"O, beware, my lord, of jealousy; The green ey'd monster which doth mock the meat it feeds on." William Shakespeare "Othello"
July 22, 2015
By: Linda Case Gibbons
Sometimes you can't win for winning.
Top the polls with 24 percent and the popular kids still won't let you in.
You've seen it before. But that was way back in high school.
Donald Trump is taking a beating, courtesy of his colleagues in the GOP.
Sen. Marco Rubio thinks he's classless. Sen. Lindsey Graham called him a jackass, and Jeb (no last name) nearly cried when he said if Trump keeps saying the terrible things he's been saying, Republicans will lose election after election.
Jeb sounds like presidential material to me. I just hope someone in his family tells him what happened in 2008 and 2012.
Luckily none of the Republicans are bothering with other "stuff" (as our president would phrase it), such as illegal immigration, Obamacare and Hillary's indictable behavior.
Trump's doing that.
That leaves them plenty of time to parse The Donald's every word. But it sure makes a heck of an argument for term limits.
And why should Republicans concentrate on issues anyway? Sure they did gain a majority in the Senate, and yes, they did say that would make a world of difference.
But it didn't.
Instead they gave up. And who wouldn't? Well, maybe Donald Trump.
So while Republicans are keeping an eye on Trump, Obama's keeping busy.
He's pushing the lopsided Iran nuke deal through the United Nations, wresting guns from the hands of Senior-Citizen-Social-Security-Recipients, working with the Department of Housing and Urban Development to transform the 'burbs into the inner city, and planning his trip home to Kenya.
Why are these guys, all presidential hopefuls, acting this way?
Well, maybe it's because Barack Obama has schooled them well over the years, the way a good community organizer should.
They've danced to the president's tune, given him everything he wanted, and in doing so, is helping Obama dismantle America and win the upcoming election for Democrats.
Republicans are running scared. They know Trump will do what they should have been doing for the past eight years, that he'll talk about issues they should have been addressing for the past eight years. In fact, he's already doing it.
And that scares them to death.
So while Republicans rush to the media to express how unhappy they are with Trump. While Obama is tricking Congress out of their treaty power, where's Donald Trump?
He's down on the American/Mexican border, in Laredo. And U.S. border guards loved having him there.
When's the last time Obama went south of the border, down Mexico way?
Alas. Despite the fact that American voters think Trump can solve everything from falling farm prices to stamping out belly fat. And even though he looks like what I'd call a winner, the Republican Establishment doesn't want him.
They're afraid he'll sully their record. Maybe they're afraid of winning! Either way, the Establishment is indignant.
"We decide who runs for president!" they say.
"We specialize in hand picking the Romneys and the McCains and the Jebs, who also specialize -- in losing. And if you dare to place higher than our guys in the polls, we'll take you down! Dag nab it!"
What strange behavior for fellas' who claim they could be president.
It's as childish as The Huffington Post's announcement that it will only report on Trump as an entertainment figure, not as a serious presidential candidate.
And as childish as one more round with Karl Rove on FOX News, with his predictions and predilections. How many times has this guy gotten it wrong?
So we wonder, why are Republicans, the media and even FOX News, asking the Republican conservative front runner if he will run as a third party candidate?
Why is the media, including FOX News, introducing Trump with tag lines such as, "Love him or hate him," or "Whether you think his candidacy is a circus act or not," when they never introduce Jeb (no last name) that way?
Why?
Could it be because Trump says he can build Veterans Administration buildings at a third of the cost, leaving more federal funds for veterans' care? After all, pork is the favored food down in Washington.
Is it because Trump doesn't need anyone's money to run for office, the way Hill and Jeb do, so he won't be in anyone's pocket?
I find it useful and interesting to take a walk down memory lane. The Republicans and the media, including, of course, The New York Times, said the same sort of things about Ronald Reagan, the Times calling his candidacy "patently ridiculous."
And we know how that turned out.
Hold the line, America.