As Charlie Brown despairs from time to time, “Good Grief” or if times get truly stressful, “OH, Good Grief.” From the perspective of the upcoming presidential race, this will be neither of those times. That doesn’t mean there won’t be ear-bending yammering from the right.
For the past year or so, we’ve heard noises from both parties about their potential 2016 presidential candidates. I’m not sure ‘potential’ applies to the Democrats. To hear the party hierarchy talk, Hillary Clinton appears to have the nomination wrapped up and is showing up in all the right places and giving all the right interviews. So, take that, Elizabeth Warren, an intellectual populist who has an underground following far underestimated by the pundits. If Hillary takes the slightest strategic stumble, the Democratic nomination could be up for grabs. But as of the summer of ’14, such is not the case.
For the Republicans, on the other hand, it’s quite a different story. Last I heard, neither Carrot Top (Thompson, by the way) nor any of the Kardashians have declared for the top of the Republican ticket, but plenty of other White House wannabe’s are tip-toeing around their imaginary Rose Gardens, planting a presidential seed and checking to see what blooms. And most appear to be the same, old, tired rejected names that smudged up the process last time around.
Rick Perry is downright coquettish when pressed on the subject of another presidential run. Moi? Surely you jest. Why, I’m not getting any younger and my eyesight is failing (he’s getting reading glasses). Hate to tell you this, soon to be former governor, but nobody cares. Perry is leaving the governor’s office to the most likely occupancy, after the November 4 general election, by Texas Attorney General, Greg Abbot. Former Democratic Golden Girl, the filibustering state Senator, Wendy Davis, has not been able to capitalize on the nation-grabbing 13-hour floor speech against reproduction restrictions. Her campaign is currently losing air faster than a giant balloon at the end of a Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Another Rick is sniffing around the periphery of a presidential run, everybody’s favorite wackadoo, Rick Santorum. After dropping out of the 2012 race for his daughter’s health reasons and hopelessly trailing Mitt Romney, the former Pennsylvania senator is not completely ruling out another run. Maybe the population can still benefit from his last 2012 promise to cut spending, regulations and entitlements in his first 100 days in office.
Santorum is currently a mini-movie mogul. He’s gone Hollywood as the CEO of a “faith-based” project called Echolight Studios. He and a clutch of fellow “faith-basers” thought they could make some major bucks (‘er bring the Lord’s word to the people) off of the niche movie market of right-wing Christians. Echolight’s first effort is a western about a widow nursing a felled bank robber back to health. Same house, no husband? Santorum decided to hop on board at about the same time he called a New York Times reporter’s questions bulls**t during a 2012 campaign Q & A; A foul-mouthed producer? A faith-based movie rated ‘S’ (remember, no husband) for s-e-x? I need not waste space on his extremist and decidedly narrow-minded views. Even the Republicans figured that out last time around.
New Jersey Governor, Chris Christie wants the office so bad, he’s sniffs it up through a straw every morning when he wakes up. If you want a petty, vengeful, easily bought, opportunistic puppet of the rich, Christie’s your man. The Britain Guardian newspaper reported how easy the Christie ethics nut is to crack.
Here’s what the Guardian had to say about Christie in their June 28 edition; shady shades of Tammany Hall and the elder Daley’s infamous political control of all that mattered in Chicago. For more sleaze, select the in-story link to “closure of lanes to the George Washington Bridge” for last September’s review of what happens when a small town Democratic mayor refuses to endorse an ambitious Republican for governor. Christie, showing his loyalty, threw everybody within 10 feet of the issue under the bus. This, despite emails from an in-office staffer to a Port Authority big-wig three weeks before the fact, that Christie had to know about.
Just for grins, let’s say Christie knew nothing about the ensuing chaos. It was a four-day event! He had to know of it hours after the fact. You then let the ensuing days go by and do nothing about it? Doesn’t wash. All this distasteful dissembling notwithstanding, as you read in the article, Christie has positioned himself as president of the Republican Governors Association. As such, thanks to his wealthy puppet-masters, he has papered the RGA with over a billion dollars to dole out nationwide. All greenback good will that can come in handy in acquiring the keys to the oval office. So that’s Christie. Appealing to some, appalling to most.
Then there’s Rand Paul. You want somebody indifferent to those in need? Meet Ron Paul’s son. For both of these fantasy-world dwellers, life is simply a matter of doing everything on your own. Provide your own water, job, education, healthcare, law enforcement and fire protection, clean air, shelter, food…all without any input from the feds. Yes, “LIVE FREE OR DIE.” Cancer, smancer. You think I’m going to accept any nonsense like the Affordable Care Act or Medicare to get me though that most dreaded of dreadful diseases? In truth, yes. While you’ll give wild, flag-waving lip service to complete independence, the fact is that when struck down with a circumstance that can’t be handled by merely tuning to Fox News, so-called right-wingers are the first to dive for the government dole. Red states have lots more money returned to them for their dollar than blue states. They listen and cheer for guys like the Paul’s, but when it’s their tail in a sling, hypocrisy always wins out. Paul is pure hypocrisy, but he won’t win out.
Finally, there’s slick-haired and slick Mitt Romney. Last seen papering the world’s tax havens with money he patriotically hides from the U.S. treasury. Of the 2010 and 2011 tax returns that were released, he paid around 13% of the money he actually fessed up to. In 2011, he earned NOTHING, but still managed to add $14 million to his bottom line. Let me repeat, he didn’t work for a dime in wages. It was all capital gains and interest. The 47% he ripped in his secretly recorded speech returned the favor at the polls. Yesterday’s news.
We’ll close the program with the non-starters, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, Mike Huckabee and maybe the likes of Bobby Jindal or the new guy on the block, Doc Carson. As for a viable woman candidate, only Condi is a distant possibility.
Charlie Brown, you need not worry. Sure, some Republican could jump out of the weeds and capture the public’s imagination. Sarah Palin did just that. She dominated the media and made herself millions and her ticket lost by millions in ’08 as did Romney and Ryan in 2012. No “Good Grief” moments in ’16.
No, I look for the November 4 presidential race results to be kept in the family. Either the Clinton or Bush family. Big money loves them both. The real action is in the senate races.
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