There are those who still confidently predict that Donald Trump will win re-election. But Frank Bruni writes that Trump is self-destructing before our eyes:
As Katie Rogers and Annie Karni reported in The Times, the president feels isolated and embattled and is panicked that he’ll lose to Joe Biden in November. That state of mind, they wrote, prompted his executive order to halt the issuing of green cards, which is precisely the kind of base-coddling measure that he resorts to “when things feel out of control.”
He can read the polls as well as the rest of us can, and they show that while he stands there nightly in the White House briefing room and blows kisses at himself, Americans aren’t blowing kisses back.
Wait, you object, Trump defies the rules and gets away with it:
I know, I know: He’s Trump. He carries the secret weapon of his spectacular shamelessness, which means that he’ll resort to ploys and lies that even the most unscrupulous of his opponents wouldn’t attempt. He’ll destroy what he must so long as he gets to rule over the wreckage.
And the usual laws of nature don’t apply to him. He was caught on tape bragging about grabbing women by the crotch. Didn’t matter. He got nearly three million fewer votes than Hillary Clinton. Still he won. If he wasn’t exactly found guilty of elaborate coordination with the Russians, he was certainly shown to be open to it. Onward he rolled, and he kept rolling past his gross abuse of power in dealing with Ukraine and his richly deserved impeachment for it.
He’s Houdini, he’s Scheherazade, he’s all the escape artists of history and fiction rolled into one and swirled with golden-orange topping. He’s lucky beyond all imagining. But here’s the thing about luck: It runs out.
And his luck is running out. As the death toll from the virus reaches the death toll in the Vietnam War -- and as Trump suggests that the cure for the disease might be injecting Lysol into the veins of the sick -- Americans are increasingly coming to the understanding that they have a madman in the White House.
Image: Ben Wiseman New York Times
16 comments:
Bruni is placing a great deal of faith in the American public's powers of discernment, Owen. I'm not by any means certain that faith is justified.
They left out the moniker, "Teflon Don"
I understand your cynicism, Lorne. Americans, as a species, are remarkably ignorant. One can only hope they still have the sense to recognize a con man when they see one.
If nothing sticks to him, zoombats, it's because so many Americans refuse to see what is painfully apparent. The Emperor no clothes.
I think his luck will run out. People will die regardless of what his latest lie is. No matter what scapegoats he offers.
The fact that the Democrats have chosen Biden as their anointed one means that voter turnout will continue to be poor. But of the people that still bother to vote, enough of them will see the obviousness of Trump's incompetence and defeat him.
Of course, this is based on Trump not ramping up the fraud or constitutional loopholes to outright steal the election.
There are groups of citizens in every country that cling to false idols, but the US seems to be number one in that score. I could never understand how such large numbers of people become totally engrossed with charlatans who exploit their minds and their wealth. There are so many of them that give their assets to felons like Jim Baker, with or with Tammy Fay. Evangelicals seem to lead in rip offs of their followers. David Koresh, Ron L Hubbard and his disciples also come to mind. Trump is the new Jim Jones who would have his followers consume lethal poisons.
RG
The Jim Jones analogy is particularly appropriate, RG. Like Jones, Trump is suggesting that drinking poison will be his followers' salvation.
From where I sit, it looks like the outcome is impossible to predict, thwap. But it shouldn't be. The damage Trump has done is everywhere.
Prophesy from the soothsayer of Nanaimo!
Donald Trump will on one hand promote social distancing whilst after his afternoon nap urge his slave state supporters to break these protocols and do business as ,almost, usual.
By election time his slave states are enjoying a little better economy that the rest of the USA.
In envy, many other states throw their lot in with Trump.
Election result?
Trump wins either marginally or after a wildly contentious /legal result.
By fall the 'liberated' slave states are experiencing massive increases of cases of Covid19 resulting in many deaths.
Unable to come to terms with reality the slave states turn on their western counterparts who are closing borders to protect themselves!
Just a guess!!
TB
.. I don't really think Trump's problem is Joe Biden..
Its far worse.. Trump is his own worst enemy..
He's tracking perfectly to burn on re-entry ..
And.. that's just for openers ..
Historic, hysterical.. abject failure
and all who are associated..
the death rates are now increasing in the south and in rural areas where the orange maggot had support those rural areas have lost a lot of hospitals, so no health care. nothing puts a damper on a things like body bags stacking up. Once Georgia opens up and the deaths increase, it will put the old tin lid on things for trump. Over at HuffPost they have a list of people who responded to trump's "scaracism". its funny.
every one in the U.S.A. was raised to keep away from bleach, etc. as children, it kills. now they have a president who suggested they ingest it. even the most loyal will start to question it. they won't let their kids play with it...........
I do expect trump to do at least one very big stupid thing, such as go into a war, etc. to distract, but it is doubtful it will work.
He owes the Bank of China a few hundred million which are due shortly, ditto Deutsch bank. no income, the guy may go bankrupt. Moscow Mitch suggesting the states go bankrupt isn't going to promote any feelings of loyalty in Republican states. these boys are finished.
All quite possible, TB. It would be an horrific outcome. But, from the beginning, the Trump show has been a horror movie.
I can't predict the election outcome, sal. But I am sure that history will be appalled.
I hope you're right, e.a.f. But, as I wrote in my comment to the salamander, I can't predict the outcome.
The recent Lincoln Project commercials are very good. My guess is they are meant to bring over to the democratic side those with some intelligence. that a vote for Biden is the way to save their country and their economy.
As I understand it, e.a.f, the Lincoln Project is run by disenchanted Republicans -- another sign that Trump's influence is on the wain.
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