File this particular bit of crackpottery under Billionaires Know Best... especially when it comes to democracy (that had to be pried from their cold, dead hands in the first place). Or file under: Who uses LinkedIn? T. Boone Pickens-- who contributed over $2,000,000 to the GOP swiftboat operation and more recently gave 6-figure contributions to the presidential campaigns of the Jebster and non-starter John Bolton-- frets that "We’ve turned our presidential selection process into a reality TV show." Presumably Herr Trumpf and his followers are just too much for him. He writes we need "some bold thinking" and he has "a big idea" (presumably, to save his party from its vulgar, unwashed masses eagerly embracing vulgar proto-fascism). He wants a "screening committee" to vet presidential candidates; no, really-- that's what he says. And, it would be "bipartisan." Imagine Harold Ford, Joe Lieberman, Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Haim Saban as the Democratic contingent, for example. They would have to screen the self-selected candidates for "leadership experience, team building skills and a rock-solid plan for their administration."
Right now we have a process that emphasizes accusation and innuendo. Fact-checking is done… after the fact. And just like reality TV, there is too much of an emphasis on the inconsequential and the irrelevant. Such a vetting process could alleviate much of that... We need a process that insures we bring the best talent to the table and let’s the people decide.
Looks like the Deep Bench wouldn't be quite so deep-- just the almost universally-loathed Jebster, along with Kasich and... um... I guess the slob from Jersey organized a pretty good coverup of Bridgegate-- he's still not in prison-- so that could count as "leadership experience" and "team building skills." Did I miss anyone? Oh, yeah... bring back Rick Perry and Scott Walker. No room for Fiorina at the table, obviously, but if you have to have a lady, how about that brawling, alcoholic governor of New Mexico who used to be a contender for someone's running mate once upon a time?T. Boone also slips in what he sees as the ultimate purpose of his anti-democracy bold thinking: "The goal would be to propose amendments to the Constitution that would put limits on federal spending and our debt spree, put limits on the reach of our regulatory system and the courts."So let's save the country from fascism by... instituting fascism? I guess T. Boone didn't notice that his pick-- the Jebster-- has unfavorable ratings that CNN released today that are exactly equal to Herr Trumpf's-- 57% of Republicanos. And unless your definition of "bipartisan" is Patrick Murphy and Kyrsten Sinema, I don't think Democrats rank poor Jeb any higher. So... it's no wonder this guy thinks writing checks to John Bolton for President is a wise use of money! I have a better idea:
