Candidate Parade

By Tom Quiner

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNOiT0dD_RI

This presidential campaign reminds me of “Easter Parade” in a perverse way.

“East Parade” was the hit 1948 movie starring the great Fred Astaire and Judy Garland. The plot is straight forward: Fred Astaire has a dancing partner who leaves the act to go solo. They also had a romantic relationship, so Fred is feeling doubly rejected. To get back at her, he boasts that he could pull any girl off of the chorus line and turn her into a star with his sheer star power.

The girl he pulls out of the chorus line is none other than Judy Garland. The duo sputters at first because Fred isn’t letting Judy be Judy. He tries to force her to fit the mold of his previous partner.

However, once he lets Judy be Judy, the act gels and they make it big. Watch the scene above as Fred lets Judy be Judy as they sing “I love a piano” (who doesn’t!).

The rest is history, as they say in show biz.

Okay, what does “Easter Parade” have to do with this presidential campaign?

From the perspective of Trump supporters, Trump won the nomination because Trump was Trump. He didn’t allow himself to be censored by the PC Thought Police.

He is a populist candidate who thinks the same way a lot of people are thinking. And he vocalizes these politically incorrect thoughts without the self censorship (or discretion, as we would have said in more civilized times) we expect in a presidential candidate.

In other words, he doesn’t care about class, civility, or the content of his message. He cares about winning. Period.

Here’s the problem. The media gave him a lot of rope while he was campaigning. The MSM prayed that he would win the nomination and gut the Republican Brand. They would wait and sharpen their knives once he had the nomination locked up.

They are now wielding their knives and tightening the noose as Trump continues to be Trump. From Quiner’s Diner’s perspective, Trump is blowing it. He managed to lose 8 points in 8 days to Hillary, according to the Real Clear Politics average.

Which brings me back to Easter Parade.

Don’t you think that Republicans could pull anyone out of the “chorus line” and win this election? I mean, think about some of the candidates who ran in the Republican primary season you’ve barely heard of, men like George Pataki or Jim Gilmore.

Put them on the ticket and they’d win.

All they’ve got to do is STAY. ON. MESSAGE.

The Obama/Hillary record is absolutely abysmal. Hillary Clinton actually makes Jimmy Carter look good.

Heck, Hillary Clinton makes me long for George McGovern!

Donald Trump may surprise me and win the election and become a great president. No, make that shock me … no stupefy me. Whatever.

Right now, I expect him to lose big based on the past week’s campaigning. If only we could pull someone out of the chorus line. We’d make ’em a star come November!

For now, I’m going home to play a little piano this weekend. How else am I supposed to keep my sanity with a campaign featuring Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump yapping at my heals?