Fear of clowns is known as coulrophobia. The prefix ‘coulro’ comes from the ancient Greek word for ‘one who goes on stilts.’ The full array of individuals seeking the Republican nomination was unrelievedly repugnant: clowns all, but each with his or her uniquely unpleasant and insulting variation. I do not fear these clowns so much as the culture they represent, their deeply flawed view of America and our precious democratic experiment.
It is commonly assumed that its successful nominee hijacked the Republican Party. Actually it’s the other way back: the Party hijacked the nominee. The important lesson we need to internalize is not simply that the Republican candidate for President of the United States is a loathsome clown. The important lesson is that he is a creation of the Republican “base.”
Donald Trump has always been a parody. Generally, when someone repeatedly and loudly insists on everyone believing how smart he is and how rich he is, he is likely to be neither. Trump is fundamentally impoverished. What matters more is that he is the avatar, the distillation, the condensate, the voice, the representative, the essence, the apotheosis of the pitiful remains of what was once the GOP — the Grand Old Party — the Party of Abraham Lincoln. This was readily apparent without the unendurable agony of the primary season. His constituents, with fulsome media connivance, led him speech by speech, rally by rally, primary by primary to full out public self-parody.
The spectacle of Republican Party officials and Paul Ryan and John McCain and all the other local, state and national candidates then trying to ride this beast of their creation while denying his existence would beggar belief had the complicitous media not profited from normalizing the circus. That spectacle is the manifest reduction to absurdity of an American political party which no longer believes in democracy (“I’ll accept the results if I win”).That is contemptuous of the citizenry (tax the poor and middle classes for the benefit of the rich and of transnational corporations). That routinely threatens violence against them who are not us. That embraces a terrifying revolt against reality.
Sure, the nominee’s insatiable quest for adoration and sycophants made him an easy mark for the tea partiers, the alt-rightist, the racist, the bullies, the xenophobes, the misogynists, the unrepentant Confederates, McCarthyites, Birchers, Kochheads, KKKlaners, the gullible, the wise (sic) users, the nuke-em-‘til-they-glowers, the climate change deniers ... and the deeply cynical. The more absurd his statements, the louder they cheered. The more they cheered, the more absurd he became until he emerged under their direction and with their support probably the most deformed and reprehensible clown ever to strut on the American political stage. And that was before the draconian policies he promoted — yes, he actually had some and guess who pays?
Early in the appallingly long campaign for the U.S. presidency, Carly Fiorina’s ex-husband said of her and of the Republican side of the race: “In the clown car that is the Republican Party, she’s the ultimate clown.” Almost. In many ways their ultimate nominee was the appropriate distillation of their meanness and vitriol, a man who reliably offered up “BS on stilts.”
America needs at least two political parties engaged in substantive, informed, ongoing democratic dialog about how to cope with and create our futures. Clearly, it is not enough to have one party and the parody of an evil-clown filled circus. The fact that its our current reality should turn us all into coulrophobics.
#1: Rufus T Firefly To: Willie Green (#0)
Ah sorry Willie, no. There will always be at least one republican.
As long as there are brain dead statists like you, you'll need at least one republican to blame your failures on.
Rufus T Firefly posted on 2016-11-08 08:23:53 Reply Private Reply
#2: Roscoe To: Willie Green (#0)
Roscoe posted on 2016-11-08 09:12:30 Reply Private Reply
#3: misterwhite To: Roscoe (#2)
I no longer want to be associated with people who don't know how to win and who don't want to win. Who believe the key to victory is to out-liberal the liberals. Who would rather be on defense than offense. Who abandon fellow Republicans at the drop of a hat.
When they accidentally do win and take control, they either don't know what to do or are afraid to do it. Their Presidential primary rules are designed to give us the most spineless and wishy-washy candidate in the field -- who ends up either losing or winning on a modified liberal platform.
I am embarrassed by and ashamed of this politically correct GOP which chooses to cozy up to the MSM, Wall Street, Hollywood and the Washington elite rather than doing the right thing for the working class schlubs who put them in office. They're so arrogant they no longer even pretend to care.
This Presidential campaign has really opened my eyes. People, institutions and media outlets I thought were conservative have all shown their true colors. For that, at least, I'm grateful. But I will no longer accept anything at face value.
misterwhite posted on 2016-11-08 10:18:19 Reply Private Reply
#4: sneakypete To: Willie Green (#0)
Yeah,there was a brief,shining moment when Newt and other conservatives took over control of Congress for the first time in 40 years,but instead of trying to help them,the Bush Crime Family joined in with their soul mates in the DNC and set about overturning the gains and making sure all the conservatives that came into power were removed from powerful committees and had well-financed opponents the next primary they faced.
The entire damn Bush family should be arrested for treason,but it will never happen because laws are for "little people",not the ruling class.
sneakypete posted on 2016-11-08 11:11:49 Reply Private Reply
#5: sneakypete To: misterwhite (#3)
WELL SAID!
I am jealous because I didn't write that myself.
sneakypete posted on 2016-11-08 11:13:21 Reply Private Reply
#6: Roscoe To: misterwhite (#3)
Ditto. In California it's called Decline to State.
Roscoe posted on 2016-11-08 11:43:06 Reply Private Reply
#7: Roscoe To: sneakypete (#5)
When I was a member of the Republican Party, I always urged scorched earth when the opportunity presented itself. They always wussed out.
Roscoe posted on 2016-11-08 11:46:06 Reply Private Reply
#8: Hank Rearden To: Willie Green (#0)
Should we be impressed?
Hank Rearden posted on 2016-11-08 11:51:00 Reply Private Reply
#9: Fred Mertz To: misterwhite (#3)
I intended to do the same thing about a dozen years ago, but when I picked up the form I learned the three choices were D or R or Other (with a line to fill in the blank).
I decided not to become Other.
elect.ky.gov/SiteCollecti...20Registration%20Card.pdf
Fred Mertz posted on 2016-11-08 11:58:30 Reply Private Reply
#10: Willie Green To: Fred Mertz (#9)
I gave up on the GOP 25 years ago when I voted for Perot... but I remained registered GOP just so I could vote against somebody in the primaries
Willie Green posted on 2016-11-08 12:06:42 Reply Private Reply
#11: VxH To: Willie Green (#10)
What's your specified purpose?
VxH posted on 2016-11-08 12:51:06 Reply Private Reply
#12: ConservingFreedom To: sneakypete (#4)
Amen! We'll just have to watch for our opportunity to string them up.
ConservingFreedom posted on 2016-11-08 17:30:45 Reply Private Reply
#13: no gnu taxes To: sneakypete (#4)
Probably realizes he needs all the posters he can get.
no gnu taxes posted on 2016-11-09 10:47:04 Reply Private Reply
#14: sneakypete To: no gnu taxes (#13)
Looks that way. I have no idea why,and didn't even know until Fred Mertz emailed me about it.
sneakypete posted on 2016-11-09 21:03:11 Reply Private Reply
#15: sneakypete To: Willie Green (#0)
Paula,Paula,Paula. Take a deep breath,little lady. You seem to be getting the vapors.
What is bringing on this hysterial,my little bird? Is this your "time of the month"?
Why don't you just find a quiet,dark corner to get cozy with,so rational people can get about running the business of the country so delicate little flowers like you can sleep soundly at night,knowing the bogeyman won't grab you?
sneakypete posted on 2016-11-11 00:25:45 Reply Private Reply
#16: nativist nationalist To: sneakypete (#15)
Perhaps her balloon was taken from her?
nativist nationalist posted on 2016-11-11 00:45:48 Reply Private Reply