make a fine Secretary of State.

By putting the needs of the country and the party first above their own needs for power and glory, some of the candidates will really be saviors by dropping out and allowing someone to defeat Trump and save the soul of the Republican Party for generations to come.

The Zeitgeist

       

Cartoon characters Elmer J. Fudd and Cruella de Vil.

Do Americans Really Want Elmer J. Fudd or Cruella de Vil as President?

Are Donald and Hillary the Best 153 Million Registered Voters Can Produce?

In the award winning musical Fiddler on the Roof the main character is “Tevya The Milkman.” In today’s socio-economic terms you’d probably call him a struggling small businessman. One of his biggest wishes is to “be a wealthy man,” so much so that one of the show’s main songs is entitled “If I Were a Rich Man.” (A riff on this song was done in 2004 by Gwen Stefani called “Rich Girl.”)

One of the key aspects of Tevya’s song is that if he were in fact a rich man, he would secure prime seating at his local house of worship and in addition everyone would besiege him with questions and for his advice, “problems that would cross a rabbi’s eyes” because “when you’re rich they think you really know.”

Not much has changed in human nature since the lyrics of that song were written in 1964 because so many people in this country are in thrall in this presidential election cycle to rich people who think they really know.

Democratic presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders fulminates against the “billionaires who’ve rigged the system” and how the rich control our economy, the electoral process and the country. He’s calling for a “revolution” on behalf of the Average Joe which can sound pretty radical. Even though I disagree with most of Sanders’ policies and positions, he’s really not far off the mark about the affluent (which can also mean business or special interests) often controlling politics, especially on the national level. Interestingly, most Americans don’t see this as any kind of a problem.

Many of the very top candidates (and some not doing well in the polls) do in fact come from either the Patrician or Oligarch class. A reason for that is when you don’t have to worry about putting bread on the table or sweating out a monthly mortgage you have a lot of free time to pursue politics. Someone punching a clock every day where their presence would be missed at their desk or on the loading dock? Not so possible.

On the Republican side, the man leading all the polls is an actual billionaire who professes no end of braggadocio about it and uses it as his main qualification to lead the county despite not an hour of experience in elective office or the military. Millions of Americans flock to him because he has nothing whatsoever to lose by saying the most outlandish things that can be highly entertaining and is a vicarious release of voters’ powerlessness, anger and frustration. Because he has “F.U. Money” he’s insulated from the ramifications of his words and because even if he loses he’ll still be Donald Trump why not drop malicious gossip bombs hither and yon? What can anyone do to him?

The Wall Street Journal on January 15^th reported on the sale of a penthouse Mr. Trump owns personally in his Trump Park Avenue condo building in Manhattan for $21 million the week prior. He sold another unit recently for $14 million and he’s got another apartment on the market for $35 million. Mr. Trump’s daughter Ivanka in replying to a question whether Mr. Trump’s increased visibility because of the presidential campaign has had any effect on these sales said “the [Trump] brand has never been stronger.” Nothing to lose. Meanwhile, more worthy and more qualified candidates languish at the bottom of the polls while Mr. Trump entertains himself, the media and the country.

On the Democratic side, the woman leading all the polls has earned vast sums of money from accepting huge speaking and consulting fees from giant corporations and from enormous book advances. She and her husband have pulled in nearly $230 million since 2001. Talk about profiting from public service. (http://www.forbes.com/sites/danalexander/2015/10/13/how-the-clintons-made-more-than-230-million-after-leaving-the-white-house/#55ae31f6791e) Having been Secretary of State bolstered the Clinton, Inc. brand and now being a top candidate hasn’t slowed down the flow of cash to her and her husband. If she wins the presidency the money will literally be Mount Gushmore. Mrs. Clinton because of her wealth, fame and privilege also is quite insulated from reality which is why she doesn’t see it as any kind of problem whatsoever that she had her own private hackable email server while working at Foggy Bottom in total violation of the laws for public officials handling sensitive and national security matters.

Like Mr. Trump, Mrs. Clinton hasn’t driven herself to work or to the market in years. They both have retinues of aides and staffers to fill their every need and cater to their every whim. How can either of these two people ever hope to really understand the needs, thoughts and hopes of John and Jane Q. Public? Remember when George Bush the Elder didn’t know what a supermarket checkout scanner was? The American people rightly intuited that he hadn’t a clue about their daily lives. Why then are Americans flocking to these same out of touch flush types now?

Rumored to be mulling an independent entry into the presidential race is former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg – another billionaire – which would give American voters the choice between rich, richer and richest.

The population of the US is approximately 318 million according to the US Census Bureau. Roughly 153 million Americans are registered to vote (although 215 million are eligible). Of that figure 32 percent are registered Democrats, 23 percent as Republicans and 39 percent are Independents. Out of 153 million American voters the best people we can produce from that vast polity to lead this country are Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton? What does this say about the sad state of public life in this country? Why do we want to be led by Elmer J. Fudd or Cruella de Vil?

I may disagree with Bernie Sanders about healthcare, taxation and foreign policy but he’s right that the people need to take back the political process so that candidates of greater quality from both parties will have a serious shot at leadership.

The Zeitgeist

Donald Trump

Donald Trump: RHINO (Republican in Name Only) and Agent Provocateur 

An epithet made popular in the past few years and hurled by ultra-right wing and Tea Party Republicans at establishment GOP types has been that of being a “RHINO,” or a “Republican in Name Only.” The pejorative is meant to discredit the recipient of this accusation as essentially being a Democrat (or worse, an accommodator with Democrats) masquerading as a member of the GOP. In the eyes of the accusers, such a rhinoceros has no real Republican bona fides and should withdraw from the GOP.

Typically, mainstream Republicans have resisted calling folks “Rhinos,” as most centrist Republicans can tolerate a broad spectrum of thought and discourse within the party even if they don’t agree with everyone or everything, which is why GOP presidential candidates run the spectrum from Rand Paul (isolationist Libertarian) to Ted Cruz (inflexible neo-Goldwater type) to Chris Christie (bellicose Northeasterner).

In the wild, the rhinoceros is known for its large size, thick protective skin, small brains and at least one large horn. This is an apt description for the leading GOP presidential candidate, Donald Trump.

Rhino in the wild

Trump has a thick skin, capable of acting like rubber or Teflon, repelling any and all criticism. He is in possession of not a whole lot of book smarts as he mangles and distorts facts, events and history on a daily basis and he has a very large horn which he blows to deafening levels nonstop. Stomping around the jungle that passes for American politics in 2015, he displaces a lot of water and his plodding steps shake the foundations of the GOP.

While Trump presents himself as the GOP’s savior, he’s really the diametric opposite. To paraphrase Lloyd Bentsen, my whole adult life I’ve known a lot of Republicans and they’ve been friends of mine, and Trump is no real Republican. In fact, he’s the consummate “RHINO” even though he presents himself as right-wing. Trump is a clear-cut case where mainstream Republicans can and should call out a far-right fringe candidate as a “RHINO.”

Until very recently, Trump was a registered Democrat. He is very liberal on social issues as are most New Yorkers. He’s donated heavily to Democratic candidates. Paradoxically, he is habitually misogynistic, he’s anti-immigrant, anti-Mexican and anti-Muslim. He’s anti-free trade and in favor of raising taxes on high earners. His talk of pressuring Israel to make concessions to the Palestinians is wholly out of sync with GOP policies as are his views about Syria and Iraq. He’s never held any kind of elective office whatsoever and has zero experience working with legislators, the military or diplomats. His domestic policy proposals and spirit bear no resemblance to that of Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt or Ronald Reagan.

That there are as many Republicans out on safari looking to get into harm’s way by riding the wild Trump rhinoceros is utterly astounding to the mainstream GOP. Republicans of nearly every stripe agree that taking back The White House in 2016 is priority one and that defeating Hillary Clinton is priority one-A. Yet despite this, as much as a third of the GOP electorate in some polls have a subconscious death wish. They’ve become so enraptured by Trump and his erratic “go ahead, make my day” rhetoric that they fail to smell the dung he leaves in his wake – because the odious toxins spewing forth from that sharp horn of his make him unelectable in November of 2016 and will ensure Mrs. Clinton’s ascendancy to the Oval Office.

As the GOP nominee, Trump brings nothing positive to the table. As a Manhattanite from the bluest of blue states he will not bring New York’s many electoral votes with him. A bear minimum for a presidential nominee is to contribute a win in his home state, it won’t be the case here because Hillary is also a New Yorker and New York votes reliably Democratic.

Trump will actually drive more female voters into Hillary’s arms. He has such as trail of verbal aggression towards accomplished women that Hillary will trump Donald with the “first female President” card and his hostility towards women.

Hispanics will run towards the Democratic nominee in droves as will Muslim-Americans and even a lot of Asian-Americans who’ve had a bellyful of his talk about the Chinese. African-Americans? Forget about it. The result could be as bad for the Republicans as the Johnson-Goldwater rout of 1964. Such a disaster could also lose the House and Senate for the GOP as well. Hillary will have no problem portraying herself as the sober steward of the nuclear button against Trump’s ill-informed, erratic, xenophobic fulminations.

If Trump doesn’t get the Republican nomination and decides to run as an independent candidate, he will kill the chances for the GOP nominee just as Ross Perot did to George Bush the Elder, thereby ensuring a Hillary victory. In either scenario, Republicans will get another four or more years of Democrats in The White House. Any which way you slice it, Trump is stale bread for Republicans.

That so many erstwhile GOP primary voters fail to envision Trump’s ultimate un-electability in the general election is vexing and astounding. What Republicans need is someone competent to lead the party in 2016 – people like Ohio Governor John Kasich, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie or former Florida Governor Jeb Bush who’ve balanced budgets, created jobs, shown they can work across party lines to pass meaningful legislation in a mature way. Republican voters need to grow up, wake-up and smell the coffee. Running this country and protecting the free world is not a reality television show and should not be put into the hands of amateurs, neophytes or provocateurs.