I don't think most Americans recognize how truly unprecedented and even, honestly, bizarre a world we've entered now, this go 'round with our 2016 presidential election cycle. And it's this headline, last evening, that brought it home to me:
It Looks Like Jeb Bush is About To
Drop Out
Mind you, it's speculation but between John Ellis' popularity--and lack of it--and so, the corresponding lack of money (see headline, below), it does at least look bad for him, if not politically fatal. This is from none other than what should be his own people, the Wall Street Journal, last evening:
Jeb Bush Has $10.3 Million on Hand, as Fundraising Slowed
I won't get into the details of his money, any reader can do that on their own. The fact is, if, in this mish-mash of Republican candidates, the "chosen one" of the big money Republicans and traditionalists not only can't make it but is over-run by the likes of the very misogynist and racist Donald Trump and the extremely simplistic, even empty Dr. Ben Carson, well, folks, it means very, very bad things for this nation.
Mind you, it should be clear from this writer and blogger and blog that the last thing I'd personally or politically want is for a Republican of the last 30 years, at least, to win any presidential--or even Congressional--race in our country. But the fact is, if more middle-of-the-road, mainstream---however dumbed-down---John Ellis Bush can't make it in a campaign with the likes of his competition, it bodes badly, very badly for the race itself but for the nation at large.
Again, from last evening, look at what his toughest competition are doing in the last 24 hours:
Trump, Carson threaten to boycott next GOP debate
Yes. They're running to be president of the United States yet they're threatening to boycott the only debates the party has scheduled. Check that out:
(CNN) Republican front-runners Donald Trump and Ben Carson are threatening to pull out of the next Republican primary debate if the hosts don't agree to their demands.
In a letter to CNBC, which is hosting the next debate, the two candidates said they would not participate in the Oct. 28 debate "if it is longer than 120 minutes including commercials and does not include opening and closing statements."
Facebook political/social satirist Kona Lowell said it very well last evening:
So Trump and Carson demand that the next debate last only two hours. Fine. Let's analyze this. That's 120 minutes. There are 13 candidates. That means each candidate would get 9.2 minutes. Subtract time for commercials. Include an opening/closing statement for each candidate. That leaves just enough time for Trump to call someone a loser and Carson to compare lowering student loan debt to the Holocaust.
And unfortunately, in America, things are ranked, and often won, simply by how much money one has. With our Citizens United rules from the Supreme Court and very legal campaign contributions--what would be, in the rest of the world, bribes--government representatives win and lose, live and die by how much money they take in.
So John Ellis has 10.3 million dollars on hand.
Very scary Ted Cruz has 13.5 million. Kooky Ben Carson has nearly the same as John Ellis at 11 million.
Everyone else in this money race is an "also ran" and so, irrelevant.
I'm telling you, folks, this Republican presidential race for 2016 was bad and is getting worse and worse all the time. John Ellis Bush was more of a moderate who tried to be extreme Right Wing, by voice only, in order to get votes and win.
That Donald Trump and Ben Carson are leading the pack, leading this field of candidates both in money and popularity should scare anyone who knows what's good for most all of America, and so, the entire nation.
Link: Who's winning the 2016 GOP money race?