Oh, and one other thought about “managed” elections. I don’t think it makes a difference if a Republican enters the White House in 2017. Even if it’s Trump or Cruz. The government as an entity has grown so large, so pervasive and so intrusive that it no longer recognizes any constraints upon its power over the people and is answerable to no one. Not Congress, not even the President.
It simply does what it’s masters on K street tell it to do; that’s where the regulations and statutes are actually written. Or quite often “translated,” as many of those K Street masters have strings going back to Beijing and Riyadh.
Outside of Trump and Cruz, I do not believe any candidate really wants to change that. And I’m not sure Trump or Cruz could, since they will be alone.
It will take a tidal-wave election, in the mode of 1980, to blow up the DC Political/Media/Business machine but it can be done. That is why the "outsiders" candidates like Trump/Carson/Cruz are doing so well. People are looking around and saying "this is not the country I want for my kids".
The people have one last shot at fixing this. If they do not then, yesm they will indicate that they are willing to be serfs to the Political Machine as long as they can feel good about themselves
Bernie Sanders in last night’s debate said “Congress doesn’t control Wall St. Wall St. controls Congress” and he’s right. His solutions to this problem - put more and different people in charge - are wrong but both him and Trump have correctly identified the problem.