In the beginning of this conflict called a presidential
election, I wrote an article titled “The Fabulous Four”. In it, I identified
four GOP candidate whom I thought would be there at the end when the smoke
cleared. The four individuals were Trump, Kasich, Jeb, and Rubio. I didn’t mention Ted Cruz, who’s had a good
week and a rising profile. I published
my article on August 13, 2015 so my guesswork two months later can be described
as “not bad for an amateur.” Or maybe I
should say “not bad for an amateur among amateurs” because the MSM is not doing
any better with their constant touting of the flavor du jour and going with
whatever sells the most advertising.
The MSM coverage, with rare exception, has been tragically
awful. Tragically awful personalities
who have mucked things up include the three hopeless mice (#CNBC ‘s Carl
Quintanilla, Becky QuicK, and John Harwood) who demeaned the entire democratic
process by bringing it down to the level of an 8th grade food fight.
Having liberal Democrats ask some
questions is okay but this most recent anti-GOP debauchery was pathetic. The MSM conservative establishment has done
only a little better with their one-size-fits-all mentality, their
oversimplification of complex issues, their hypocritical swipes at a vague
abstraction knowns as “The Establishment.”
You could at least say that Rush Limbaugh is one of the
pioneers of that type of “journalism,” and his brand of satire has twisted
things to the degree that used to be funny. However, funny man Rush sometimes
seems so over even when he has occasional flashes of original insight. He repeats himself endlessly, poor man. Of course, the favored technique of the all
of these pamphleteers has been to use the bludgeon, to repeat slogans ad
infinitum, and to use the label to sell “My Pillow (Hannity)”, to promote a
Gold Bug mentality (Levine) and I forget what Rush Limbaugh is selling.
These men are not the worst of the once authentic
conservatives who are now marketing a brand, complete with copyright and
patents protected. God forbid should you
realize that a president must government everyone, and not be like President
Obama who thinks his presidency only extends to a narrow but expanding slice of
left-wing America hating progressives.
The worse of this ilk are the copycats who get their marching orders
from on high, with nary an original thought:
Anne Coulter (once an ardent admirer of Chris Christie who now is on
Trump’s short list for press secretary) and Laura Ingraham, whose sole aim in
life is to break out of radio and land a coveted spot on Bret Baier’s Special
Report TV where they often have real journalists on the panel—including real
liberal and moderate journalists.
But I digress. Another way of looking at my political
prognostication is three out of four ain’t bad, but that description is perhaps
to give myself too much credit. I suppose accuracy depends on whether we’re talking
about winning the GOP primary or whether we’re talking about who is doing well
as of today. Shit happens. My man Jeb
Bush is not doing so well. Trump is
marching in place but still high in the rankings. Rubio has surged primarily
owing to his youthful exuberance, his
intense preparation, and his adept speaking style. While Kasich has plummeted.
How would I revise my Fab Four today? I think Ted Cruz, and
this is difficult for me to acknowledge, must replace Kasich among the Fab Four
(I know—very opposite, no compassionate conservativism, kind of a shame). I’d keep Rubio. Trump is still there but no longer as
mesmerizing as he once was.
You’ll hate me for this but consider that I’m Sicilian
(American first) and genetically loyal to my gang even when we’re shot full of
holes. Consider also that I’m not looking for personality or charm or stage
presence – I still think colorless, plain vanilla Bush knows most about
American governance and would have the least flawed learning curve. That’s what worries me about all the rest. New
presidents always blunder so I want the guy who will blunder the least—which to
me means more lives saved, more people presented with more opportunities. I think both Rubio and Bush have reasonable,
realistic, immigration plans that are far superior to the hyper-inflated claims
Mr. Trump is making. It’s the knowledge
and competence factor that impresses me, not the flash, not the bombast, not
the celebrity.
There is only one danger to nominating Jeb Bush and it is
that he has the most enemies of all the candidates. He has so many enemies that it baffles me that
anyone should call him the “establishment” guy. The media, whether conservative
or liberal-left, never misses a chance to attack him. The Tea Party attacks him at every turn. Click-bait talk radio conservatives slash at
him every chance they get. All of this combines to make a Jeb Bush nomination a
steep hill to climb, in spite of the fact he has the best chance of all of
defeating Hillary Clinton.
People who think a Ted Cruz or a Donald Trump can defeat a
woman as studied and familiar with the working of the Washington political
machine are delusional. I’ll tell you
why in the next chapter.
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