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Thursday, November 02, 2023

Pence finally folded his tent to go home. Others should be so wise. DeSantis? Next cycle when Marco Rubio runs, DeSantis will be the second place choice of Floridian Republicans. He's a loser and should take the lifts out of his boots and go home.

The headline is almost all opinion, beliefs held by Crabgrass, except the part about Pence quitting and the question about DeSantis having shoe lifts to appear taller.

The latter thing is a Breitbart thing, and if that is the level where the questions directed to DeSantis have fallen, it is closing time, drive home carefully.

Breitbart, here, here and here. The last link showing cruelty from the Trump camp, where, remember, he called Rubio "Little Marco." (they should team up and call him something based upon his excessive waistline. Like FAT HEAD, FAT ALL OVER.)

Actually body shaming of any kind is offensive, and the best thing really is to just let Trump be Trump until he hopefully is paid out enough rope to hang himself. The likelihood unfortunately being he will do so, but that his minions will forget it, or regard it as a saving grace similar to mob incitement, tax cheating, and hush money. Still tipping their MAGA hats to their lasting abiding attachment to -what -  the MAGA myth. Four years he was in and Biden is still in rescue mode for the nation after it.

It is scary that he is even considered by anyone as worth another shot. That within Republican polling he has a 50+% lead over the entire remaining total field - does that say more about the quality of Trump, or of the field? Hunter Thompson had the all time fitting headlining - fear and loathing. For the batch of them, especially Mike Johnson, the newly lifted to the spotlight Speaker. How do they find these people?

How can MSM take them seriously? During the height of covid they - the minions - burned masks, but how would they react to somebody burning a MAGA cap?

LAST: The Crabgrass GOP field forecast - Nikki Haley will be the last to accept reality and quit.

________UPDATE________

While Pence had trouble raising money and support, Independent candidate Robert Kennedy Jr. is not in that bind, although not on a level of Trump or Biden:

click the image to enlarge and read

What that does not say, nor even hint at, is how much of a vote will Kennedy draw in Novermber, 2024, and will his draw hurt Biden more, or Trump more. Will his run as an independent matter? Politico has done navel gazing, but the fact Republican donors have given more to Kennedy means nothing, despite Politico thinking otherwise. Republican donors who think Kennedy will hurt Biden more would want that result, and give Kennedy money. Ditto, Dems thinking he'd hurt Trump more. Also, Republicans and Dems donating to the Kennedy campaign might also, in fact, prefer him to either major party's offerings. Voting affirmatively with their wallets now, rather than using wallets in hope of poisoning the other party's chances.

The man is a total wild card, and we will not find out whether he or Cornel West running as independents will get a sufficient vote to make any difference. 

Williamson and now Phillips are running as Dems, and will likely not matter at all, ultimately, much as Ron DeSantis will fall by the wayside as Trump is nominated.

Something weird, such as "Write in Vivek" could surface, but don't expect it. It will be Biden and Trump, again, on a lesser evil contest, again. With Kennedy as the only wild card. Never Trumpers will grumble, but at heart they are GOP, so expect that to be decisive. Party uber alles, both parties, lesser evil, where Crabgrass would see Biden as that - the lesser evil. By far. No question. Trump a looming menace. Biden a career conservative Democrat, a/k/a GOP lite. But not nearly the national and international threat letting Trump back into the White House poses. 

Just cause to resent the two party stranglehold on things, but Kennedy a joke, however serious he may intend to be, and Trump is menacing to democracy in our nation, such as it is today. Biden is the only sane option. End of story.

FURTHER: To the extent Biden is attacked over his age and health, he is trimmer than Trump and they are both on the senior side of regular retirement age.

Trump's weight being cause to wonder about whether he'd last a full term, if elected, something that is being bandied about against Biden. They are in the same boat, as to age and survival for four years after the Jan. 2025 inauguration day. 

bostonglobe.com publishes about Trump's weight, as does snopes.com. Aslde from body shaming concerns, the age/weight situation is very real. Trump still, in his blustery way talks smoother than Biden, but that's always been the case with Joe and the English language gaffs. 

BOTTOM LINE: Factors far more important than health to last a full term exist, and for now we know Biden's VP, while who Trump digs up to take Pence's place is a wide open guess. My bet is the South Dakota Governor, for ticket balance. 

Trump could pick Mike Johnson. A Pence do-over. More or less.