2016 March 8^th

This morning we have George Will writing a column in which he talks about, “The Republican Party’s battle for Michigan.” Will’s column, by the fourth paragraph, becomes anecdotal: He cites one Patrick Colbeck who had no interest in politics until he read the Affordable Care Act and decided that “It was about control and had nothing to do with care.” To conclude that the ACA has nothing to do with health care after having read it is not to understand English. Perhaps Colbeck should be reminded that payment into Social Security and Medicare are also about control. Colbeck, Will tells us, is now a Republican State senator and a tea party member. Consequently as an enthusiastic supporter of financially strangling government he might have had some responsibility for the Flint fiasco.

Will also mentions Wendy Day whose husband and son served in the Middle East. She is working for the Cruz campaign because “he has been to Babylon and survived” by which she means that he has resisted the “seductive nature of Washington.” Cruz and Washington have not been particularly attractive to each other. Cruz, a junior Senator from Texas, does not have the support of any other Senator. Managing to turn off every one of your Senate colleagues and call your party leader, Senator McConnell, a liar on the Senate floor will reduce your support. Senator Cruz’ support from his colleagues in the Senate is now as low as it can get. George Will, a truly vigorous opponent of Donald Trump, apparently sees Cruz as the only alternative to Trump and that’s a pity.

Cruz, in spite of his appeal to evangelicals, has a number of warts which Will does not mention. One of his congressional supporters cheerfully circulated a rumor that Dr. Carson was dropping from the race and that Carson’s supporters should rally ‘round Cruz. Bill O’Reilly of Fox News tried desperately to blame this on CNN’s reporting but that didn’t work and Cruz finally apologized to Carson. Then Cruz’ campaign showed a photo-shopped picture Rubio shaking hands with President Obama. That image fakery was so obvious it was pathetic; the men are using their left hands. Cruz is at it again in Hawaii and now blaming the problem on “staffers.” Even evangelicals, if they are politicians, aren’t entirely trust worthy.

Will seems to be desperate to stop Trump, but suggesting that Michigan will be a battleground is nonsense. If the Republicans can disenfranchise every black voter in the state maybe they will have a chance. Given that Will has not even mentioned the Flint fiasco and that Governor Snyder’s name appears nowhere in his column, perhaps Will believes that the people of Michigan will just concentrate on the dandy half million dollar state surplus for the year and forget all about the lead poisoning of the children in Flint. I really doubt that will happen.