Around Town: Americans unite behind ‘Never’
It’s been another wild week.
Our post office box filled up with campaign materials, a fate worse than those annual stock reports we used to get. We opted to get the annual reports online. Why can’t we sign up for electronic campaign fodder? Save a tree?
And then, Mary Matalin changed her party registration to Libertarian from Republican. Matalin is a Republican political consultant who, despite her marriage to Democratic strategist James Carville, has worked for Presidents Reagan, George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush and former Vice President Dick Cheney. Matalin said she is a “provisional Trumpster” and a “never Hillary.”
But then, the Anonymous video went viral. Anonymous is a loose-knit hacktavist-activist group that is generally pro-Snowden, anti-rape, anti-Scientology and libertarian. Anonymous posted a video expose of Hillary Clinton that showed clips of Clinton making statements today about her record, which are inconsistent with clips from the 1980s and 1990s. In other words, Anonymous has posted prior inconsistent statements of Hillary Clinton.
When the video went viral, so did the hashtag #DropOutHillary.
Then, House Speaker Paul Ryan said that he’s not yet able to support Donald Trump, the Republican presumptive nominee. “I’m just not ready to do that at this point. I’m not there right now.”
Ryan called on Trump to unify the Republican Party, and to run a campaign we can be proud to support.
Ryan left the door open. Trump tweeted his response, that he’s not ready to support Paul Ryan’s policies.
Stephen Colbert blamed all this on God.
Colbert asked, “How could a loving God make Donald Trump the Republican nominee?” Suddenly, God appeared, on the ceiling of the Ed Sullivan theater. God expressed surprise and said he had been too busy with supernovae and the NBA finals to follow the primaries.
In true Old Testament fashion, Colbert’s God got mad and said, “I give you free will and you nominate Donald Trump? I’m taking away your opposable thumbs.”
Meanwhile, polls show that more than 25% of Bernie supporters won’t vote for Hillary, and an equal number of Republicans won’t vote for Trump. Even Jeb Bush and Lindsay Graham say they won’t vote for Trump. Nor will Boehner.
Donald Trump tweeted, “Bernie Sanders has been treated terribly by the Democrats — both with delegates & otherwise. He should show them, and run as an Independent!”
Matalin sort of complimented Trump: “I like that he had the gall to put macro messaging over micro targeting ... I just don’t know enough [about his policies]. I think he could not only win, he would win in a landslide if he could stop his high school boy antics with women.”
Suddenly, it all became clear. I always thought we had two parties, but we are no longer a two party nation. There are now four political parties: (1) Republican; (2) Democrat; (3) Never Trump; and (4) Never Hillary.
The last two aren’t on the ballot. At least, not yet.
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ANITA SUSAN BRENNER is a longtime La Cañada Flintridge resident and an attorney with Law Offices of Torres and Brenner in Pasadena. Contact her at anitasusan.brenner@yahoo.com. Follow her on Instagram @realanitabrenner, Facebook and on Twitter @anitabrenner.