You gotta know when to hold ’em…
Gambling, like a lot of other “sins” in this world, can be a bit fun. If you’re a poker player, you know that the entertainment of sharing a table with like-minded folks. Yes, some folks are definitely there to win at your expense. However, a low dollar table generally is just met with folks wanting to spend their time being entertained by something a bit different than their normal sit on the couch and watch TV routine. So, for entertainment value, it’s worth participating in and really no different than a night at the movie.
And, boy did the GOP delegates this weekend go all-in. The entirety of the Executive Board is new. Ask some, like our contributor Jason, and they’re likely to say we’re caught limping into the flop with a deuce-seven unsuited. Literally the worst hand to play. Ask others, we’re carrying pocket rockets and ready to go all-in pre-flop. My personal opinion: we’re playing a bit blind, but we know what hand the others hold before any action is taking place. We’re in an okay spot to at least see what cards are dealt to us.
The greatest strength we have, if there is one to be had, is the chairman. Dennis Futch was a non-issue the entire time. So, we had a choice between two candidates that didn’t exactly get us all juiced for the next two years. As I mentioned to The Honorable Former State Representative Turned Lobbyist Promoted to Editor-in-Chief Before Becoming Owner and Monetizer of Peach Pundit and Budding Popcorn Distributor after the debate, it was monumentally boring before we agreed that boring is probably the best thing we can hope for.
Much like Lane mentioned, the results down ticket showed the delegates didn’t care about our little quibbles with the GRA. They’re the folks holding a pair of nines and thinking if they can catch that card on the river, they’re going to win big…and they very well might. We simply don’t know, and we don’t know to what degree these different officers are interested in governing. Their job is to get Republicans elected, not simply Donald Trump, and we don’t know if they agree with that viewpoint. Even if we’re clear on what the Chairman plans on doing, we just simply don’t know how the cards we’ve been dealt will play.
And, going back to the hands of the other players, we know their game. The RNC has gobs of money. Presidential campaigns are competing for votes in the primaries and caucuses around the country but don’t know what the indictments will mean. The Kemp machine is rock solid, and the respective legislative caucuses are building operations on their own. So, the GAGOP has that going for it. Things around them are predictable and consistent, and there’s something to be said for being the wild eyed, unpredictable player at the table.
The cards are dealt. We know the players. McKoon isn’t a gambler, and that’s probably for the best – but his supporting cast range from aggressive to unknown. It will certainly make for a very interesting “final table” once the primaries are over with.