This Carbon Based Life

By David Glenn Cox

Lions and tigers and bears, oh my! Donations have surged for conservative groups including Project 2025! (Heritage Foundation and Christians for intolerance & bigotry) Well, I suppose there is an election coming. Like Christmas, people tend to open their wallets near the political holidays. Money is important, money moves the message. Money sells the product, but you can’t sell cow shit to cowboys. Money can’t make the message “New & Improved” or “Under New Management.” Money can’t make the public like the message when they don’t.

“Now, with even more shit you don’t like!”

So, before we wring our hands and hide under the bed. Let’s remember these are fringe groups who basically amplify their voices by preaching to each other in a closed family network. It’s the old preacher scam. It’s time to shear the flock once again. Daddy needs a new Lear Jet and for just all the money in your retirement account, we can fight to put America on a godlier footing. And with your help, we can lead a lifestyle, you poor dumb dirt farmers never dreamed of living.

Surprise, surprise the money goes to Donald Trump and that is part of the Republican problem. Trump attends the Clemson football game. Is Donald Trump a big Carolina college football fan? No, but Nikki Haley is from there and there is an early primary. Petty is as petty does.

South Carolina is already in the Trump camp even with Nikki Haley in the race. Trump is squandering time and money preaching to the choir and didn’t attract one new voter all day long. Like a date with Lauren (Beetlejuice) Boebert, a stroke session. Trump is playing with himself again.

Trump is campaigning between the court dates and his platform for 2024 is empty and non-descript. No serious individual rationally looking at the pros and cons of modern life will fall into the Trump camp without direct six figure payments. The central issue of the campaign is Donald Trump, and the Republican Party is tearing itself apart over it.

Vivek Ramaswamy said he would pardon Trump. Duh, that implies guilt. You are willing to pardon convicted criminals’ carte blanche and on day one no less. Give the boy a hand, he’s climbing down that ladder of success. Like a skyrocket that appears bright in the sky that quickly burns out and leaves behind only smoke and vapors. Vivek had a few good days and then the crowd moved on to Nikki Haley after the crowd had tired of Ron DeSantis.

Poor Ron DeSantis, someone left the cake out in the rain. Ron, had it all planned out. He would make public statements and foist unpopular legislation to have himself labeled as the maverick Conservative. Setting himself up as  a viable alternative to you know who. But often the first to the Party is the first to go home. DeSantis had what we would call a personality gap. A gap that only became worse with familiarity.

Trump identified Ronbo’s weakness and went after him, just as he’s going after Nikki Haley now. Trump’s own weakness is his inability to attract new voters. Trump has less support now than in 2020 when he lost the election. Trump’s not getting stronger; he’s getting weaker by the day.

There are signs of discontent with Republicans who still like Trump, but who say they wouldn’t vote for him again. The legal kryptonite is taking its toll on the character issue. Name calling the judge in your trial might gin up the crowd, but it won’t win you any elections.

The Republican House has been a disaster of obtuseness and character assassination. The fourteen-ballot election of Kevin McCarthy as speaker and the pointless destruction of Kevin McCarthy as speaker. Without much in between except for Jimmy Jordan and Matt Gaetz sound bites. The Republicans have accomplished little outside of demoralizing their own supporters. Remember? They were going to impeach Joe Biden, where did that go?

Reproductive choice is a torpedo headed for the Republican majority. Time was when Republican politicians could grift making tearful speeches and collecting money to help save them poor widdle babies. Then some dang fool overturned Roe. Now Republicans have spit in the eye of half of the population and a new generation is rising. Their numbers swell as their Republican counterparts depart this mortal coil for the great beyond.

“Let the word go forth from this time and place, to friend and foe alike, that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans–born in this century, tempered by war, disciplined by a hard and bitter peace, proud of our ancient heritage–and unwilling to witness or permit the slow undoing of those human rights to which this nation has always been committed, and to which we are committed today at home and around the world.” – John F. Kennedy

It’s like JFK said, “The torch has been passed to a new generation.”

The Republicans find themselves fighting the last war. Like Vaudeville after the talkies came to town. What you need on that car is tailfins friend! The Republican Party leadership is no leadership.

This younger generation is profoundly pro-choice, and the Republicans are not. This younger generation is LGBTQ friendly, while the Republicans are not. This rising generation has environmental fears for the future while Republicans don’t. The Republicans find themselves profoundly out of step with the American voter.

Desperation already haunts the halls of the Republican Party. I know! Astroturf groups! We can start groups like “No Labels” to pretend we aren’t affiliated with those bad old Republican guys, while chanting the same Republican themes! We can get Bobby Kennedy Jr. to prattle about nonsense and divide the Democratic vote. And if RFK starts to attract more Trump voters, we can always pull the plug.

Time marches on.

“Anger is an acid that can do more harm to the vessel in which it is stored than to anything on which it is poured.” ― Mark Twain