Doing something a little unusual this week. I’m going to consider watching the first G.O.P. debate, hosted by Fox News in Ohio. Granted, this will be a partial forum, leaving out seven of the magnificent seventeen. Amazing that the also-rans in this particular event almost outnumber the entire Republican field in 2012.
This crowded clown car is such a stunning illustration of the extent to which the national Republican Party has lost control of their own electoral process. Either that or they have completely lost their minds. There was a day when the party could take someone aside and say, “No, no. Not this time. Next time, maybe,” and the ambitious pol would refrain from competing. Now the process is being driven from the outside; it’s being pushed by talk radio, conservative bloggers, and Fox News, as well as foundation-funded think tanks and 401(c)3’s and 4’s. If I were a Republican, I would be disgusted by this lack of discipline. There is no way to foster a meaningful televised debate between 10 egotistical people, let alone 17.
Okay, so it’s debate day. The kiddie table has already done their thing. I didn’t watch it (because I wanted to keep my dinner down, thank you very much) but I viewed the aftermath on MSNBC’s wall-to-wall coverage featuring Chris Mathews, Joe Scarborough, Michael Steele, and a bunch of reasonably well dressed people imitating journalists. Got to hear from the shining star of the kiddie table, Carly Fiorina, failed CEO of HP, unsuccessful candidate for Senate in California, and mother of the most hilarious political television commercial of all time – the “Demon Sheep” ad. She hasn’t lost her touch, freaking out about Hillary Clinton’s “lies” about Benghazi (that’s a city in Libya), about email, and about her private server (um … see lie #2). In the fact-free zone that is modern television, it doesn’t matter whether there’s anything to these allegations, so long as you keep repeating them, over and over again. It’s all about the show, folks.
Hey, they never disappoint, the GOP debates. Hard to say who the biggest dick is in that field.
Tell Chuck. Our own Senator Charles Schumer has caved to the scaremongers and decided to oppose the nuclear deal with Iran. Please join me in expressing your extreme displeasure by calling him at 202-224-6542.
luv u,
jp
