THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL TO NOWHERE

      So, I suppose that with the failure of our illustrious Congress' rather quixotic attempt to impeach DHS Commissar Mayorkis and a Federal Judge ruling that the President-in-Exile is not immune from prosecution on some ginned-up charge, an obligatory comment is necessary. Granted, the stories haven't overshadowed the upcoming Super Bowl in public minds: we're all supposed to be agog wondering if Taylor Swift will appear or what kinds of mega-spectacles Madison Avenue has planned for the halftime ads and shows. The stories do, however, seem to be trending much higher than the Junta's multitudinous foreign policy and military failures abroad are, for obvious reasons. Not to worry, though: even though the GOP-controlled Congress is breaking historical records conducting inquisitions of various kinds, they are at least prioritizing military aid for Israel abroad and expanding the Surveillance State at home. 

    I don't think much of Elections in the first place; however let us keep in mind that the Corporate Media has a sizable percentage of the American public convinced that January 6th was an insurrection and that Trump attempted to seize the Government by force. Thus, it's probably not a great political strategy for Congress to be engaging in continual witch-hunts, impeachments, censures, proscriptions, forced resignations, etc. Nor is it a really good idea to support governors who defy the Supreme Court, seize Federal jurisdictions, and boast about State Sovereignty over the National prerogatives. 

   I don't know how to put this simply; but: if your Party's main candidate is already fighting an uphill battle against disinformation accusing him of wanting to be a dictator, how exactly does it help dispel that Narrative by bending the Constitution against political enemies and abusing power?

      It really would help Republican chances if they had something that distinguished them from the Democrats. It certainly would help a lot more than playing constantly into the Liberal Narrative. It doesn't seem like that's where they're going though: in fact, the latest buzz in the Controlled Opposition press is encouraging Trump to use Affirmative-Action to pick a Vice-President. The GOP has become very flexible on its inclusiveness as of late. Choosing high-profile representatives of diversity is only wrong when Liberals do it, like everything else.

    The 'smart boys' are considering SC Senator Tim Scott and SD Governor Kristi Noem as 'smart picks.' Scott, who outpaces every other Republican Senator in grabbing lobbying cash by a wide margin, was once called by Lindsey Graham "the future of the Republican Party." Graham's endorsement alone should tell us all that we need to know about Senator Scott.

   Kristi Noem deserves credit for being the only Republican Governor who stood up against Scamdemic hysteria. However, her qualifications for the Vice-Presidency are a bit questionable. In many ways, she reminds one of Sarah Palin: a competent State governor but out of her depth on national issues. Like Sarah Palin too, Kristi Noem has mostly a symbolic attraction, appealing to the Oedipal Complexes which are endemic among American males on the Right. 

   The Vice-Presidential Question is reflective of a problem which plagued the Trump Administration and which the RNC has never addressed: the sheer lack of qualified people to operate an administration. Trump made some good picks: Sessions, Price, Zinke, Carson all did excellent jobs but most never even finished out their terms. Other picks were disasters: Mattis, 'Rainbow Rex' Tillerson, Pompeo, Bolton, and the insipid Mike Pence and William Barr for example. 

   The situation in 2024 is even worse than it was in 2016. Trump is basically a one-man Party with no supporting cast. Beyond Trump there's nothing but a vast wasteland of Neocons, 'New Right' whackos, and general incompetents. In 2022, Trump endorsements were the only thing that kept the Republicans from a major loss: and two years later the Party is operating on an even more slender thread. There's nothing---absolutely nothing---to show for even the small gains made in 2022. 

   Again, the best option for Conservatives is to ignore the political circus and concentrate on building communities and coalitions among like-minded people.