Okay, readers this is supposed to be a potpourri of my writing, book reviews and occasionally the weird and wonderful relating to news that borders on sci-fi or horror fantasy. But like my mashup thrillers, I just can’t stay fixed on a single theme.

Blame the ADHD or maybe it’s because the #Donald_Trump run for the #White_House is looking more than a little like a Grade B #disaster_movie.

At the risk of getting slammed because (a) I’m #Canadian and should keep my nib dry when it comes to American politics and (b) I’m a liberal and a #Liberal, I just have to ask: WTF is happening in the U.S. #presidential_race.

Like many distant viewers, I thought old orange hair’s presidential run was the best advertising money can’t buy for brand Trump. He’s not serious. Many of those behind him aren’t serious. Name calling and otherwise shooting off at the lip at Republican opponents was jolly good blood sport. I was having a great laugh as Trump rained all over the #Tea_Party.

Hell, back in May a U.S. poll found Donald Trump to be less popular with Americans than head lice, but beat out haemorrhoids by a tad. Real Clear Politics found the then presumptive Republican nominee was disliked by 65% of those polled. The obvious thing for any pollster worth its salt was to find out what that meant in terms of other stuff we don’t like. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-elections/donald-trump-less-popular-than-lice-poll-finds-a7022551.html

A whopping 54 per cent held head lice in higher esteem than The Donald. He also proved less popular than traffic jams, hipsters, and root canal surgery. If running head-to-head, he’d beat: Cockroaches – Trump 46 per cent, cockroaches 42; haemorrhoids – Trump 45, haemorrhoids 39. Among women, cockroaches and haemorrhoids bested #the_Donald.

Whoo hoo, what a laugh.

Once all the Republican contenders dropped like Ten Pins, I found the entertainment value markedly decreased.  BUT – as many political pundits opined – the Donald was just working the crowd. Wait until he is the official Republican Nominee. He’ll adopt a more Presidential style. The attack dog will show he’s really a lovable retriever.

Well holy crap on a stick, it’s been two weeks since Mr. Comb-over got the nod and the kinder, gentler, and somewhat smart Donald hasn’t emerged. If anything, he’s more aggressive, dumber, and completely insensitive, directly attacking the parents of a Muslim U.S. Army captain who was killed in Iraq.

During The Democratic convention, Khizr Khan, with his wife xx at his side, criticized Trump for proposing a freeze on the entry of foreign Muslims into the U.S. He said Trump made no sacrifices for his country on the scale of the Khans.

The Donald went into attack mode implying the dead soldier’s mother, Ghazala Khan didn’t speak because her religion prevented it. On Monday, Trump tweeted: “Mr. Khan, who does not know me, viciously attacked me from the stage of the DNC and is now all over T.V. doing the same.”

Yikes Mr. Trump! You’re a Presidential nominee for the party of Washington, Lincoln and Reagan. You should be above ranting at common folks who are entitled to state their opinion. You certainly haven’t shied from stating yours about everyone else. This case was especially heinous, an attack on a Gold Star family expressing through their right to free speech that Muslims contribute to U.S. society and shouldn’t be pre-judged based solely on religion.

Any reasoned politician would either not comment or say he’d take such comments into consideration when the ultimate decision is made. Case closed. Instead, Trump today started asking Republicans in the Senate and Congress to back his position. Not only did he find no takers but those in his own party his criticized his actions.

“While our party has bestowed upon him the nomination, it is not accompanied by unfettered license to defame those who are the best among us,” said Sen. John McCain, former Republican Presidential candidate and a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War.

Representative Mac Thornberry of Texas, noted in a statement he was “dismayed at the attacks Khizr and Ghazala Khan have endured after they spoke about their son’s service and sacrifice.”

The head of the 1.7 million-member Veterans of Foreign Wars said Trump was out of line.

“Election year or not, the VFW will not tolerate anyone berating a Gold Star family member for exercising his or her right of speech or expression,” said Brian Duffy, national commander of the largest U.S. war veterans organization.

 

Despite Trump’s gaffes and his apparent losing position vs head lice, his opponent is Hillary Clinton. She’s arguably the most qualified person to seek the Presidency in a generation and will set a historical milestone as the first woman Commander in Chief. That said, more than one credible poll shows her just three points ahead of Trump nationally.

The scary part is if Trump can’t control himself or his mouth now, what happens if he has real power? If the guy applying for the job can’t take criticism from average voters, what’s he going to be like when world leaders take pokes at some of the bizarre actions he’s promised or his goof-ball take on serious issues, as shown in the following Trump quote: “It’s freezing and snowing in New York – we need global warming!”

Sure, I’m a Canadian but that doesn’t stop me from being very afraid for the future. As our late, great Prime Minister #Pierre_Trudeau, father of our current PM, once remarked to the Washington Press Club, Canadians are affected by U.S. policy as would anyone “sleeping with an elephant. No matter how friendly or even-tempered is the beast, if I can call it that, one is affected by every twitch and grunt.”