“If I were a magician, I’d hand out broken compasses.
It’s all about misdirection.”
Jarod Kintz
The last thing the Washington establishment wants is someone who will shake things up, an unknown quantity, someone who won’t “play the game”. Ironically, people see in Donald Trump, this man who has been running the game for most of his adult life, in this of all men they see some kind of white knight who is bigger than Washington. That would be a little like putting the Godfather in charge of the FBI, since he can’t be corrupted.
Of course, Trump knows he can’t be President, and is even going to great lengths to insure that he doesn’t gain support from anyone beyond the angry nihilistic mob he has already garnered. Beyond sustaining his voracious ego, what is in this charade for Trump? A few have suggested that he is a Trojan Horse, intending to mortally damage the GOP by either a third party run or by simply splintering the support for the eventual candidate. Might I venture an even more diabolical conspiracy theory? Did anyone else notice an unusual camaraderie between Trump and Bush on the night of the debate? This despite Ms. Kelly et. al. giving their best attempts to spark a blood feud. Combine this with Trump’s recent statement that he could see himself supporting Bush should Bush become the candidate, because he’s “a good person”. Since when does Trump call an adversary a good person, or admit to the possibility that someone else might be the candidate? Truth is, the country is not in the mood for another establishment candidate, and the Washington/MSM cabal had to go into overdrive the last time to eliminate one by one all the would be pretenders to the crown who challenged the anointed sacrifice, Mitt Romney; most of whom could have defeated Obama.
This time around there seems to be a more elegant strategy. One could call it the “scapegoat strategy”. Pile all your angry protest vote on one candidate, allow him enough early success to suck the air out of the room, and the donations out of the other challengers’ coffers, and then once the rest are beyond resuscitation snap back to reality with the establishment candidate; all the better if the scapegoat supports you as a “good person”. What’s in it for Donald? I daresay something more than a Presidential appearance at a future wedding. How much money is enough for Trump? In the words of John D. Rockefeller, “Just a little bit more.”
I’m imagining the same strategy is in place with Bernie Sanders, though it’s possible he is oblivious to the role he is playing. The problem is that the teflon seems to have finally worn thin on the Clintons, and Hillary is uncharacteristically being required to pay the price for her clandestine email practices. The same dynamic holds true for Sanders though, whoever his opponent in the primary ends up being. Both Trump and Sanders are like Ross Perot or Ron Paul, far out enough to get the substantial numbers of anti-establishment voters at the fringes, but also far out enough out that they will never get anyone else. That makes them perfect for stealing the thunder, the news coverage, and the funds from more electable candidates, virtually assuring that the ultimate result will be a battle, as always, between two establishment candidates who have the organization and the backing to weather the storm.
IMHO: Could be people are not as nefarious as I imagine them to be; my experience is that they are more so. Consider the GOP state Rep. Todd Courser who attempted to cover up an extramarital affair with another state Rep., Cindy Gamrat, by inventing a blackmail scheme while using a pseudonym to accuse himself of paying for sex with a male prostitute. You can’t make this stuff up. If you did, you would be criticized for straining believability. People are seldom as brazenly stupid in fiction as they are in reality.
Watching the news, it may seem that the country is in chaos, but rest assured, this three ring circus is well choreographed. If Hillary is at long last going to bear the consequences of her misdeeds, it is because there is a puppet master pulling the appropriate strings. Enter Joe Biden, Al Gore or John Kerry facing off against about the only candidate they might be able to beat, Jeb Bush. Hey, why not? It’s a circus! …Bring in the clowns.
