Today’s stories in Electoral Vote are chock full of bad news for Trump, most of it self inflicted:
- Trump seems to be doing everything he can to keep the feud between himself and the family of slain American soldier Humayun Khan alive, and keep it in the news. How bad is it? Trump friend and political advisor Roger Stone just called Khizr Khan a Muslim agent who is working with the Clinton campaign on behalf of the Muslim Brotherhood, and claimed that the killed soldier himself was planning a suicide attack on American soldiers. With virtually all national media and many prominent Republican politicians condemning Trump, you would think this is a story that Trump would like to go away, but it is Trump himself (and his friends) fueling the fire.
- The gloom-and-doom Republican convention made its viewers less likely to vote for Trump and the Democratic convention made viewers more likely to vote for Clinton.
- Clinton now leads in the national polls, erasing any gains that Trump made over the issue of Clinton’s email server and leaked emails.
- In the critical swing state of Florida, a major Republican has switched her affiliation to independent, and called Trump “a total narcissist—a misogynist—a bigot.” Clinton also gained the endorsement of Mack Cuban, a popular billionaire reality TV star.
- Trump, perhaps sensing that he is becoming the biggest loser ever, said “I’m afraid the election is going to be rigged.“
- Not content to malign families of fallen American soldiers, Trump started attacking firefighters. Who’s next? Police officers? Jesus?
- Trump is taking fire from many fellow billionaires. We already mentioned Mark Cuban, and Michael Bloomberg assailed Trump at the Democratic convention, but now Warren Buffett is attacking Trump for not releasing his tax returns. Watch for Trump to fire back, keeping the story of his tax returns in the news.
- And finally, Trump is antagonizing Speaker Paul Ryan by praising his primary opponent. Pissing off the highest ranking politician in your party can’t be a good idea. Even if Trump wins, he just might need the cooperation of the Republicans in Congress.
UPDATE: Trump is now repeatedly calling Clinton “The Devil”, and Roger Stone said that if Trump loses “we will know that there’s voter fraud. If there’s voter fraud, this election will be illegitimate, the election of the winner will be illegitimate, we will have a constitutional crisis, widespread civil disobedience, and the government will no longer be the government.” It sounds like he is calling for civil war.
Plenty of candidates make gaffes, though these actions amount to more than that. They veer between reckless, careless, and just plain mean. The only through-line is Trump being Trump, with no apparent strategy greater than that. At this post-convention time for party consolidation, with everything magnified in the final 100 days before Nov. 8, this looks like a candidate who senses he is losing and is not happy about it.
13 Comments
My concern: he won’t concede, especially if the election is anything approaching a close contest. I half expect a lot more “Y’all Qaeda” separatist types to show up if their Orange God-Emperor fails in November.
Why is it that one candidate conceding matters? I know almost all previous elections have involved adults where one dropped out when it was clear the lost, but even if Trump doesn’t concede the person with the most votes should win, correct? Furthermore, if one candidate concedes an election prematurely and ends up really winning more votes than his opponent does he then not get to take office?
I’m hoping it’s a complete rout and that the down ticket results are the same. I know, pie in the sky. But just as it can fun spending imaginary lottery winnings, this can be fun too. I always forget to buy lottery tickets but I never forget to vote, as I will be doing later today. We have 3 or 4 strong contenders for Republican governor, but only one in the polls will have a good chance to beat the Democratic contender in November. So I’m hoping to aid the Repub who is in second place, (by very little), win, because he does not poll as a November winner. This is a record for me, last primary and today, requesting a Repub ballot. My strategery in play. Keeping fingers crossed that both of my planned results occur.
BTW, if I’m wrong on the governor thing, the guy I’m voting for is the least objectionable one of the four. He’s the only one with no advertising of him shooting a gun. You can see I don’t have high standards.
I fear that the BEST outcome of this election will be Hillary as President, a Democrat majority Senate, and a second Civil War. All the other outcomes look worse.
And the Y’all Qaeda Trumpublicans are well armed.
I am restocking my emergency supplies. Fortunately I live in Portland, a bastion of progressive sensibility so I will probably be OK.
It probably won’t help that Trump is now calling Clinton “the devil“.
And Roger Stone said that if Trump loses “we will know that there’s voter fraud. If there’s voter fraud, this election will be illegitimate, the election of the winner will be illegitimate, we will have a constitutional crisis, widespread civil disobedience, and the government will no longer be the government.” Yup, sounds like civil war.
Welcome back Arthanyel, I’ve missed your comments.
Arthanyel and IK sum up why I’m worried about Trump not conceding. Democracy works only when people abide by it, and a smooth, legitimate (both actually legitimate and perceived as legitimate) transfer of power is essential. If Trump and his surrogates and their followers believe the election was stolen from them, things could get really messy.
Y’all Qaida may be well armed, but is certainly not well trained. Or fit, for that matter. And are not engineers or doctors.
Good point Redjon. If it is the same kind of people like the Bundy clan who took over the Malheur Wildlife Refuge, then we probably don’t have much to worry about.
In other developments, Trump has now been “awarded” his very own Purple Heart, to pin above his other one of black stone.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trump-purple-heart-barney_us_57a0fabee4b08a8e8b5fdbf6?
After Drumpf loses the election, I picture a Paddy Wagon waiting for him at the exit to account for his hiring of foreigners taking wanted jobs from Americans, Trump University, his unreimbursed Investors wanting their money back, the unpaid hotels and restaurants, ect. Especially after the New Yorker article by Swartz on Art of the deal. Drumpf called Swartz to tell him he wished he’d sued him. Good reading on your trip. http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/07/25/donald-trumps-ghostwriter-tells-all
It isn’t safe to underestimate people just because they are less educated. I will call attention to the Mine Wars of 1921 (?). The West Virginia miners defeated the police forces and whatever the state could muster. They were verywell-organized. Many were veterans of WW I, some were officers. They set up supply routes, organized field hospitals, and created a military structure in their troops. They only conceded when President Harding (?) sent in troops to squash the rebellion.
Anon – I get the impression that the Y’all Qaida troops and their kind are less like seasoned military veterans than Keystone Kops, especially if the Bundy Clan is any indication. A “well-regulated militia” apparently means different things to different people. http://bit.ly/2aO0ZRL