First, I think it was horrendous. To think that a man hoping to be President in 2013 and beyond could even harbor such thoughts, at a time when the US needs to come together and redouble its national strength, should make it obvious to anyone and everyone that this man is not prepared to be President, that he doesn’t understand the American people, that he worries more about his own image and projection of power than he does about the middle class or the working man, and that — given the opportunity — he will certainly turn the country over to monied special interests, wealthy crony clients, and those who care little about the future of a real, vibrant, ground-up strengthening American economy, enriching themselves at the expense of blue collar workers, eg.

Is his remarkable captured candor a disqualifier?  To my mind, yes, it is.  And it’s not so much that he said what he said and was caught doing so; but rather, that what he said is, in his heart, what the man truly believes, how he thinks both strategically and tactically — and whom he believes in.  And clearly who that isn’t is a good portion of the American people, or at least, those he is unable to win over with his perfunctory speeches whose successes seem to be gauged by home many red meat platitudes he manages to incorporate amid the rest of the pablum.

Now, should he resign from the race for what he said?  I think he should, frankly — though I doubt very much it will happen.  He’s received enough incoherent, largely strained cover thus far from all manner of “pundits” and political hacks since what will likely prove to be a fatal utterance — sufficient to keep him at least superficially viable, and so sufficient to keep the donors donating, and the campaign superficially moving forward.

But the truth is, if we live in a country that has any chance of ever coming together under a common ideology again, the kinds of things we heard on that tape — for those of us who weren’t there live — is worthy not only of disgust, but of scorn, distrust, and defiance, as well.

Just my two cents.

And in case you’ve been living in a cave, the clip is included below.

 

More here.