Since I began my Ringside Politics radio and television shows in 1999, I have enjoyed an annual Thanksgiving tradition of presenting the “Turkey of the Year” award to the most deserving celebrity or politician. Of course, there are the “winners” who have distinguished themselves in particularly stupid ways. Previous winners include filmmaker Michael Moore, former House Speakers John Boehner and Nancy Pelosi, President Barack Obama, and former New Orleans mayor and current federal prisoner Ray Nagin.
This year, the list of nominations was nearly endless. It was a political year like no other, but one dominated by one man: President-elect Donald Trump. He burst onto the political scene as a businessman and outsider who was tired of the unbearable burden of political correctness. He declared his goal was to (*3*) by “draining the swamp” around Washington and putting “America first.”
It all started on June 16, 2015, before a huge crowd at Trump Tower in New York City. In his first speech, Trump said the country needed a wall on its southern border and that Mexico would pay for it. He also criticized Mexico for “sending in people who have a lot of problems, and they bring their problems with them. They bring drugs. They bring crime. They are rapists. And some of them, I assume, are good people.”
Trump was immediately called a racist, and the media began to ridicule his presidential plans. There were also attempts to financially damage Trump’s business empire. His Miss Universe show was removed by the networks, the first sign that his presidential aspirations would be met with fierce opposition.
In the GOP race, Trump faced 16 seasoned opponents, many of them members of the GOP establishment. Those candidates were quick to condemn Trump whenever he made controversial comments. There were a number of issues that gave fodder to his opponents. Trump’s statements about Fox News’ Megyn Kelly, Sen. John McCain and the Indiana judge who presided over the Trump University lawsuit have all stirred up controversy.
After he secured the Republican presidential nomination, other controversies arose, such as his comments about a Muslim father who lost his son in the Iraq War, a former Miss Universe, and his infamous remarks about women captured on tape in 2005, which were conveniently released to distract from WikiLeaks’ revelations about Hillary Clinton. The icing on the political cake was when 12 women came forward to accuse Trump of sexually assaulting them.
In each of these incidents, Trump was brutally attacked by the usual group of reporters, Hollywood stars, and liberal politicians. Unfortunately, they were joined by many Republican politicians who wanted to criticize Trump and refused to support his candidacy, even after he won the nomination.
Former Republican Presidents George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush declined to endorse Trump, as did 2012 Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney. U.S. Senator and 2008 Republican presidential candidate John McCain was one of several prominent Republicans to withdraw their endorsement following the release of the 2005 tape.
These political leaders were joined by a group of conservative outsiders from the media and political worlds who refused to support Trump. This group became known as the “Never Trumpers,” and included radio talk show host Glenn Beck, commentators Erick Erickson, George Will and Bill Kristol, and Senators Ben Sasse of Nebraska and Jeff Flake of Arizona. Many of these people were vehemently opposed to Trump, even though he won the nomination fairly and faced Hillary Clinton, a corrupt liberal, in the general election.
From this “Never Trump” universe, I have selected my three Ringside Politics Turkeys from 2016. They were the worst of the colorful bunch, because they were presidential candidates who betrayed their party and backed away from their pledge to support a candidate. All 17 Republican presidential candidates signed a pledge to officially support the party’s eventual nominee. Unfortunately, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, and Ohio Gov. John Kasich put their own political interests ahead of their party and country.
Not only did they make a terrible mistake, they looked like idiots doing it. Graham said, “If we nominate Trump, we will be destroyed…and we will deserve it.” Not so Lindsey, because Trump won 31 states and 306 electoral votes, the most by a Republican presidential candidate since 1988. Jeb Bush, who was embarrassed by Trump and known for being “low energy,” acted like a petulant child and refused to endorse anyone, and even suggested he would vote for an independent.
While Graham and Bush behaved badly, the most egregious political violation this year came from Ohio Gov. John Kasich. He not only refused to endorse Trump but later admitted to writing on behalf of John McCain as his presidential pick.
Kasich refused to attend the Republican National Convention in his home state of Ohio. He did not greet delegates or attend any of the events that resulted in Trump’s nomination. He maintained the illusion that he was the “most electable” Republican presidential candidate, despite winning only one primary in his home state of Ohio. Trump won 37 states and won four times as many delegates as his closest competitor.
In the year of Trump’s political revolution, in which one candidate defeated the combined forces of the political, business, media and globalist establishment, these three Republican turkeys failed to join the historic party.
Sadly, Graham, Bush, and Kasich put their own selfish interests first and failed miserably. Their only consolation is that they are the clear winners of the 2016 Ringside Politics Turkey of the Year Award.
