Ted Cruz Drops Out, Donald Trump Slides In
Donald Trump All But Clinches the Republican Presidential Nomination Thanks To Ted Cruz Withdrawal
Well, it happened. Donald Trump is officially the presumptive nominee for the Grand Old Party (GOP) after Texas Senator Ted Cruz withdrew his bid for the nomination following a crushing loss in the Indiana primary. Ted Cruz had been seen as the party’s last best chance at upending Trump’s ascent to the nomination. But how did this happen and what do these new developments mean for the rest of us?
Well, we’re fucked.
Trump now has a legitimate path to the White House. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is beating Senator Bernie Sanders in their fight for the Democratic nomination like Ms. Celie beat Harpo in “The Color Purple.” But Clinton has the charm of a glass of Flint tap water and loses to Trump in a hypothetical match-up against him in national polls.
Sanders beats Trump in those same matchups, but is so far behind Clinton in the delegate count that he might as well be running in some sort of JV league. All of this creates an even more perfect storm for Trump to clinch the presidency much like he’s effectively clinched the Republican nomination. Here’s how the “The Apprentice” star not-so-quietly inched his way to the most powerful job on the planet.
He capitalized on White fear and anger – The United States is projected to become a minority majority country by the year 2060, with 56 percent of citizens identifying as non-White. In a country originally designed for the benefit of White men and built on the backs of Black and Brown bodies, the idea of a minority majority has put sent many White Americans into a tailspin.
People of color are dotting the Television landscape thanks to hit shows like “Blackish,” “Quantico,” and “Jane the Virgin.” Entertainers like Beyoncé, Drake and Jennifer Lopez are among the biggest pop acts on the planet. Oh, and some Black guy with a funny name and his family have been living in the White House for the past 7 and a half years.
Minorities of all ethnicities are fighting against a system that has historically kept them oppressed and making socio-economic strides that wouldn’t have been imaginable a half century ago. Calls for justice reform have grown from a steady whisper to full-on shouting matches with presidential candidates. Immigrants are openly fighting for full citizenship. The way America has done business with people of color can no longer sustain itself and that has many – but not all – White people upset.
Think about it. If you had been told your entire life that you were Beyoncé and then hallway through the show you find out you have to share the mic with your so-called backup singers, how would you feel?
Too many chefs in the Republican kitchen – When the primary process began there were a whopping 17 major candidates running for the Republican nomination compared to three on the Democratic side:
There was the New York real estate tycoon and reality TV star; A country Cuban from Texas named Ted Cruz (or was it Canada?); The Republican second coming of Barack Obama from Miami; A sloth-like neurosurgeon; An exiled Silicon Valley CEO, and an extended cast of political Has Beens, Never Weres, and a Bush. Because there’s always a Bush!
Each of these candidates fancied themselves as the “Leader of the Free World” and refused to bow out of the race at any respectable point. This allowed Trump, a relative newcomer to the campaigning process, to skate by with slight leads over a very splintered field. With almost 20 candidates scavenging for votes, winning with 20 or 30 percent was as good as a landslide.
Free publicity – Political parties, candidates, and Super PACS raise millions of dollars each election cycle. These funds pay for a campaign’s travel, staff, advertising and other expenses. Never mind that the U.S., a first world nation, has entire school systems that are literally crumbling in cities like Detroit or that potentially huge medical advancements never see the light of day due to a lack of funding. When political elites and organizations come together to raise gobs of cash, it’s often for silly karaoke attack ads.
No, seriously.
Donald Trump on the other hand is such a dynamic personality that media outlets salivated at the ratings gold he hauled in. That makes sense. The news ain’t free and CNN can’t pay top anchors like Anderson Cooper or personalities like W. Kamau Bell without ad revenue and for that they need lots and lots of viewers. His every move, tweet and comb over made for breaking news, so much so that he went months without having to invest in any substantial advertising of his own.
Skylar Ezell is a contributing writer for Parlé Magazine. Check out what he’s up to on his site, www.SkylarEzell.com, or follow him on Twitter using @SkylarWriter.