Roger Simon of Politico is not one of my favorite pundits but he does win the quote of the day:

Question: If Ted Cruz and John Boehner were both on a sinking ship, who would be saved?

Answer: America.

He has this to say about Ted Cruz:

And for what? Because Cruz, Republican senator from Texas, has grown so drunk on the sound of his own voice and so besotted with illusions of his own grandeur that he believes halting government today will propel him into the White House tomorrow?

But he is even harder on John Boehner:

Boehner does not bend to the will of his Kamikaze Caucus because he is an evil man. He does so because he is a weak man. To borrow a line from Theodore Roosevelt, I could carve a better man out of a banana.

I think that’s pretty accurate.  John Boehner likes the job of being Speaker Of The House he just doesn’t like doing the job.  He’d rather play golf, smoke cigarettes and drink.

But the major theme of Simon’s column is even darker.  As the rather feeble demonstration in DC pointed out this weekend this is really all about racism.  I think this all  dates back to Nixon and Lee Atwater. This is what happens when you build a base that consists of the lowest common denominator in American society – ignorant and superstitious bigots. It worked for a few decades but the inevitable demographic changes were bound to catch up with it. People kicking and screaming at the prospect of actually joining the 21st century.  Simon again:

Protesters marched through the streets of Washington on Sunday with a Confederate flag and then a protester lounged against the White House fence with one. Displaying the Confederate flag in front of a home occupied by a black family was meant to send a particular, and particularly repellent, message.
There were other signs of our descent. Remember Samuel Wurzelbacher? Known as “Joe the Plumber,” he was selected by John McCain as his presidential campaign mascot in 2008 with the same care McCain used to select Sarah Palin.
Over the weekend, Wurzelbacher posted an article on his blog titled: “America Needs a White Republican President.”
“Admit it,” the article said. “You want a white Republican president again. Wanting a white Republican president doesn’t make you racist, it just makes you American.”

Those who say this isn’t about race are in denial or simply not paying attention.