RICHARDSON: 'Let's Make A Deal'
Remember the original TV game show "Let's Make A Deal"? It's still running today with host Wayne Brady, but my favorite host was Monty Hall, who started with the show in 1963.
The rules are simple. Contestants could trade their original prize for something behind a series of doors or curtains. Sometimes the hidden prize would be something great and other times the contestants would get zonked.
Senate Republicans now face such a predicament, but this sure isn't a game show. It is reality TV in the worst way and they could get voted off the island.
They have decided not to consider President Obama's nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court — no matter who it is — to fill Antonin Scalia's seat. That may prove to be very short-sighted.
Behind Door No. 1: There is the real possibility Donald Trump will be the Republican nominee. It's not a done deal, but there are more than a few Republican senators who are pulling out their hair at the thought, particularly the 24 up for re-election. If the Democrats win five seats, game over.
The most likely occupant of the Oval Office in January 2017 if Trump gets the nomination is Hillary Clinton. If that's the case, the senators running for re-election could be collateral damage. At which point, Republicans would no longer control the confirmation process. The opportunity to approve a moderate (however you define moderate) will have passed.
Behind Door No. 1A: Assuming Hillary wins and Democrats control the Senate, Hillary could nominate Old Bill, or Obama. Wouldn't that shake folks up? I'm shaking just thinking about it. If Sen. Mitch McConnell is reading this, he should be shaking, too.
Behind Door No. 2: What if The Donald wins? He's already said his sister Maryanne Barry would make a great Supreme Court justice. She's a senior U.S. Circuit Judge for the Third Circuit Court of Appeals. She's a Republican and was nominated to serve on the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey by President Ronald Reagan. She was elevated to the Court of Appeals by President Bill Clinton. Her only drawback is her age; she's 79. What a career-ending gift to his sister.
Behind Door No. 3: Sometimes it not that you lose, it's how you lose. From the time I was a little boy I was taught to be a good loser. There will be several opportunities to see the opposite play out between now and November. If the Trump train continues to rumble, there will be an effort to snatch the nomination from him in a brokered convention. In other words, the Grand Old Party will cheat him.
If that happens, Trump could take his voters and run as an independent. He will lose, but so will Republicans. And it will be nasty. It will be a street brawl, and so far the best brawler of the bunch has a lot of Manhattan real estate with his name on it. The fight will be played out for all to see and make the 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago seem like a tea party (pun intended).
Door No. 4: And what if Sen. Ted Cruz wins the nomination? Refer to door No. 1. But just for the sake of discussion, let's say he wins. If you think Washington, D.C., has a bad case of gastronomic indigestion now, just wait. The uncompromising legislator from the great state of Texas would have the government shut down in two weeks.
There are other possibilities. Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg hasn't been shy about his desire to run for the presidency. He has the wherewithal. He's No. 8 on Forbes list of wealthiest people with $40 billion. Trump is way down at 324 with only $4.5 billion. Only? I should be so far down the list.
What do you think? Now that I've given you a peek behind the various doors, do you think the Republican leadership should deal with the sitting president or let the uncertainty of the next one overtake them? They've been badly outmaneuvered by Trump so far and have failed to distance themselves from his vitriol. And both sides have totally missed the tectonic shifts in the electorate.
It might be time for the Majority Leader to pick up his iPhone and call the president and say, "Let's make a deal."
Charles E. Richardson is The Telegraph's editorial page editor. He can be reached at 478-744-4342 or via email at crichardson@macon.com. Tweet @crichard1020.
This story was originally published March 5, 2016 at 8:19 PM with the headline "RICHARDSON: 'Let's Make A Deal' ."