Sunday, February 21, 2016

Pope bested by a higher power


     I wrote this Friday morning, but it already feels like some antique commentary on Free Silver. Since then Donald Trump has won the South Carolina Republican primary, after a truly despicable play on anti-Muslim hysteria, recycling some century-old canard about Islamic soldiers being shot by bullets dipped in pig's blood. By comparison jousting with the pope seems quaint, the relic of an era when the most monstrous demagogues did not prance on the public stage, never mind gain mainstream support from the Party of Lincoln.  

     Score: Trump 1, Pope Francis 0.
     In the latest jaw-dropping moment of Donald Trump's jaw-dropping march to the White House . . . whoops, make that his protracted flash across the American political heavens, the New York real estate billionaire tussled with the wildly popular leader of the world's 1.2 billion Roman Catholics on Thursday and came out the clear winner.
     Back before presidential politics became a stumble through a hall of funhouse mirrors, the idea of a candidate talking trash at the pope would be impossible. But, if nothing else, the 2016 elections will go down in history as an epic expansion of the realm of the possible.
     What made this episode unique was that it did not stem from a preemptive Trump attack. From his tarring Mexican immigrants as rapists to whack-a-moling war hero John McCain, then POWs in general, then Fox host Megyn Kelly, then mocking a handicapped reporter and suggesting that all Muslims should be barred at the border because, well, they're Muslims, Trump likes to fire first.
     Instead, this time it was the pope who, during his trip to Mexico and asked about Trump, unleashed this:
     “A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not of building bridges, is not Christian. This is not the gospel.”


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17 comments:

  1. While Trump as president terrifies me, Trump is shredding the republican Party & that's terrific for the country.
    If we're lucky, that party will shatter into two, three or more parties & finally common sense will reign in this country & an end to the creation believing, climate change disbelieving morons in Congress & the states!

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    1. Yes Bitter Scribe, I have a vision of our dystopian future. President Trump will create another government agency, whose purpose is to find and deport illegals. They will recruit heavily from the ranks of Republicans, their best and brightest, which is not saying much. City by city, county by county, eagerly going door to door requesting, Ausweispapiere , bitte. After a few unpleasant incidents they will realize they are the well regulated militia, the second amendment should no longer apply to ordinary citizens. By removing so many productive people from our economy, the national debt will continue its inexorable rise. It will dawn upon their small minds, the only way to fund their well deserved salaries is to tax the rich, and confiscate the wealth of those who object. Thinking what could happen next is giving me a headache.

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    2. Bernie: I agree with Clark St.'s sentiments but can't take credit for them.

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    3. Good to see the column in the paper on Sunday.

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    4. Yikes! I can't believe I made such a mistake. I would apologize, but I don't think I insulted anyone.

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  2. Almost fun to see Cruz and Rubio giving what seemed to be victory speeches yesterday when they were both a distant second. I guess we'll all deserve a President Trump if we allow it to happen...on our watch as it were.

    John

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  3. If the Senate Republicans think this through, they'd be better off allowing Obama's choice for the Supreme Court to succeed Scalia. Do they want Trump (I'm not accountable to anyone, not even God) to choose?

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  4. I agree with Clark St.'s point about the Republican party nearing its breaking point. Attacking the pope must certainly go beyond the pale for the religious right, and though Trump is still winning for now, I can't help but believe he's either going to self-implode before the election, or run out of luck. If not, I still trust the American voters to come through at election time, because thinking otherwise is not an option.

    SandyK

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    1. Except most of the religious right doesn't like the Pope or the Catholic faith. They are the evangelical, born again fundamentalists. Even Catholics and mainline Protestants don't get hung up on Genesis like they too with their earth is 10K years old obsession.

      The other day, Mr. Falwell Jr. nut, who should be in love with Cruz, complimented the not so holy Trump for going up against the Pope.

      Yet, it seems that the southern evangelical Prots aren't always voting for Cruz the holy man, or Trump wouldn't get the results that he did in SC.

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  5. This was hilarious and so timely when I read it last night. Only in America could Trump win over the Pope! Go figure. I needed a good laugh and got it. Thanks!

    LB

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  6. It's an interesting and bizarre primary race for both parties, but in the end, it will be Rubio running against some Democrat, to be named later.

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    1. I agree, it'll be Rubio vs. Hillary. Unless I'm wrong, of course :)

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  7. As some pundits say: let's see what plays out in the Midwest, NY, Calif, Mass, Ohio, Penna primaries first-before crowning Trump.

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  8. While Trump is a horror, at least he's not so anti- planned parenthood, etc as Cruz is.

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  9. I see some people are telling you to feel better. Perhaps it's something on twitter or your fb, I didn't see anything on the blog but related or not-get your flu shot every fall.

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