WASHINGTON – Donald J. Trump hustled through the commonwealth earlier this week – hustled being a good word to describe what the billionaire grifter does for a living – in hot pursuit of the support needed to snag the Republican presidential nomination come July.
During said revival meeting at the Kentucky International Convention Center in Louisville a young African-American woman, presumably on hand to protest the candidate’s often bigoted and borderline racist remarks, was manhandled by a bunch of sneering white guys who apparently mistook 2016 Kentucky for 1959 Alabama.
Cameras caught the woman being shoved and sneered at as she picked her way through the predominantly pale-skinned crowd, reviving yet again ugly memories of lunch counters, snarling police dogs, fire hoses and bombed out church basements.
Such is the political atmosphere permeating these contemporary United States as the public goes about the quadrennial business of selecting the next president. Literally millions of white voters, witnessing the slow evaporation of their monopolistic hold on the tiller of democracy, are reacting in a desperate manner, self-justifying their primitive actions by insisting they are just telling it like it is, attacking the establishment and poking political correctness in the eye.
Their champion this campaign is Trump – George Wallace in a Brioni suit – who promises to expunge America of the undocumented brown people who have crossed over from Mexico, build a wall along the southern border that would make the East Germans proud, prohibit Muslims of any stripe from entering this God-fearing country and make America great again, whatever the hell that means.
Trump, a veteran con man who knows which buttons to push, has exploited the white angst and is riding it like Hopalong Cassidy aboard Topper. He expresses the anger fulminating in these folks, punches down on those endeavoring to rise through the ranks and share in the running of this nation and generally plays the role of surly drunk at the end of the bar who says atrocious things that his audience nonetheless embraces.
His strategy appears to be working. GOP delegate selection has been conducted in 15 states to date and Trump has won 10 of those contests. On Super Tuesday the real estate mogul won an estimated 42 percent of the available delegates, six points ahead of his closest rival, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-TX, who is no walk in the park himself.
Now it’s Kentucky’s turn with the March 5 GOP caucuses and Trump once again appears to be sitting in the catbird seat. The Big Red Poll conducted by the Western Kentucky University Social Science Research Center, released Monday, shows Trump leading the field among likely participants with 35 percent support. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-FL, placed second at 22 percent with Cruz coming in at 15 percent.
These preliminary results should come as no surprise. Republican Gov. Matt Bevin latched on to this same core of voters last November in his successful campaign, appealing to agitated white voters who have somehow talked themselves into believing that they have devolved into an endangered minority, with dark hordes, not to mention young women of various racial and ethnic stripe, demanding a power-sharing relationship.
In fact, the only real shocker of the Kentucky presidential campaign is that Bevin hasn’t followed the lead of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and pledged his fealty to The Donald, thus possibly positioning himself for the number two slot on the ticket. Think of it – two surly, white businessmen with practically no governmental experience who maintain ties to the Tea Party crowd. A match made in heaven.
So it would be a mistake to say Trump founded this movement. To paraphrase Billy Joel, he didn’t start the fire. He’s just using it. Certain white voters have for some time felt they were losing the grip and at least some of that can be traced back to the election of a president who is black, Muslim and wasn’t even born in this country.
In fact, the only real shocker of the Kentucky presidential campaign is that Bevin hasn’t followed the lead of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and pledged his fealty to The Donald, thus possibly positioning himself for the number two slot on the ticket
Is it any wonder they want their country back?
Fear of the future is driving these folks into Trump’s protective arms. It’s not so much that they agree with Trump’s policies – there’s scant few to concur with, aside from hitting the eject button on undocumented workers. It’s more about pugnacious attitude, standing up to those who desire to sidle in and a reaction against others who insist they have to be at least respectful of those they don’t respect – blacks, gays, single mothers.
It’s sort of a political Battle of the Bulge, that one, last, ultimately doomed attempt to turn the tide.
Trump’s indisputable and stunning success thus far has led some to characterize him as the prospective Republican candidate, dismissing the chances of any of the remaining contenders from making up the necessary ground to catch and surpass the frontrunner. It’s all over but the crying.
But two points, the first dealing with Kentucky. No one knows for sure who’s going to turn out for the GOP caucuses in the commonwealth. Some are speculating that as few as five percent might materialize to make their preference known. That should mean the candidate with the best organization will prevail and if Trump has an Achilles heel, it’s organization. It’s practically non-existent and his showing in other caucus states – Iowa and Minnesota, to be specific – show he can be had. Trump obviously is the favorite but it wouldn’t be earth shattering if he unexpectedly trips.
Likewise, as I’ve noted before, don’t be surprised if someone else leaves the national convention in Cleveland with the nomination. It’s fair to say of the five candidates still in the running Trump is the only contender who could possibly accumulate the required 1,237 delegates to win on the first round.
But as of right now, he has only 319 – well ahead of the field but far short of the magic number.
Two campaigns – Rubio and Ohio Gov. John Kasich – already are hinting that their strategy is to remain in the race and accumulate a sufficient number of delegates to deny Trump a first-round victory. Thereafter delegates no longer are pledged to a particular candidate and can vote for whomever they choose, thus reopening the door to the likes of Rubio, Kasich or the man in the moon.
Since Trump is far from the apple of the Republican establishment’s eye, he probably doesn’t have the fortitude to survive beyond that opening tally.
Should the campaign go down that path, however, there’s little doubt Trump will bolt the party he’s belonged to for only a relatively short period of time and fund an independent campaign, bringing his faithful followers with him and undermining the convention’s choice.
Fun and games, folks. Fun and games.
Washington correspondent Bill Straub served 11 years as the Frankfort Bureau chief for The Kentucky Post. He also is the former White House/political correspondent for Scripps Howard News Service. He currently resides in Silver Spring, Maryland, and writes frequently about the federal government and politics. Email him at williamgstraub@gmail.com.
The Republicans invented Donald Trump and now they have to deal with him. That won’t be easy but our esteemed senior senator and other Republican insiders will make sure he isn’t their nominee. That also goes for Cruz and Carson. Cleveland should be a lot of fun in July and I’m looking forward to it. Could we see a “walk-on”? Romney is making noises again. I hadn’t made Bill’s connection of our accidental governor to Trump before but it’s all beginning to make sense.
Another in a long series of extremely partisan and unfair opinion pieces by Mr. Straub. He is no different than Rush Limbaugh and others of his ilk, other than Mr. Straub is spewing hate and half-truths from the other end of the political spectrum. Trust me, I’m no Trump supporter. Not even close. Heck, I voted for McCain and Romney. Kasich is by far the most qualified R running for the R presidential nomination and whom I support. But I know plenty of good, decent folks who are supporting Trump and that support has absolutely nothing with them “witnessing the slow evaporation of their monopolistic hold on the tiller of democracy”. It has absolutely nothing to do with them being racists as Mr. Straub suggests.. It has absolutely everything to do with those folks being tired of what they perceive as an erosion of individual rights; an erosion of personal responsibility; and an erosion of values and morality in this country.
What follows are wasted taps of the key board, but Mr. Straub, you should be ashamed of yourself as a former journalist for publishing such tripe. If the intent of your Voices pieces is an attempt to convince readers of the validity of your thoughts and opinions, you are missing the mark by miles.
Mr. Straub, do you care to comment on the white Marine that was removed from a recent rally for Ms. Clinton? Did the Marine’s removal revive memories of soldiers being spat on when they returned from Vietnam? Is Ms. Clinton a veteran con woman “who knows which buttons to push” to exploit black angst? How about it Mr. Straub? Do you care to be fair in your Voices or rather do you enjoy being just another in the unfortunately too long list of people that see some benefit in further polarization of this country? It was a rhetorical question, as anyone with an open mind that has regularly read your pieces already knows the answer.
Your pieces makes me seriously question what you reported when you worked for The Kentucky Post and The Scripps Howard News Service. Obviously you don’t personally subscribe to the Scripps Howards corporate motto of “Give light and people will find their own way”. Perhaps your personal motto is “Spew enough bull manure and twist enough facts, and gullible people will believe me”. You calling Trump a con man is just absolutely rich.
But the silliest thing you mentioned in your piece was the part about Governor Bevin having already successfully used what you believe to be Trump’s strategy to become governor by “appealing to agitated white voters who have somehow talked themselves into believing that they have devolved into an endangered minority, with dark hordes, not to mention young women of various racial and ethnic stripe, demanding a power-sharing relationship”. Remind me again of the gender and race of the Lt. Governor Mr. Bevin picked? That’s another rhetorical question Mr. Straub.