Hey I've Got This...Hey, No You Don't!

When I was a kid we used to play pickup basketball at Fairfield gym in my hometown. On Saturdays in the winter we would literary play from around nine in the morning until around maybe ten at night (or whenever we were thrown out). We had a fairly eclectic group of players, young 16-17 year olds like me (some younger if they were good) and a few twenty somethings already married with jobs. The rules were you get a team together and call a game (we're next!) and you hold the court until you loose. The game was to 21 with each basket counting as one and you had to win by two. Games in the forties were not all that uncommon.
Well one Saturday I arrived late and there must have been fifty guys there so I had to take what I could get in terms of teammates. So I teamed up with some other stragglers (a group of county guys who had arrived together) and we anxiously waited a good two hours for our turn. The etiquette is when you get on the court you choose a man to cover defensively (it's all man to man defense). Well I chose Mark (no last name please) who was a lightening quick, highly skilled little guard (Wake Forest 76-80). I didn't know if I could cover Mark as I had been struggling with a twisted ankle for about a week, but I didn't think any of the guys I was playing with could. Remember, we had sat around for at least two hours just to get our asses on the court and if we lost I'd be waiting around another two hours unless I could catch on with another group! Damn-it I wanted to win and I also wanted to hang Mark's ass out to dry. But some 18 year old county high school senior insisted on taking him. It didn't go well.
Our opposition had only two players worth a damn, but that's all they needed. With Mark playmaking and 6-4 ex-All-Conference forward "Tuna" (can't even remember his real name) working the inside, well they were slicing us up. Mark was absolutely running wild and something had to be done. I tried sloughing off my guy and helping out but Mark was too quick and if I committed completely he'd find MY guy and MY guy would score and YOURS TRULY would look like an idiot. Well, when the score was like 12-3 I suggested in my famously diplomatic way that we should switch defensive assignments and I'll take Mark. Well, even the suggestion of such a thing by a younger guy to an older guy is a very serious breech of protocol requiring an immediate response. I was berated in the harshest possible terms and reminded of my age and inferior status (basketball skills not withstanding). As you might imagine we lost badly and the consensus among my teammates (the clique of county boys) it was my fault. Lesson learned.

This is EXACTLY the way I feel when I'm told the "outsiders" are losers by the establishment. Oh a Trump or Carson or Cruz may win the primaries they say, but in the general we need a professional who can appeal to the general electorate. Well that's fine, but let's look at the professionals and see what we've got.
Jeb: I actually like Jeb Bush. I think he would be a good administrator, have the proper respect for the office and his competence is unquestionable. The problem is Jeb is a garrison general. Jeb is George McClellan when a US Grant is what's required. In 1996 or 2000 Jeb would be perfect, not now. The times require an Alpha Male on steroids and that's not Jeb.
John Kasich: Kasich is a little too eager to cross the aisle. Unlike Scott Walker Kasich made deals with the unions in Ohio, he didn't take them down. When I hear him say "Come on, we can't deport 11 million" I'm thinking come on, it was 11 million in the 90's, the actual number of illegals is 30-50 million, no one knows for sure. THAT'S the problem. Gov Kasich either knows this FACT and is blowing smoke up our ass or is ill-informed. Either way he deserves ejection from the game.
Marco: Look I like Marco. He's a smart, talented individual and I look forward to voting for him...but not right now. I could say he's inexperienced and leave it at that, but that's not all. This may sound a little crazy but I want Marco to lose some more. An undefeated team that crushes their opposition over and over is always suspect. Losing is a valuable life experience and one that Marco needs.

The biggest issue, and I've said this repeatedly (ask CW) is immigration. It's not the only issue and it won't necessarily get you elected, but being on the wrong side is a death sentence. The nominee of this party must be a STRONG proponent of the enforcement of our immigration laws ALREADY ON THE BOOKS. The American people are scared. They see a President and a Democratic Party that is out of touch and GLEEFULLY unresponsive to their concerns. From tech workers who have lost their jobs to H-1B imports to union members at odds with watermelon environmentalists (green on the outside, red on the inside) to coal miners to academics (yes academics who feel besieged) to the unemployed to the underemployed from sea to shining sea, they are all unhappy. The people see a President who is offended and indignant at the very reasonable concerns for national security in regards to "Syrian" refugees. His pigheaded intransigence is on full display and he is not helping himself, Hillary Clinton or the Democratic Party.

This election is ours to lose. However, if by some miracle Marco or Jeb or Kasich is the nominee then I am there with my support, as I have always been. But if said nominee goes on to LOSE to Hillary talking their "crossing the aisle, let's all get along, pathway to citizenship" bullshit when it's our belief this is THE PERFECT YEAR for an outsider, then my friend we will be parting company. We, meaning the conservative base of the Republican Party have done our part. We have been team players. Take a hard look at your candidate. If you are not 100% sure he can cover Mark then do us all a favor and get the hell out of the way.