"...Who Can Take A Sunrise....And Block It With A Wall?..."

A few months ago, I did an entire episode of my Sunday night talk/commentary radio show about what I labeled "America's new deadly sin".

Arrogance.

In a nutshell, I offered up that a lot of the problems that we have as a nation these days have a lot to do with the fact that there is one problem we have that we aren't even close to admitting we have in the first place.

Arrogance.

I'm not the first delightfully articulate, boyishly handsome talking head to point out this little bald eagle in our ointment.

Credit for that goes to writer Aaron Sorkin, the Oscar winning screenwriter of the movies, "Steve Jobs" and "The Social Network", as well as the multiple Emmy winning TV series, "The West Wing".

Mr. Sorkin, for my overtaxed dollar, parked one over the center field fence with this stunningly brilliant monologue, spoken by the character of newscaster Will McAvoy, portrayed by Jeff Daniels in the opening scene of the opening episode of  another Sorkin series, HBO's "The Newsroom".

Somehow not so surprisingly, the response by listeners to my show that night was almost non existent. 

And, as a rule, on a show where all I have to do is say the words "right to bear arms", "Second Amendment", "gun control" and/or "same sex marriage" in any context whatsoever and the phone light up like the White House Christmas tree, the lack of response to a controversial topic, and especially a controversial comment about that topic, generally means only one thing.

People listening might not like what they're hearing, they might even be angered by what they're hearing but they're not calling in to disagree.

Because, stubbornness and hardheadedness notwithstanding, they know the truth when they hear it.

Lately, I've been constructing a corollary to the notion that we are walking wounded these days in large measure because of the arrogance I described, the arrogance so eloquently painted by Aaron Sorkin's words and Jeff Daniels' performance.

It has to do with freedom.

And another of my patented, trademark bumper sticker aphorisms.

The problem with freedom....is that you have to give it to everybody.

And the problem with freedom in America in the year 2016 is that it is, too often, in too many ways, afforded to too many people, freedom without.

Freedom without accountability.

Freedom without responsibility.

Freedom without ability.

Even freedom without respect for that very freedom in the first place.

Freedom handed out along with the  congratulations balloons, potted plants, dollar off baby powder coupons and smudgy teeny tiny footprints on that birth certificate to any and every one born in this country with no other qualification required than that they have just been born in this country.

We never really stop to consider the zaniness bordering on insanity of doling out freedom like a free with every purchase bonus for doing nothing more than being born but we would never, never, ever consider, say, giving a child the keys to the car and a cheerful "have fun" simply, and only, because they just turned 15.

Or hand them a gun and say "good shootin", kiddo."

Well, actually, that happens a lot. But the car thing? No way, Jose'.

Oh and Jose in that context is used as an affectionate nod to the classic silly rhyme we've all used all our lives and is, in no way, intended to denigrate or discriminate against anyone actually named Jose'.

Freedom, meanwhile, is cool.

Freedom is neat-o.

Freedom is bitchin.

And, you know what else freedom is?

C'mon, you've heard it said a million times.

Freedom is sweet.

You've probably said it a million times.

Sweet freedom.

And you know why freedom is sweet?

Because freedom is like sugar.

It's delicious and delightful and makes the flavor of everything in our everyday lives a tasty treat for the whole family.

People from oppressed countries all over the great big world risk life and limb to come here and taste the joys of living in a land where the opportunities and the air...and the freedom is sweet.

Whatcha wanna bet that the first elementary phrase that foreigners wanna learn when they study English is some translation or form of "c'mon and gimme some sugar."

Here's the thing about sugar, though.

As with beautiful falling snow, visits from in-laws and anything having to do with Miley Cyrus, a little goes a long, long way.

And too much?

Well, too much can slow you down, inflame your joints, make you moody, even make you angry, make you fat, make you tired, make you lazy, make you cross that tricky line between life is sweet and life is shit before you can say, hey, honey, pass the sugar.

And the only way to counter the negative effects is to back off, cut back, even get off the sugarland express for awhile.

Or even forever.

But, that's not so easily done, is it?

Cause we all know what else sugar is, don't we?

Might as well face it....we're addicted.

As completely and deeply and monkey on our backs addicted as addicted can be.

To sugar.

And to freedom.

Including the freedom to simply enjoy the freedom.

Without accountability.

Without responsibility.

Without ability.

Even without respect for that very freedom in the first place.

And, as we all and Jenny Craig and Marie Osmond, among others, tell us, giving up that pleasure is  hard, man.

Made even harder by the fact that you gotta admit you've got a problem before you have any chance of finding a solution to that problem.

But that's almost impossible to do.

When you're addicted.

And  you're angry.

So, just like any self respecting addict, you go looking for the quick fix or the easy solution, the one size fits all answer to the problems that have come about because rather than having our freedoms taken away from us, too much freedom, in fact, has been handed out to too many people who don't deserve it, who don't use it with intelligence and in moderation and who simply don't respect it.

They just want it. And then they want more of it.

And somebody slick and savvy about those kind of things comes along and taps into that anger and makes you feel like he understands exactly why you're angry and promises to make it all better.

Doesn't tell you how, exactly, but makes promises that are just too good to turn away from.

The promise that America will soon, once again, be the greatest country in the world.

What this guy says has gotta be true.

After all, it says so right on his cap.

Pretty sweet.

Here's some candy.

Get in the car.

"...You Got A New Fool...Ha....I Like It Like That..."

Every campaign wants a snappy theme song.

People like snappy theme songs.

A song that will heat things up.

Wow. Have I got a song.

Susan Olsen is, Wikipedia tells us, an American former child actress, animal welfare advocate, radio host and creator of pop art.

To a couple of generations of television sitcom connoisseurs, though, Susan will be forever known, in globally syndicated re-runs at any time of day or night until the end of time, as the "adorable, heart stealing, pigtail wearing youngest sibling" of one of America's most beloved, genuine and sincere fictional families, The Brady Bunch.

The once upon a time Cindy Brady is also a Facebook friend of mine, but, in the spirit of full disclosure, she's one of those Facebook friends that we all have because we all know somebody personally who is a Facebook friend to someone else who knows somebody who knows somebody who is a mutual friend of somebody who friend requested somebody who is famous and their name showed up in that "people you might know" dealio and you take what you figure is a long shot at friend requesting them and, bada bing, next thing you know you can say, with unimpeachable honesty, that you and "pick a famous name" are Facebook friends.

Truth is, I've never met, nor actually spoken to Ms. Olsen, although we have traded comments a few times on our respective posts and or comments.

Because, did I mention this?....we're Facebook friends.

Susan ( I can call her Susan, you see, because we're Facebook friends) is a pretty outspoken former child actress, animal welfare advocate, radio host and creator of pop art and, currently, one of  Donald Trump's most vocal supporters, partly, I imagine, because she, like any of us, sees things as she rightfully chooses to see them and partly, I imagine, because it makes for good pot stirring when hosting talk radio.

Trust me, I'm jiggy wit' the method to Susan's madness there, ya know?

Yesterday, in part of an ongoing discussion she is having on Facebook regarding protests at Trump rallies in general and, in particular, that guy who rushed the stage at a recent Trump rally only to find himself somewhat discouraged from any real forward motion by the Secret Service, Susan posted a little, useful good to know factoid.

"FYI", she posts, "according to HR347, it is illegal to protest anywhere that the Secret Service is present."

For those not hip to the jargon, "HR" stands for House Resolution, as in House of Representatives.

And for those Trump supporters who own white hoods and/or feel their patriotic duty is to sucker punch people in the crowd, "FYI" stands for For Your Information.

What caught this show host/Facebook friend of Susan Olsen's eye, though, wasn't the usual banter/back and forth between Susan and her commenters/guests regarding the concept of protest or the House Resolution or even the garden variety verbal badminton played with the birdie of the admittedly surreal Trump candidacy.

No, what made me go, hmm, was a brief exchange between two of the thread participants.

"Give it a rest", one lady offered up, "Your man Trump will only be king of the bigots."

To which a young lady replied, in the spirit of this election that we've all come to feel wrapped around us like a Snuggie on a January Minneapolis night, "you're a moron and your opinion is irrelevant do to your ignorance."

Well, now, there's some more of that insightful, introspective and erudite discourse that is making America more impressive than ever in the eyes of the global community.

But it wasn't the usual, sadly predictable, Robert DeNiro "eff me?....no, eff YOU" tone of the exchange that made me go, hmm.

It was the little, easily overlooked, but undeniably undeniable splash of irony hiding right there in plain sight in the young lady's critique of the first lady's comment.

She correctly used the word "you're" and not the too often used "your" where the word "you're" was appropriate.

She correctly used the word "your" and not the too often used "you're" where the word "your" was appropriate.

She spelled both the words "irrelevant" and "ignorance" correctly.

And then....there it is.

" your opinion is irrelevant do to your ignorance."

Do to your ignorance.

D.

O.

For those Trump supporters who own white hoods and/or feel their patriotic duty is to sucker punch people in the crowd, the correct spelling of the word she obviously mean to use is

D.

U.

E.

Okay. So it's a little thing, a picky thing.

Even, as my Tennessee family and friends like to say, "pickin' fly poop outta pepper".

But you and I both know what they say about little things.

And there is something delightfully dark and uniquely American in this "through the looking glass year" of 2016 about someone who manages to exhibit, simultaneously, an instantly intolerant response to another's intolerance, criticize someone's insulting comments by responding with insulting comments and, best, and most deliciously ironic of all, attempt to immolate ignorance by illustrating ignorance.

Oh, yeah, for those Trump supporters who own white hoods and/or feel their patriotic duty is to sucker punch people in the crowd, "immolate" means "set fire to"

Come to think of it.....

It is delightfully dark.

And it is American, at least, in the looking glass year of 2016.

But, it's really not all that unique is it?

As a matter of fact, it's not even all that unusual, anymore.

In fact, it's actually a fairly common occurence.

You can see a whole lot of it, as it turns out, at, say, Trump rallies.

Throughout the assembled gathering of participants and/or worshippers.

But for an unequaled presentation of those deliciously dark skills....

...just keep your eyes and ears locked like a laser on that fellow at the podium.

Now, that guy...

...that guy is a slam dunk when it comes to immolating a crowd.

And as far as a snappy campaign theme song?

Got you covered.

"...We Love You, Donald, Oh, Yes We Do....We Love You, Donald...Hey, Wait A Minute...."

Old joke.

Women....can't live with em'.....can't live without em'.

New joke.

Women...can't live with em'...can't get elected to high office without the support of a vast majority of em'.

Which makes the thus far success of Donald Trump all the more a mystery.

Common sense or logic or some combination of the two would have you thinking that, given his obvious rude, crude, neanderthal coated misogyny, the Donald would be more commonly known around these here lady parts as the Douche.

But, hey, chickee babies, it ain't only them country boys a-sangin' about how good yer lookin' in them thar Daisy Dukes that's contributin' to the Trump tally.

Here's a P.O.V on the W-O-M-A-N thing from Allee Manning and Jody Sieradzki at Vocativ.com.


According to entry and exit poll data, Donald Trump has continued to woo female voters, pretty much across the board. He scored higher than any other candidate with female voters at the past three primary events in New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Nevada, earning almost half of popular female vote in the last contest.

Senator Ted Cruz won the lion’s share of the female vote in Iowa, but since, the business mogul has maintained momentum. On CNN, Trump said he’d be “good to women,” and work to protect them—and many seem to believe him.

Despite his penchant for off-the-cuff misogyny, Trump does hold more progressive policies than some of the rest of the field on issues that affect women. He is pro-life, but recently acknowledged the great women’s health work Planned Parenthood does outside abortion—even getting a shout-out from the group’s president, Cecile Richards. And his past life as a pro-choice Democrat make his current pro-life stance seem less hardline.

Some previous female employees have gone on Facebook to tout his mentorship as a businessman. Others shared anecdotal evidence and a 1989 “Savvy Women” magazine cover in which he posed alongside female employees, his lawyer, and then wife Ivana.

And of course, many might not care. Women are a massive and diverse group of voters, who make up more than half the electorate. Most have more at stake than just gender politics, and in the same way that his Latino supporters ignored his immigration comments, for some, his chauvinism is easy to brush off. For most female Trump supporters interviewed by Cosmopolitan at a recent rally, gender equality simply wasn’t seen as a major concern, reflective of a YouGov/HuffPost study that showed less than 5 percent of Republicans identified as feminists in 2013.

Others said they identify with his brand of politically-incorrect openness, despite the fact their gender occasionally puts them on the receiving end of such sentiments. “What I…love about Trump is that he ‘tells it like it is’ and is politically incorrect,” wrote one Wisconsin woman in a pro-Trump blog post entitled “Brains. Beauty. Trump.”

In an interview with Mic, Scottie Hughes, a Trump supporter and author of ROAR: The New Conservative Woman Speaks Out, attributed this stance to women’s respect for honest candidates. “They look at Trump and they see honesty. Women love honesty,” she said.



Wow.
Honesty.

Okay. Here's some honesty.

Here's three things that are, obviously, in danger of, bordering on being or, possibly, already out of style in the America of 2016.

Downton Abbey.

Anything Raven-Symone' has to say ever again.

Women who put self respect first.

And, whoa, there, little Nellie, all you estrogen enriched readers, viewers and/ or listeners out there who are already Tweeting away in disagreement with what you see as a diss, let me just offer three more words as proof of the retreat of the R-E-S-P-E-C-T.

Kar.

Dash.

Ian.

And let's don't waste time thinking you can actually beat the hand I'm holding.

Because no matter what you got, I'll see you and raise you a Miley.

And then a Minaj.

And then go all in with an Ariana, a Palin and a Michele Bachman.

And if you still want to give bluffing me one last shot and insist that the women of America do, no matter what, put self respect above all other considerations, I'll just pull out a neatly folded piece of paper and throw it on the table, atop the center of the pot.

On which are written the number of women who have, thus far, and are projected to, from here on out, vote for Donald Trump for President of the United States.

Seriously, ladies.

It really is like your mamas told you.

You can do better.

"....And The Lindbergh Baby....While We're At It, Where Were You THAT Night, Huh?......"

Presidential politics is a little like Daylight Saving Time.

But only just a little.

Because there's a little springing forward in the form of pledges and promises of future accomplishment on the part of those who apply for a four year lease on the property at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

But there's a staggering amount of falling back in the form of digging up every little kick, clot or kernel of a candidate's past, if there's any chance that said digging up will help that candidate's opposition put that lease application in jeopardy.

Surely, and obviously, there's nothing wrong with uncovering heinous character flaws or diabolical criminal activity from the history of someone who wants to be named head of operations in the Oval.

After all, we wouldn't want to elect a President who had, say, murdered someone.

Unless, of course, we could actually get Frank Underwood to run. Can't speak for you but I'm good with the trade off cause, man, that guy would get some things done, you know?

And we wouldn't want to choose someone to lead the whole nation if that someone was, say, prone to incite people to violence as opposed to inspiring us all to greatness.

Oh. Yeah. Forgot about that for a second.

Still, there really comes a point where the whole "dredging up" operation not only insults the process, but it insults our intelligence because we all, all of us, know that we are all only human.

And that we all say and do things in our lives that we might do differently if we had the chance.

Or we just do things because we're young and stupid.

Or just young.

Or just stupid.

And sometimes, even often, as we get older, we grow and mature and change our ways, at least to the point where what we did in our younger years shouldn't be used to discredit us in later years.

Actor Ben Affleck was quoted in an interview published in the New York Times that he hadn't spoken out about his failed marriage to Jennifer Garner because he didn't want their personal challenges floating around in what he called the "miasma" of the Internet.

I was not only impressed with the guy's classy presentation, I was totally jiggy with his use of the word "miasma" because, in such large measure, that's exactly what permeates the Internet.

Case in point relating to today's case in point.

An eight year old "investigative report" from ABC News when Hillary was running the last time around has resurfaced online. And while today's classic video posters obviously want to toss some M-80's in the commode of presidential politics, the whole things falls, at least for us'ns around here, into the category of "really?"

Check it out.

Okay.

Now first up, it's important for you to understand that, regardless of what those who know my work, who visit this site, who read my essays or who listen to my radio shows might believe or tell you, I'm neither a Hillary apologist nor a Hillary supporter.

I'm not crazy about her as a candidate and, even given the Huey P. Long alternative named Donald, I'm not going to vote for her come November.

That said.....really?

Thirty years ago, she was a member of the Wal Mart board of directors for six years, made a staggering eighteen grand a year and went around telling the Wal Mart stock holders what the Wal Mart stockholders what they wanted to hear because that's what members of the Wal Mart board of directors do.....

...and that counts as a wannabe knockout punch in the presidential election in the year 2016?

Again....really?

Is that all you got?

Along with "really?", let me offer you another one word expression of my perspective here.

Puh-leeze.

Hey, you with the Anybody But Hillary wife beater on, there.

You're obviously a history buff.

So, let's take a little stroll down memory lane.

Thirty years ago...

...Rob Lowe attended the 88 Democratic Convention and videotaped himself gettin' busy with two girls he picked up in a local bar. Today, Rob Lowe is an accomplished and respected actor with a diverse resume' who enjoys steady work and a positive reputation.....

...Pete Rose was banned for life from baseball and potential entry into the Baseball Hall Of Fame after being accused of betting on games, although the betting was never proven. Today, Rose has admitted that there was some betting and although he's still "technically" banned from Hall of Fame eligibility, only people with brain damage or respect for Kim, Khloe and Kourtney (sorry, six of one) would bet against his seeing that ban lifted any day now....

...Jimmy Swaggart and Jim Bakker were both caught with their hands in some cookie's jar and were forced to resign their church leaderships in disgrace, Bakker actually sentenced to 45 years in the pokey (no pun intended)...Today, while less high profile than in the glory days of glamorizing the glory, both Swaggart and Bakker have returned to the airwaves, talkin' the Gosepl and takin' in the greenbacks....

...Ronald Reagan, known then as the Teflon President, saw some flakes go flying out of the pan as a little brouhaha that came to be known as the Iran-Contra Scandal devoured the news cycle like a great white on summer vacation at Amity Island....Today, Ronald Reagan is still dead...but he is the go-to guy when Republicans need to rally the troops and/or get boys and girls to rally round their flag.....

and, just to put a little personal punch in the bowl, here, thirty years ago, I was a functioning alcoholic, drinking upwards of a fifth of bourbon a day, smoking two packs of cigarettes a day and, in my early thirties, on a downward spiraling fast track towards gloom despair and, oh yeah, dropping dead before forty....Today, I am thirty years sober, a non smoker and healthy enough to venture a suggestion that living into my eighties or beyond ain't out of the question......

The point here, kids?

Times, and people, change.

We do things in our lives that we look back on with fond remembrance as well as embarrassed remorse, joyful recollection and generally cringe inducing regret.

And until we stop limiting ourselves to the flawed human being pool for our candidate choices, we need to leave the past where it belongs and zero in on the here and now.

If the whole concept of what I'm preaching here still seems a little fuzzy, let's try it this way.

And this is mostly directed to the guys.

Ever had one of those fights with your wife where no matter what you say, she finds a way to reubt you and stay angry, pointing out what a total failure you are as a husband?

And, just when you think you might have made a strong enough case to finally put an end to the battle, she takes you down with the classic, marital fight knockout punch .....

....and reminds you of that shit you pulled in 1993 that wasn't so hot, either?

There you go.

Let's hold our candidates accountable for what they are, and what they stand for, in the here and now.

Let sleeping dogs, and thirty year old Wal Mart board of directorships, lie.

Lord knows, we've got enough mess in and around Capitol Hill to worry about cleaning up.

Without wasting time and energy on a thirty year old clean up on aisle three.

"....May Be The First Time We've Ever Sprung Forward And Marched Backwards At The Same Time...."

Time change last night.

Tick.

Tock.



Donald Trump on Saturday called for protesters who disrupt his rallies to be arrested, one day after altercations and protests forced him to cancel a campaign rally in Chicago.

The comments capped a tumultuous day on the campaign trail in which a demonstrator rushed a stage where Trump was speaking. 

Trump also accused Bernie Sanders' supporters of sowing unrest at his events and the GOP front-runner refused to back down from his rhetoric that some have cited as the cause of heightened tension at his rallies.

Trump's call to arrest protesters came at a campaign event in Kansas City, Missouri, where he was repeatedly interrupted at the beginning of his address.

"I'm going to ask that you arrest them," Trump said to the police. "I'll file whatever charges you want. If they want to do this ... we're going to go strongly for your arrests."

Trump said arresting protesters would "ruin the rest of their lives" by giving them a "big arrest mark."

"Once that starts happening, we're not going to have any more protesters, folks," Trump said.

Of all the hot button fears that Trump's candidacy conjures up in folks who fear the candidacy, there is probably no more hot a button than his consistent, perpetual and, now, predictable pattern of promises to either win the game or move the goal posts wherever and whenever he needs to move them in order to win.

Winning is big with this guy.

Wait.

Make that winning is yuuuuge with this guy.

I have no way of knowing, but, I'd be willing to bet you the money in my pocket against the money in your pocket that Trump is a big, big fan of Vince Lombardi.

For those of you under the age of, say, thirty, uh, yeah, that's the guy they named after the Super Bowl trophy.

Vince, of course, once famously inspirationally offered "winning isn't everything, it's the only thing."

And in a sporting event or a spelling bee or even a pie eating contest, that mentality is all very All American well and good.

The slippery slope shows its slippery self when you start mixing the chocolate of winning with the peanut butter of freedom.

Those who are sincerely concerned about Trump's not so well hidden talent for tyranny, as well as those who simply just don't like the guy are keeping faith with the expectation (hope? wish?) that the more lucid, reasonable, educated in our midst who seriously back Trump will come to their senses and see this guy for who he really is and what he really represents before the voting places close on November 8 and it's too late.

This assumes, unfortunately, that those who seriously support Trump have any senses to come to in the first place.

And though that sounds like a cheap shot at people, it's not intended as one.

It's only intended, once again, as an illustration of how more than ever before frustrated, even angry, people are about the status quo and, in the haze of that hatred, how easy it is to be bewitched, bedazzled and besorzzled by a rakish, rogue rebel who represents everything they think they want in a rakish, rogue rebel.

And we're talking here about frustrated, angry, lucid, reasonable, educated people.

Not the riff raff in the wife beater undershirts with Old Glory on the back and Donald Be Da Man on the front.

There will always be flotsam and jetsam in the general population. One of the down sides to a genuinely free society.

And as to the bewitching and bedazzling and besorzzling, the inevitable allusion, or even outright comparison, to Hitler and his brand of bewitching and bedazzling have already been marched out and paraded around, as least the besorzzling that he brought in the beginning.

Of course, it's always in the beginning, isn't it?

But, we won't go there.

Instead, let's go here.

Trump's call to arrest protesters came at a campaign event in Kansas City, Missouri, where he was repeatedly interrupted at the beginning of his address.

"I'm going to ask that you arrest them," Trump said to the police. "I'll file whatever charges you want. If they want to do this ... we're going to go strongly for your arrests."

Trump said arresting protesters would "ruin the rest of their lives" by giving them a "big arrest mark."

"Once that starts happening, we're not going to have any more protesters, folks," Trump said.

For those who still don't get it when it comes to the danger of a Donald Trump presidency, re-read the last sentence of that story.

Now if you still can't understand, ask any history teacher, or any of your kids who read their history books, how many good things in the America you are so sure is doomed without Trump were created, occurred or came about as the result of protest.

Still don't quite get it?

Keep voting for the guy.

It'll come to you sooner.....later....or too late.

Tick.

Tock.

"...Come Together....Right Now.....Over Me......Bwahaha...."

John Lennon must be havin' a right laugh about now.

In 1966, in what was, arguably, the peak of the cultural phenomenon known as "Beatlemania", Lennon got vilified for comments that he made regarding the relative popularity of the group at that time.

What he said was "we're more popular than Jesus, now."

The backlash was, even in the dark ages before social media, predictably, swift and packed chock full of retribution-y goodness.

Radio stations banning their music, concerts canceled or jeopardized, protests, marches, demonstrations, public record burnings,  you know, the usual knee jerk, zany zealots convinced of their own moral superiority stuff.

Forget that Lennon was, in the context in which he was speaking, correct. Zany zealots convinced of their own moral superiority never let an annoying thing like context get the way of an opportunity to protest, march, demonstrate and burn things.

As our 60's old fart friend Ed Sullivan might say, "for you youngsters out there, who might be interested in reading the whole story, just do the Google....and now......here's Topohhhh Geegeeeeeo!"

You'll need to Google the Geeg, too.

Not too long after, but certainly long enough (the man may have been a sinner, even a scourge to the supercilious,  but he was a thousand miles from being near stupid), he was quoted in yet another interview, or another, about his overall opinion of the Christ.

"...Jesus was alright," Lennon offered, "...but his disciples were thick and ordinary....it's them twisting it that ruins it for me...".



Donald Trump's campaign on Friday postponed a rally in Chicago amid fights between supporters and demonstrators, protests in the streets and concerns that the environment at the event was no longer safe.

The announcement, which came amid large protests both inside and outside the event at the University of Illinois at Chicago, follows heightened concerns about violence in general at the GOP front-runner's rallies. Illinois holds its Republican primary on Tuesday.

Hundreds of demonstrators packed into an arena, breaking out into protest even before Trump had shown up. At least five sections in the arena were filled with protesters.

"Mr. Trump just arrived in Chicago, and after meeting with law enforcement, has determined that for the safety of all of the tens of thousands of people that have gathered in and around the arena, 

tonight's rally will be postponed to another date," the Trump campaign said in a statement. "Thank you very much for your attendance and please go in peace."

Several fistfights between Trump supporters and protesters could be seen after the announcement, as a large contingent of Chicago police officers moved in to restore order.

Supporters of Trump still inside chanted "We want Trump" after the event was canceled. Protesters, meanwhile, shouted "We shut s*** down" and "We stumped Trump." Others chanted "Bernie" as supporters whipped out Bernie Sanders campaign signs.

Some protesters were being detained and forcefully carried out.

Soon after the event was postponed, scores of protesters -- a racial mixture of whites and blacks, Hispanics and Asians -- spilled out into the streets near the university, which is located in the city's downtown. 

Dozens of protesters gathered outside a parking garage adjacent to the arena, where police set up a human barricade to allow supporters to go to their cars and leave. More than a dozen police officers on horseback were there.

"Let's go, let's go," one Chicago police officer told Trump supporters in a truck. "Go home."

One supporter, who didn't give his name as he drove out, said the situation was dangerous and that he felt unsafe as protesters shouted at his car.

At one point, a man on the third floor of the garage leaned over the edge and shouted at protesters, "I don't support Trump." 

A protester responded, "You f***ing neo-Nazi prick, come down here."

At this writing, the noted catalyst candidate himself has managed to tippytoe tap dance on that invisible line between denouncing and indifference, but it doesn't require a pre-school graduation certificate to be able to see that if it's not fair to blame him for this bubbling over of the cauldron, it's certainly not unfair to say that he is, and has been, the primary shit stirrer.

After the protests in the arena ended, Trump did a series of media interviews, including one  in which he said he had no regrets about his rhetoric, attributing the root cause of the violence to economic issues such as unemployment among African-American youths.

"We have a very divided country," Trump said. "A lot of people are upset because they haven't had a salary increase for 12 years."

Oh, okay, well, that explains it.

Those of us who have experienced the sophistication and erudition of your basic white supremacist have always been fascinated with their ability to expound on the frustrations of salary disparity and divisiveness it generates as they kick the living shit out of someone.

Trump also blamed the media for what he saw as an over-inflation of the evening's problems. And he said most incidents involving protesters are tame and in control, saying that he has been "very mild" with those who disrupt his events and that his events are gatherings of "great love" that are interrupted by unruly, violent people.

Trump, however, did say he hoped "my tone is not that of causing violence."

In fairness, we wouldn't be able to lay a glove on the Donald in the ring of blame for all these brouhahas, because he has been very mild with "those who disrupt his events". He doesn't have to kick the shit of them.

He has people to do that for him.

And the events being "gatherings of great love"?

Well, hell, yeah.

All you have to do is watch ten minutes of any Trump rally and, immediately, you start thinking....

Billy Graham Crusade,

Woodstock.

Nuremberg.

And, as far as his tone not causing violence?

Ah, now you see, that right there, that little seemingly innocuous stringing together of a few words, that's yet another groundbreaking example of the skill this guy possesses when it comes to selling it.

You'll notice that he didn't say that he "hopes his words are not causing violence."

He specifically said "tone".

And that's genius, Jerry....genius.

Because Donald has another historically useful skill.

How to light a fuse without ever touching a match or flicking a Bic.

It's done like this.

What I'm about to say to you, I'm going to say to you in a calm, light, friendly, even, daresay, peace and love tone of voice.

Fuck you.

And your whole fucking family.

You fucking bunch of morons.

What? Protests and arguments and even violence have broken out?

Gosh. Again?

Well surely it can't be my tone causing that.

Oh. The words?

Well, the words are an entirely different kettle of pot to stir.

But the disciples don't have a clue there.

They're thick and ordinary.

Just ask John Lennon.

Who must be havin' a right laugh about now.

"....Suddenly, They Realized They Had Been Duped....And....They Voted For The Guy Anyway...."

The iconic logo of the Republican party is an elephant.

Turns out that's one of the greatest ironies of all time this time around.



Tara Setmayer is former communications director for Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-California, and a CNN political commentator. Follow her on Twitter @tarasetmayer. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author

Imagine if every GOP debate had been like the one Thursday night. Policy heavy, insult light and providing voters with a contrast between the candidates over level of knowledge on issues. It was clear that each candidate had shifted tactics from the last dumpster fire of a debate.

After Sen. Marco Rubio's mudslinging with Donald Trump hurt his campaign, he decided to return to his above-the-fray, aspirational tone. Sen. Ted Cruz avoided the schoolyard back and forth with Trump as well, but still managed to hit him on specific policy differences. Gov. John Kasich was...well, Kasich. 

For his part, Trump showed no signs of the thin-skinned, petulant reality show star we've become accustomed to throughout this campaign. No bluster. No insults. But also no energy. And no real policy knowledge. 

How different would the campaign be at this point if this Donald Trump had shown up from the beginning? Imagine if the tabloid antics and outlandish behavior never happened. Imagine if Trump's positions and record were actually vetted? Would this Trump have been as popular or capable of building his cult of personality without the shtick? I think not. 

If this election had been about policy, not personality, from the beginning, Donald Trump wouldn't have made it past the first primary. At Thursday's debate, both Rubio and Cruz effectively exposed 

Trump's unworkable position on trade and his lack of substance on major foreign policy issues. 

This wasn't the first time Trump was made to look foolish on important foreign policy questions. 

Who can forget his utter incoherence when asked about the nuclear triad a few debates back.

What made this debate different was Trump's inability to hide behind his usual obnoxious bullying tactics to distract from his ignorance. He appeared to be trying to tone things down, I assume to prove to detractors that he does have the temperament to be President. But he left himself exposed as the policy neophyte that he actually is. Pithy catchphrases does not a foreign policy make. 

Trump looked uncomfortable. When challenged on substance, he consistently pivoted back to his talking points about making "great deals." While Rubio and Cruz spelled out policy positions -- on, for example, Cuba and Israel -- Trump showed that he was out of his league on topics that a President should be well versed in.

He utterly flubbed his explanation for praising Russian President Vladimir Putin and calling the brutal communist Chinese government's massacre at Tiananmen Square massacre "strong," by arguing the meaning of the word. It recalled the infamous Bill Clintonesque answer of "it depends on what the meaning of the word 'is' is." 

Over the last few weeks, Trump's opponents have been hitting him hard on his "flexibility" on key stances he's built his campaign on. From his hardline on immigration to tough talk on torture, Trump often speaks out of both sides of his mouth. Yet, the most telling moment of the night came when Trump was asked what else he would be flexible on and he replied, "you never know." Is that so?

Here is the crux of what so many have cautioned Trump supporters about. Trump is a political chameleon capable of changing his positions based on what he thinks best suits him politically at any moment. Trump's answer Thursday night showed his candidacy to be purely cosmetic, not one of honest conviction. This should be worrisome to the supporters who think they are getting one thing when they may really be getting something else. 

Isn't that exactly what has fueled the groundswell of anger at the politicians in Washington? A major part of Trump's appeal is that he portrays himself as an outsider. But is he really? As Carly Fiorina so aptly pointed out, how can Trump reform "the system" when he's admittedly been a part of it?

Although Cruz and Rubio had solid performances, it may be too little too late to change Trump's trajectory.

Trump is a master at manipulating people to buy what he's selling. But this time it's not his steaks or mortgages or real estate classes. It's the presidency of the United States, and once they've realized they've been had, the American people cannot join a class action lawsuit to ask for their money back. 

First, and admittedly absolutely lacking any sense of impartiality, I'll fess up and say that I not only agree with everything Ms. Setmayer has to offer here, but I find it personally refreshing to finally come across a morning after essay that avoids partisan sniping, agenda furthering snarkiness and simply describes the state of things when it comes to election 2016.

There are, though, two observations of Tara's, in particular, that keep lighting up among the others for me, in that way that Beautiful Mind guy was always seeing equations and star patterns.

"....Trump...... showed his candidacy to be purely cosmetic, not one of honest conviction. This should be worrisome to the supporters who think they are getting one thing when they may really be getting something else. ..."

"...it may be too little too late to change Trump's trajectory...."

My dues paid up to date lifetime membership in the American League Of Political Cynics acknowledged and taken into account, here's how it shakes out for me at this moment in the melee'.

It is, in fact, too little too late to change Trump's trajectory.

And the reason for that is that it won't be worrisome to the supporters who think they are getting one thing when they may really be getting something else.

Ms.Setmayer's take, as accurate and unbiased as I personally believe it to be, still, surely inadvertently, gets tripped up by not taking into account a couple of dynamics in play in this particular election that have never been in play in an election before.

Common sense is out the window.

And "we, the people" have never been more vulnerable, or potentially fatally blind, to the charms of  "... a master at manipulating people to buy what he's selling...".

Every cogent, articulate piece about Trump and his rise written by someone like Ms. Setmayer, can't help but, at most, pivot back to or, at the very least, be lightly sprinkled with, the spoken or unspoken notion that, in the end, when it counts, the fog will lift, the obvious will once again be obvious and the runaway Trump train will either derail or come to a screeching halt as people finally come to their senses.

Common sense dictates that people will come to their senses.

At which point, I respectfully refer you back to the first of the two aforementioned dynamics in play.

It's as if a large and growing portion of the population was under some kind of spell, as if Trump was not so much a interloper as an illusionist, bedazzling a usually level headed group of townsfolk into a blissful, but treacherous, state of euphoria about how he would make all their troubles go away...by simply making America great again.

Professor Harold Hill selling a candidacy instead of clarinets.

And, in that scenario, the plot would eventually, even mercifully, reach the exciting climax where that usually level headed group of townsfolk would, either as the result of a good talkin' to, or a fair sized smack up side the head, be snapped back into reality, suddenly aware of the huckster in their midst, a little embarrassed about the ease with which they were seduced, but now clear eyed, clear headed and ready to get back to the business of choosing a fellow level head to lead them.

Tara Setmayer's work here is a sharp, insightful and spot on example of a good talkin' to.

And any usually level headed group of townsfolk would likely need nothing more to bring them back to that reality.

But all of this assumes, compassionately, that the applicable townsfolk were a level headed group in the first place.

As opposed to a group of townsfolk who live on a steady diet of junk food and reality TV programming, who hate Congress with a passion but seldom hesitate to put the same representative right back in the same seat in that Congress, who faithfully fill the pews on Sunday morning to praise Jesus and his teachings and then spend Monday through Saturday talking and/or posting vicious and venomous diatribes in the direction of a black man and his family who have made history and whose worst, most egregious, provable failing, in the townsfolk's eyes, is that they are black and they've made history, who listen to and admire the nonsensical, even bizarre demagoguery of faux leaders like Michele Bachman and Sarah Palin while seeing no hypocrisy at all in the promiscuity and out of wedlock antics of Sarah's oldest.

A group of townsfolk who don't know the name of the Vice President of the United States but can tell you, in a flash, who is, and where you would find, Snooki, who likely haven't even accidentally remote controlled across PBS in the last fifty years, if at all, but never miss a single, mind numbing minute of "Keeping Up With The Kardashians"....who don't know the difference between 'for" and "fore", "to" and "too" or "your" and "you're" but are experts on a galactic scale on pretty much every subject known to mankind, at least the mankind that exhibits itself daily on social media.

The last minute "awakening" of "the American people" in the election year 2016 depends entirely on how asleep they were in the first place.

As opposed to simply how uneducated, uninformed, unenlightened, unsophisticated, unwilling and/or unreasonable while fully and completely awake.

The unkind word to use would be "stupor".

But that's why the logo is both iconic and ironic this time around.

Stupor is the elephant in the room.