There’s an old saying: “Be careful what you wish for.”  Well, Republicans, after the Mitt Romney fiasco of 2012, came to the conclusion they were not “conservative enough.”  In the meantime you’ve had Fox “news” and people like Rush Limbaugh ginning up their base of government haters (and, liberal haters, immigrant haters, LBGT haters, women haters, minority haters, etc. etc.) and now you have a group of candidates commonly referred to (by those in the “mainstream” of American politics) as the “clown car.”  There isn’t one of their candidates who will be able to make a credible candidate for president.  However, that minor detail hasn’t derailed them in the past – I will explain.

Then there’s the saying: “Those who ignore history are destined to repeat it.”  Enter: the Democrats.  A reminder: Ronald Reagan was a fringe candidate in 1980 who had failed in bids for the Republican nomination for a decade and a half prior to gaining the nomination in 1980.  Reagan was imminently unqualified to be President – although he was a great spokesperson for what I’ve been referring to as the “invisible cabal” for years – that is, the wealthy benefactors of republican candidates who choose to stay in the background.  Then, in 2000, we got George W Bush, another republican who was like a figure head – being manipulated by this cabal and their surrogates like Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld – the group calling themselves the “project for a new American century.”  This group was connected at the wallet with the above mentioned cabal (that, I believe, history will at some point identify).

Reagan won the election in 1980 by taking advantage of a democratic party in disunity and by promoting John Anderson, a liberal republican, to head off the independent voters and democrats who couldn’t vote for Reagan, but who also were disenchanted with Jimmy Carter.  (Of course, Reagan’s surrogates were busy making sure the hostages being held in Tehran Iran were not released until after the election.  Someday, that “dirty trick” – in the words of republican operatives circa Richard Nixon – will also be on the historical record).  Additionally, anyone who’s paid attention knows that George W Bush commandeered the election from Al Gore by “stealing” the electoral votes in Florida with the help of his brother (I still can’t believe he got away with that one) and the Secretary of State (Kathleen Harris) in Florida.  Rigged voting machines and using the Supreme Court to prevent a recount of all the defective paper ballots allowed GW to gain the White House.  (I still am disappointed that Gore didn’t put up more of a FIGHT to gain the Presidency that “we the people” elected him to – the only saving grace is that Joseph Lieberman never became Vice President).

One more thing, GW Bush defeated John Kerry in 2004 via rigged voting machines – this time in Ohio – again with the help of a republican Secretary of State who was also acting as Bush’s campaign manager for that state.  Kerry, like Gore before him, failed miserably in FIGHTING for the election that he almost certainly won.

I’m giving this little history lesson to caution democrats who are using terms like “clown car” to describe the republican hopefuls. (although, I totally understand where that comes from – these people are – well, let me put it this way, I can’t imagine ANY of them becoming president of the United States – and, having their “finger on the trigger.”  Yikes – is the best word that comes to my mind.  However, back to my earlier thoughts:  democrats had better not underestimate the so-called “clown car” – because that invisible “cabal” I often write about has BILLIONS of dollars aimed at the next election and the perfect candidate for them is a blundering idiot who can’t make a complete sentence (AKA GW Bush) who will be easily manipulated.  Considering the amount of money these people have AND the FACT that they have laid out a “ground game” I’m not even sure the democrats understand which is designed to WIN no matter what (ie, “the end justifies the means.”) it would behoove democrats to take this next election VERY seriously!

Let me explain: look back at the past few years; first the Supreme Court named a president and then gave us the Citizens United decision which opened the flood gates to money flowing into politics from who knows where.  To me, there’s little doubt that foreign money is having a HUGE influence on our political scene. Then there’s the obvious reality that, with the help of the Supreme Court, republicans have eviscerated the Voting Rights Act and are employing voter suppression strategies all across America (yes, that means not just in the South).  The “covert” reality has to do with the electronic voting machines which, from what I’ve heard will generate something in the neighborhood of 80% of the vote in 2016.  These machines are manufactured from corporations run (and owned) by republican operatives (some are even owned in part, so I’ve heard, by Mitt Romney) and they are easily “hacked.”  The reports of machines “lighting up” the wrong name have been “out there” since the GW Bush “robbery” of 2000, yet we hear little about this.  It would not surprise me to hear stories of people pressing the button for Sanders or Clinton and seeing Trump or Cruz on the screen (actually, it could happen more surreptitiously, like where you wouldn’t even see the switch – does anyone besides me wonder how, in the recent gubernatorial election in Kentucky the candidate who polled well below his rival won in a landslide??  Virtually, all votes on electric voting machines with NO “paper trail?”)

And, given the FACT, that neither Al Gore nor John Kerry chose to FIGHT this reality, you can see that the democrats are potential “sitting ducks” for another stolen election.  Many will sit back and call stuff like I’m writing tonight “conspiracy theory” and go to the polls in 2016 thinking that in America we have free and fair elections.  The possible end result will be the completion of Karl Rove’s dream of “The permanent republican ‘majority.'”

Every day I spend most of my time, when checking my email, deleting a plethora of emails coming from candidates constantly asking me for money.  I read as many as I have the stomach for and the conclusion I come up with is that the leadership of the democratic party is no match for the “invisible cabal” guiding the republican “ship.”  If democrats get too full of themselves due to the dearth of qualified republican candidates, we could end up with a Donald Trump or a Ted Cruz or one of the other “wack jobs” on the republican stage as president.  Honestly, I couldn’t believe the democrats held their last debate on a Saturday night.  To me, that’s enough to FIRE whoever is in charge of their campaign strategy.

I feel a bit awkward pushing for democrats – I grew up as an independent – but the thought of one of these republicans as president makes me sick to my stomach.  What would that mean to those of us who are moderates to liberals?  I’ll tell you, if this next year isn’t enough to motivate you to get involved in the process I don’t think it will ever happen.  My son may be correct when he says that we need to elect Donald Trump to fast forward us to a disaster large enough to get our full attention.  I’m just worried as to the size of the disaster.  Will it take another Great Depression to get “we the people” to understand where these republicans want to take us?  I’m afraid it could be worse than that.  When I hear candidates suggest we bomb Syria “back to the Stone Age” I honestly get a bit on edge.

I’m a semi-retired sixth grade teacher and some of the reasoning of my sixth graders reminds me of the level of discourse when I listen to people like Donald Trump, Ben Carson, Ted Cruz, or Marco Rubio (plus most of the others) present their solutions to problems in speeches and the republican “debates.”  Donald Trump will defeat China (and, presumably Russia and every other adversary on the planet) by “negotiating.”  Seriously!  When asked to elaborate, Trump thoughtfully explains, “I’m good at negotiating.”  He’s proud to let us all know he’s “smart” and our leaders are “stupid.”  I guess that’s good enough for 40% of the republican “base.”  I don’t even know how to present what Ben Carson says – his political reasoning is evidently pre-sixth grade thinking. Ted Cruz is the sixth grade bully who’s going to bomb Syria “back to the Stone Age” – but fearful of allowing Syrian refugees into this country.  Mario Rubio is the student who has an answer for everything – it’s just that the answer is different depending on who is his audience.  I wouldn’t want any of these people as the principal of my school, let alone president of the United States.

Well, this idea among republicans (I believe it’s major proponent was Rush Limbaugh – I’m just sayin) that they lost in 2012 because they weren’t conservative enough has a bunch of politicians running as if they’re going to jump off the right wing cliff!  I believe the worst part out of all of this is that our media is fomenting these people because it’s good entertainment – and, the rest of the world is watching.  I’m sure people around the world are wondering, what the hell has happened to America?  Since 9/11 we’ve been getting eaten alive – from the inside out – by FEAR.  And, the right wing politicians have been pushing an agenda of fear successfully since that tragic date.  Bush/Cheney had their fear colors – ie “terror alerts” which they could heighten right before election day – and, it worked.  I stated back then, it’s much easier for “we the people” to give up our liberties than to get them back.  Based on what I’m hearing as I listen to my satellite radio while driving around and watching what I can stomach of TV “news,” it won’t be long and a majority of Americans will be encouraging the NSA to be spying on our phone calls and emails.  Piece by piece we’ll be surrendering our bill of rights in order to “keep us safe” – just like Bush/Cheney invaded Iraq to “keep us safe.”  And, while all this right wing bloviating is going on democrats are “debating” on a Saturday night.

It will be our entertainment based media that will ultimately be what takes down our nation as those of us old enough to be called “baby boomers” knew it.  I go to work every day and notice that most people are busy just living out their lives.  By presenting Donald Trump constantly on one channel after another, the media is making him into what many who are simply noticing the sound bites or the headlines as a credible candidate.  (Trump is correct when he says he doesn’t have to make adds, the media is constantly giving him free add time) The same for Ben Carson, Ted Cruz, Rubio, and the rest of them.  I’m sure that somewhere in the republican party there is actually someone with qualifications that would be traditionally acceptable for the presidency – but, in today’s conservative world, that in itself would automatically disqualify that person.  I don’t consider the republican candidates “conservatives” – to me, they are right wing zealots – giving them something in common with the leaders of ISIL.  I guess my final question would be:  Are right wing zealots “conservative” enough for the invisible leaders of today’s republican party? (people like Limbaugh and his ilk)

I’ll say it again, be careful what you wish for!