* We know that Donald Trump has been channeled by the frustrated, the disaffected, the birthers, the Jerry Springer audiences and the generically angry. What we really hadn’t thought through is that this cacophonous big-tent also includes “evangelicals.”
Maybe epiphany needs a fundamentalist updating. Maybe it’s now a synonym for hypocrisy.
* So who would get the veep slot on a Trump ticket? It would have to be someone willing to double down on their political career, because a Hillary Clinton win could have serious down-ballot implications for the GOP. It could augur the biggest party implosion since the Whigs.
A short list could include New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Maine Gov. Paul LePage, former Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer, Maricopa County (Az.) Sheriff Joe Arpaio and Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions. But do we dare overlook Kid Rock, Charlie Sheen, Ted Nugent, Dennis Rodman or Jean-Marie Le Pen? Wish I were totally kidding.
* No, you can’t make this up. Even if you were Pravda or Granma lampooning American presidential politics. Donald Trump’s “I love the poorly educated” is merely the most recent example of this theater-of-the-absurd primary season.
Obviously Donald Trump will say virtually anything except this: “I love everybody except those who can see right through the loudest drunk at last call. And, of course, those who know more about the issues than an obnoxious egomaniac with a billionaire brand name.”
* Another sign that things are going well for Hillary Clinton: Monica Lewinsky shows up at the Vanity Fair Oscar After Party, and the media only cares about her fashion statements. For the record: She sported a classic black, strapless gown with tiers of ruffles–plus a set of gold heels and a clutch.
* As March 15 approaches, another subplot–beyond ad hominem insults and political endorsements–has manifest itself. A lot of Floridians, more than 500,000 this primary season, vote early by mail. It’s likely a number were cast for co-favorite son Jeb Bush, which hardly helps Marco Rubio, a more likely second choice than Donald Trump. And Rubio, of course, can’t afford to finish anywhere but first in Florida.
* There’s basic political hyperbole, and then there’s what former Florida Sen. Connie Mack recently exclaimed. “I knew Ronald Reagan. I served with Ronald Reagan. And only Marco Rubio can continue the legacy of Ronald Reagan.” Huh?
Maybe one indication would be Rubio ditching his sophomoric, “spray-tan,” “small hands,” Trump counterattacks. Perhaps “Mr. Trump, tear down this wall rhetoric” would be a relevant sign.
* So, Rep. Alan Grayson is supporting Bernie Sanders. Ouch. The Sanders campaign is built on idealism and populism as we used to define it. The support of an unlikeable hedge-fund manager has to be unwelcome to a campaign with not much more than fierce pride left.
*With this week’s “Super Tuesday” primary, we saw the beginning of the next phase of the political calendar. Not just multiple states with diverse demographics–but a quadrennial reminder that territories vote too. Specifically that means American Samoa, Puerto Rico, Guam, Virgin Islands and, lest we forget, the Northern Mariana Islands.