This Carbon Based Life

By David Glenn Cox

There is a move afoot to ban the orange antiChrist from running in the New Hampshire primary. Due to Trump’s active participation in an insurrection. Like tens of millions of North American livingroom lawyers, I suppose that a ban is legally possible, but is it the correct course?

The Trump team bragged they took in, “took” being the operative word. Seven million dollars over Trump’s “Booking weekend.” I know, seven million sounds like a lot of money in the Walmart parking lot. In Presidential politics, it isn’t enough to bend over and pick up. Trump’s last campaign was upwards of $900 million, plus they went broke before election day and they lost.

Can Trump do it again? Raise the $900 million plus finance a full-time legal defense team in umpteen different jurisdictions? If they ban Trump, they risk making him a martyr. First, they impeached him then they prosecuted him, and then they banned him.

“Trump probably would have won if the liberals hadn’t banned him from running.” The November criminals, wreckers and boogie men feeding into the deep state, star chamber mythological prophecy.

Trump can be a martyr for free, while running for office is expensive. He can stand on the sidelines and hoot and holler, bitch and complain with no risk or cost.

Do you know why there are so many Republican candidates running for President? Willing to spend eighteen months to two years of relentless campaigning swimming against the tides of probability. The relentless endless swirl of gas stations, lady’s clubs, Rotary clubs, Holiday Inn Express hotels, and fast food, shaking babies and kissing hands.

All these Republican candidates think the old boy can be had. They wouldn’t be spending millions of other people’s dollars if they didn’t think it could be made to happen. And other people wouldn’t be giving them dollars to spend, if they didn’t also think so.

The early DeSantis campaign was predicated on Trump being gone from the scene and Ron would step right in and assume the conservative mantel. Of being just like Trump only competent and mean. But Trump didn’t step aside gracefully, and Ronnie’s presidential aspirations vanished suddenly as if in the Bermuda triangle.

Being just like Trump is a great strategy unless Trump is running too. Then it is kryptonite, “I’m just like him. Only, I’m tough and mean!” Premature campaign climax and cumming too soon. It’s his first time, so he’s probably a little nervous.

Ramaswamy is the wild card, he’s just damn crazy enough to attract attention. Republicans tend to equate wealth with good governance. So sure, they would elect a man without a single day of government experience as President of the United States. They’ve done it before!

Vivek was asked what he would have done if he were in Mike Pence’s shoes on January 6^th. He starts talking about paper ballots and voter ID cards. No Vivek, no we aren’t doing voting do overs. Besides, voting is handled by the individual states and so is a nonstarter. But he never answered the question. Not what you’d do in a perfect world in never, neverland. But what would you do in Mike Pence’s shoes on January 6^th? Either Snake oil or he won’t say what he would have done.

Vivek talks a lot of bullshit and for Republicans that’s music to their ears. Simple solutions in small bite sized ideas, ten syllables or less. Just build a wall or do away with the IRS or the Department of Education without considering for a second the impact or implication of what he is actually saying. “Hi folks, my name is Vivek, vote for me! And if elected, I’ll defund your kids’ schools! Wouldn’t that be great? Then, I’ll give all the money away in tax cuts!”

If Trump is allowed to run in New Hampshire and just barely eaks out a narrow victory or comes in a close second.  Then Trump will have been beaten fair and square. If he’s banned from running, Trump will claim that he would have won.

Polling numbers show Trump’s approval numbers are slipping, and his disapproval numbers are climbing. Not enough to change anything yet. But Trump has some rough patches to try and get through while running a national campaign. Mugshots and merry men with flip-o-rama the name of the game, leaving Trump with little good news to campaign about. “And if elected! I’ll get all these prosecutors off my back!”

Those slipping numbers could mean that the Republicans still like the old boy just fine, but probably not enough to fire up the old minivan and go vote. Even if Trump hobbles through the primary season with credible victories, can he unite the Republican Party? When Trump is the largest divisive issue in the Republican Party. Trump “Yah,” or Trump “Nine?”

Vivek is going to self-destruct; because he likes to hear himself talk too much. He’s a first timer excited by people listening to him. So, he will try to please them and end up saying too much about something about Nazis or women’s sports. Professional politicians plan what they are going to say, and amateurs just talk too much unaware of the political dangers of off the cuff opinions.

Make Trump work for it, Let him expend his strength and his wealth in a Death Race 2000 presidential campaign. Make him prove it. On paper this should be a cakewalk for Trump, so why doesn’t it feel like it?

Sixty is the number of the beast. Sixty is the percentage of voters who say they would never vote for Donald Trump for President. Trump is using the Republican Party as a human shield against criminal prosecution. Sucking up all the oxygen in the room and stifling any organization inside the party. Trump isn’t running for office he’s running from prosecution.

And the Republican candidates aren’t really running for President. They’re running against Trump for control of the party and boy, there sure are a lot of em too. They think the old boy can be had. That he can and must be replaced, he’s leading them on a Kamikaze mission into 2024.

With Trump on the ticket, the Republicans will lose badly in November. Swamped by a rising tide Trump litigation and darkening scandal. Without Trump the Republicans will lose badly in November. He can run, but he can’t hide anymore. The question for Republicans is… when to cut the ties? Never allow a drowning Dick Nixon to take you down with him.

“It is curious that physical courage should be so common in the world and moral courage so rare.”― Mark Twain