As the Wall Street Journal put it, from the beginning, the 2016 White House race has defied just about every expectation.
Donald Trump was more punchline than presidential contender when he announced his candidacy in June, 2015. Despite coming in second — close to third — in this week’s Iowa caucuses, Trump holds the lead in the polls in New Hampshire, where the first primary in the nation takes place this coming Tuesday. The joke still might be on his detractors.
The opposite is true for Hillary Clinton, whose assumed coronation in the Democratic primary process has been surprisingly interrupted by socialist Bernie Sanders. Who woulda thunk that just a few votes or coin tosses could separate Clinton and Sanders in Iowa?
What next?
The score card is getting a little shorter with some dropouts, but the race is still bizarre. Voters in New Hampshire must choose between the Beltway Battlers, the Gang of Governors and the Tenderfoot Trio to come up with the Democratic and GOP nominees. Whatever happens in New Hampshire will be a surprise because there is nothing typical about the race this year.
Colorado’s caucuses are Super Tuesday, March 1, along with primaries or caucuses in 14 other states and territories. Another four states make their choices before Super Tuesday. We can assume that attrition will narrow the field considerably by then. Of course, in Colorado, nothing political is ever predictable.
For amateur political observers, the 2016 race for the White House has been entertaining, what with a reality TV billionaire grabbing the lead on one side, and a Jewish socialist rousing the crowds on the other. Ideas range from the crackpot to the dangerous to the pandering. Add to that the huge field of GOP contenders requiring a “kids’ table” at the debates for the lower polling contenders.
Every once in a while, someone runs his dog as a candidate and people roll their eyes and chuckle. This year we say, “Why not?”
Copyright © 2016 by the Intermountain Jewish News
