Trump Won’t Go Quietly — Even If He Loses
Trump Isn’t Backing Down, He’s Doubling Down. And American Democracy is in For the Fight of its Life.
There’s a myth going around these days that’s particularly damaging. The myth of Trump’s demise — and, as they say, it’s greatly exaggerated. In comes in three forms. One, there’s going to be a blow-out, so there’s no need to worry about American democracy. Two, that Trump will concede politely and walk away gently into the good night. Three, that American institutions will force Trump out of power. None of these three things is true, and they are leading to a false sense of confidence just before a crucial election.
The first myth — there’s going to be a blow-out — is easiest to dispense with. Somewhere between 40 to 50 percent of America still supports Trump — despite the horror freak show of the last four years. The polls register 40 percent, but that number should be taken with a grain of salt: there’s always a secret hate vote when it comes to fascist-authoritarian moments. The evidence is ample — 2016, Brexit, and so on. Some percentage of people always tell pollsters what they want to hear — and then in the heat and silence of the voting booth, choose hate and folly.
The only question is how big Trump’s secret hate vote is. That’s anyone’s guess —…
