The American electoral process is sometimes comical, always far too expensive, and renders candidates useless in performance of their current jobs. The campaign for the 2016 presidency began earlier than at any other time in our nation’s history; it will be the costliest ever, and in the beginning it was very humorous.

The first two facts will stand, but the humor is long past. Donald Trump was not laughed with, he was laughed at, but no one is laughing now. Even more unsettling, especially for Republican leadership, is that the two worst possible GOP candidates appear to be separating themselves from the other nine.

Three of the remaining passengers in the clown car are United States Senators; Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, and Rand Paul. Although the biggest offender is Marco Rubio, who has missed approximately 40 percent of votes in the Senate, all three have vacated their positions for far too long in this extended campaign season. Their personal ambitions have restricted them from performing the jobs for which they were elected.

Rand Paul maneuvered the Republican Party in Kentucky by convincing them to have a caucus by donating $250,000 to cover expenses, and therefore has been allowed to have two positions on the primary ballot; his Senate seat is up for reelection in November. His absence from both Washington and Kentucky may cost him more than the others.

Jim Gray is the Mayor of Lexington, Kentucky. He is the wealthy CEO of a construction company, and was the first openly gay mayor in the state’s history. His accomplishments include restricting the city employee’s pension fund, and raising the local minimum wage to $10.10 per hour. He filed for the Democratic primary just before the deadline on Tuesday.

Although Gray declared late, his ability to use his own money for a campaign may eliminate the deficit caused by a lack of fund raising time. Rand Paul’s total war chest for his Senate race is only $1.4 million.

Paul was once considered a leading candidate for the presidency. His poor numbers in the polls have reduced his support from his TEA Party owners, the Koch brothers.

Changes are ahead for the GOP, and many of them will not be pleasant. For seven years the lack of effective leadership has allowed the party to begin an implosion. The result could be two or maybe three separate parties.

In the long run the American people will receive the most harm. Ambitious men and women have forgotten those who voted for them and left the majority without representation in Washington.

It is also possible that in January, 2017, Rand Paul could be on ‘the outside looking in.’

Op-Ed

By James Turnage

Source

Photo Courtesy of John Pemble

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