It is now spring and two Democratic candidates and three Republican candidates are still in the running to win their political party’s nomination to run for President of the United States. On the blue team, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders continue to compete for the Democratic nomination. On the red team – Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, and John Kasich are still in it to win it for the Republican Party.
Let’s begin by looking at the Democrats…and then there were two. On Saturday, March 26th Bernie Sanders swept through the western U.S (Washington, Alaska, and Hawaii) like a tornado obliterating Hillary Clinton and picking up 88 delegates. Sanders now has a total of 1,039 delegates and still trails Clinton who has 1,733 delegates. Securing the Democratic nomination is still not quite within Sanders’ reach, but he is clearly at the Democratic table. Despite President Obama telling some wealthy Democratic donors to unify behind Hillary Clinton, Sanders has turned out to be a formidable competitor and Clinton actually has to earn the nomination. Sanders’ presence in the race should serve as a reminder to the Democratic establishment that they cannot simply crown the winner without hearing from the voice of the commoners. Similar to Donald Trump’s clash with the Republican establishment, Bernie Sanders was not “picked” and it was expected that by now, he would have dropped out of the race. However, he has shown that he can’t be swatted away like some annoying fly. It seems that Bernie Sanders is a favorite among young Democrats whereas Hillary Clinton is the top pick for Democrats age 65-older.
Now on to the Republicans…and then there were three. Donald Trump continues to lead with the most delegates, but at 742 delegates he is still a long way from the 1,237 delegates needed to clinch the Republican nomination. Ted Cruz currently has 462 delegates and John Kasich has 145 delegates. Although Kasich has the least amount he still believes that he is the only candidate who can beat Hillary Clinton and that Republicans will realize that if there is a brokered Republican convention.
Now, whether Republican delegates will have a “come-to-Jesus” moment and select Kasich as their leader in a brokered convention, remains to be seen but it is highly unlikely. Still, his presence seems to help make the Republican primaries even more interesting…if that’s possible. It is this blogger’s opinion that Trump, Cruz, and Kasich loosely resemble the three parts of Sigmund Freud’s personality development theory (Id, Superego, and Ego). Donald Trump represents the “id” because he often speaks impulsively and passionately, saying whatever comes to the top of his head. Ted Cruz represents the “superego” who is in constant conflict with Trump (Id) as he sprinkles his moral evangelicalism on almost everything he says. Finally, there is Kasich who represents the “ego” because his presence in the race helps to provide some balance to the drama between Trump (Id) and Cruz (Superego). Think about this if you get a chance to watch them on CNN’s GOP town hall. Trump will loudly say things that should probably be said with his “inner voice”; Cruz will then verbally smack Trump with a dose of his own weird reality; and Kasich will more than likely comment on their bickering while he stays focused on “what’s really important” which will help put Cruz and Trump back on track (balance).
It is hard to believe, but the Republican and Democratic Conventions are just a few short months away! The Republican Convention will be held in Cleveland, OH on July 18 – 21. The Democratic Convention will be held in Philadelphia, PA the week of July 25th. So there will be more than fireworks to watch during the month of July!
Thanks for “listening” to me whine. Hopefully my whining has made you think. If so, tell your friends/family/colleagues that you heard it through the Political Great Whine!
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