Remember the 1983 Police song, Wrapped Around Your Finger?
It was based on the mythological Greek tale of Scylla and Charybdis about sea monsters that inhabited the waters between the island of Sicily and Italy. Scylla was a nymph that transformed into a six-headed monster and took the form of a rocky formation near the Italian coast. Charybdis was a monster that lived in a whirlpool next to Sicily. In Homer’s epic, Odysseus had to face one of the monsters as he sailed between them.
Greek Mythology is fascinating reading and time with Homer is time well spent.
The story is often supplemented with an illustration and has frequently been used in describing political dilemmas faced over the years.
Donald Trump versus the Republican Party anyone?
James Gilray, often called the father of political cartoons, used a sketching in 1793, with the consciousness of the British citizenry fresh off the French Revolution, to illustrate the difficulties faced by British Prime Minister William Pitts as he steered the ship of state between Democracy and the Monarchy.
In 1863, the British weekly humor magazine Punch published a drawing by political satirist Sir John Tenniel that showed Prime Minister Lord Palmerton trying to maintain neutrality in dealing with America during our Civil War by sailing between Scylla, portrayed as Abraham Lincoln and Charybdis, portrayed as Jefferson Davis. Still later, in 1884 the American satirical magazine Puck published a drawing by artist Friedrich Graetz depicting Grover Cleveland rowing between the two dangers he faced in office.
Victor Hugo even referenced it in “Les Miserables”.
And it’s become a great metaphor for tough decisions.
For being between a rock and a hard place, the devil and the deep blue sea.
Not to mention that it’s a perfect fit for the dilemma faced by the Republican Party on whether to embrace Trump as their nominee or fight him. How to play this hand they have dealt themselves?
John Kasich gave the old guard a gift in the form of a victory in Ohio last Tuesday.
Having been denied those 66 delegates, The Donald must now take more than 50% of the remaining delegates to reach the 1237 majority required prior to the convention. A feat that most agree will be a tall order.
Now with Marco Rubio out one must consider what the likelihood of his supporters going over to Cruz may be…or not. Katich says he’s staying in but he must be getting pressure from some to unite with Cruz to try and save the party.
The $64 million question: What if anything should the Republican party do?
On one hand – call it Scylla – should they just accept Trump and unite around him?
Nearly everyone agrees that denying Trump the nomination at the convention – after he’s won primary contests all across the country, often by large margins – would cause an uprising among his rabid supporters.
Supporters that include Democrats, Independents, and people who’ve possibly never participated in elections before. Trump has brought big numbers to the GOP tent, as he’ll repeatedly tell you.
How can the party ignore those voters?
The party could be ripped apart in the final weeks before the election, and it’s way too late in the game to risk that. The White House might surely be lost. Because not accepting Trump as the Republican nominee would create a hypocritical conflict for the party.
Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump, right, speaks with fellow Republican presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, during a rally opposing the Iran nuclear deal outside the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2015. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
With regards to confirming President Obama’s Supreme Court nominee, they’re saying, let’s listen to the people and let the voters decide the election and determine which president should have the right to choose the court nominee.
By the same token, how could the Republican party deny Trump as the people’s choice?
So the Party has to embrace Trump and do the best they can, right?
Then again, there’s Charybdis.
How can the Republican establishment allow a Democrat in Republican clothing (akaTrump) to carry their torch?
For every new voter Trump has brought to the GOP, he’s driven away four, some seem to think. And he’s e offended many of the demographics the Party needs to win with in November.
Recently Trump’s rallies have taken a turn towards the violent.
Is he finally beginning to flame out?
And once they get to the convention, it will no longer be the voters who get to select the nominee. It will be up to the delegates and after the first roll call, At which point the overwhelming majority of the delegates will be released to vote for anyone.
Paul Ryan has already been mentioned as a possible choice and he would certainly represent the ideals of the Party and theoretically be a strong opponent to Hillary Clinton.
However it would be a shocker for Clinton to just sit there for months watching Trump take control and not prepare for him. And then in June, the GOP rolls out Ryan as her opponent.
If they get to the convention before Trump gets the needed 1237 delegates, the establishment could take the nomination from Trump and restore the foundation of the party by naming a “true conservative” to the top of the ticket, right?
Something that weighs heavy on the minds of the old guard in this decision is retaining control of the Senate.
The GOP is defending 24 of the 34 Senate seats up for election this year and at least six of those are very tenuous. Should Clinton win the election, the Democrats only need a net pickup of four seats to regain control the Senate. Those six are all in states – Illinois, Ohio, Wisconsin, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, and Florida – that have voted Democratic in the last two presidential elections. And the Republican incumbents in those states all won for the first time in the 2010 off-year election.
In addition to which, the Dems have strong candidates in every race and have early poll leads in at least five of those six races.
So the thinking is that Republicans need a strong conservative at the top of the ticket whose coattails can help Senate candidates across the country, especially in those six seats.
And many in the party believe Trump will hurt Republican candidates down the ticket which will be critical if the White House is lost. Losing the White House would be bad enough with Trump at the top of the ticket, however if it goes further and contributes to the loss of the Senate as well then that would be intolerable.
Merrick Garland
And by nominating Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court, Obama put those six incumbent Senators referred to above in the Democratic crosshairs.
The strategy by Democratic candidates for the Senate in those six races will be to try to paint the Republican incumbents into a corner and make them answer for Garland not even being given a hearing, let alone confirmation. They’ll be accused of obstructionism.
Garland is a moderate who has been described as a textualist in terms of his view of the Constitution and has was overwhelmingly approved by the Senate for his current position of Chief Judge for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Thus Republicans might be wise to confirm the more moderate Garland now as opposed to the possibility that next year could bring a Hillary Clinton presidency, a Democratic Senate and a MUCH more liberal nominee for the Supreme Court.
So which way will GOP party power brokers play their hand?
There are serious downsides, but supporters on each side of the Trump controversy have made some compelling points.
I think I’d listen to Scylla and think, yeah,they have to just go with Trump.
Then again, Charybdis presents a convincing case as well.
My opinion?
Its probably worth about what you are paying for it, but I see it as pretty much a coin flip.
That said, the potential of a series of debates between Trump and Clinton is almost more excitement than I can stand, so I’m pulling for that outcome.
This much is almost certain; the next seven months we’ll be in uncharted waters.
Not really stomp. You’re bloviating writing about some serpents and elephants and
floods just muddles some very simple facts.
1. The republican party screwed their own party people. Simple. And they made
some promises that they knew they could not keep such as undoing ACA.
2. The party has to explain to trumpster the rules. He thinks if he gets “close” to
the majority of delegates he “deserves” the nomination. Wrong. But they have already said that the requirement of a nominee winning 8 states doesn’t apply
so why should the majority of delegates apply? Good luck Reince with that
explanation.
3. Polls show sands and hill beating trump in UTAH! the reddest of red states
in the nation besides Wyoming and the okies who’s houses probably won’t last
til November with all dem earthquakes.
4. So the repubs got themselves in some heat. What’s a party to do.
If I was reince I would let the process proceed. If party members want to raid
trumpster delegates and pay them off/offer them jobs or other goodies to
change candidates great….letthem do it and turn your head cause trumpster
doesn’t pay reinces paycheck.
5. Let the convention go on. What great TV. Inside you hundreds of crazed
lunies fighting…just like WWE throwing chairs/screaming/punches thrown by
campaign managers/heck let the KKK inside and let the hell break loose. For
those disappointed American Idol is off the air this will be more fun!!!!! And ratings… you talkabout ratings….thru the roof! Forget Family Fued on the game network we’ll have a real fued and blood all over Cleveland. Then don’t forget the 100,000 outside
the convention hall taking on the delegates as they make it to the hall. Even chucklets would love this. Then the real event…MMA style Megyn versus Donald.
Megyn versus Hannity. Heck…that megyn broad mud wrestling lesbo ann coulter
on pay per view!!!!!!!!!! The potential is mind boggling.
This is cable TV’s biggest dream!!!!! 24 hour coverage/live helicopters over the
convention/ratings thru the roof/fights/arguments/back door smoke filled
room deals cut like the old days. That’s what America wants….REALITY TV!
Black lives matter/redskins matter/seniors matter/dogs lives matter….it’s one
big freaking blowout!
6. tHEN the dems convention looks like a coronation….because hill and Bernie
got the same policies…just semantics on what they think.
The general election…. the dems win….they take the senate…they get their
nominees to supreme court and the repubs look to jesus to rebuild their party.
I CAN’T WAIT…..WITH KU WINNING THE NCAA/ROYALS HEADED TO ANOTHER WORLD SERIES/CHIEFS WINNING WESTERN DIVISION AFTER
DRAFTING ANOTHER WIDE RECEIVER IN FIRST ROUND/ STOMP….OLD BUDDY THIS IS GOING TO BE ONE HELL OF A SUMMER AND FALL!
Harley says: BRING IT ON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
hahahhahahahaha!
Harley, you hurt my feelings. I thought the Scylla/Charybdis political metaphor introduced a touch of culture to compete with Dwight but you didn’t like it? That’s ok, Hearne didn’t like it either.
I think you’ll enjoy this one. It’s called the night I fired Donald Trump.
http://www.pollstar.com/news_article.aspx?ID=819781
great story stomp…and that’s how we’re going to stop this
fascist…..only we outnumber him and his Reichstag troopers…
p.s. GOD BLESS THE PEOPLE OF BRUSSELS! MAY LOVE
SURROUND YOU IN YOUR MOMENT OF NEED.
OH MY GOD STOMP…OH MY GOD!
TRUMP TOLD AIPAC THAT HIS DAUGHTER WAS GOING TO HAVE A
‘BEAUTIFUL JEWISH BABY”…
Please tell me he didn’t say that! Has she converted? Has she gone and taken
the lessons to convert. Will this statement mean trump gets the jewish vote
unless Hillary’s daughter does the same (she married a jew also).
Whats with all these shicktzas marrying members of our tribe?
PLEASE STOMP TELL ME WHAT’S HAPPENING (and leave out the serpents and
charbydis which sounds like a sexual transmitted disease).
hahahahahaha
Harley
Nice article Stomper.
Those many scenarios, in my opinion, while repeated on various Cable News Shows in detail, again, I think, underestimate the loathing and hatred for not only politicians in office and the Washington DC “Establishment” of both parties, but, the media.
The visceral loathing of the aforementioned has, to this point, made strange bedfellows of millions of folks, who, heretofore, were in no way, aligned.
Even as swells, talking heads and pundits acknowledge the hate of many Americans in this election year, I still think that they still, still underestimate how deep it is.
Eric Cantor wasn’t the Canary In The Coal Mine, he was a torpedo amidships.
Trump killed tonight. His speech was salt of the earth and hit all the right notes for his “Trumpites”.
Nice article. Being here in 3-7_77 territory, however, we tend to forget that politics, especially this year’s politics is really three or four dimensional. The question of whether Republicans can keep Trump supporters if they choose someone else, can only be matched by the same question to any of the candidates. When one expresses doubt about the establishment support, it does not matter whether it is Republican or Democrat establishment. Can Clinton keep the young ones after Bernie is defeated? Can Trump keep the Cruz Conservatives? What will Bernie and Kasich do after they realize they have no chance? Just be glad we are spectators in this collesium. Participants get eaten.
Thanks Cowboy. I’m only a little ashamed to admit that I had to look up the 3-7-77 reference but the theories on its origin are a bit intimidating. I can better understand now how your time spent in Montana has influenced your politics since you resided away from the KC.
I do disagree with you and Chuck that the upheaval and anti-establishment furor that is occuring within the Republican Party now is happening to the same degree with the Democrats as well. Of course I said that Trump would fade months ago and as recently as weeks ago so what do I know. I do agree that Hillary will have a little trouble keeping the young and idealist supporters of Bernie but it won’t be because Bernie is less than fervert in calling for them to vote for Hillary. Having watched the debates between the two up to this point, they are both complimentary to each other and for the most part, echo each others positions. A far cry from the atmosphere with the GOP debates. Though still locked in a battle with Hillary, Bernie continues to attack Trump. While I doubt that Hillary would pick Sanders as her running mate, that would certainly lock in a large number of his supporters for the general election. I expect him to give a rousing speech at the convention supporting Hillary and urging those who pushed his candidacy to now get behind her with the same urgency. In my humble opinion, the difference in the degree of disdain for the establishment is exponentially greater on the GOP side of the aisle this year. The vitriol exchanged between Trump and his rivals the past several months that continues even now, will be hard to get past for the backers of the losers. There should be no doubt that both Hillary and Bernie drink the liberal kool-aid. The same cannot be said of Trump and conservative dogma. If Trump holds on to the nomination, the general election will be more like a Democratic primary. An avowed liberal against a closet liberal. I’m pulling big time for a Trump-Clinton face off.
stomp….go to redstate…..the republican blog
poll out in Utah…the reddest of red states has Hillary andsanders
beating trump in Utah…..
McCain and Romney had landslides in their general elections
but if trump is losing in Utah look for the landslide victory for the
dems in November!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Maybe CFPCowboy can explain what seems to me to be the obvious question about 3-7-77. According to the wikipedia page, the highway patrol, who has the symbol on its patrol patch doesn’t know the original meaning of the symbol. What is the meaning of the symbol to the highway patrol or any other legitimate entity using the symbol. It appears that the only articulated meanings of the symbol are from a bunch of illegitimate vigilante groups.
Good read, Stomp.
Thanks Professor. How is the research going on your close personal friend, Jef Roe? 🙂