I suspect that New York Times writer Tom Friedman, a centrist who is the voice of political pragmatism, and Heather Wilhelm, a syndicated columnist with a conservative streak, would agree on few matters in a discussion of issues and policy.
But the two could create quite a popular road show by talking onstage about how the 2016 presidential campaign has become “a farce.”
Writing for Real Clear Politics, Wilhelm concludes that the field of candidates, Democrats and Republicans, has devolved into a “carnival of egos” with Donald Trump deviously perfecting all of the crowd-pleasing tactics that lead to big poll numbers:
The current state of politics is, in many ways, a farce. Too many politicians are inept, dishonest, or purveyors of the pseudo-sophisticated nonsense the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia memorably labeled “pure applesauce.” Trump supporters know this, and their candidate knows it, and he highlights this fact in a unique, entertaining, and sometimes dead-on way.
… It’s a veritable carnival of egos, paving the way for the biggest ego of them all.
In the Democratic race, Friedman tires of Bernie Sanders answering every question with a reference to Wall Street and a salute to socialist policies that go against the American grain:
I’d take Sanders more seriously if he would stop bleating about breaking up the big banks and instead breathed life into what really matters for jobs: nurturing more entrepreneurs and starter-uppers. I never hear Sanders talk about where employees come from. They come from employers — risk-takers, people ready to take a second mortgage to start a business. If you want more employees, you need more employers, not just government stimulus.
… America didn’t become the richest country in the world by practicing socialism … or the most talent-filled country by stoking fear of immigrants. It got here via the motto “E Pluribus Unum” — Out of Many, One.
Our forefathers so cherished that motto they didn’t put it on a hat. They put it on coins and then on the dollar bill. For a guy with so many of those, Trump should have noticed by now.
In a contest where Marco Rubio, following Trump’s lead, has focused most intently on calling rival Ted Cruz a liar (more than a dozen times in the most recent Rubio campaign flyer in South Carolina), Cruz has responded with the help of the biggest endorsement of all.
According to Cruz’s wife, Heidi, and his most loyal PR man, Glenn Beck, the senator is God’s choice for the presidency.
Meanwhile, getting back to earth, Friedman offers this: “Cruz wraps himself in an American flag and spits on all the institutions that it represents.”
Wilhelm offers this delicious summary of nice-guy Jeb Bush’s effort: “(His) entire presidential campaign can be compared to a long, forced, awkward smile in front of a malfunctioning camera that steadfastly refuses to take a picture.”
Friedman and Wilhelm – it would one helluva show.
By the end of the discussion on 2016, the audience may have just one final question: Is it too late for a do-over?
Isn’t it also odd that while Sen. Sanders runs as a Democrat, he is still listed as an Independent on the Senate website and is collecting contributions as an Independent for his (probable) 2018 run for senator? How can you do that?
Does anyone think the Republicans would allow a Democrat to run as a Republican and have access to RNC records?
Common sense is that it is irrelevant who is elected. The farce is thinking you can convince anyone that any elections are valid when it is widely accepted that the entire spectacle is nothing but a charade for dullards.