We are headed for an appalling Presidential Race

As I follow the evolution of the Presidential campaign, one word best seems to describe my feelings, “Appalling!” I am not necessarily surprised that the specific candidates that have emerged, but I am appalled at the lack of intellectual foundation and the morally bankrupt state of American society that has allowed such people actually to be contenders for the ultimate leader of our country and the free world.

It is almost incomprehensible that an avowed socialist and a “shoot from the hip” bully are actually viable candidates for President of the United States. Seriously, how have we gotten to this degenerate state?

Put bluntly, we are here because we have had twenty years of terrible leadership and crony politics. We have had a President that blatantly lied about an affair with a White House intern. Another President started a war in Iraq that hemorrhaged out our national treasure based on incorrect and possibly falsified information. We have suffered a bickering Congress that put our national economy at risk over petty squabbles. We have endured our latest President who has manipulated his powers and misled the country about the costs of his programs while the other Party refused to govern and acted like a pack of petulant children on the playground. We have witnessed the continual expenditure of public resources to reward avaricious business people for risky actions that nearly brought down the American financial system.

Why are “outsiders” viable candidates? It is that simply put, they are not “them.” They are appealing just because they largely outside the mainstream party politics that has created the debacle of our Federal government. Virtually anyone with any semblance of notoriety would be viable. We no longer seem to care about qualifications and policy, we just want “them” out!

Certainly, I am making a subjective judgement that I am likely disqualified to make, but do so none-the-less. I recognize that running for public office is not easy and, given the nature of the name-calling in the debates, it is not an emotionally fulfilling activity either. I simply fear for the future of our country.

We have precious few arrows left in the quiver to fire to head off even a minor spasm in the system. Both the Keynesians and the Monetarists are spent. We have no money in the coffers to spur economic activity in the event of a modest recession, nor is there any effective tools left for the Federal Reserve to affect outcomes.

Irresponsible deficit spending that garnered little concrete result and a policy by the government in the guise of “quantitative easing,” more colloquially known as “printing money,” has left us incapable of responding.

As the crowd asked of John the Baptist, “What then shall we do?” This is the fundamental question facing the electorate.

If not an “outsider,” then whom? Should we simply continue with the “main-stream” candidates? Isn’t the definition of insanity, ”Doing the same thing over and over, expecting a different result.” Isn’t just about anything better than what we have suffered through?

Honestly, the Democratic Party is devoid of leadership. A morally bankrupt professional politician or a socialist. Not much of a choice.

The Republicans have overburdened the race with sheer numbers. This is likely a significant antecedent to the current state of affairs. However, other than the present front runner, whose wild statements simply display his depth of ignorance of governance, there was some light.

Unfortunately, a number of the reasonable candidates have fallen along the wayside. Fiorina, Bush and Christie have departed. Carson became so irrelevant he couldn’t even get someone to attack him in the last debate. If John Kasich fails to win Ohio, he is gone as well.

This only leaves Trump, Cruz and Rubio. With Trump’s big win on Super Tuesday, he will surge forward. Cruz and Rubio continue to split the traditional Party vote. Only a concerted effort to assemble all of the other contenders’ delegates at the Convention might halt what appears inevitable. This event might produce an electable opponent to the presumptive Democratic nominee, Hilary Clinton, but it would produce a significant rift. A serious proportion of the electorate would feel disenfranchised; their will simply could not prevail over the Party machinery.

In the end, we are likely to see a Trump versus Clinton Presidential election. Irresponsibility versus immorality. Great choice. Even Republican Senator Ben Sasse stated “I’m not going to vote for Hillary Clinton, and given what we know about Donald Trump, I can’t vote for that guy either…I think the American people deserve better choice.”

Yes, we do…but I fear we will not get it!