The Trumpster killed it in Nevada yesterday. He collected about as many votes as the combined total of his only real rivals, Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz.
He’s tan and in command.
Of course this goes squarely against an earlier prediction I made here and at 3 Quarks Daily, saying Trump would be done by the Ides of March. Obviously, and much to your chagrin, I was wrong. It’s full steam ahead for The Donald.
But before you go reaching for the Kleenex [Note: This blog is not sponsored by Kleenex. Or Xerox. Or Clorox.], pull yourself together and take heart. Because in the big picture view, this is all starting to look pretty good.
In fact, I’m firmly standing by my primary prognostication: No way in Hell does Donald Trump actually win the presidency, and if he does, I’ll buy you a one-way ticket to Mexico (better food and weather than Canada).
But between now and his eventual downfall, it’s gonna be a little rocky. So here’s what you need to do: Strap in for the most terrifying roller coaster ride of your life, and have faith that it doesn’t end when you look up and realize Donnie Hairpie’s at the controls, aiming your careening car straight for the White House.
It’s an act of faith, I know. But if you don’t want a Republican president working with a GOP Congress in this current political climate, then what you should really, really want is for . . .
Donald Trump to win the Republican presidential nomination.
What? What? Is Reinhardt losing his control? Oh my god! Professor Reinhardt just shit himself!
Calm down. I’m fine.
Here’s the thing. Marco Rubio, should he manage to gain the GOP nomination, can actually win the election.
For starters, Hillary Clinton is vulnerable. If having to beat back an unexpected challenge from a 72 year old Jewish socialist with a thick New York accent didn’t prove that to you, then remember that almost half the nation hates her and probably won’t vote for her. In a recent Gallup poll where respondents weren’t prodded into saying something specific, but instead were asked to give an unaided reaction to “Hillary Clinton,” by far the top reaction fell into the category of Dishonest/Liar/Don’t Trust Her/Poor Character (21%).
Second place was Dislike Her (9%).
Like Her came in 3rd (8%).
Qualified and Should Be In Jail tied for 4th.
Meanwhile, Marco Rubio is young, articulate, charismatic, good looking, a bilingual Latino, and from Florida. Also, unlike a lot of other Republicans from this field, he’s not a cray-cray robot threatening to crush, kill, and destroy humanity, which means he doesn’t instantly scare off reasonably sane swing-voters.
In other words, Marco Rubio can actually beat Hillary Clinton in November. I’m not saying he will, should it come to that. But he certainly could.
Ted Cruz? Eh. Probably not, but ya never know. If something went really wrong for Clinton, he might be able to pull off a Harry Truman 1948-style upset.
Donald Trump? Not in this fuckin’ lifetime.
Should Trump win the Republican nomination, then his base, that portion of conservative/reactionary, agitated, white, working class voters enamored with his hoary charisma and reality show appeal, will be very excited.
Kinda like those people who believe the world is gonna end because some preacher with really penetrating eyes told them so, and then on the appointed night they all stand on a hill waiting for the Space Ark.
The rest of the Republican Party? Not so much. Republican voter turnout, beyond the 40% who are really into Trump, will be dampened by wide ranging apathy and disgust.
Meanwhile, the Democrats will be on fire.
Anyone who is a Democrat, used to be a Democrat, is capable of having a reasonable conversation with a Democrat, or can simply manage to hold their nose, ignore the Clintonian rot, and for once and only once in their life pull the lever for a Democrat, will set their alarm clock, put on a heavy coat and an earflap hat, blow clouds of breath into the crisp November air as they run down to the polling place, and anxiously stand in line for hours, all for the the chance to vote for anyone who isn’t that weird party clown with the creepy hair.
Simply put, if Donald Trump wins the Republican nomination, Hillary Clinton is your next president. Or Bernie Sanders. Or a bear wearing a fez and riding a unicycle if that’s who the Dems put up. Basically, anyone or thing wearing a donkey pin.
So if you’re the kind of person who doesn’t want to see the current crop of Republicans dominate the federal government, then you actually want Donald Trump to win the the nomination.
In order for that to happen, you need to hope and pray that Cruz and Rubio do the selfish thing, allowing their personal pride and vainglory to supersede their party loyalty. Because it’s looking like if they both stay in the race and continue to split the roughly 60% of Republicans who don’t want Trump, then neither one of them can gain the nomination, short of a brokered convention. But that in turn would likely lead to a popular revolt within the party and crush any chances they have in November.
So if you’re a Democrat, a Green, or just a head-screwed-on Independent who doesn’t want a Republican president making mud pies with a Republican Congress come next January, then get on board the Trump Train: Next stop, Crazy Town!
Stop fearing and start supporting. Tell your angry uncle, sweet guy but boy does he make Thanksgiving difficult, that You know what Uncle Ted, you’re right, I finally get it, Tump’s the way to go!
Hell, join the cause. Go to a Trump rally, wear a cardboard birthday hat, wave a noisemaker, and scream giddily whenever he scrunches up his face and yells “You’re fired!”
And if you wanna be really subversive, then register as a Republican (or just show up if you’re in an open primary state) and vote for the guy.
Seriously. Help light the fuse that sends his rocket to the stars, where it will inevitably fizzle like a cheap firework you picked up at roadside stand on July 5th.
The wrapper said “Stars and Stripes!”
