A proliferation of pigs with lipstick, Part 2
The one thing that sets politicians apart from most of the mortals in the workforce is their astounding staying power. There’s always an Act 2. This is the fourth time President Joe Biden has run for president.
The oldest member of Congress is Sen. Chuck Grassley, 91. Two lawmakers, Nancy Pelosi and Steny Hoyer, both in their 80s, may have to be dragged out. As for Bernie Sanders, let’s stop there. What I have to say about him would not be appropriate in a family publication. Closer to home, Lauren Boebert, between vaping, carpetbagging and brawling with her ex, needs medication.
I have also noticed that my feelings toward Trump have softened since 2016, when he was elected. Maybe old age has brought with it a higher level of tolerance. My warm and fuzzy feelings toward Biden have certainly all but evaporated, largely because of his immovable stance on Israel. Surely, his brain power is such that he knows what g-e-n-o-ci-d-e spells. That red stuff on his hands is spelled b-l-o-od. With Trump, we can be assured that there will forever be a standup comic inside. Policy schmolicy. It’s the brand that counts.
He shatters the myth that the job of president is “the loneliest job in the world.” In Trump World, it’s more about sowing words like “hate” into his diatribe. It’s meant to plant a seed, and that’s what makes him so masterful at it — that, and working a room. Moreover, when he claimed Nikki Haley was in charge of security at the Capitol on Jan. 6, most of us believed he confused Haley with Pelosi. Wrong on both counts. Haley was nowhere near the Capitol on that day. And Pelosi didn’t oversee security.
Did Trump misspeak? Are you kidding? On the surface, yes. But it was all by design. He’s always light years ahead of the rest of us when it comes to replacing light with dark. Remember, it’s all about bending the knee before his brand. Maybe we should begin taking him more seriously when he insists he’s a genius.
Since the American electorate-continues its love affair with the two-party system — dangerously flawed and corrosive as it may be — we will continue to get the obviously cognitively challenged candidates like Biden and self-worshiping windbags like Trump on the ballot. At least with wannabe third parties such as the No Label party, there is, at least, a concerted effort to tear down some of the walls that divide us by working together on gaining a consensus.
In the nine months leading to the election, I’ve become more circumspect. You will be pleased to learn that I have decided to write-in the name of our 2-year-old granddaughter, Sophie, for president. During the course of numerous interviews with her, she promised the centerpiece of her campaign is to take a cue from Colorado’s smart Universal Preschool funding and push Congress to make it a federal law. She vows that until that happens, until it’s available for all, she would gladly skip afternoon nap time with the other kids.
As for my attitude toward the major candidates, I’m taking my wife’s insights regarding situational awareness to heart: “You can put lipstick on a pig, but it’s still a pig. Just enjoy the comedy.”