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Gorman: If nothing else, Trump is making politics fun Comment By Mike Gorman More Content Now DailyTidings.com By Mike Gorman More Content Now Posted Mar. 4, 2016 at 9:24 AM Updated Mar 5, 2016 at 8:23 AM By Mike Gorman More Content Now Posted Mar. 4, 2016 at 9:24 AM Updated Mar 5, 2016 at 8:23 AM » Social News In looking over the news flowing in from Baton Rouge, from Washington, D.C., and from the far-flung campaign trails of the Democratic and Republican presidential hopefuls, I am often reminded of my friend David Bernard’s old saying: “If you can’t make government work, make it fun.” I can’t help but think that’s Donald Trump’s governing philosophy. He of the uncontrollable hair, the uncontrolled tongue and the unrestrained ego is doing his best to keep this year’s election politics interesting. They ain’t high-brow, that’s for sure. And, they aren’t doing much to promote responsible government, truth in labeling or just about any other worthwhile goal. But doggone it, they are fun. Watching Trump blathering last week over Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz on a “debate” stage was just priceless. The action devolved to the point where the person typing up the nonsense for CNN’s closed captioning went with “Unintelligible yelling” when the three screaming voices melted into one unwieldy glob of idiocy. It’s managed to get even more fun since then. After notorious racist David Duke endorsed Trump last week, the real estate mogul refused to rebuff Duke or the KKK for which he stands. “I don’t know anything about what you’re even talking about with white supremacy or white supremacists,” he said Sunday on CNN. “So I don’t know. I don’t know — did he endorse me, or what’s going on? Because I know nothing about David Duke; I know nothing about white supremacists.” Hmmm. That’s not a strong response to a person who regularly elicits strong responses. Predictably, people across the political spectrum jumped on Trump, criticizing him for seeming to accept the endorsement of a hateful bigot. I wondered only what had taken Duke so long. I mean, Trump is clearly the racist’s candidate. Sure, Hillary Clinton has publicly embraced longtime U.S. Sen. Robert Byrd, a West Virginia Democrat who was once a high-ranking member of the Ku Klux Klan. A photo of the two seeming to share a polite kiss circulated on social media, causing some to question the fairness of the news media, which held Trump’s feet to the fire on Trump but gives Clinton a pass on her association with Byrd. Some have claimed it is more evidence of the unfair fight against Trump, fought by the establishment members of both political parties and helped along by a complicit national press. Others have said it is more evidence of Trump’s masterful use of the media. He is able to make his pitch to the KKK wing of the GOP without doing it himself. And even if he later disavows Duke, as he did this week, the real message is clear: I’m one of you guys. And he is. There’s no questioning that. His unapologetically bigoted rhetoric has insulted Muslims, Mexicans, women and just about everyone else, including the American electorate who will be forced to dignify his presence with a vote for or against him. Trump is no idiot. He’s smart enough to pull the strings of the GOP, knowing that his blend of racism and praise for Ronald Reagan, along with the hollow promise to “Make America Great Again,” is all it takes in today’s world of electoral politics. Yep, in our world, Duke’s praise for The Donald probably helped him more than it hurt him. The national pundits who think anyone cares about it are just getting his message out to more and more people for him — without him having to do any of the heavy lifting. It’s still early in the race, but here is my prediction for the rest of the presidential cycle. (For the record, I hope I’m wrong.) Trump will energize the most hateful wing of the Republican Party — to vote for him. But, he will also energize everyone else — to vote against him. Once Hillary’s friends in high places ensure she is the nominee over the ultimately unelectable Bernie Sanders, she will be the one place for the anti-Trump crowd to turn. Trump, Duke and their fellow travelers are doing more to get a Democrat elected than Clinton and Sanders put together. But keep watching. If nothing else, it’s sure to be fun. -- Courier and Daily Comet (Houma and Thibodaux, La.) Editorial Page Editor Michael Gorman can be reached at 448-7612 or by e-mail at mike.gorman @dailycomet.com. By Mike Gorman More Content Now DailyTidings.com By Mike Gorman More Content Now Posted Mar. 4, 2016 at 9:24 AM Updated Mar 5, 2016 at 8:23 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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