"...Tommy....And Dickie.....And Donnie...."

Choosy mothers used to choose Jif,

Now, apparently, they've got a pretty good grip on the can of worms we affectionately refer to as the American presidential race.

 

Donald Trump appeared on Thursday’s Jimmy Kimmel Live to defend his call for a “complete and total shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country’s representatives can figure out what is going on.”

“The word is temporarily,” Trump said to host Jimmy Kimmel. “I have many, many friends who are Muslim. They’re great people. Some of them, not all of them – I will tell you, some of them aren’t thrilled with what I said – but many of them called me and said, ‘You know Donald, you’re right. We have a problem.’”

Trump’s remarks came in the wake of terrorist attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, California. 

“Without looking at the various polling data, it is obvious to anybody the hatred is beyond comprehension,” Trump said in a statement on Dec. 7. “Where this hatred comes from and why we will have to determine. Until we are able to determine and understand this problem and the dangerous threat it poses, our country cannot be the victims of horrendous attacks by people that believe only in Jihad, and have no sense of reason or respect for human life.”

Speaking to Kimmel, the Republican presidential hopeful reiterated that stance. “We have people coming into our country who are looking to do tremendous harm. Look at Paris, look at what happened in Paris. These people, they did not come from Sweden,” Trump said. “We have a real problem. There’s a tremendous hatred out there. You can’t solve a problem until you find a root cause.”

According to Trump, many people have called him to say “thank you.” (To which Kimmel replied that maybe they were prank calls.)

As for whether his comments will “radicalize more terrorists,” as Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai recently suggested, Trump scoffed at the notion. “I really – this has come up, two days ago, a couple of people bought this up. I don’t buy it,” he said after Kimmel asked about the possibility that his Muslim ban comments could backfire. “I don’t buy that argument.”



One assumes, in that case, that Donald could pretty quickly come up with some folks who "have called him to tell him they don't buy that argument, either."

Some random thoughts.....

.....I readily admit to no university accredited degree(s) in psychology, but I feel confident one need not be a PhD to recognize one familiar, and constant, quirk of Donald's presentations. Like anyone whose bottom line confidence in their own presentation(s) and/or courage of their convictions is less than bedrock solid, Trump is constantly "backing up" his positions, proposals and/or posturings with the tried and true "people tell me that I'm right" brand of endorsement.

“I have many, many friends who are Muslim. They’re great people. Some of them, not all of them – I will tell you, some of them aren’t thrilled with what I said – but many of them called me and said, ‘You know Donald, you’re right. 

 According to Trump, many people have called him to say “thank you.”

And so on.

Predictably.

And perpetually.

One imagines that if his mother were still alive, we'd likely be getting a fair amount of "my mom likes this idea"s thrown into Donald's rhetorical NutriBullet, as well.

All of which inevitably coats whatever merit, or lack, that any given position, proposal or posture has with the unmistakable scent of, at best, uncertainty and, at worst, desperation.

Not an appealing aroma in one who will be sharing space, and breathing air, with some of the world's more cocksure captains of state.

.....The sizable mass audience availability aside, there's another Jr. Shrink clue to be found in the repeated appearances on shows like Kimmel, Fallon, et al. (and, yes, Hillary does it, too...shut up, we're not dissing Hillary right now, we're dissing Donald)

Although the "tradition" of candidates for political office appearing on late night talk/comedy shows to plead their case goes, at least, all the way back to the 1960's (I personally recall a somewhat fish out of water guesting by Bobby Kennedy on the Merv Griffin Show), there's something to be, at least, lamented if not outwardly lampooned,  about the contemporary Presidential election process including large doses of "heeeeeeeeere's Donald! (and, yes, alright, for Christ's sake, "heeeeeeere's Hillary!...happy now?)

 For the sake of validating my own point, though, let's put my number two random thought aside.

And go with number one.

The number one in the polls who is also number one on my list of "hmmmm" here.

To paraphrase John Lennon....

maybe I'm / just a dreamer / but I'm not the only one.....

I'd like to witness a campaign for the Presidency of the United States that doesn't include, amongst the platitudes, slogans, catch phrases and bumper sticker fodder a modern day spin on that oldie but, brotherly, goodie....

"Mom always liked me best".

"...The Only Thing We Have To Fear...Is Those Who Fill Us With Fear Itself...."

At this writing, the next (2nd) Republican "debate" is twelve, or so, hours away.

And the election itself is one year and thirteen days away.

Determining who will win and become the next President of the United States is, likewise, one year and thirteen days away.

Determining who will lose?

Already a done deal.

More on that momentito.

What follows is a "pre-game" two cents from a political reporter at CNN.com  listing "things to watch for" in tonight's gathering of the contenders. This excerpt focuses specifically on the precedent making case of Trump V. Carson.

From his perch at the top of the Republican field, Trump had largely declined to go after Ben Carson, training his fire instead on other more seasoned politicians like Bush, Marco Rubio and Rand Paul. Referring to Carson as a "good" person who he admires personally, Trump has even fueled speculation the retired neurosurgeon could be on his vice presidential short list.

But those days of playing nice are over.

An abrupt shift in tone came after a series of consecutive polls showed Carson had overtaken Trump in Iowa, relegating the businessman to second place. Then, on Tuesday, Trump even lost his first place spot in a national poll, trailing Carson 26% to 22%, according to Tuesday's CBS/New York Times poll.

If the last week offers any indication, Trump is expected to throw multiple punches at Carson on the debate stage. The attacks could get personal. The real estate mogul appeared to suggest over the weekend that Carson's religious affiliation — he's a Seventh-day Adventist — was extreme.

But it will take a whole lot more to get Carson firing back. Known for his reserved and calm demeanor, the candidate has repeatedly said he has no interest in becoming an attack dog.

"Ben has said he's going to stay who he is and he wouldn't want to get elected being somebody else," said Ryan Rhodes, Carson's Iowa state director. "He does not need to tear someone else down to build himself up."

One recurring theme/thought that repeats itself ad nauseum on my weekly radio show (SEP Nighttime---Sunday nights at 7P Eastern on Delaware 105.9FM News/Talk) is the POV that the considerable block of voters pontifically known as "the American people" who have lined up behind the Donald aren't necessarily so much attracted to the deal maker as they are to the deal that the maker wants to make.

Put in big, block letters...people are energized, even mesmerized, by the message.

The messenger is expendable.

And the message, more than at any other time in contemporary times, is as clear as clear can be.

Certainly as crystal as it was when it became a mantra for a few years following it's reading by Oscar winning actor Peter Finch in the seventies film "Network".

"We're mad as hell...and we're not gonna take it anymore..."

"We", of course, in the 2015/2016 spin of it being defined as the considerable block of voters pontifically known as "the American people."

And a case could easily be made that this accounts for all of the "who's on top (first)?" plot twists in the G.O.P. episodes of the ratings busting dramedy known as "Election 2016"

• Trump's original, almost inexplicable rise to the top of the pile.
• His even more inexplicable failure to, at least, to date, flame out as a "serious" candidate.
• Carson's tortoise-esque journey from soft spoken, intellectual, albeit borderline eccentric, physician to soft spoken, intellectual, albeit borderline eccentric number two contender nipping ever so inexplicably at the heels of the hare (or the Hair, as the case may be)
• Carson's almost "too unbelievable to be salable as a script" arrival as the numero uno on some poll's contender list

 It doesn't require a political science degree, or even a rudimentary understanding of basic eighth grade civics, for that matter, to understand the primary emotion flowing front and center in this particular election cycle.

Frustration. With a splash of anger and/or a little dollop of disgust.

And who better, or more savvy, at tapping into that frustration than a guy who has made it his lifetime ambition to recognize, and capitalize, on opportunities when and where they present themselves.

Tapping into the frustrations of a nation ready to do some serious up-heaving.

The perfect storm of a time to practice "the art of the deal" if ever there was one.

Meanwhile, Carson, in his soft spoken, intellectual, albeit borderline eccentric, physician way is the Trump for those who prefer their Trumps less blunt, less coarse, less "Crazy Eddie Says EVERYTHING MUST GO!"

Upheaval with a pinky finger extended from the cup of kool aid.

Just one very key thing missing from all of this raucous rousing of the rabble.

Even just a few precious drops of inspiration.

Replaced, this time around, with a disaster flick sized tsunami of inciting.

Thin, almost invisible, line between "throw the bums out" and "storm the village and lynch the monster."

And pouring fuel on the fires of frustration may be the way to lead the pack in the rush to be the next tenant at 1600 Pennsylvania.

But a fire is really hard to contain once it becomes wild.

And appealing to the fear in us only brings out the worst in us.

Ultimately making it a very real possibility that while the winners of this race to "revolution" may, as yet, remain "to be determined".

The losers are as obvious as the smoke spewing forth from the flames.

That would be us.

"the American people".

"We're Not Only Not In Kansas Anymore...We Haven't Even Been To Iowa, Yet..."

Democratic debate day after.

Can't swing a dead cat and not hit an "expert".

Actually, these days, thanks to PETA and the SPCA and the ACLU and E-I-E-I-O, you can't even swing a dead cat.

This writer claims no expertise.

I do, though, have a little experience with this kind of thing.

So, allow me to sum up the status of the presidential campaign, current as of the writing of this piece, some twelve hours after the end of Dem Debate I.

Those who believed their candidate is the answer to every prayer they can pray still believes their candidate is the answer to every prayer they can pray.

Those who believe that all the other candidates are anti-Christs and/or Muslims still believe that all the other candidates are anti-Christs and/or Muslims.

Those who haven't yet made up their mind were mostly likely watching "N.C.I.S." last night and waiting until, say, March of next year when the herd has thinned sufficiently to see the "actual" candidates as opposed to the Osmonds meet the Von Trapps crowd of contenders currently taking part in the process and sucking the oxygen and air time out of the room.

As far as "expert" analysis, insight, cogent perspective and/or prescient pundit-ing as to where the American electorate stands at this point, I ignore CNN, FOX, MSNBC, any and all "commentators" associated with same, any and all online sages, any and all print media waxers politic and simply, for the time being, refer to the one political observer I have found, through the years, to have the most consistently, almost unfailingly, accurate take on mindset of the American voter at any given time in the American electoral process...

Ray Bolger.

"...We're Also Checking On Reports That Woodrow Wilson Is Dead---We'll Get Back To You On That...'

today's BREAKING NEWS from the file marked "Clear Grasp of the Obvious"...

Conservative talk radio host Mark Levin said on his show Tuesday that he believes the fix is in to oust real estate mogul Donald Trump as the highest-polling GOP candidate for President.

Speaking on his program, which works as a staple for Tea Party conservatives, Levin said there is a “national media love fest” for Carly Fiorina, which he believes was devised prior to the second primary debate last week:

“I believe establishment media were poised to declare Carly Fiorina a victor. A victor over Trump. They wanna take down Trump. If Bush can’t do it then they hope last week Kasich could do it. If Kasich can’t do it, they want Fiorina to do it. But they wanna take down Trump.”

Levin continued:

“They figure that ‘we’ll take down Trump and we’ll deal with what’s left. We’ll deal with Cruz or whomever else but right now Trump is their front leader. He’s the frontrunner. He’s gotta go.”


Okay.

The liberal media (defined, of course, as whatever media one considers liberal) wants to "take down Trump".

Hmm.

This is fun.

Let's extrapolate.

Conservative media (defined, of course, as whatever media one chooses to consider conservative) wants to take down Hillary.

And Bernie.

And anybody who isn't a conservative.

Thanks, Mark.

We were unclear on how this "politickin' " thing works.

Coming up next---

"Who's buried in Grant's tomb".

When we come back---

"...Ain't Nothin' Like The Real Thing...Too Bad Real Ain't In Style..."

Came across this posting on the Bernie Sanders phenom from Facebook friend Angela Kaset.

He's probably too real to be elected. You might be a hardcore republican, a Hillary devotee, or an independent....I still think you'll find a lot you'll like about this guy. You might not vote for him, but he might raise your expectation of what you want in a candidate. He doesn't waste time boasting or smearing....he just works hard for the middle class, the downtrodden, the environment, infrastructure, education...in short, our future. He's not a salesman in a slick package.
He is a realist, and he is a statesman. If you don't know about him, you should

 Included in her post was a link to an online story addressing Bernie's adventure.

click HERE for the story

Real, indeed.

for my money, Angela articulates the Sanders surge nicely---and it's, admittedly, simplification to word it this way, but, given the general tone of things thus far and  the options America will have this time around, I think the outcome of the election could very easily come down to the answer to these questions:

1. just how much power and influence corporate (and private) money really HAS taken over in this country

2. what the ratio of well informed and reasonable voters to unsophisticated, uneducated, self interested voters is in this country

3. how deep the cracks, and potentially fatal the flaws, there are in a once great but now old and tired political system that "seriously" puts a Huey P. Long with bad hair at the top of the "best" list.

4. how many people in America currently understand the difference between opposing a point of view and hating the person who represents that point of view.

5. have we, at long last, come to the practical end of the two party system in this country?

Notice that nowhere in the list of criteria is there listed anything as mundane and archaic as "experience" "qualifications" or, God forbid, "inspiration and/or vision".

That would be a lot to ask in election year 2016

C'mon.

Get real.

"...Political Strategist Wanted...Must Have Experience As Casting Director..."

Today, we offer Maureen McGovern as political prophetess...

And here's what the CNN pundits had to say about GOP Debate II--The Reckoning on "the morning after".

Followed by, in each case, our own two cents thrown on the pile. (said two cents in italics)

 

Winners:

Carly Fiorina

Fiorina insisted in the lead-up to the GOP debate that she belonged on the debate stage with the top-tier White House hopefuls.

She proved as much Wednesday night.

For the second debate in a row, Fiorina was once again the breakout star of the night, taking on Republican front-runner Donald Trump with finesse and capturing the crowd with polished, zinging answers and an impassioned charge against abortion.

Fiorina earned perhaps the biggest applause of the night as she skewered Planned Parenthood.

"This is about the character of our nation and if we will not stand up and force President Obama to veto this bill, shame on us," Fiorina said to raucous applause in what was her biggest moment of the night, one that will appeal to the socially conservative base of the party.

Fiorina dodged an early opportunity to hit Trump but didn't make that mistake again when she was asked to address the businessman's recent comments about her appearance to Rolling Stone, in which he suggested her face would make her unelectable.

"I think women all over this country heard very clearly what Mr. Trump said," she said, once again to overwhelming applause.

This was the first time a lot of folks had seen and heard Fiorina. Given the challenge of being the only female on a stage otherwise filled with dogmatic testosterone, one might have been willing to give her props had she merely managed to hold her own.

On the contrary, what she provided, with her poise, articulation and focus, was the legitimate national debut of a genuine contender, not only to those in the GOP looking for an honest shot at 1600 Pennsylvania, but also those who have backed Hillary only because they believe the time for a Mrs. President has arrived.

Best of all, or most fun, depending on your take, she managed to bloody the Donald's nose a time or two and still walk away without any blood on her hands.

Our "Grades, As Such, Are Bullshit, But If Only For The Purpose Of Creating A Point Of Reference" Grade of Fiorina--A

 

Marco Rubio

Rubio proved Wednesday night why so many GOP elites have long considered him a top contender for the Republican nomination: He can weave his strong handle of policy with a compelling personal narrative.

Rubio took on Trump differently than Fiorina or Bush, dispatching the front-runner without attacking him directly, instead steering the debate toward his strengths.

When Trump pointed out Rubio's voting absences in the Senate, Rubio refused to retort with an attack of his own.

"You're right, I have missed some votes, and I'll tell you why, Mr. Trump. Because in my years in the Senate, I've figured out very quickly that the political establishment in Washington, D.C. in both political parties is completely out of touch with the lives of our people," Rubio said. "That's why I'm missing votes. Because I am leaving the Senate, I'm not running for re-election, and I'm running for president because I know this: unless we have the right president, we cannot make America fulfill its potential, but with the right person in office, the 21st century can be the greatest era that our nation has ever known."

Rubio clearly represents what can, arguably, be called "the best and the brightest of the same old, same old", a young and idealistic man who seems sincere in his beliefs and has the "experience" of having worked within, being a part of, the existing political system for some time.

The bad news is that this election cycle already, dramatically, even hysterically seems to be about everything/anything BUT support for or attraction to the existing political system. From Trump to Sanders, et al, anyone who isn't immediately qualified to be tagged as a maverick/rogue and/or borderline wing nut, is, at best, at least for now, going to get only respectful "thanks, but no thanks" from the masses---the old standby "virtues" of experience and strategic knowledge of the way things work in DC don't seem to matter this time around. In fact, they seem to be an automatic "strike one" on whomever steps into the batter's box thinking that being part of the status quo in any shape, size or manner is going to allow them a hit, at all, let alone the chance to park one over the center field fence.

Our "Baseball Metaphors Are Old Hat, Too, But Some Traditions Never Die" Score for Rubio--A for Effort, But, Strike One, Anyway

Jeb Bush

Bush stood out with several key moments during the debate that reassured his supporters after recently dipping in the polls and grappling with how to handle Trump's staying power in the race.

Bush appeared to come out of the shell of the tortoise he has so heartily embraced as his symbol to give voters a taste of the passion he has struggled to showcase.

"You know what? As it relates to my brother, there's one thing I know for sure. He kept us safe," Bush told Trump to one of his strongest applause moments of the night. "You remember the fire fighter with his arms around it? He sent a clear signal that the United States would be strong and fight Islamic terrorism, and he did keep us safe."

And he also successfully tackled Trump over the billionaire's suggestion that Bush's Mexican-American wife was the reason for his support for comprehensive immigration reform.

"To subject my wife into the middle of a raucous political conversation was completely inappropriate, and I hope you apologize for that, Donald," Bush said. "Why don't you apologize to her right now." Trump declined.

With expectations low, Bush's several stand-out moments and overall improvement over his performance in the first debate sealed his spot as one of the night's winners.

Whatever Jeb says, or doesn't say, really doesn't matter. Fact is, he is the political equivalent of Chevy Chase appearing in the cast of the sitcom "Community". Everybody knows who he is, everybody knows what he brings to the game, most people can take him or leave him and not just a few people wonder why, given the number of hip, groovy, today kind of folk already in the show, he was even cast in the first place.

Our "Unless The Whole Candidate Roster Flies Together On One Very Unlucky Plane Between Now And GOP Convention Time" Rating for Jeb--B for contribution, inevitable cast billing as nothing more than "and....Jeb Bush...as...."

Chris Christie

While Bush and Fiorina milked their standout moments from their tiffs with Trump, the New Jersey governor snagged his by using a key moment to make his opponents look narcissistic and portrayed himself the adult in the room.

"While I'm as entertained as anyone by this personal back-and-forth about the history of Donald and Carly's career, for the 55-year-old construction worker out in that audience tonight who doesn't have a job, who can't fund his child's education, I've got to tell you the truth. They could care less about your careers, they care about theirs," Christie said. "Let's start talking about that on this stage and stop playing -- and stop playing the games."

Earlier in the night, Christie suggested the problem with the debate was "we're fighting with each other up here" over how to approach defunding Planned Parenthood even though "we agree."

And that's when Christie -- who's been accused of being too moderate -- gave his best performance yet to prove his conservative credentials.

"She (Hillary Clinton) believes in the systematic murder of children in the womb to preserve their body parts...in the way that maximizes their value for sale for profit," Christie said.

Christie is the less blunt (read: crass), dock worker made good version of Trump. The people who like him like him because he talks in plain English and shoots straight. The people who don't like him don't like him because they want to support someone who's not just a less psychopathic Tony Soprano. Given his appeal to the blue collars, though, we think a Fiorina/Christie ticket would be all kinds of fun...and not as likely to fail as you might think...

Our "Bada Bing, Enough With The Fat Jokes" Score on Christie--B+ on presentation,  just can't get behind the idea of Carmela as First Lady, though--

 

Unclear

Donald Trump

Trump faced a barrage of attacks from a field of contenders clearly more prepared, and eager, to take on the brash billionaire. Those who pulled punches in the last debate -- like Scott Walker and Jeb Bush -- didn't hesitate to tackle Trump, eager to regain their faltering standings in the polls.

The result was mixed as Trump had both memorable highlights and cringe-worthy lowlights. But as the front-runner trying to hold on to the lead as retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson's numbers grow, it's difficult to see how Trump wasn't at least partially wounded by Thursday's performance.

Trump stumbled in responding to Fiorina's deft answer to his comments about her face, awkwardly calling her "beautiful" after suggesting her looks would keep Americans from voting for her.

And when Bush attacked him for a "lack of judgment" and "lack of understanding about how the world works," Trump resorted to an oft-used tactic of tying Bush to his brother's presidency suggesting that "your brother's administration gave us Barack Obama because it was such a disaster ... that Abraham Lincoln couldn't have been elected."

Bush's quick answer -- that his brother kept the country safe -- knocked Trump off balance as the crowd roared in approval.

However, Trump hit his high notes when he was on the offensive, delivering some of the standard fare that his supporters likely devoured. He said he never attacked Sen. Rand Paul on his looks though "there's plenty of subject matter right there" -- and he took on both Fiorina and Walker's records with numbers to back his rhetoric.

And as he faced questions over foreign policy and his flubbed response to conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt, who was one of the debate's questioners, Trump smartly pivoted to Hewitt, insulating himself from further attacks from his rivals.

Trump managed to escape the main question over his knowledge of various terrorist groups and their leaders by pointing out that Hewitt had recently conceded to a misunderstanding between the two when Hewitt spoke of the Quds Forces, which Trump misheard as "Kurds" -- leading to crosstalk between the two, not between Trump and a fellow candidate.

The fact that Donald is not only still a serious contender but that he is, at this writing, still the front runner for the GOP nomination speaks more about the attitude/temperament of the country than it does about any "qualifications" Mr. Tact Is Something I Did To Attach A Memo To A Bulletin Board" might accidentally possess...we think what's happening here is, for the first time ever, the actual, REAL embodiment of the old political cliche " Vote for ANYBODY but_______"....we don't think, though, that Trump is automatically going to crash and burn as so many have been saying for what, lately, seems like a long time---it's not that we have that much faith in the Donald...it's that we don't have a lot of  faith in the masses lately---

Our "If You'da Told Us Two Years Ago That Donald Trump Would Have Gotten This Far, We Would Have Bought You A Drink And Called You A Moron Behind Your Back" Score For Trump--A for self promotion, D- for class, grace and/or statesmanship, F for inspirational leadership and A+ for his almost surreal appeal to those whom you'd think, by now, would have already told him "you're fired"--

 

John Kasich

There wasn't much daylight between the Ohio governor's first and second debate performances.

But Kasich's second performance lacked the umpf that defined his first appearance on the debate stage when he barely squeaked into the top-tier and impressed political observers just weeks after launching his candidacy.

Speaking of sitcoms, Kasich is like the character in the show that doesn't do any harm...but doesn't really add anything to the goings on, either---to paraphrase an old political saying...the candicacy of John Kasich is certainly no disgrace, but it's no distinction, either---

Our "Admiral James Stockdale Memorial Who Am I and What Am I Doing Here?" Score for Kasich--an average C for an average guy who's means well, on average

 

Losers

Rand Paul

Paul continued to throw things at the wall on Wednesday -- still nothing appeared to stick.

The libertarian-leaning senator from Kentucky once again went for Trump's jugular. When he was asked whether he would trust Trump with the nuclear codes, Paul gave a firm answer: absolutely not.

But with each attack, Paul failed to do what candidates must do to break out in a debate: Pivot to his own strengths. Instead he simply pointed out Trump's weaknesses.

Paul's strongest moments came when he defended his libertarian point of view on foreign military interventions and drug and criminal justice reform. But while those audiences likely played well to his libertarian base of support, Paul appeared the odd one out as he discussed foreign policy amid a field of foreign policy hawks. 

The first problem we've always had with Rand Paul is that he looks like Eddie Haskell from "Leave It To Beaver"---Freudian imagery notwithstanding, he comes off less as a passionate, inspired and inspiring leader than he does the kid who always either screwed up the grading curve for us or narced us out to the teacher when we didn't toe the line in junior high school---the guy is obviously committed to his causes and beliefs, but possessing more than next to nothing in the way of humor, warmth or charisma, he's never going to appeal to that side of the American voter that exhibits itself with a combination of serious concern for the future and a sudden suggestion to go skinny dippin' down at the crick---

Our "You'd Think A Guy Named Rand Would Be A Lot More Freewheelin" Grade for Paul--B for conviction, Incomplete for any signs of everyman relatability---

Scott Walker

Walker came out swinging at the start of the debate, clearly eager to take on the front-runner after dipping in the polls in recent weeks off a strategy that largely avoided confronting Trump.

"We don't need an apprentice in the White House. We have one there right now," Walker said of Trump in what was clearly a prepared zinger -- one that drew an approving nod from Bush.

Walker then took on Trump's attacks about his tenure as governor and then defended his opposition to the minimum wage, but soon faded from the stage.

He delivered his responses with more zeal in a performance that topped his first debate night, but didn't come away from the night with any breakout moments that may prove necessary as Walker looks to regain his footing in the race.

Every group of political candidates, just like a lot of families, finds amongst its membership, at least one somebody who, when listened to, considered and assessed, comes off as either a slightly eccentric genius with the potential to change the course of human history or a guy who very likely keeps his murder victims in pieces in that big chest style freezer in Mom's basement---Walker is this year's office seeker version of Schrodinger's Cat---

Our "You Is Either A Genius Or Crazy, Alfalfa" Score for Walker--B for his stands on the issues, A for his probably unintentional ability to creep us out most of the time--

Ben Carson

The second Republican debate was all Carson's for the taking: the retired neurosurgeon's appearance comes off a recent surge that has rocketed him to the No. 2 spot in the race.

But instead, Carson played it safe, clinging to his calm and measured demeanor, avoiding the food fights unfolding alongside him and injecting his trademark good humor into his responses.

It wasn't for a lack of opportunities: Carson got several openings to knock Trump, but refused, even when Trump put forward some sketchy scientific backing for his views on vaccines.

A few zingers could have delivered the bump Carson needs to overtake Trump in at least one of the early states where he has been slowly catching up to the billionaire front-runner.

But Carson may get there anyway: his unorthodox appeal on Wednesday shied away from the spotlight-charging moments that often define presidential debates -- not unlike his first debate performance.

 Dr. Carson is, to all appearances, a thoughtful, considerate, insightful man, dedicated to being of service to his fellow man. And his rise in the polls speaks, once again, to just how fed up the "American people" are with the way things are---In the world of American politics, though, he's a world class chess player who, for whatever reason, has decided to give roller derby a shot---to paraphrase Dr. John..."well, it might have been the right time / but he was in the wrong place ..."

Our "We All Say We Want A Voice Of Calm But, No, We Really Don't " Score For Carson--A for his ethics and effort---F for his obviously not knowing the difference between a quiet, stately chess hall and a raucous, in your face roller derby arena---

Mike Huckabee & Ted Cruz

While both delivered solid responses to the questions they received, neither former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee nor Texas Sen. Ted Cruz seized opportunities to stand out on the crowded 11-candidate stage.

They didn't want to take on Trump and both revealed an unwillingness to engage their fellow candidates on key policy issues.

The result? They faded into the background.

Whatever street cred Huckabee had mustered went poof! the minute he decided to pick Kim Davis as his kindred spirit/running mate---and Cruz not only looks like the guy who narced us out to our teachers, he WAS the guy who narced us out to our teachers---

Our "Every Well Written Drama Has At Least A Little Comic Relief" Scores for Huckabee and Cruz--

Huckabee--D for his choice of issues on which to hang his hat, or crown of thorns, as the case may be

Cruz--D for being the guy who narced us out to our teachers 

For more political perspective mixed with pomposity popping, join me Sunday nights at 7P Eastern on SEP Nighttime on Delaware 105.9FM News Talk  , streaming live at www.delaware1059.com