Always Moving to the Right (or, "Center")

Red-baiting wthout the reds,
Dick Nixon without the dick,
McCarthy went off her meds
And tail-gunner Jane got sick.

The Russians did something, but,
No evidence proves a thing.
The war witch got beat. So what?
She wanted, and got, her fling:

A last chance at breaking glass,
The ceiling and not the floor,
But fell on her ample ass
And got booted out the door.

She lost to a game-show host,
A rookie on his first jaunt,
A real-estate con at most,
With money and wives to flaunt.

More dollars she raised, then blew
On pollsters who told her stuff,
Except what they never knew:
That people had said, "Enough!"

They just wanted peace and jobs
No NAFTA or TPP
It hurt when she called them slobs
Deploring their dignity.

She campaigned as if by rote,
Neglecting a few key states.
The neophyte, he took note
And trashed her in their debates

The voters held up one hand.
The finger to her they gave,
Then sent (with a TV brand!)
Her dreams to an early grave.

She never did think to look
How far from the Left she'd run.
So seeing, the Right-guy took
One step to the Left -- and won.

She then wrote a book (she said),
Explaining (though in the dark),
"What Happened" the title read
But left out the question mark.

Michael Murry, "The Misfortune Teller," Copyright © 2018