A Cure for the Political Junkie: The 2016 Presidential Campaign
We're less than 24 hours away from the end of one of the most embarrassing presidential campaigns since William Henry Harrison tried to portray himself as a simple, common man who grew up in a log cabin.
Historical fact: Harrison was born at Berkeley Plantation, into a very wealthy family. (Source: Carnes, Mark C.; Mieczkowski, Yanek (2001). The Routledge Historical Atlas of Presidential Campaigns. Routledge Atlases of American History. New York: Routledge.)
Politics, campaigns and public policy are like a high balling freight train of drugs to me, but I must say that the last two years of endless campaign has cured this junkie. No withdraws symptoms, except a great sadness watching American civics bleed out and die on the mortician’s table.
The cure started with the pathetic claim from Democrats that this was Secretary Clinton’s ‘turn to run for office’ after she threw her hat in the ring for the White House.
What a reason to vote for her! The presidency is now devolved into a plastic horse outside of Safeway.
“Wait your turn! Albert went first, and Barry's on the horsey now! You can go next.”
The Clinton's are a living, breathing political disaster that, for some reason, have infatuated the Democratic Party to infinity. Maybe it's because the Democrats have no mythical Reagan to worship and dip in gold as the sacred cow. They've settled on the Clinton's.
And maybe that's what bothers people about Hillary. The Right doesn’t see her as someone who should walk in the footsteps of Reagan, or to finally be the president that finds Lincoln’s gold.
What scares the Democrats is this scenario: Tomorrow night, Trump wins, and there’s nobody on the bench for the Democrats to run against him in 2020. It’s a party of zero depth, and has been since 2000. Obama’s defeat of the Clinton Machine back in 2008 was a clear glitch in the Arkansas Matrix. But John Kerry as the 2004 nominee? That’s the best you could do against President Bush? Ask yourself who would have run on the Left if Hillary didn't.
Simple answer: Nobody.
But, Gentle Republican, you do not get a pass this election. No, you’ve allowed a Charade of Ignorance to destroy the Party of Lincoln. Rather than stop it, you poured vodka in the punch bowl, wondered why everyone at the party was staggering drunk and then claimed not to support it. What leadership.
Born eight years ago, the Charade of Ignorance began when an onslaught of ill-researched nonsense about Obama started to hit social media. It's now stretched it into this election, and continues to be the comic relief that floats through a dramatic play, stopping now and then to scratch his backside and shrug his shoulders.
The Charade intensified with the typical platitudes as to why Hillary Clinton would be the worst thing ever for our nation since King George. We rebelled against England because of a lack of representation in Parliament, leading to high taxes, prohibited settlement in the Midwest, lack of trial by jury and a myriad of foreign and domestic trade inequalities. Look, the reasons are listed here, and none are occurring in America today.
If you ask the Charade, he'll describe a fantastic hallucination that we live under a tyrannical king without representation in the government, who quarters the Redcoats in the guest room and walks off his golden throne to steal your AR-15.
History dies when the student who got a C- in American history all of a sudden posts a meme on Facebook and claims its truth.
Then we read of the transparent threat of revolution if Hillary wins the election tomorrow. Be honest, we’re not trading a Sunday during football season for an armed revolution.
No sir.
We’re headed down to the grocery store and buy a case of foreign owned Budweiser, chicken wings, hint of lime chips and some salsa because the Packers are playing Tennessee this Sunday. Our tri-cornered hat is no more than yellow, foam-rubber block of cheddar cheese.
So, stop talking about grabbing the musket and marching on Washington. Americans have been so throughly deloused in terms of fighting government that nobody will forego a high quality of life to satisfy anger. Sure, it makes us sound like disciples of Jefferson to say we’re going to take up arms and fight Uncle Sam, but it just feeds the Ignorance.
The Charade of Ignorance nominated the worst candidate for the most powerful office in the world. The Charade’s nominee never ruled out a database for Muslims living in America, and wants surveillance on ‘certain mosques’. (Here's the source on that fact.)
At nearly every party the Charade throws, we watched the crowds celebrate Trump’s hate of the media. This is odd considering the Founding Fathers gave us a free press. Yet the Charade’s candidate bans publications he doesn't like, most likely based on a total Fear of a reporter calling him out on his total nonsensical ideas and view of the world. (Fun fact: That happened. Check it out here.)
When we give the government permission to spy because ‘I’m not doing anything wrong’, or we revel in Trump’s blatant disregard for First Amendment rights, then we’ve traded away our greatest weapons in protecting ourselves from a tyrannical government. Don’t expect Uncle Sam, or Trump in this instance, to gift wrap these freedom and give them back at Christmas. This is a complete antithesis of American values, yet we’re proud to stand and ring in the death of liberty with roses and trumpets, wearing a ridiculous red hat.
No, sir. The Founding Fathers that the Charade quotes would tar and feather this absurdity.
The Charade traded Ted Cruz, who probably could have beaten Hillary, for a bombastic, orange-tinted candidate who spoon-feeds lies and empty policy answers, all while keeping his speeches at a third grade level.
Trump found the Charade’s Fear and Hate and latched upon it like a tapeworm. Those cheers, xenophobic applauses and acceptance of misogyny fed him until he was beyond control. The tapeworm told you what to do.
These things will pass, even though we'll see the scars for another generation.
Tomorrow we celebrate the peaceful election of power and the end of a long battle for a round office and desk made of an old ship. Be sure you’ve reviewed your election laws. Know them. Love them. Don’t take guff from anyone who tries to tell you leave the line. Bring an umbrella, water, a book, the newspaper, your headphones.
Vote.