Tuesday, March 1, 2016

Channeling My Inner Kook

Just finished breakfast in my Springfield, IL hotel room this morning, and feel the urge on Super Tuesday to float my theory about the Trump Candidacy and the disaster it is for the Republican Party.

I've been very vocal on these pages over the years about my contempt for conspiracy theory kooks.  I'm looking at you, booger eating 9/11 Truthers.  In a day and age of 24/7 news media, in a nation of rich Judeo Christian tradition, the idea that multiple people could keep secrets of dastardly doings without a credible media source getting wind of the conspiracy and blowing it wide open is just too far fetched.  I can't buy it, especially the type of orchestrated secrecy that would have to be pulled off for 9/11 to be an inside job.  You have to WANT the conspiracy to be true to cling to it in this fashion.

That said - the whole Trump Campaign reeks of a plot from the Clinton War Room.  If I had to put money on it, would I say this?  No.  Still, there is a part of me that can't help but channel my inner kook and marvel at the possibility.

Here's the scenario: the Clintons are NOT stupid people.  Devious, power hungry, and cunning?  Oh yes.  But not Stupid.

They know Hillary Clinton is a polarizing figure with a LOT of baggage.  Even
in the day of the Entitlement Class and the XBox American, she is a tough sell.

They know Flyover Country is hungry for the anti-Obama.

They know there are a lot of people who detest rampant illegal immigration, are frustrated by jobs going over seas, are flag waving Americans who see the nation they grew up in being transformed to something they don't recognize.  And sadly, they are people who generally only follow politics closely in an election season.

They know the professional wrestling equivelant of Mr America spitting out vague comments like "Make American Great Again" and that he "can't be bought by Lobbyists and Special Interest" and that he wants to build a wall and make the deviant Mexican Government pay for it will score huge points with this same group of well meaning but easily frenzied citizens.

So, enter into the mix, Donald Trump.  Close to Democrats his entire life.  Loves attention and flattery.  Ego the size of Manhattan.  Expresses disgust and outrage at the things that matter to the Populists.  He's a hit with the everyday Populist described above.  The perfect foil.

The Clinton War Room knows that there is a sizeable contingent of us in the Republican Party that are horrified at the prospect of this clownish fraud being our nominee, much less our president.  The War Room knows that we will move heaven and earth to make sure Donald Trump ISN'T the standard bearer of the party, and that this will make the targeted Populists double down on their support for him.  Civil War in the Party.

The Clintons win in either of these two scenarios .... Trump on the Republican Ticket that can be made to look like a complete heartless mongrel in the General Election, a clown when compared to Hillary's statesman-like demeanor, compassion and "sensible solutions". 

The Clintons also win with a third party Trump that will split the Republican Vote ala 1992 and 1996.  And you know the Trump Humpers out there will defect to third party Trump in droves.  Not enough to win the general election but enough to screw the traditional Republican and annoint Hillary the next President.  

And of course, as part of the Conspiracy - for whatever reason - Trump happily plays the role he's assigned to play.

My inner Kook tells me its true.  I'm still too afraid of being labeled a kook for glamming on to the theory whole heartedly.... but I can't help but wonder.