Stephen Lendman

Harry Truman once reportedly said “(i)f you want a friend in Washington get a dog.” Political campaigns are rough and tumble, virtually no-holds-barred, notably this year with everyone bashing Trump.

His campaign features regular ad hominem attacks on all his rival aspirants, and now Cruz is accused of multiple extramarital affairs.

If true, it’s hardly a Washington anomaly. Numerous past presidents had them, including Washington, Jefferson, Franklin Roosevelt, Dwight Eisenhower, Jack Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson and Bill Clinton, among others.

Cruz denied a story leaked to the National Enquirer, blaming Trump for planting “complete and utter lies. It is a tabloid smear…from Donald Trump and his henchmen,” he maintains.

Trump issued a statement, saying he has “no idea” whether the story is true, stressing he had nothing to do with it, adding:

“Ted Cruz’s problem with the National Enquirer is his and his alone, and while they were right about O.J. Simpson, John Edwards, and many others, I certainly hope they are not right about Lyin’ Ted Cruz.”

In response, Cruz called Trump “sleazy Donald.” The Republican race has been especially nasty, including against spouses.

Cruz said “real men don’t bully women. Our spouses and our children are off-bounds. It is not acceptable for a big, loud New York bully to attack my wife. It is not acceptable for him to make insults, to send nasty tweets. Donald, you’re a sniveling coward.”

Observers think Trump’s so-called “gender problem” could alienate women. Some of his earlier remarks could come back to haunt him, especially when taken out of context.

He called Clinton “very shrill,” belittled her lack of stamina, and said she “got schlonged” by Obama in their 2008 primary battle.

Anti-Trump Our Principles PAC’s Katie Packer calls him “a walking, talking stereotype of a sexist misogynistic pig.”

The NYT militantly opposes him, going out of its way to bash him relentlessly while disgracefully endorsing war goddess, Wall Street favorite, anti-populist Hillary Clinton. So did California KKK grand dragon Will Quigg.

The Times published earlier disparaging comments Trump made about women, intended to make him appear sexist.

He maintains he “cherishes” them. He’d be their strongest advocate as president. At the same time, he’s not known for shyness or holding back on any topic.

In 2013, he twittered on sexually assaulting women in the military, saying “(w)hat did these geniuses expect when they put men & women together?”

In 2015 on Carly Fiorina, he said “(l)ook at that face! Would anyone vote for that? Can you imagine that, the face of our next president? I mean, she’s a woman, and I’m not supposed to say bad things, but really, folks, come on. Are we serious?”

He called Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly “crazy…average in so many ways.” The network said his remarks are “beneath the dignity of a presidential candidate.”

He once called actress Rosie O’Donnell a “fat pig.” Everything said anytime in any context can be used against candidates later on.

If Trump is Republican nominee in November, expect likely Democrat opponent Clinton to remind voters of his sexist comments - over and over again.

It’s easy to forget he bashes Republican challengers and critics the same way. His popularity remains high, way outdistancing Cruz and Kasich, his last two opponents still standing.

The tone of this year’s campaign is especially nasty. Expect no letup through November’s election - a contest to see which wing’s candidate of America’s one-party state succeeds Obama.

Democracy is pure fantasy. Voters believing their franchise matters are living in a dream world. They have no say over party nominees or November’s outcome.

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Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks World War III".

http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.

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