One down, one swarm of stupid to go. Scott Walker is no longer running for president, not that any of the other Republican candidates are better qualified. But I did like this summary of the Walker Experience.
The New York Times says Walker once was “seen as all but politically invincible,” which seems maybe a tad overstated in reference to a shrimpy, pallid, balding twerp with a face like mashed potatoes and the oratorical skills and personal charisma of a jellyfish. It’s true that he was regarded as something of a rising star of the right not so long ago, thanks to his proud and endless cruelty to and contempt for workers and vulnerable people. He all but killed Wisconsin’s public-sector unions with his “budget repair bill,” then pulled a hit on private-sector unions by signing a right-to-work law he’d denounced while campaigning; he needlessly turned away millions of dollars in federal food aid to his state’s poorest residents; he rammed through a (not-even-all-that-) crypto-racist voter ID law; he diverted state school funding from public schools that educate the poor to private ones that educate the wealthy; he tried to eliminate the weekend! This is how one becomes a darling of the right in the United States. Unfortunately for him, though, an elected official will never be as good an avatar for America’s hatred of the poor as a pure capitalist—if nothing else, settling for a governor’s salary implies less than total commitment to the cause—and so he found himself outflanked by both Donald Trump and Carly Fiorina (failed capitalists both!) on the only front he had.
Who’s next to go? I’m guessing it’ll be any of them that said God called them to run, because that old fart gets everything wrong.
I’m not sure Jindal is even smart enough to realize what a lost cause he is, but I sincerely hope he’ll go next before he embarrasses the state of Louisiana any more.
Damn. I actually thought Walker might be the nominee for the Republicans at the beginning of this primary season, because he seemed right at the “sweet spot” between the plutocrats, the religious fanatics, and the moderate “he seems like such a nice man, he can’t possibly mean those nasty things” moderate Republicans. I guess that can’t make up for a total lack of charisma and utter incompetence in running a campaign.
The problem is that the ‘sweet spot’ means that the extremes hate you from both (or all) directions, and the modern Republican party seems to be pretty much nothing but extremes.
I like the tweet I saw about Bobby: The Pope landed in the US today and immediately was polling 2 points higher than Jindal.
The Republican Party is proof that God exists.
And He hates us.
A lot.
The thought process usually seems a little more direct (and less thoughtful) than that. Government is bad, so you better not put a “governing sort of person” in office. Put in some clown like Trump who will fuck everything over somehow. Which clown it happens to be, what that clown is like, is completely irrelevant.
They don’t seem to care whether Trump or anyone else is actually successful or powerful or rich, or if they even could do any of the things they promise. It’s not about that. They do not evaluate whether any policy or person is actually successful, likely to be successful, or what success would even mean in any given situation. They only have a slogan that goes something like “fuck everybody.” You either fit into that mold or you don’t. They take people like “Joe the Plumber” seriously … but seriousness isn’t the right word to use here. They “pay attention” to people like that, maybe … but their attention spans and lack of real interest in anything don’t even merit phrases like that. Maybe there are no words for what they’re actually doing.
Their cause is not something like free markets, a functioning capitalistic economy, not even a simple idea like people (plural) making profits, none of that bullshit. They don’t give a rat’s ass about the outside world, just whether each of them as individuals can dream of himself or herself being rich and powerful, while taking a dump on everyone and everything else. If they find out about some new thing, it’s past the time they took a dump on that too. That’s how they intend to leave their mark on this planet. Maybe they can’t imagine doing anything else. But they know they can vote for something in 2016, and they will cast their vote for pure shitheadedness, whatever form that takes. Then, the invisible hand will take us all away and end our misery.
Once the dust settles I think the GOP ticket will be Trump-Trump. He’ll run as both Prez and Veep. His head is big enough to be a box for another head.
The problem with all idiots of Walker’s ilk is they swallow Atlas Shrugged whole: a turgid, needlessly verbose work of fiction that glorifies selfishness, encourages narcissism and promotes an economic structure that is unsustainable.
Productivity—let alone progression—is not something they can fathom.
Sigh.
God told him to run, he didn’t say he’d win, god’s a joker that way.
He’ll run as both Prez and Veep.
There’s the minor technical problem that for that to work, he’d have to be resident in a state in which he was not resident. But, hey. Not a biggie.
Rick Perry dropped out on the 11th, so Scott is just following the lead. Jindahl, Santorum, Huckabee, Christie, Paul, etc don’t seem to have much steam so they’re probably not long for it.
We’re counting down to the final four: Trump, Bush, Carson, and Fiorina! Get your tickets. It could be a bumpy ride.
This Washington Post article had an interesting take on Walker’s fail. It agrees with brett @ #2 statement that he’s a terrible campaigner. Also, he doesn’t have a lot of money, and some big credit card debts.
And speaking of a swarm of hungry sharks. (Tony: I believe this is your stomping grounds.)
I liked his statement, on quitting the race, where he said, “While I was sitting in church yesterday, the pastor’s words reminded me that the Bible is full of stories about people who were called to be leaders in unusual ways. Today, I believe that I am being called to lead by helping to clear the race…”
When I think about it, _I’m_ the best candidate for President, so why should I drop out? I mean, true I know beans about foriegn policy, but I’ll hire the BEST people for that. The BEST, really good people for that. And if they don’t perform, FIRED! FIRED! FIRED!
I’m a little disappointed in The New York Times. I figured they would have more respect for jellyfish than that.
@Bob Foster #7:
His head is bigger on the inside than on the outside.
Hah, that reminds me of a line from an old song: “A ten-gallon hat on a two-pint head”
Still dangerous, though.
When will we stop persecuting these poor Christians? I mean, c’mon, he goes to church and everything. I can’t wait for Huckabee’s “but I’m such a good Christian” statement when his campaign finally runs out of money.
Voters Look On In Horror As 3 New Republican Candidates Appear In Place Of Scott Walker