Trump & Bush

When no matter what the weaker person did to stand up to the stronger, we used to say that, “X was Y’s “B*tch.” It was a crude way of describing that one was Alpha and the other Beta and it applied whether we were talking about wide receivers going up against less able corner backs or artists more skilled than a colleague or business rivals, where one always got the better of the deal.

Forgive me for the crude recollection, but that is what I thought of watching Donald Trump dismissively handle Jeb Bush’s otherwise game, but failed attempt to put the billionaire mogul in his place during last night’s presidential debate.

Trump brushed him off with a backhand slap. “Let’s see: I’m at 42% and you’re at 3, so far I’m doing better…”

It was a stunning blow, an, “oh go sit down Sonny.” The former Florida governor smirked his hurt and exasperated smirk and visibly seemed to shrink.

Astutely picking up on Trump’s triumph over Bush and several other attempted debate stage attackers, immediately following the debate CNN gave Trump an unfettered ten minutes to cement the spin that Trump was boss.

There seems little that his opponents can do to stop Trump now. The selection process will make its way through Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Super Tuesday and beyond, but Trump will be the nominee. Despite his having offended half the country, including women and the disabled, most of Latin America, not to mention a billion Muslims, last night he looked tough to beat, at least for the nomination. He's the Alpha Republican.

Of course, the general election math favors the Democrats. Demographically, there probably aren’t enough voters left who aren’t mad at Trump. But whether Secretary Clinton can do what Governor Bush obviously cannot, stand toe to toe with a bar room brawler/locker room bully is the 21st Century’s most intriguing political question.