Falling In Love

 

 

 "Democrats fall in love, Republicans fall in line." - Bill Clinton.

If you haven't noticed, I haven't been writing about politics lately.

One: Politics is boring.  You are either a big Trumpster, or you are not. That's it. Nobody tries to find the middle ground because everyone says there is no middle ground.

Fun fact: there is always a middle ground.

Two: Most people on social media "discuss" politics by memes. The memes are usually posted with a comment like "Nuff' said" or "Amen". 

For example, I saw a meme about Rand Paul. Rand Paul is a senator from Kentucky who is trying to hold Dr. Anthony Fauci "accountable" for some of the things that happened during the recent unpleasantness. 

This meme made a big deal about Rand Paul not being a board-certified ophthalmologist.

It is right. Senator Doctor Paul is not a board-certified ophthalmologist. Now.  He was board-certified for ten years and then got into a dispute with the American Board of Ophthalmology over recertification and tried to create his own certification board. He then just let the matter drop. So if you are going to get cataract surgery from Senator Doctor Paul, just be aware that it will be in a back alley and he won't accept your insurance.

The point of this particular meme was: How dare Rand Paul question the great Anthony Fauci when he isn't even board-certified.

 

Well, as George Will used to say. Paul was questioning Fauci over "gain-of-function" tests and whether Fauci approved a grant to the Chinese lab, which led to a lab leak, which led to a pandemic, and led to everybody staying inside and washing their hands every forty seconds.  

 

The Chinese lab either did gain-of-function tests or they didn't and Dr. Fauci either approved a grant to the Chinese lab or he didn't. I don't think that is a medical question only an immunologist can answer. 

However, there's been a new blip on the political radar, and it has to do with the 2028 Presidential election. 

As everybody but President Orange knows, Trump cannot run for re-election. There's no wiggle room. The Constitution is very clear about it that Trump cannot be elected to another four year term. 

For the Republicans, it looks like Vice President Vance is going to run as the heir apparent (you pick up these terms in history class) to President Trump, or Secretary of State Marco Rubio.  That's it.

For Democrats, the question is not who will run but who will not run. Who will not run in 2028:  Harry Truman, Henry Jackson, Walter Mondale, or Michael Dukakis.  Just about everybody with a (D) by their name is at least thinking about running for President. 

One name that is gaining traction is Georgia's own Senator Jon Ossoff.

Jon Ossoff became a Senator when David Perdue could not pick up 50%  plus one in the 2020 Senatorial election. This caused a run-off. The trouble was that Gov. Brian Kemp decided to enforce Georgia law, and Trump pitched a snit fit and did more harm than good. You might remember it. It was in all the papers. 

Put it this way: Ossoff defeated  Perdue by 1.22 percentage points.  Not exactly a strong beginning. 

However, Ossoff gives the Democrats something they haven't had in a while-a Southern Democrat. 

Give Ossoff this: while you see him as just a young guy who got lucky and won a Senate seat, he looks in the mirror and sees a President of the United States.

Ossoff and his team have noticed that his last name starts with the same letter as Obama's.  Ossoff sees himself as the Obama nobody wanted or asked for. 

Since the Democrats don't have a leader, some want another one of THE GREAT DEMOCRATIC PARTY OUTSIDERS to come in and save the Democrats from a President Gavin Newsom making kissy faces at himself in the mirror. 

The Democrats have a history of someone from out of the blue coming in and sweeping them off their feet.  Think of JFK, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama.

So all of the people who think they know things think Ossoff can do this. 

He barely won his Senate seat. Nobody around here (Georgia) ever talks about him. The great "They" (people who write political columns) are saying he's a shoo-in for re-election.  Maybe.

But in his big deal speech about Trump, Ossoff brings up Natalie Harp for, I don't know, doing her job. Of course, Trump hit back with one of his zingers. He calls Ossoff "Pee-Wee Harman".   Not his best insult. 

Ossoff has other liabilities, some of which reflect poorly on Democrats.

While I consider him your average, garden-variety lefty Democrat, the modern Democratic Party considers him a moderate. That says something about the Democratic Party.

And then there is the problem.  Ossoff is Jewish.

Frankly, the Democrats are really dancing on the line of being anti-semitic, if not, in many cases, being outright bigots. It is hard to see how all of the wackos in the Democratic Party, which is where all the energy is now, will process this information.

But you never know. I just wouldn't buy any tickets to an Ossoff Inauguration now.