Trump: The Art of Destroying a Political Party.

Haven't posted in a while. Truth be told, I've been rather gunshy since Google banned my account (still don't fully know the reason), but we've since kissed and made up, I guess. I suppose Google's a little like the girlfriend who's mad at you, but instead of telling you why she just says, "You know what you did!"

Anyway, with the Republican Party fracturing right before our very eyes, I couldn't stay away. Trump's campaign is like a runaway train full of nitro, TNT, sulfuric acid and all other kinds of heinous shit, already off the rails and about to attempt a hairpin turn. You can look at him and see that his heart's not really in this any more. Hell, it's pretty clear to anyone who's watching that Trump never even expected to get this far.

Like other billionaires rich people who've sought the nomination in the past, running for President wasn't supposed to result in The Donald actually being on the ticket.  He was supposed to lose the nomination, but attract enough [free] media attention - and perhaps support - that he could parlay it into something else...maybe a modicum of political power, or focus on a particular issue. (Knowing Trump, he'd be honed in on making it into some kind of money-grab.) It probably shocked the shit out of him when he reached a point where he realized he might actually get the nomination.  

But as I wrote in a prior post, Trump is in no way qualified to be Commander-in-Chief, and that's not a surprise to anyone.  Leading Republicans should have disavowed him long ago, but they felt it was better to tow the party line, and now Trump has basically destroyed the Republican Party.  

The GOP was already fractious before Trump came along, with elements like the Tea Party trying to put the party's agenda in a chokehold. Now they've further splintered, and while there may be some outward portrayal of unity going forward, behind the scenes the party as it once was will no longer exist.  

Part of the reason, of course, will be the Great Trump Divide. One side will say, "You didn't tow the party line. You didn't support the party candidate so you're not anyone we can trust." The other side will say, "You backed that maniac, despite every vile and awful thing he said - not to mention him being completely unfit for office. You put politics above common sense, so your judgment is suspect."  Naturally, there are other reasons why the Republicans are destroying themselves, but having Trump as your standard bearer, as the best candidate the party could put forward, didn't help anything. It only further emphasized lines of division that were already there.

In short, lines have been crossed that can't be stepped back over. Bridges have been burned that can't be rebuilt. And when they look back and try to determine who was at fault - who had their hand on the wheel when the GOP went to pieces - they'll try to blame Democrats, the media, everyone else.  But there's no one to blame but themselves.  They picked that candidate. They supported him. They put the detonator in his hand and told him he was free to push the button...and he did.  Put in plain and simple terms, the Republican Party made this happen, brought about their own destruction. No one else is to blame. This was an inside job.  I'm just surprised it took this long for it to happen.

Trump's Nomination is All You Need to Know About the Republican Party

Let me start out by saying that I don't like political parties. Like George Washington, I loathe them. They create and perpetuate, among other things, an us-against-them mindset that makes it almost impossible for lawmakers to get anything done.  (For instance, rather than voting on the merits of a new law, members of Congress will instead simply vote along party lines, refusing to support a good idea simply because it was espoused by the other side.) Thus, I've spent my entire voting life as an independent, making it clear that my support has to be earned and doesn't come to anyone merely by virtue of political association. (I realize that this means Democrats and Republicans alike will probably marginalize me and my views, but I can live with that. At least they know that when they step to me they better be bringing something of substance to the table, because I'm not cheering or voting for any ole wide-grinnin', handshakin', baby-kissin' asshole just because we we're both wearing blue or red.)

Anyway, I'm watching the Republican National Convention, and I just keep hoping, praying and just flat-out wondering: "When the fuck is somebody gonna call 'bullshit'?"

I mean, let's be honest: Donald Trump is not a guy you want in the White House. The more he speaks, the more it becomes abundantly clear that he lacks the diplomacy, the leadership skills, and - frankly speaking - the acumen to be President.  The man has spouted not just rabid and inflammatory speech, but also some of the vilest and most loathsome rhetoric I've heard from anyone (let alone a candidate for office) in my life. His words and outlook are divisive and incendiary, rather than being inclusive and embracive.  His focus is more on the differences rather than the similarities between the people he allegedly wants to lead.

And yet, for all that, I'm happy that Trump was able to run for his party's nomination.  I'm glad that someone outside the normal political machine was able to step in shake things up. I'm proud to live in a country where the will of the people make it possible for anyone - even someone like Trump - to get in on the action, so to speak.  Now for what makes me unhappy...

There is absolutely no doubt that Trump is completely unstable unsuitable to be the next President of the United States. This is no secret; everyone knows it - especially the leaders in the Republican Party.  And yet, rather than denounce him, they are throwing their full weight behind him. Rather than stand up and say, "I'm not supporting a guy who I don't think should be in office," they are instead choosing to tow the party line.  I'm not saying that they're like Nazi Germany, blinding following Hitler's edicts and committing atrocities, but I feel like they're all thinking about what's good for them personally rather than what's in the best interest of the country.  (In other words, the party might not support them in the next election cycle if they don't do as expected.)

So, here I sit, waiting for one of these guys to have the cojones to say, "Don't elect this clown." Ted Cruz probably came closest, and even he didn't really say what needed to be said.  Still, I gained a new perspective on Cruz.  He might not have had my vote had he been on the ticket, but he's certainly earned my respect. But where are the other Republicans that - at least prior to this - I looked on favorably? Chris Christie? Paul Ryan? John McCain?  These guys should be vilifying Trump, calling him out, making it clear that his views are starkly in contrast to those of the Republican Party (or just those that they personally espouse).

But the Republican Party leadership isn't doing any of that. Instead, they're supporting Trump. Praising him. Parading him around on their shoulders, like he's the greatest thing since breathable air. That they are doing that rather than the opposite is a telltale sign to me. The fact that they would endorse the candidacy of such a man tells me all I need to know about the Republican Party, and I want no part of them, their platform or their candidate(s).

My Favorite Super Bowl Commercial of 2016

Okay, the Super Bowl has been over for a hot minute, and while this year's game didn't end in as much controversy as last year's (I still don't understand how you don't hand that ball to Beast and let him pound it in), there was the usual amount of chatter about the commercials.

As we all know, Super Bowl commercials are insanely expensive, but advertisers are getting a huge amount of bang for their buck - arguably the biggest television event of the year with a monstrous number of eyeballs glued to the set.  That being the case, there's often a tendency to play it safe when it comes to ads airing during the game. 

What does "play it safe" mean?  Well, comedy always goes over well, so commercials that go for a laugh are always good.  Moreover, ads with babies and animals have a tendency to resonate well with audiences. (One exception to this, in my opinion, was the puppy-monkey-baby commercial that aired this year which apparently tried to combine all of the successful elements I mentioned above. The outcome was a commercial that was...disturbing, to say the least, as the end result was a kind of Frankenstein that made you want to want to join a mob and run after it with torches and pitchforks. Worst of all, the puppy-monkey-baby concept so overshadowed everything else that I can't even recall the product that was actually being advertised. Unless what they were advertising was an actual puppy-monkey-baby...)

Anyway, my favorite commercial this year was the following ad from Dollar Shave Club:

Frankly speaking, I thought this was just hilarious. Plus, I love the way Dollar Shave Club plainly exaggerates the cost of new razor blades in their commercials.  (I think in another one of their ads, a man who is a husband and father contemplates selling one of his kids in order to buy a new razor.) I think they've done a good job of injecting humor into what is typically a dull, humdrum subject, and I hope they continue doing so.

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***I know that people are going to look at this post and say "WTF? The Superbowl was 6 months ago!"  But I put effort into this shit, okay?  I just forgot to hit "Publish" when I initially finished the post way back when.

The Easiest Path to Writing Success: Work Your Tail Off

The great inventor Thomas Edison once said that "Genius is one percent inspiration, ninety-nine percent perspiration."  What this means is that if you have a great idea - even a brilliant one- it doesn't mean jack and will do nothing for you if you don't put some effort into it.  And by "effort," I mean work your ass off. 

 

Too many times, people think that success should be easy - that the rivers of prosperity should simply flow in their direction without them having to lift a finger.  Sorry Charlie - that's just not how it works. If you want something (and assuming it's something worth having), you're going to have to roll up your sleeves and get your hands dirty. 

 

A prime example of someone wanting something and working like the dickens for it is Chris Pratt, star of Guardians of the Galaxy.  In order to get the role, he dropped 60 pounds and got into the best shape of his life within 6 months.  (In his own words, if you want something like that you have to be willing to "bust your ass" in order to get it.) Still, people seem to think that it should all be handed to them.

 

Take writing, for instance.  On the surface, it probably looks easy: you get an idea for a story, you name some characters, sprinkle in some action - maybe a little romance - and voila! Instant success. Bullshit.

 

First of all, writing a book - like the creative process involved in composing music, painting a picture, etc. - is incredibly hard.  That's why most people who dream of writing a book will never actually start writing one.  Most of those of start writing one won't finish.  The vast majority of those who finish won't publish. And many of those who publish are shocked - shocked, I tell you! - when their finished masterpiece doesn't become a runaway bestseller. 

 

Basically, if you have a great idea for a book, treat it like it's great: Write it to the best of your ability. Get a decent cover. Write an enticing blurb.  Don't just throw it together and stick it out there for the world to see in hopes of making a quick buck. All you will do is tarnish your brand and make people suspicious of the next thing you write.  You don't just want to get to the goal line once; you want to score over and over again, but doing that requires - you guessed it - hard work.

 

In retrospect, don't be afraid of putting your back into it.  Hard work isn't a sin - you won't burn in hell because you put your best effort into your writing. Besides your readers deserve your best work, nothing less.  And so do you.