Wednesday, June 19, 2019

Democrats Breaking Bad


It's time for the Democrats to screw the pooch again!

Trick question: how can you reliably beat the Democrats in a national election? Answer: release numerous polls showing them way ahead. Hillary was way ahead in the polls right up to the election, which she lost. The Dems saw those polls and shut down in safe mode. We got this! All we have to do is not make a mistake! Who needs to visit swing states? We got this! I wouldn't be surprised if the Trump people were planting the polls showing him losing to multiple Democrats. I'd be surprised if anyone told him about it, but it would be a great idea coming from his handlers. (What a job that must be! “Here's a cheeseburger Mr. President. Oh look! Fox and Friends is on!”)

We are also witnessing the repeat of the DNC struggle to lose by rejecting progressive candidates who would actually have a chance of winning in favor of middle-of-the-road centrist candidates. Hillary was a nightmare candidate, let's face it. She's a mediocre public speaker at best; she's awkward in any public setting; and no one liked her. I kind of liked her, but I had serious reservations. I was not in the least surprised that she lost. The war against Bernie Sanders is back in full swing, even worse, in full view. The Dems are somehow terrified of Elizabeth Warren as well, and I'm sure some of them would feint at the mention of Mayor Pete. They like Cory Booker, who is a wolf in sheep's clothing if ever there were one. They like Kirsten Gillebrand, the very definition of “plain vanilla.” And even though they've known him for forty years, they like Joe Biden! Go figure! Those last three are lose, lose, and lose.

But Biden beats Trump hands-down in all of the polls! Biden v. Trump is a Trump walk over out here in the real world. Polls, schmolls, Biden v. Trump and every single Trump fan comes out and votes while every voter under thirty-five years old stays home and takes a nap in between gig jobs.

How could the Dems win? I feel like I did every time some procrastinator came into my law office asking for help six months after the statute of limitations had run. Then it was, “if only you'd come to see me sooner.” Now it's, “if only you had taken the free advice that I offered you after the loss in 2016 (or at least the suggestions I made after the partial victory in 2018).”

If you think he's bad now, just wait and see how it goes after he wins next year. I hope that I'm wrong, but I think the odds are in his favor. If he gets a second term, it will be his favorite phrase all over again, “all options are on the table.” He's making all of the generals rich, and junior officers aren't going to do anything. Don't expect our police to be the ones to save democracy. Local politicians are very easy to arrest on Federal charges. The rich love him and when he makes his move they will cheerfully flood the TV with propaganda. Is that old fashioned? TV? Okay, they'll flood whatever is reaching people these days. Trump, whom we have deigned to consider a fool, could burn the entire playhouse down. American democracy has been slowly disappearing since the Patriot Act was signed anyway. Add the 2000 election, the lies and corruption of the Bush II years, the eight year assault on the democratic process when Obama was president (“the year of the eight Justices”), the Russians and Facebook and the voting machines and the FBI in 2016. All it needs now is one small push and American democracy is going right over the cliff.

You'd better get back to the TV, or Facebook. The lies are stacking up waiting for you. Handle with care! Whatever your politics are, remember your history: when it all goes wrong, everybody gets hurt. 

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