"...A Whole New Meaning To The Term 'March Madness'..."

Not much of a winter to be seen thus far here in the Chesapeake Bay area.

Temperatures, and general weather, for that matter, actually balmy on more days than usual.

Then again, it is only mid-January.

And while the calendar informs that the first "day of winter" this season was December 21st, February tends to be the month we really start building a snowman in the meadow and pretending that he is Parson Brown.

And we never, ever, underestimate March.

Even though the calendar informs that March 20 is the first day of spring.

So, chances are pretty good that what's going to hit us will be a lot more apparent come March.

Wait and see.

Meanwhile...

Not much of a slow down of the Trump train here in the Chesapeake Bay area.

Support for, even excitement about, the possibility of this guy actually going all the way even, as these things tend to go, even more frenzied than usual.

Then again, it is only mid-January.

And the calendar informs that February is the month we really start to see actual people walking into actual voting booths and pushing actual buttons.

And, when it comes to shaking out the loose leaves on the candidate tree, not to mention, sharpening the focus on who really has the big Mo, we never, ever, underestimate March.

Super Tuesday and all that.

And along with all the typical, to be expected shots and slanders taken at the Donald, social media seems to be getting hotter and heavier with the heavier of the attack artilleries.

Among the sizable shells:

• The oldie, but goodie, smack-down of the Trump sons for their politically inconvenient habit of shooting large, but essentially defenseless, animals and justifying said slaughter by tagging it "sport"

Animal rights activists are revolted by a series of trophy photos that have emerged showing Eric and Donald Trump Jr. posing with a dead elephant, kudu, civet cat and waterbuck while on a big game safari in Zimbabwe last year. In one photo, Donald Jr. proudly holds a dead elephant tail in one hand and a knife in the other. In another, the brothers are seen standing beside a 12'8" crocodile hanging from a noose off a tree.

•  The seemingly unfortunate, but bet the farm inevitable, re-focus (pun unintended but entertaining) on modeling photos taken of the Du Jour Mrs. Trump, putting her in the unique historical position of being the first woman ever seriously considered a possible future First Lady who has, intentionally, posed nude.  
  

One naturally assumes that torpedoes of this size would do noticeable, if not considerable, damage to Trump's battleship.

After all, even the America of 2016 draws a line at some point when it comes to the salaciousness, sensationalism and/or scandalizing that we oh so sardonically refer to as the Presidential election process.

But, along with March, apparently, there is something else, pretty major, that we just might be in danger of underestimating this time around.

Something that Trump has grabbed hold of and parlayed into a success story that, just, say, a year ago, would have resulted in an guaranteed, instant rejection from any publisher of stories.

A new voting bloc.

In the proud tradition of "New Dealers", "New Frontiersmen" and, of course, "the silent majority", a loud and powerful, and seemingly growing, political voice being heard from L.A to N.Y, from north of the picket wire to south of the border, from sea to shining sea.

The Trump Stumpers.

As in, as dumb as.

Those who not only buy, but reverently believe, the idea that all it will take to "turn this country around" is blunt talk.

Candid commentary.

Unfiltered utterances.

And the "never fails to get an amen" one size fits all rationalization:

"....saying out loud what people are thinking...."

A concept of leadership almost solely consisting of a promise to box up and ship back those who don't qualify for member and/or citizenship and a pledge to deal with enemies foreign by simply, and bluntly, "bombing the shit out of them."

Box box.

Boom boom

Problem(s) solved.

America.

Made great again.

Just.

Like.

That.

And never mind the endless list of "dis"qualifications justifiably associated with this man who wants the keys to the ship of state, the keys to 1600 Pennsylvania and, one assumes, in proxy if not practice, the keys to the kingdom.

Without even bothering to include the aforementioned big game "hunting" offspring and/or big breasted "modeling" spouse of the week that come included in the premium package.

In fact, never mind the whole silly, stupid concept that this particular comedy of a campaign will actually last much longer.

Surely, cooler heads will prevail.

Wiser minds will make wiser decisions.

There's still plenty of time for this farcical, but admittedly exciting, production to finish out its very successful run on the stage of American electoral entertainment.

After all, it's only mid-January.

And the calendar informs that February is the month we really start to see actual people walking into actual voting booths and pushing actual buttons.

And, when it comes to shaking out the loose leaves on the candidate tree, not to mention, sharpening the focus on who really has the big Mo, we never, ever, underestimate March.

Not to mention, or remind, as it were, of the danger in underestimating something new this time around.

The actual number of Trump Stumpers.

Not much of a winter to be seen thus far here in the Chesapeake Bay area.

But, February tends to be the month we really start building a snowman in the meadow and pretending that he is Parson Brown.

March 20 is the first day of spring.

March 1st, meanwhile, is Super Tuesday.

So, chances are pretty good that, when it comes to both winter...and winners...what's going to hit us will be a lot more apparent come March.

Wait and see.