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Round One is Over…Thank You Jesus

The first round of the Republican “debates” for the 2016 presidential season is over. Who won? I don’t know. It all depends on how well the Democrats can stand up for America. Their debates start in October. The Republican candidates all showed they are ready willing and able to protect corporate and wealthy individual interests first, last, and always; that they will take more and more from you and me to pay for the economic losses their programs will cause, and then they will blame the oppressive outcomes on the Democrats. They tried to find something in their backgrounds, or their parents’ backgrounds that showed they understand what it means to be poor knowing full well that they are not nor will they ever be poor. They showed a continuing zeal to protect fetuses while showing no interest at all for protecting them after they are born and become citizens. They extended their disdain for Mexicans to include Guatemalans and Hondurans. They pretended no knowledge at all about the increased poverty their actions will bring; or knowledge of the austerity that will grow across the country under their control. It is a tale told by puppets who are owned lock, stock, and barrel by the wealthy, for the wealthy, and against all those who object.

But I know who and what lost. Respect for truth lost. Knowledge about how the economy works lost. Respect for life after birth lost. Facts about accomplishments lost. Anything that resembles analytical skills lost. Respect for health care lost. Respect for the elderly lost. Respect for our collective consciousness about such matters lost. Respect for our heritage lost. The real purpose and value of leadership lost. Respect for history lost. Respect for founding values lost. Perceptions of America around the world lost. America’s actual standing in the world lost. Respect for peace, love, and understanding lost. Personal integrity fell into a black hole.

And the winners were: Exaggerated impressions of self importance won. Uneasiness about how to articulate a lie won. Triviality won. Cover-up humor won a little especially when one candidate said that one of our strategic bombers was older than him—and that’s scary! Another said he thought he was the first to have performed surgery on someone who needed a brain until he met a few members of Congress. I chuckled at both attempts at real humor, but that is all.

Am I excitedly waiting for the next round of debates? No. Now I want my money back from the first round. My estimate is that I would lose $4000 to $6000 per year if they should win control of the White House along with control of Congress. I can live with those losses, but I know many others who cannot.