Mad Men

If Donald gained a boost from his anti-immigration comments, his feud with current Miss Universe Paulina Vega may sink his numbers.  Ms. Vega didn't appreciation Mr. Trump's Hispanic slurs and took to Instagram to express her opinion.  Apparently, the Hair Piece prefers Twitter, firing back with a stream of retorts, among them calling her a "hypocrite" for not giving up her title if she finds his comments so offensive.  So, Paulina explained to Donald her contractual agreement as Miss Universe.

I don't think the GOP was wanting their 2016 presidential campaign to become a Twitter (or Instagram) campaign but that's the logical next step for a process that has become largely about sound bites.  Marco Rubio could have just as easily posted his brave new economic plan on Twitter for all the details he provided Associated Press.  Oddly enough, he finds no place for net neutrality in the future, believing providers should be able to charge whatever they want for Internet access speed.  This will make it tough for the persons he is hoping to reach to access his live streams, not to mention upstart Internet businesses who count on cheap high-speed access to draw customers.

Marco wasn't just content to unveil his broad economic vision, he has also seized on higher education, which he compared to a "cartel."  It's anyone's guess what that means.  Maybe he feels education shouldn't be state run anymore but subject to marketplace rules, as if it isn't expensive enough already to send your kid to a state college or university.  Again, his message could have easily been made available on Twitter, probably with characters to spare.

For all their attempts to embrace new technology, the Republicans still seem mired in a 1950's vision of America.  Maybe they've been watching too much Mad Men, which even at the end of its long run had managed to get up to 1970, and shed some of its sexist stereotypes, if only to replace them with others.

What conservatives seem to want is a pre-laptop era when computers were for large corporate use only and individuals had to be content with a half dozen television channels via an aerial antenna.  The only way to reach the broader world was through short wave radio.

Technology is just a means to convey the conservative message.  The more tightly it is controlled the better, which is why you only find Rand Paul railing against the Patriot Act and its invasion of Internet privacy.  Getting rid of net neutrality is the logical next step, as it would greatly limit access to high-speed service and theoretically curb activity.

At the moment, Donald appears to be running interference for the other GOP candidates, saying the most outrageous things so that his fellow Republicans can show how moderate they are in their rebuttals.  Rick Perry used a moment on Hannity to reflect on his own views on immigration in more polite language, but the message was pretty much the same.  However, I have to think going after the reigning Miss Universe is a bit too much.  How exactly do you respond to that?

Trump seems to embody the most boorish aspects of Conservatism, allowing the others to project themselves to the "Left" of him.  However, Donald seems to be garnering the lion's share of attention, enjoying almost 24/7 coverage.  He might be able to launch his own channel, whether on television or Internet or both.  No need for NBC nor Univision.  He can even launch his own beauty pageant and call it Galactic Babe.  No impertinent Latinos need apply.  TAPP has an opening now that it has canceled The Sarah Palin Channel.