Is the GOP Really Trumped?

Super Tuesday is in the books. Tuesday after Tuesday follows, and Donald Trump is building up a formidable lead while Ted Cruz has won enough delegates to foster his illusion that he can win the nomination outright. But the pundits are saying that the GOP is in a panic, and every election and every poll since Super Tuesday adds to their desperation. They don't want Trump to represent them in the general but they may not be able to stop him. They don't want Cruz, either, but one by one they are falling in behind the Senator from Texas as the lesser of two perceived evils. One candidate is a bigot, the other a zealot. One his own party dislikes intensely, the other they virtually disown. One represents a disaster for the Republicans in November, as they see it, while the other represents a disaster for America. The only question is, which is which? As things look now, only two outcomes seem possible for the Convention: a Trump nomination or a deadlocked convention. Now it seems the GOP is going to play for a tie, so to speak. And barring that, there are many in the GOP who are talking a third party run. Is that true? Is it really that bad? Or is the GOP playing a long game, just as they have been for decades? The GOP controls both the House and the Senate. The last time the Democrats did that was during Obama's first two years. Since 2010, the GOP has controlled at least one branch of Congress, and both this entire last session. This collective control makes the Republicans in Congress at least as powerful as the President. The President recommends. Congress advises and gives consent. Or says no. The current Congress is very fond of the word, “No.” And to keep having the chance to say it, I think the GOP is willing to sacrifice the White House in order to solidify their hold on the Capitol. Donald Trump is a sideshow. He entertains. He infuriates. He makes the Presidency look like a job for a clown, not a statesman. Already countries around the world are asking themselves, how will we respond to Trump? Do we even let him onto our shores? But the GOP doesn't care. They have gerrymandered themselves into a position of strength where it counts most, and the only danger they face now is if enough Americans decide all this clownery (a better word is 'buffoonery') is too much, and come out to vote for new representatives across the board.