The State of the Race — Republicans Again

I know at some point I should talk about the Democrats but all the fun seems to be with the Republicans so far.

The problem we have in this country is Muslims and Obama is one of them and the secret training camps for terrorists in this country. This was a comment to Trump at one of his campaign rallies. Instead of calling the guy out or disputing the training camps, Trump essentially agreed with him. Then the campaign said it wasn’t Trumps responsibility to correct what the guy said.

Then there’s this gem from Ben Carson:

Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson says Islam is antithetical to the Constitution, and he doesn’t believe that a Muslim should be elected president.

Carson, a devout Christian, says a president’s faith should matter to voters if it runs counter to the values and principles of America.

Responding to a question during an interview broadcast Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” he described the Islamic faith as inconsistent with the Constitution.

“I would not advocate that we put a Muslim in charge of this nation,” Carson said. “I absolutely would not agree with that.”

He did not specify in what way Islam ran counter to constitutional principles.

At least not all of the Republican candidates agreed with Carson:

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who taped Sunday an episode of Iowa Press, an Iowa Public Television program, was asked if he agreed with Carson’s statements on Muslims being president. “The Constitution specifies that there shall be no religious test for public office, and I am a constitutionalist,” Cruz said.

Seems to me that instead of running around and talking about the Constitution they might actually want to sit down and read the document. They’d be surprised just how wrong they’ve been on what it says and means. Wrong about it for years. Case in point their support for the clerk in Kentucky who wouldn’t issue marriage licenses. You swear to uphold the law and part of that law is you don’t get to decide what duties you won’t perform in a position because you religion is against it. You have to wonder if oh say a Muslim did the same thing. These same idiots would be screaming about Sharia law being implemented in America.

The other news is that Scott Walker dropped out of the race. I have to say to me this not much news. He seemed well to be nice like a complete dolt. He seemed unable to articulate a position which he didn’t change his mind on ten minutes later. He was revealed to be an empty suit. The Koch brothers anointed candidate just didn’t have what it takes to reach the primaries let alone the general election.

Stephen Stromberg had a column in the Post that summed up this ill fated run:

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker dropped out of the Republican presidential race on Monday, showing that simplicity and shamelessness aren’t always rewarded in politics. Walker was supposed to be a GOP juggernaut, uniting anti-union business types, evangelicals and tea partyers with his combative, ideologically charged record in Madison. Emphasizing his Midwestern identity and conservative credentials — playing a sort of everyday ideologue — he seemed to have Iowa locked up, until Donald Trump exploded.=

Walker didn’t need Trump to fail. He didn’t just have bad luck. He couldn’t be any more than he is: walking proof that a combative style, a hard ideological edge and identity-based pandering can’t always make up for cluelessness. The conservatives who championed Walker should have expected more. The Republican Party needs more.

 What the Republican Party needs are some candidates that actually have a brain (yes I know a tall order with this group), that actually know what the Constitution says and won't pander to the far right monster the party helped create. And that will be one tall order.