21 Comments

This piece should be published in a major newspaper! Print it out and frame it! Brilliant.

Expand full comment

Lol. Thank you.

Expand full comment

GREAT commentary. This is exactly WHY I became independent 6 years ago. We need a 3rd party…because I’m totally exhausted by the 2 we have.

Expand full comment

Thanks, and I hear you. I don't know if a serious third party will ever emerge, but the two we have now are an absolute joke.

Expand full comment

The part that drives me crazy is all the Trump disciples who are lecturing the rest of us that we need to get on board and rally behind Trump, because the only thing that matters is beating the Democrats. It's such a disingenuous argument. If "beating the Democrats" was the highest priority, GOP primary voters would have selected a candidate that was polling with a double digit lead over Joe Biden, as opposed to Trump, who was always polling pretty much neck and neck with him.

The simple fact is beating the Democrats and winning elections is NOT the primary concern of MAGAritaville, it is showing how much they love and worship Donald Trump, no matter what.

Expand full comment

Bingo.

Expand full comment

Great insights and commentary John. MAGA is Trump's 'brand'...but to me he is the true RINO :)

Expand full comment

Thanks.

Trump's definitely a RINO under former definition of the term. But these days, the Republican Party stands for nothing beyond Trump's ego.

Expand full comment

No truer words were, ever written.

Expand full comment

What struck me most was your comment on how younger Americans today perceive the Republican Party. That’s all they know.

Expand full comment

It really is. I've told my kids (both now young adults) a number of times over the years how the perverse political landscape they've grown up in is not at all how things used to be, or should ever be.

Expand full comment

Explain something to me! Why didn’t the Republican primary voters move on from Trump when they had the chance at the convention?

Expand full comment

At the convention, or with their primary vote?

Expand full comment

With the primary vote when Trump didn’t even show up

Expand full comment

Oh, because it's a personality cult.

When you hold someone to no standards, they'll never disappoint you. Other politicians are held to standards (sometimes impossible ones) by the same people (a majority of the Republican party) who give Trump a complete pass on everything.

Expand full comment

….siiiiiiiiggggghhhhhh…

Expand full comment

Because a majority or at least a strong plurality of R. primary voters are Trump loyalists. R. primary candidates who wanted a chance at winning the R. primary, knew they had to slobber over Trump. No R. can win in November unless he has the support of at least a majority of the MAGAITES. If Trump was somehow outsted at the convention, there's be a blood bath, figuratively of course.

There may be something to what James Carville said: the R's should let Trump lose and then reinvent the party. The problem with this is that Trump is the titular head of a major sector of the R. base.

Expand full comment

I agree with your answer, but I just don’t understand blind loyalty.

Expand full comment

And of course this is why I've thought Trump was a Ddmocratic plant since 2016.

Expand full comment

OUTCH! (true but painful)

If you read Bill O'Reilly's book "Killing the Witches" you come away wondering how this country got started in the first place and if anything you see how fragile our system of government was and is since people are still fearful of those in power and just want them out of their lives. I would say that is what the MAGA movement is all about and to that end, this time, it does seem like we do have a better choice regardless of the undesirability of the candidate.

Expand full comment

Yes, I prefer the Govs of states like NC, PA, MD, MI or KY. Thee one I'm most familiar with is Wes Moore of MD. He's be a stellar POTUS.

Expand full comment