This administration reminds me of a failed bike race. Anyone who competes in any sport will understand. Falling behind is all in your mind, but it’s very real. Once you fall behind, you lose your edge, you start riding the other guy’s race. He dictates the pace, he controls the climbs, he controls your breathing. You find yourself falling behind and resenting everything. You start resenting breathing the same air as that jerk in front of you.

You might hang on, but the race is gone. It’s no longer fun. You start to take it out on yourself, your too old, too fat, too stupid. The list is endless.

Someone else comes up to challenge you and then another and finally, you are broken. The same guys you dropped like a bad habit a week ago now are untouchable. It becomes a battle just to hang on. Just manage the damage. The race is lost. Winning is off the table, it’s all about hanging on to not embarrass yourself.

I remember this 200 miler, a few years ago, I was discussing it with my friend John the other day. We were both discussing what happened to our friend Frank.

The day was a disaster, we all got separated early, somewhere in North Jersey.  At about the 160-mile mark we found Frank nearly passed out, dehydrated, physically sick and cramping bad, but Frank got up, He was still in the fight. We gave him some Gatorade, some energy gels, some Advil and he got back on the bike. Truth be told he should’ve been in an ambulance. But I knew and John knew if Frank was still in the fight so were we. We finished that night so late that every restaurant and bar and even McDonald’s in Cape May had closed. Some part of Frank believed, even after the sun had set, even as we rode on the last 10 miles in the dark, that somehow, we were going to finish and our overall time wouldn’t be that bad. Frank believed and he made us believe.

I wish I could believe this current administration was still in the fight. I wish I could believe they could turn it around. I wish someone would take away the Twitter machine and put some duct tape over his mouth and somehow make the president presidential.

What happens when something really bad happens. What about another Katrina? New Orleans still hasn’t recovered. There are reasons for that, but that’s another rant.

What about a major earthquake? What about a major hack of the power grid? What about a nuclear attack?

How can you deal with a disaster when you can’t even manage the damage in your own house?

I think we are facing a threat that this nation hasn’t faced since the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962 with Korea. You can like Kennedy or hate Kennedy, my father hated Kennedy, but he stood up at the moment and I believe prevented what would’ve certainly been the end of the world as we knew it.

I tell people every day, please prove me wrong, please turn this mess around and be a good and respectable and admirable administration. Please provide this nation the leadership that it needs.

If this was a bike race, I’d have my doubts.

You ain’t no JFK, trump. Please try to at least fake it.

 

I love that picture. I look like a ghost.