National Republicans
Karl Rove’s McKinley mania
Just as President Obama sends Mt. McKinley to the dustbin of history, Karl Rove writes a book extolling the virtues of President McKinley. Rove, who gave us George Bush, now gives us McKinley as the model for the modern Republican President. Rove’s book, The Triumph of William McKinley: Why the Election of 1896 Still Matters,…
Read MoreStanding in the Shadows Laughing
The Republicans are so mad they’re ready to lynch every politician in Washington so, if you’re the Prince of Mischief, you need a magic trick. Quick. Next, out of nowhere, a man walks onto a stage who talks in plain simple English, saying, China is screwing us, who doesn’t sound a bit like a politician…
Read MoreThe 24-Hour News Cycle
With the dawn of 24-hour news cycle and the instant ‘Tweet’ reporters need a new story every five minutes and, it turns out, even a Republican Primary with nineteen candidates and Donald Trump, all talking at once, can’t fill the bill. The reporters need more so they’re straining to turn Hillary versus Bernie Sanders into…
Read MoreThe great Mt. McKinley freakout
At this point you suspect President Obama is just messing with Republicans’ minds: “How can I drive the crazies crazier?” You can see him relaxing on the Truman Balcony one evening, nursing an extra-dry Grey Goose martini and looking forward to his Alaska trip. Suddenly it hits him: “I’ve got it! I’ll change the name…
Read MoreTrump masters the media universe
Ever since FDR gave his fireside chats on radio, successful Presidents have mastered the dominant new media of their time. Donald Trump masters today’s media by providing what the media wants above all: constant controversy. JFK won on TV in 1960 and kept winning with live televised news conferences. Roger Ailes orchestrated Nixon’s win in…
Read MoreThe Uber-Alpha-Male
Long ago, in the land we live in today, when enemies threatened, men named Douglas MacArthur, George Patton and John Wayne killed them – whether the enemy was named Hirohito, Hitler or Liberty Valance. Times changed. Small towns with old-fashioned values vanished, devoured by booming secular cities. Newspapers were replaced by Facebook, Twitter, and Internet…
Read MoreDebate winners, losers and jokers
A liberal Democrat found little to like in last night’s debate, with one exception. So that’s no way to rate it. Instead, let’s handicap the horseflesh. There were two winners, two big flops and six jokes on stage. The winners were the only two who came across as thinking human beings rather than pre-programmed political…
Read MoreDebate prep
Get your pizza, popcorn and drinking games ready. This debate is going to be rich, really rich. Just like Trump. Which is why we’ll watch. Nobody would tune in to see Jeb Bush, Scott Walker or Marco Rubio. No, it’s all Trump, all two hours: How far will he go? Who will he attack? Will…
Read MoreTrump’s show
Some pundits predicted Donald Trump’s hot-air balloon would crash after he criticized John McCain for crashing and being captured in Vietnam. But no. He rose even higher in some polls. As Slim Pickens asked in Blazing Saddles, “What in the wide, wide world of sports is going on here?” Some pollsters will tell you it’s…
Read MoreThe Flying Insult
John McCain said Donald Trump’s supporters were ‘crazies;’ Lindsey Graham said Trump was a ‘jackass;’ Trump called Graham an ‘idiot’ and McCain a ‘dummy’ and said McCain ‘wasn’t a war hero.’ Then, a couple of days later, when the Last Socialist (Bernie Sanders) and Democratic Governor Martin O’Malley got up to speak at the National…
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