March Madness and the Final Four

The Republican Debate last night was a calmer more gentle version of the sideshow we’ve come to love. In fact, it was a more gentile debate when compared to their Democratic counterparts. I guess I’m just being silly by pointing out that we’re down to four white guys as the “Final Four”. It looks like this Final Four won’t include a “Cinderella”.

In fact, the “Cinderella” of the Republican debates, Carly Fiorina, endorsed the Cruz yesterday. With the endorsement of the Donald by Ben Carson, it looks like we have the potential platforms set. Cruz with a woman, to soften his brash, crazy ideology, and The Donald, with a black man, to soften his racist tendencies. Little Marco and John Kasich are just running on fumes at this point. The only endorsements that could potentially help them would have to come from the Donald or the Cruz. As sure as I am that the Donald is not going to be asking Louis Farrakhan to dinner, I’m sure the Donald won’t be dropping out and endorsing anyone. The die is cast, the Rubicon crossed, and the only unknown now is the final margin.

The other pretenders for the crown seemed to acknowledge the anointment of the Donald as the Republican standard bearer. There was so much civility shown in the debate tonight that you might have thought you’d tuned into the Democrats. Until, you listened to the words, of course. The Democrats are still talking substance, and the Republicans are still talking subterfuge. The Repubs are just doing it more politely now. It makes one wonder if Phineas T. Bluster had not been given his head to bully, insult and intimidate, what would the Final Four have actually come to? Coulda, woulda, shoulda, as they say. It does make one wonder if the Donald would have gotten any traction with the public if he was forced to discuss the issues. Would the Elders of the Republican party have gotten their designated hitter if the debates had been conducted honestly about issues rather than bumper sticker slogans?

I guess we’ll never know. We’ll have to wait for the Donald to debate Hillary to see how the public responds to a know nothing bully. I have the hope that, in spite of a declining educational system, the American public will be able to discern the B.S. from the truth.  I’ve been surprised before, though. In fact, I was recently quite surprised when “The Daily Show” exposed a great many of the Donald’s “companies” as props. You know, “Trump Steaks”, “Trump Water”, “Trump Wine”, etc.

This exposure comes about as a result of the Donald’s press meeting after one of his rallies. The Donald felt the need to refute a charge by “Mittens” Romney that the Donald was in truth, a failed businessman. Mittens had called out the Donald on several of The Donald’s ventures, and now it was time for the Donald to refute Romney. The Donald pointed with pride and spoke with authority about the businesses in question. As it happens, I watch a lot of TV, and the only Televised rebuttal of Trump’s claims in his news conference came on “The Daily Show”. Thank God folks still go there for honest news reporting.

I’ll quote a little bit from an NPR article that does take on the entire sideshow:

“The table was stacked with bottles of Trump Wine, and Trump declared of the winery, “I own it 100 percent, no mortgage, no debt.”

The winery’s website says something different: “Trump Winery is a registered trade name of Eric Trump Wine Manufacturing LLC, which is not owned, managed or affiliated with Donald J. Trump, The Trump Organization or any of their affiliates.”

How could the major networks not cover this shameful subterfuge? Equally as important, how did the candidates and their staff miss the opportunity to point out that the Donald is totally full of it? How did the candidates and their staff miss the opportunity to point out that the Donald is shameless in his continual lying about his success? It seems like an absolute no-brainer to me. But then, I’ve never been a part of the Republican hierarchy, so I can only speculate as to their motives.

From where I’m sitting it appears that the Donald train has already left the station and is headed full steam towards its rendezvous with destiny. “Trump Railroads”, kind of has a nice ring, don’t you think? I bet the Donald already thinks he owns one.

 

 

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