Thursday, March 10, 2016

Happy-go-lucky Dr. Pangloss on Tuesday's ballot

In all of my many years of shadowing politicians, I haven't witnessed a candidate who has yet to win a primary but breaks out in a manic victory lap after finishing third in the latest.

That describes Gov. Kasich's  latest toast to himself for his bronze medal performance in Michigan behind Donald Trump and Ted  Cruz.  It was, he gleamed, a new day for his candidacy as he found more reason to congratulate himself for his persistence in hanging around in a shrinking field of terrible rivals.

Voltaire created a character named Dr. Pangloss who found a happy ending in everything, literally jumping off each of Candide's pages with exuberant optimism. Kasich has simplified  his merry political style by telling us that a victory in his home state of Ohio next Tuesday - sort of like the thrill of kissing your sibling - will lead him to the Oval Office.   Pause while I catch my breath.

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Does the National Republican Senatorial Committee have kids working for it today?   I mean, how in the unholy world of loony attack politics could the NRSC tweet that Rep Tammy Duckworth, a double amputee whose legs were blown off as a helicopter pilot in Iraq,  was "not standing up for veterans"?

When the NRSC later conceded that it was an unfortunate   choice of words, it removed the tweet.  In a twitter world, too late.

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Speaking of awful words,    Texas Republican Sen. John Cornyn warned that no matter who President Obama would nominate to the Supreme Court (he didn't know)  the nominee would be treated as  a "piñata".  Are references to piñata  the new Republican norm for the selection of Supremes?   Or are they simply trying to impress Hispanics that Republicans  know a few Hispanic words?

2 comments:

Ron said...
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Ron said...


My favorite Voltaire quote might also be Hillary’s salvation. Voltaire said, “I have only made one prayer in my life: ‘Oh Lord, make my enemies ridiculous.’ And God granted it.”