It would be futile to search for any depth or dignity in last night's squalid, untethered ferment of a debate, so I won't try. I shall instead content myself with the eminent Matt Drudge's headline that Donald Trump, Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio were the shallowest and least dignified of the 10 contestants, and so they were the "winners." That, anyway, is what Drudge's readers believe.
Out of more than 224,000 votes cast online by the Druidlike Drudgers (as of 6 a.m.), Trump's scorecard registered 55 percent, Cruz's was at 21 percent, and Rubio's 10. (I take it that Drudge's disciples are nonetheless an impious lot: Ben Carson received only 4 percent in the voting. No white puffs of smoke for Ben.)
Are online polls unscientific? Doubtless they are. But when it comes to pseudoconservative doctrine, one need look no further than The Drudge Report, where, as in all doctrines, ideology wafts over reality, and thus reality the ideology becomes. At least for the truest believers.
Drudge's Trump-propping poll consoled me (you hang in there, Donald, you hang in there), for that wickedest of all political players — the fearsome mainstream media — has declared Rubio and Cruz the winners. Why? From what I can gather, it's because Rubio and Cruz blasted the media more than did other contestants — which is something of a paradox, since the media are fearsome precisely because they are so doggedly biased. Yet here are those blasted media slackers praising the very two demagogues who blasted them most.
One would think the virulent media would go out of their way to bash those who bashed them. But I further gather that the media, while flagrantly biased against against all conservatives (as well as the liberal Hillary Clinton and all other liberals), are also too incompetent to take revenge. This piles one paradox of a question atop another: If they're so blasted incompetent, how can the media be so dreadfully fearsome?
I must leave this for another day, or perhaps never, for I meddle in religious beliefs. It is an article of deepest faith among partisans that the mainstream media are out to "get" their guy or gal, be he or she conservative or liberal; indeed, if only the dastard media were fair and balanced (as are non-media folks such as Sean Hannity and Rachel Maddow), each partisan's candidate would be headed straight to the White House. The electorate would shed its media-imposed blinkers and roar in support of the one and only true candidate — all, what, 17 of them, not counting assorted third-party candidates?
That aside, there is one knowable. Bashing the biased, fearsome, incompetent media is the surest way for any candidate — especially a Republican — to incite the masses and thus get loads of swooning press, as Rubio, Cruz, and Trump proved last night and are again proving this morning. Republican candidates have a clear edge in the media-bashing game, for they have been at it since Nixon-Agnew; their partisans are pre-primed. Just assault the media, the crowd goes wild, one's poll numbers jump, simple as that.
And Jeb Bush couldn't figure that out, which is why, by now, he is just that.
Of all the things that disturbed me about this truly awful thing that wasn't a debate at all was that Chris Cristie was right about something. Fantasy football? This while we listen to fools talk about whose fantasy economic and taxation policies will cut taxes and lower deficits at the same time. And their supporters still believe this is possible! The word appalled does not begin to cover the sensation I got from listening to this drivel.
Posted by: Peter G | October 29, 2015 at 09:30 AM
Jeb can't be counted out this early. As the saying goes, "Democrats fall in love and Republicans fall in line." It's hard for the left to understand the power of authoritarianism over the right, but it's real. That said it's getting harder to see how Jeb survives. His trying to act like a regular guy with goofy gushing over his fantasy sports team was grossly embarrassing. His shots at Rubio were prepared for and ineffective.
There were no winners. The only thing notable about the so-called debate was how worthless it was. There will be no more time wasted on these Republican half-wit fests until the field is narrowed to at least a third of what it is now, and considering the invasion of the body politic by super PACs that might be never. The inevitable "highlight" clips will do.
Posted by: Bob | October 29, 2015 at 09:30 AM
Jeb was insufficiently prepared for the obvious riposte by Rubio. He should have quoted Rubio's disdain for his own job as senator. Jeb just doesn't have any sort of political instincts. I wouldn't have imagined it was possible six months ago but I think he is toast. I await future fundraising data and polling but I think we may see an establishment shift towards Rubio.
Posted by: Peter G | October 29, 2015 at 09:57 AM
I agree about a shift to Rubio. The only advantage to the GOP would be developing a future candidate, though. He still comes off like a college sophomore. Hillary would crush him in any foreign policy debate.
Posted by: Bob | October 29, 2015 at 10:04 AM
Yea. Right on all counts. Hillary would eat any or all of these clowns for lunch. People forget how good she was and is in debate. She was won her share against Obama and he is no slouch himself in debate. She lost the ground game in securing delegates but not on the debate stage. Btw if you watched this garbage and noted how the main stream media attacks were so frequent and popular generators of applause don't you wonder how this would work on a one on one with Hillary. Or three of the upcoming debates that will be hosted by FOX? That should be interesting.
Posted by: Peter G | October 29, 2015 at 10:18 AM
We already know Trump won't hesitate to attack Fox, and I'll go out on a limb and predict the rest will be on high alert for an opening to do the same in the remaining primary debates. If they try it against Hillary it might cancel out the inevitable, moronic "scandal" questions from the moderators.
Posted by: Bob | October 29, 2015 at 10:41 AM