Mr. Trump is a sly, old fox. Already he is preparing his minions for defeat and providing himself a place to lose with “honor”. Have you noticed in recent weeks his statements that imply he expects to lose to Clinton?
One day he says if he loses he will consider it an enormous waste of time and money. (He was gung-ho when he was spending his own money, but now there is a shrinking pool of donors giving money to a sinking ship. He seems comfortable losing other peoples’ money, a traditional business practice.)
Another day he says losing won’t be so bad since he has a wonderful life waiting in New York. (Never mind the shattered hopes and dreams of so many acolytes who invested everything in his campaign, kind of like “tuition investments” in Trump University.)
Then on another day he says if he loses it will be because the system is rigged, rigged, rigged. (One recalls the same accusation during the primaries, but if they were rigged, wouldn’t that mean they were rigged in his favor since he prevailed?)
Trump knows it will take a miracle for him to beat Clinton. He has to pick up several swing states. Not likely. His negatives are sky high. He must enlarge his support among women, minorities, and youth. That isn’t happening. He cannot seem to control himself even if it means political survival as he goes about insulting and alienating the very people he must have voting for him. It’s as if he does not care to win, but losing for such an ego is intolerable.
So, the loss must be blamed on someone or something, if only to save face, and to prevent his minions from turning on him.
Consequently, he muses about losing and sets up scapegoats for demonization.
Expect Trump to blame the RNC and all Republicans who failed to endorse or support (a growing number). Trump will blame the media of course, and NATO and the Chinese, and Mexicans, and ISIS and Obama and Clinton. He will blame George Will, and Charles Krauthammer, Mark Levin and Cal Thomas, and other true conservatives for his demise.
And in characteristic fashion he will refuse taking any responsibility, preferring to destroy what he attempted to build rather than face facts and do the right thing. In other words, he will throw a tantrum and file political bankruptcy.
Thus, we will be delivered from a tyrant of one stripe, only to be saddled with a tyrant of another stripe. Trump and his minions will blame it primarily on conservative Republicans who had the audacity to prefer principles over personality, patriotism over propaganda.
The truly tragic dimension of all this is Republicans had a chance to nominate a real conservative patriot who offered a solid, intelligent plan for American restoration, but rather than nominate the actual statesman patriot, they allowed themselves to be duped by a con man.
The punishment for such foolishness will be four more years of Obama in a pant suit—more decline, more loss and more chaos, looking to 2020 for a redux. It won’t all be Donald’s fault. It will also be the fault of RINOs everywhere. Perhaps next time around they will have learned as Sir Winston Churchill observed: “You can always count on Americans to do the right thing – after they’ve tried everything else.”
Is Trump 'In it to WIN it?'
photo credit: Closeup of a fox licking his nose via photopin (license); Tambako the Jaguar
