Democracy or Demagoguery

Unless we, as a nation, decide that from now on Democracy is no longer a form of government suitable for the country, we are bound by the outcome of the primaries. Donald Trump is the nominee; that’s that.
It all began with a crowded field of aspirants to the Oval Office; a few are featured below.

Scott Walker, Wisconsin Governor since 2011, convinced he could make it to the Oval Office without a college degree; after all, he became governor in the state of Wisconsin, no question asked. Scott was wrong; he had to drop even before the Iowa caucus.

Rick Perry, former governor of Texas (2000 - 2015), famously (or notoriously) known for the "OOPS" moment during a 2012 presidential debate, was convinced he had now memorized everything important to reach the Oval Office. He forgot (pun intended) how far Washington DC is from Texas. Like Scott, Rick exited the race before the Iowa caucus.

Rand Paul, US Senator of Kentucky since 2011, son of the famous Ron Paul (professional career candidate for president), mistakenly identified his youth (compared to his father's) as an asset. After being humiliated to be at the "kid table" (referred to as the Undercard table), Rand walked away from a dream he had before he was born.

Ben Carson, a famous surgeon at the John Hopkins Hospital, mistaken confused separating conjoined twins with running for president. After unsuccessfully arguing to have stabbed someone in his youth - no one but Ben seems to have knowledge of the incident; not even the victim is aware to have been stabbed by Ben - it became clear he would not be able to convince his supporters of his ability to become commander-in-chief.

Chris Christie, governor of New Jersey since 2010, should have known better not to run for president. Chris was unaware of everything (bad or wrong) that happens in the state of New Jersey. When his job approval rating plummeted (from one of the highest) to almost that of Congress in Washington, the verdict for his candidacy as president was clear. Unrepentant Chris wanted to prove to himself and others he could ride off the "odds' waves"; he could make it
as the GOP nominee; well, he was wrong. After a pitiful performance on the campaign trails, Chris was featured at the "kid table" on several occasions; he did what any American born politician would do, he left the race, went back to his state to consider his options. There weren't many.

John Kasich, governor of Ohio since 2011, probably the most delirious in the crowd (of candidates for president) believed his charm was the perfect strategy to win the nomination. A distant second place in the New Hampshire primaries was enough to convince John that his path to the nomination was certain. He campaigned hard, ate a lot and hugged many but John could not translate his charm into votes.

Jeb Bush, former governor of Florida (1999- 2007), swore that by hook or by crook he will be the third Bush to grace the Oval Office. Despite having previously been advised by his mother NOT to run, Jeb began his campaign with a lot of hope that his family name and his good demeanor are enough to win over the American people; he could have but Jeb was not smart enough to avoid discussing what he and probably he alone saw as good about the failed Iraq war. Neither his brother George W Bush, the former president nor his mother could reach the American people in a meaningful way. During a rally, Jeb had to beg the audience for applause (I am not making that up).

Ted Cruz, US Senator of Texas since 2013, began his campaign a la "Newt Gingrich"; the "male Michelle Bachman" didn't expect much - he didn't get much - but somewhere during the primaries there was an anomaly and he became relevant. "I am the ONLY ONE who can beat Donald Trump; I have beaten Donald Trump, not once, not twice but three times" was a well rehearsed sentence Ted used over and over and over while at war with his rival Marco Rubio over who should exit the race. Ted could smell the Oval Office from the campaign trails when Marco Rubio was forced out; he always wanted to take on Donald one on one. Unfortunately, Ted overestimated his ability and underestimated his opponent. One on one in the Indiana primaries, Ted learned the lesson of his life, never challenge anyone who doesn't want to fight. He progressed (or regressed) from the "ONLY ONE" who could beat Donald Trump to the "LAST ONE" who failed (miserably) trying to beat Donald Trump.

Carly Fiorina believed she was entitled to special treatment because she is a woman; Carly's failure on the campaign trails came as no surprise to the former HP CEO. She has always managed to hang around long enough to make a difference in her own life. As HP CEO, she
amassed a fortune while handing pink slips to tens of thousands of employees; as a candidate, she hung around long enough to be picked as Ted's VP. She is the first candidate who managed to have had two positions on the campaign trails in the same elections cycle. Go Carly!

Marco Rubio, oh yes, the chosen one, the anointed messiah, the Savior of the Republican Party. What a pilgrimage it was! Charming and very principled, Marco began the race with a lot wind to his back. A third place in Iowa was framed as a victory because "little Marco" had a secret weapon which guarantees clear sailing to the nomination. Unfortunately however, Chris Christie discovered the secret and exposed it to the public in the New Hampshire primary debate. "Little Marco" would never be the same again.

Just like they entered the race, one by one, Donald Trump knocked them out of the race; as of this writing, Mr. Trump is the presumptive nominee of the Republican Party. He did not cheat; in fact, Mr. Trump was feverishly opposed by the GOP establishment; third party groups organized various movements – #NeverTrump is one of them – to prevent Trump from becoming the nominee. In Florida alone, there were more than $12 million spent – third party and Rubio’s campaign – on ads to defeat Trump in the state.
Donald won anyway by more than 20 points over Marco Rubio. So, there is absolutely no ambiguity in the message of the voters; they prefer Trump.

Is it “Democracy” for the Party Elites to refuse the nomination to Trump? If the answer is YES, what would be the point of people going to the polls to vote? What is then the meaning of “a government by the people and for the people?” The like (or dislike) of an individual by the Party Elites does not and should not factor in the nomination of said individual; the people and the
people alone make that choice. No matter what the Elites perceive as flawed or even bad about a candidate should be completely irrelevant once the people make the choice of said individual as the nominee. One may be inclined to rationalize why a particular nominee is unfit to become the president of the United States, that’s perfectly okay to sport an opinion. But it’s not up to
any one individual or group to decide on such an important matter; the democratic process to choose a candidate to represent the people for a Party or for the country is already in place.

No matter what you think of Donald Trump, regardless how you feel about his arrogance and obvious instability and delusional mindset and irrespective of what you may want in a presidential candidate, it remains undeniably true that Mr. Trump won the Republican primaries and is thus the nominee. It is also true and widely accepted that in a democracy the nominee and ultimately the president is elected by the people. The Republican constituents chose Donald Trump. For the sake of Democracy, please let it be.