Wednesday, August 30, 2023

Styx on "Trump or nothing"

My friend Bill Keezer sent out a shotgun email linking to a cartoon about Trump. In that email, Bill cryptically wrote that Trump might be self-destructing. Almost as if in reply, Styx released the following video in which he says it's basically Trump or nothing:

Make of that what you will. Some people, with the benefit of time, have soured on Trump and have permitted themselves to point out many of the man's flaws: he was bad at choosing staff for his inner circle, his bluntness and meanness made enemies where he could have made friends, etc. I get all that, and as I've said a million times before, I don't like the man on a personal level: I see him as a thin-skinned, overly combative narcissist and megalomaniac who, to some extent, lives in his own bubble. That said, I find little to disagree with when it comes to his priorities: America first, strong borders, anti-wokeness, a strong economy and (unwoke) military, etc. Trump remains at the top of my personal list of potential GOP picks for the presidency, with Vivek Ramaswamy a close second. 

I've soured a bit on Ron DeSantis, but I don't hate the man. He's been running a shit-show of a campaign, and he didn't make much of an impression at the GOP debate (I'm more interested in his possible debate with Gavin Newsom). Ironically, DeSantis has been plagued by his own set of poor staffing choices; he's already fired three or four prominent people in his campaign, which looks like a sign that he's floundering. For now, I think he should stick to what he's excellent at: governing Florida, where most Floridians love him and carried him to a second gubernatorial term in a landslide. DeSantis's best and most memorable slogan is "Where woke goes to die," and I'd love to see him campaign on that by taking the slogan to the national level, but thus far, I don't see that he's put out any memorable slogans at all.

If Trump's the only viable alternative, we have to wonder: is it possible he might have to campaign from jail? I don't know. Some pundits think Trump will never end up in jail despite the left's most fervent, febrile wishes. One judge has already contended that, as president, Trump enjoys "absolute immunity" against all the charges currently levied against him. Others think the Supreme Court is going to end up weighing in and exonerating or at least shielding Number 45. Whatever happens, I can guarantee that, if the Orange Man were to return to the Oval Office, things would be a damn sight better than they are now under the current potato.

Granted, Trump is often his own worst enemy. In that sense, his self-destructing is certainly plausible. But I don't think he's quite there yet.



1 comment:

John Mac said...

"if the Orange Man were to return to the Oval Office, things would be a damn sight better than they are now under the current potato."

And that's the bottom line for me. Same as in 2016, when we had to choose between a crook and a clown, I voted for the clown and have no regrets. I'm not a Trump fanatic, and I find more than a little concerning that these are the best candidates to be put forward, but choosing the lesser of two evils is better than the alternative.