And they're off!!

On the Democratic side we experienced what an insurgent campaign can do. How can you not love Bernie? In my day it was Gene McCarthy (Not be confused with the odious Joe McCarthy). Gene was a poet and soared with the eagles and us young folks wanted to fly with him except when the rubber met the road, Gene tanked.

Bernie making a point

That is not to say that Bernie is destined to tank, although history does not favor the revolutionary. At least not in this country that was born through a real revolution. Bernie is more down to the ground than Gene was but the dynamic is similar -- he appeals to the young and idealistic. Hillary, on the other hand reminds us of mother nagging us to eat our vegetables. We knew she was trying to help us but we resented her bossiness. Bernie inspires, Hillary perspires.

I still think the odds favor Hillary but it won't be a smooth ride to the nomination.

On the Republican side we have a real mess -- a disastah as the Donald would say. I am gratified that some voters followed my advice (A Totally Biased Evaluation of the GOP Field on this Blog) and gave some overdue props to John Kasich, by far the more qualified of the GOP assemblage.

The Trumpista in action

But Trumpism (I think we can officially call it Trumpism by now) is still alive and kicking. This is the first time the American public is flirting with a real despot.  He's not quite on the order of magnitude of Pol Pot, or Stalin or even Hitler,  but he is a junior member of that club. Trump has real fans, people devoted to him, oblivious of any of his flaws, his bombast, and his obvious disregard for the unwashed masses. But they love him nonetheless which is the magnetic attraction of wannabe dictators. I think the closest analogy is Argentina's Peron, and subsequent Peronismo. At great risk of really offending him we can also use the Spanish version of his movement and call it Trumpismo, which is the closest thing approaching his reality.

Kasich with his family

So the real question is will the GOP fall for this tycoon (he likes that name) and help us become a joke country like Argentina was during Peron, or come to its senses at the last minute and go with a decent human being like John Kasich. Only time will tell.

As for the other Republicans we have the GOP version of the suicide bomber in Chris Christie. He very ably destroyed the up and comer, Marco Rubio, but as most suicide bombers realize, they destroy themselves in the process so both Rubio and Christie are toast. Maybe Chris did us all a favor. Who knows?

As for Ted Cruz and Jeb Bush, Ted is clearly looking for the hate vote.  But he is too obnoxious to become President.  He is intensely unlikable.  Not even his cute daughter likes him evidenced by his attempt to kiss her in front of the cameras and her recoiling with disgust. That says a lot about a man. If your own daughter cringes at you there is something very wrong here. Little girls are supposed to love their daddies.

And what about poor Jeb? At this point I have to feel sorry for the man. Not his fault that his brother was a doofus. He seems like a genuine nice guy. I don't think he would have any trouble with his kids kissing and hugging him. But he doesn't seem to be able to find that spark. And adding an exclamation point at the end of his name only reinforces the irony. I think Trump unfairly characterized him as "low energy" but the better portrayal would be "calm." And I don't think a calm commander in chief is a bad idea. Certainly better then the frenetic Trump who would shoot from the hip as much as he shoots from the lip.

The remaining GOP candidates aren't worth any ink as they do not factor in this race at all. They are better off going home and telling their grand kids they ran for President one day.

Donald Trump, Loser

Calling the Donald a loser has to be the biggest insult of them all. He's been called racist, misogynist, bigot, etc. and it only seems to make him stronger. As my Grandmother used to say, "What won't kill you will fatten you."

My wife and I were watching the returns from Iowa last night and we were openly rooting for Marco Rubio. Not that Marco is one of our favorites, but he climbed up to one point away from Trump. We were dying to see when he would tie him and then beat him by one point. It didn't happen but Marco milked it for all he could get. It was a moral victory for him and what I'm sure Trump was railing about in private that he was outgunned by two Cubans. After all those assaults on Latinos, here he was, surrounded by Cubans and losing to them. How traumatic can that be for the self described winner? Losing to people who are not even "regular" Americans, and one of them not even born inside the country! How humiliating is that?

You almost have to feel sorry for the Trumpster. Forced to eat crow on live TV.

Welcome to the real reality TV, Donald.

This is the reality TV you can't manipulate, direct, or create a happy ending for yourself. You may be able to bedazzle a gold-digger like Sarah Palin, but you can't fool all of the people all of the time.

It would be premature to write this as an epitaph but the warning signs are there if you pay attention to them. There should be bells ringing in your head, Donald. Red flags popping up. Reality and Reality TV are not the same thing. Actually, and I know this will come as a shock to many Americans, there is nothing real about Reality TV. It's just entertainment packaged a little differently. Kind of like professional wrestling which you are a master of.

Much to the chagrin of the conspiracy enthusiasts out there, the fix is not in. There are plenty of people wanting to put the thumb on the scales (you among many) but in the end, it still is the people's call. You can't bribe them all, Donald.

Will people realize their knight in shining armor is wearing fake armor and a rubber sword? Or will those who are still pissed off at "the man" (whoever he is) stick to you like glue and carry you to the promised land?

Stay tuned, folks because it will only get more interesting.