You may remember earlier this year, long before Gingrich, Caine, Perry and Bachmann, when Donald Trump was the first of the "Not Mitt Romney" GOP front runners, before deciding that he preferred to continue with his hit reality show, The Apprentice. Well, in a surreal turn of events, it has been revealed that The Donald will be hijacking the Republican Party yet again by "moderating" an upcoming GOP primary debate. Now, normally presidential debates are serious affairs moderated by somewhat dull news professionals like Jim Lehrer or Anderson Cooper. For a debate to be moderated by a glorified reality star is something quite extra-ordinary and it is a good example of the sad state and the lack of seriousness of the modern Republican Party.
Trump holds some kind of weird hold for many Republicans, who automatically gravitate toward anyone who can be described as a "millionaire businessman." Trump also made waves this year for his whole-hearted embrace of Birtherism, that long-ago disproved notion that President Obama was not born in this country, a charge that Trump has yet to truly recant, despite the release of Obama's full birth certificate. Trump's shoot-from-the-hip style also played well to the particularly rowdy and angry Republican base.
However, his flirtation with the presidency did not sit well with Republican establishment types, who found Trump and his Birther followers embarrassing and a distraction from real issues and more serious candidates. In typical thin-skinned fashion, Trump fired back at his Republican critics with unnecessary vehemence, including candidates Ron Paul and Jon Huntsman. Trump didn't abandon his phony quest for the White House until after a bit of delicious public ridicule from President Obama. Even after ending his "candidacy," Trump continued to hold court for almost all the candidates and his endorsement is still desirable.
Now, inexplicably, Trump has been given the opportunity to play kingmaker as the moderator of a presidential debate. This is the first time that I can remember in which a debate moderator was chosen who was openly hostile to one or more candidates. Understandably, Paul and Huntsman have declined to participate, on grounds of the lack of "seriousness" of the event, with Huntsman's representatives referring to it as "Presidential Apprentice." These two candidates have come under immediate attack from Trump who mocked their chances and low polling numbers, comparing them to his own from earlier in the year. Apparently, Trump will not be rising to the seriousness of the occasion.
So, what kind of event is this supposed to be? Is this going to be a serious political discussion about the fate of this country? Or will Trump drag our already beleaguered discourse down to the level of a crass reality show? Or will is simply be another opportunity for Trump to massage his massive ego on a national level and have the remaining GOP candidates publicly suck up to him for an endorsement.
It certainly puts the more serious candidates like Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum and, to a lesser extent, Newt Gingrich, in a strange position. Despite their previous public flirtations with Trump, I'm sure they would all love to sit this one out for fear of some of Trump's foolishness rubbing off on them. But they are all almost certainly afraid to incur the Donald's wrath as he may hold a certain amount of sway among the very conservative voters that dominate early primaries and caucuses.
In any case, this Trump debate opens the door to a lot of disturbing possibilities. Can we next expect a forum on E! hosted by the Kardashians? Republican Party, I ask you again, where have your standards gone?
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