Things To Note Heading Into GOP Debate for December 2015 (Fine, I'll Link To The Drinking Game Rules)

I've given up on creating new rules for the drinking game(s) needed to watch these blowfests, but if you want to crib notes from the previous ones I've got them here for

August
September
October
(I didn't create one for November because by then it had stopped being funny)

That said, here are the points to consider as we head into Tuesday night's winter horror show:

• The fear-mongering associated with the modern Republican Party is going to be higher than the previous debates, all because the ISIS-San Bernardino murder spree has ratcheted up the anti-Muslim hatred in our nation. It's getting violent in our cities towards Muslim communities, many of them made up of refugees fleeing the terrorist threats in the first place. Having the likes of Trump and Cruz rally support for hate-driven policy ideas - Let's ban all Muslims (uh, temporarily, that's the ticket)! Let's nuke ISIS until the sands glow (they're just in one city, right)! - is going to set a tone for the debate where the irrational candidates will likely shout down any of the rational (relatively speaking) ones. I am going on record that someone is going to cross the line concerning outright vigilantism.
• Trump remains in the lead for the most part - precariously in Iowa though - with Cruz revving into second place, Rubio idling to third and Carson crashing down to fourth. Jeb! remains rock steady in fifth place... averaging about 4 percent of the polls.
  For all the talk about how early polls are not solid/reliable indicators, and the fact that until we get actual voters standing at ballot machines realizing that sh-t is getting real (as the wise man Mike Tyson once noted "Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.") that all this early chatter is just so, we are coming up to the Moment of Truth. If candidates are appealing to their base voters at a certain percentage, the odds are good that the primary voting numbers will reflect that. So if Trump is well in the lead, then...
• This explains why the speculation about brokered conventions went from being a pundit/blogger thing to an actual party leadership thing. And of course, the Republicans being incompetent about it, they let the world know. It's one thing to have someone like me - with seven readers, hi all! -  suggest the GOP is planning and praying for a brokered convention to save Jeb the party, it's another matter to have the people in a position to do something about it say so in public.
  Because now it gives Trump more ammo, not less. Now Trump can go to his anti-establishment supporters and say "See? I'm right because they're terrified of me." Now Trump can go to the media and whine "I'm not being loved by the back-room guys who's really wrecking the party, I'm gonna take my ball and run third party." Now Trump has the excuse he needs to keep his Id happy no matter what.
• Do not be surprised that everything will be Obama's fault. Everything always has been ever since history began January 2009. Apparently the disasters of 2005 or 1981 or 1918 or 1850 are all his fault too, if anyone can edit the high school textbooks to the Far Right's liking.
• We are still campaigning for these elections too damn early and too damn often. Instead of covering actual honest-to-God news of the day, nearly every major network has been non-stop campaign BS. This is not the real world. This is not solving the ills affecting voters right here and now. This is all madness.
  I'm not helping either. Blogging about fixing law enforcement to reduce excessive use of force, or about improving funding for schools, or about doing something about improving overall wages for all Americans, or something more tangible... That's what I should be doing. I'm not. I'm riding the rigged horse race, just like everybody else.

 I've got personal news as least, so stay tuned. Good luck, and Io Saturnalia!