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.
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