Donald Trump? Really? Michele Bachmann? Really?
If you love Barack Obama and want to see his Presidency last forever, send a few bucks to the Political Action Committee of Michele Bachmann and the campaign war chest of Donald Trump. These two wannabes would look perfect atop the cake at Newt Gingrich's next wedding.
First we have Donald Trump: the man who has managed to give wealth a bad name. This guy has elevated douchbaggery to heights rarely seen in the popular culture. OK, this is America. If you have the money and appallingly bad taste, you can buy stuff and slap your name all over it; including multiple hotels, golf courses, casinos and wives. You can leverage your celebrity and obnoxious personality to buy a TV show and parade your lack of talent to an audience of marginally employed people who think watching someone get fired is entertaining. (The only way Donald Trump looks credible is standing next to Gary Busey and Meatloaf.) What you cannot do is delude yourself into believing that your fifteen minutes of self-inflated fame qualifies you to be President. Hey, Sponge Bob Square Pants has a following too but no one wants him to be commander-in-chief.
Normally we would just ignore an airbag like Trump but that was before candidate and cartoon began to merge. Unfortunately, any effort to turn this farce into a pseudo-legitimate run for the White House (or dog-catcher in Perth Amboy) demeans the entire process. Sarah Palin might be all sizzle - no steak but Trump left his sizzle in his other suit. He's a nasty, self important, thrice-married, bankrupt who believes if you pontificate on your greatness enough, you must be great. If the Republicans wanted a preening self-promoter, why not Charlie Sheen?
One notch over on the "seriously" meter we have Michele Bachmann. Ms. Bachmann possesses many of the credentials desirable in a candidate for national office. She has a law degree (although a law degree from Oral Roberts University is only a half-step up from a medical degree from Doctor Who U). Michele actually spent one year at a real law school, William and Mary, where she obtained an LL.M in tax law. She currently holds political office: Congressperson from Minnesota's sixth District. This, however is where the serious stuff stops.
Ms. Bachmann has learned much about how to succeed in national politics from her mentor, Sarah Palin. She has learned that an appalling lack of facts is no impediment to political credibility among tea baggers. You can stand in front of your fans and: 1) pontificate on the Founding Fathers and their opposition to slavery and, 2) remind the citizens of New Hampshire that, contrary to Rand McNally, Lexington and Concord are theirs to claim. Statements like these aren't just slips of the tongue. They are symptomatic of a new type of campaigning. Candidates like Palin and Bachmann can misstate any fact to suit the occasion knowing that their adoring fans either don't know the truth or don't care. Criticism by the legitimate press will be regarded as nitpicking by liberals eager to find fault with any small error. The campaign slogan should be, "Ignorance, Once Embraced, Can Be A Virtue" or, "Screw the History. I'm For Bachmann".
As a practicing liberal, I should be delighted that the race for the nomination in the GOP is beginning to resemble the village idiots convention. However, as an American, I'm troubled at the seriousness of unserious candidates. Every over zealous Christian goober that caucuses for Michele Bachmann increases the chances that some fringe candidate could be nominated. Remember all the protest votes for Ralph Nader in Florida in 2000? As fast as you could say 5 to 4 decision, GWB was President. People, if you must protest something, protest Presidential candidates whose list of qualifications is smaller than Dick Cheney's Facebook friend list.
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