Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly and applying the wrong remedies.
Ambrose Pierce, American Journalist, 1842 – 1914
Hmmm, is P.T. Barnum about to lose his title as the greatest showman in U.S. history?
The quotation at the head of this post does a rather good job of summarizing the current state of politics. The fact that it dates back to an earlier era tells me that not much has changed in the last century. It is why I frequently tell myself not to try and make sense of what goes on in political circles.
But then along comes the U.S. presidential race. It is a wild, off the charts cataclysm that is so dysfunctional it is impossible to look away. It gets more voyeuristically fascinating with every passing day.
A quick review of some of the lowlights:
Biden and Trump go toe-to-toe in the debate. Biden has frequent mental lapses and loses badly. Democrats call for him to step aside. He vows to stay in the fight but gets diagnosed with COVID. I cannot help but wonder if that was an invented diagnoses to keep him out of the public eye while Democrats pushed him to throw in the towel.
An attempt is made to assassinate Donald Trump. Ear patches become a fashion accessory at the Republican Convention. Trump wins the nomination and selects Senator J.D. Vance, who was once a fierce Trump critic, as his running mate. Vance, whose main qualification is that he is a millennial and helps average out Trumps age, naturally accepts.
Biden flips the script and announces he is stepping aside. He endorses Vice President Kamala Harris to take his place in the race. Harris raises a bucketload of money overnight and positions herself to win the nomination.
Trump’s sons claim that Biden or the Democratic Party had something to do with orchestrating the Trump assassination attempt. Republican Senator Andy Ogles files articles of impeachment against Harris over her handling of the southern border issue and for allegedly covering up Biden’s cognitive decline.
On the final night of the Republican Convention, after gaining the nomination, Trump gives a rambling 90 minute speech, complete with a weird stage whisper, that makes Republican convention representatives wonder if they made a mistake voting for him.
Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle comes under fire for the failure to protect Trump and is pressed to step aside. She refuses. She is summoned to appear before Congress where she is eviscerated, accused of ducking questions and of being dishonest. She subsequently resigns.
P.T. Barnum, creator of the Barnum & Bailey Circus, is referred to as the greatest showman in U.S. history. But he may have to surrender that title collectively to the players in the U.S. presidential race who are staging a three-ring circus the likes of which we have never seen.
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Tags: Donald Trump · Joe Biden · Kimberly Cheatle · metaphor · Michae Robert Dyet · P.T. Barnum · U.S. Presidential raceNo Comments