The Narrative Changes

Can't help but notice that the narrative has fallen apart. For months all we've heard is this is the year of the outsider. Both parties they tell us. Look at how little ole Bernie Sanders is pushing Hillary. Who can believe it? She's really damaged goods, email scandal, Benghazi, Benghazi, Benghazi, bla, bla, bla. Looks more and more like wishful thinking , shared between hysterical conservatives and media types who love nothing more than hysteria. Reporters and pundits don't care who wins, so long as the contest stretches out and gets sort of ugly.

Bernie is raising a LOT of money, but he's NOWHERE with minority voters, and without them when the nominating contests move from NH and Iowa, it's going to be brutal. To me his candidacy is settling into what it appeared to be at the outset, a principled effort to shape the dialogue and push/ pull Mrs. Clinton into more progressive policy positions.

Clinton could still implode. Conservatives are already--comically-- laying plans to impeach her if elected, so we can be sure they'll be investigating here throughout. That said as the days go by, it looks increasingly like they are going to be out of gas by next fall. They'll still run their ads. They'll still drive up her negatives, but one has to wonder how any of it resonates, especially with independents, after years of fruitless and often foolish grandstanding.

Many of us will continue to struggle with Clinton's calculation. We'll wonder if she can be trusted. What does it mean when a candidate claims drug companies as an honored enemy, but then raises more pharmaceutical money than any other candidate? Obama, far more liberal than her, has been weak on Wall St. What could we possibly expect from her? Will she maintain a commitment to address global warming? Will she feel compelled to show her well documented toughness on foreign affairs and lead us into another military quagmire?

Meanwhile the GOP is blessed with an obsession with outsiders. Time was Rubio would have looked radical right, but now he's the establishment guy. The radicals want to build a wall, throw 11 million people out of the country, and arm the clergy, kindergarten teachers, and ticket takers at your local movie theatre with high powered weapons. And their supporters are really angry, like f***ed up, drunk on Saturday night angry.

Their candidates are merely representing that. One of them thinks evolution is the devil's work, literally, and the other thinks he can bluster and bully people and no one will ever tire of it. Why should they? None of his well compensated employees ever did? For all of the support he's getting in the polls I still think the candidate has a billionaire's delusion about his success and the state of our country. I'm not sure how far he'll go, but I remain convinced America is neither as mean or as angry as he assumes.

Narratives change. It happens. This one will change again. I was just wondering when people would notice it changed already.