Jess Lahitou

The Republican National Convention ended July 21. If you’re checking the calendar, that puts us at twelve days post-nomination wrap up for Donald J. Trump.

In that tiny window of time, DJT has managed to wreck any conceivable polls-bounce he might have gained from the star-spangled show of pretend Republican unity.

Throughout this long and increasingly nightmarish primary season, an argument emerged from Republican candidates who were routinely getting their butts handed to them by Donald Trump.

A tradition dating back to 1997, starting each November 1st, Starbucks introduces their holiday cup. So after 10 long months of waiting, forgive me for experiencing childlike letdown over this year’s Red Cup.

This is the first time I’ve seen a sitting president “spin” a clear military defeat to save his own ego, and use a bereft and heartbroken wife in order to get away with it. Disgust is not the right word. Horror, maybe. Disbelief and revulsion crashing into each other.

If you’ve heard recent Internet claims that The Salvation Army doesn’t deserve your money, and you are now wondering whether or not to toss a few coins in the red can on your way to stock up on Christmas goodies, here’s a thought experiment:

There were two stories that emerged from last night’s Republican debate: 1. The matchup between Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio, arguing over immigration policy and foreign policy (Cruz: no amnesty, build a wall, bomb ISIS while somehow not harming innocents. Rubio: eventual legalization of illegal immigrants, strengthen borders, work with Arab partners to defeat ISIS, more troops).

Tim Kaine and Mike Pence both showed themselves superior to their presidential ticket counterparts. Ouch.

Both Clinton and Trump should be more forthcoming about their physical health, but the controversy surrounding Clinton's fitness for office looks largely media-driven.

Rejoicing or weeping will depend on who you are, but let’s look at what happened either way.

Democrats:

One question here: why is a major government agency unable to fix its Twitter account for over a year? Two questions: Who is Marc Rich?