Donald Trump does not know his Hamas from his Hezbollah. That’s one of the startling lessons of this summer of political turbulence. The whiny vulagarian, who heads into the autumn at the top of most opinion polls, flunked his interview on Hugh Hewitt’s radio talk show.
Republican Trump’s thin knowledge of vital issues is destined to take a toll on his presidential prospects. In medieval times, people thought salted red pistachio nuts could send zombies back to their graves. Double-barreled nonsense has found a place in the popular mind through the ages. Scrutiny is not the reality television personality’s friend.
Hamas is an Islamist Palestinian terrorist organization based in Gaza. Hezbollah is an Islamist terrorist organization based in Lebanon that has close ties to Syria and Iran. One group is Sunni, the other is Shiite. Expect the thin-skinned bully to reduce his thoughts to 140 characters on his busy, disputatious Twitter account.
Like 19th century circus impresario P.T. Barnum, Trump’s hopes rest on the belief that there’s a sucker born every minute. His competitors and critics are counting on plenty of more sensible folk having been born in the minutes in between.
Like her friend Trump, Hillary Clinton is placing a large wager on the sucker caucus. It looks like a losing bet as gentle summer winds turned into a raging storm around her curious email practices. The forecast continues to predict stormy weather for the woman who has a long and tortured relationship with the truth.
The leading Democratic presidential hopeful’s troubles are, as usual, of her own design. Clinton said in an interview with MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell last week that she’s awfully sorry she confused the public by conducting public business on a private email system. What the former secretary of state most regrets is that the public understands the growing scandal with each revelation that refutes Clinton’s most recent tortured explanation of her scheme to keep the people’s business from the people.
Confusion as a strategy officially failed when lawyers for Clinton technology aide Bryan Pagliano announced he is invoking his constitutional right against self-incrimination in the various investigations of the Clinton server. That right is one of the many glories of America. It can prompt a powerful response. Investigators could provide Pagliano with immunity from prosecution for his testimony. If they do, no one will be confused as to the lethal turn the investigations have taken for Clinton.
The summer’s been tough on others besides Clinton. Poor Martin O’Malley looks like a man whose future is all behind him. The bumptious Maryland Democrat must cry himself to sleep each night his socialist rival, Vermont U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, attracts another 20,000 supporters to a rally–and he’s not even a Democrat.
With Trump taking the loudmouth card in the Republican race, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has been reduced to making news by eating a pork chop on a stick at the Iowa State Fair while being dogged by animal rights activists. Before CNN changed its September 16th Republican debate rules, the fading Christie was in a dogfight with feisty surging Carly Fiorina for the coveted 10th spot on the main event stage.
In contrast to most of her more experienced competitors, Fiorina blossomed in the summer sun. A steady climb in polls of Republicans found the party faithful approving of the jargon-free zones the former Hewlett-Packard chief created wherever she appeared. It was no surprise that Fiorina knew the difference between Hamas and Hezbollah when Hewitt asked her.
A hefty cull of candidates have fallen to the “one day a peacock, next day a feather duster” experience. Formidable presidential aspirants of yesteryear Rick Perry, Mike Huckabee, and Rick Santorum have faded into non-entities in this contest as John Kasich and the gentle surprise of the season, Dr. Ben Carson, collect supporters.
Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, a top tier candidate in the spring, shrinks the longer he’s in the spotlight. Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio have not been as badly buffeted by their turns in the center ring, but neither is close to where supporters and pundits expected each would be five months before Republicans begin to select delegates and a summer of casualties ends.
