Go At It

I bought the June 2015 issue of Vanity Fair because it had stuff about the new Star Wars movie. Then I set it aside because I decided I didn't want to see any spoilers, even if it was just sets and costumes.

Anyway, I just picked it up recently (figured I might as well read it before I threw it out) and a short piece by Michael Kinsley caught my eye.  It's about Ted Cruz.  I didn't figure the article would be particularly telling, since it was written before Donald Trump entered the race and anyway, it's just filler before anyone really knew how the race would shape up. (We still don't know).  In other words, Kinsley gotta eat.

Still, it was amusing in its own way. Kinsley insists in each race there has to be a goat--someone who's the joke candidate that no one can take seriously.  For instance, in 2012, that turned out to be--to the surprise of many--Rick Perry.  And at first Kinsley thought it might be Rand Paul.  Or perhaps Ben Carson.  But then Ted Cruz announced and Kinsley, looking at the reaction, assumed he'd found his man...or goat.

Why?  Because of the way the press attacked him.  CNN made a big deal of how Cruz had applied for Obamacare. Kinsley admits this story meant nothing (and didn't actually go anywhere), but was a sign that everyone wanted to laugh at his candidacy.  And then The New York Times went out of its way to note how Cruz tailored his message to the crowds he spoke to in New Hampshire. Once again, no real story, just a sign--to Kinsley--that Cruz was the designated goat.

It would seem from today's vantage point that Kinsley was way off.  But then, if it's not Cruz, who is the goat (assuming there has to be one)?  If I had to say right now, I guess it would be Jeb Bush. I'd be a lot more impressed if Kinsley had foreseen that.