America’s Mud Wrestling Championships Versus the Real Issues We Face
[font color=330099]Note to forum hosts: Since this thread mentions both Republican and Democratic primary candidates I believe that it does fall under the umbrella of the General Discussion forum rather than the General Discussion: Primaries forum.[/font]
By Carol Morgan
We’re not even close to elections and the GOP campaigns are becoming weirder every day; each of the Republican candidates behaving like a five year old vying for attention. Nothing is sacred, out of bounds, or taboo.
I fully expect one of them to moon a television camera soon.
Trump continues to be Trump-like; claiming to support Syrians and then, taking it back, peppering his rhetoric with “big, really big” and “awesome”, and the latest in His-Crassness’ antics: “Look at that face!” remark, referring to Carly Fiorina.
Bobby Jindal took up the baton today (only to remind us that he’s still running), using the Trump-technique of Twitter insults. Even Sarah Palin became involved saying everyone should speak “American”. And then like a hive of killer bees, they all descended upon Washington (in celebration of Congress’ first day back) to attack the Iran Deal (as if their opinion matters).
Mike Huckabee uses Kim Davis, the 2015 version of Joe the Plumber, to score points with hard-Right evangelicals by his dramatic declaration of “If you have to put someone in jail, let me go,” knowing damn well that Sydney Carton’s sacrifice for Lucie Manette was merely a Dickensian plot in A Tale of Two Cities.
Ted Cruz was hoping he could use Davis as his personal official photo-op for God, but he was physically prevented from doing so by one of Huckabee’s staffers. His photobomb-technique of riding the coattails of other candidates was stymied. Oh what might have been!
Cruz isn't worried. His biggest campaign draw will take place when he negotiates Government Shutdown 2.0 later this month. That will give him plenty of airtime from lazy corporate media journalists who report only the 5-W’s, while ignoring the underlying issues behind them.
It’s not enough that their millionaire donors cough up big bucks for airtime; there’s needs to be a big dramatic moment akin to a Cecil B. DeMille epic with a twist of Mel Brooks to accompany it. It makes me wonder if the GOP carefully choreographed this rivalry for Americans’ leisure time enjoyment. They know that Americans won’t pay attention if the campaign is a thoughtful exercise in governance.
It kind of explains why people are continuously frustrated with those they elect. These people are no longer entertaining when they are forced to get down to the act of policy making and governing.
Bernie Sanders is the only candidate on the Left or Right who continues to be doggedly focused on the issues of this election and not on the cult of personality and reality show drama. He’s shamelessly chastised the press for their lack of focus on the issues. When NBC's Andrea Mitchell tried to get Sanders to attack Hillary Clinton, he didn’t take the bait. This is not a food fight in the middle school cafeteria. Too bad others don’t understand that.
None of us needs to listen to what the GOP campaigns are saying. Most of the candidates are present or former office holders, have a business record or at the very least, a brag-bio of their past life. All Americans need to do is examine how each of these individuals governed or ran a business. Their record and reputation precedes any of their claims and is far more telling than mud wrestling or eating worms.
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Carol Morgan is a career/college counselor, a freelance writer, and former Democratic candidate for the Texas House. She is the award-winning author of two books: Of Tapestry, Time and Tears and Liberal in Lubbock. Email Carol at elizabethcmorgan@sbcglobal.net , follow her on Twitter and on Facebook or visit her writer’s blog at www.carolmorgan.org
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