I try. I really do. I keep thinking I need to sit down and write posts, if for no other reason, than to ensure people I’m still alive, doing well, and at least paying minimal attention to the world around me. However, life rears its ugly head and then it’s another 2-3 weeks before I think about posting again.
I looked back on my post from last year about this year’s beauty contest (otherwise known as an election). On the Democratic side, I don’t seem to have been too far off base. Bernie Sanders has turned into a somewhat effective opponent for Hilary Clinton. He’s honestly done better than I thought, and while the nomination appears at this point to be Hilary’s to lose, it’s not over yet. More surprises may be in store for us, and I think it will be interesting to see the final result.
The Republicans? I was way off base. My only thought at this point is: Are you freaking kidding me? Each primary and caucus causes my mind to revert to the old DOS command line saying ‘error: abort, retry, fail?’ I sit, with my mind spinning as it tries to reconcile what I’m seeing with what my mind tells me should be reality. I keep trying to say different things, but nothing coherent or complete seems to come out of my mouth.
Donald Trump a year ago seemed to be the comic relief for this election. Now, he’s the lead candidate for the nomination. I’ve sat there on many nights, trying to listen to him speak on his ‘positions’ and what he believes needs to be done. I just can’t do it. Usually, I can MST3K candidates, or just shake my head. However, when he speaks, it’s as if someone is drilling and I need to move away to make it stop. Even reading his statements in print doesn’t help. I keep seeing where he makes statements that would cause other candidates to go down in flames, and he just keeps on going sometimes even better than before.
Now, I’m seeing comments and statements where if Trump does win the nomination, it could fracture or even destroy the Republican Party. I am not someone who delights in the misfortune of others (in German, it’s known as schadenfreude). However, when the party leaders and the pundits conduct their post mortem on this election season, there are some significant questions that need to be answered.
I don’t want to see the Republican Party disappear. Competition is necessary in this country, if we are to continue growing and improving. If one of the political parties disappears, there will be a vacuum. What would take their place? It may be a case where the replacement is worse than the original.
It’s not the first time a major political party has disappeared in this country. The record of their replacements, however, is mixed at best. The first to go were the Federalists, who all but disappeared in the 1810s. It took until the 1830s for the Whig party to emerge in its place. You can look up the Whigs to see their history. They only lasted until the 1850s, when the Republican Party moved into prominence.
So, we’ve had two major parties who’ve managed (for the most part) to change with the times from the 1850s until now. Has the Republican Party lost that ability? Will we see a new party rise out of their demise? Or, will the GOP once again make the necessary changes to remain relevant to the American electorate? I guess, as the saying goes, only time will tell.
