You Made Me Defend Him

 

If President Trump wins re-election in November I think the thing that will push him over the top is the American notion of fundamental fairness. Does President Trump act “unpresidential?” Yes, and he acts presidential as well. Unlike his predecessors who no doubt had private (unpublished) moments that were not in keeping with the current notion of how a president should act, Trump has been the least private, most published president in our history. He truly seems to want all of America (and the world) to know what’s on his mind currently and all of the time. This communication style is different. This is not something we are used to. And we may be unsure as to whether or not we want to become used to it.

All of his quirks would work against him except for two things: (1) that which he does officially is at least as lawful (if not more so) than that which his predecessors have done, and are fully within the norm of executive leadership of the country as well as being generally effectual and providential, and (2) his critics are so over-the-top in their “counter-Trump” strategies that they have actually succeeded in convincing a lot of people that Trump is saner and more normal than his opposition.

The conventional wisdom is that the economy will win or lose the election for Trump. While I agree that if the economy remains strong in November there is no credible message that the Democrats can mount to convince enough voters to abandon Trump, it is also unclear whether a poorer economy will defeat Trump. The novel coronavirus is going to impact the US economy in a negative fashion. For Democrats, this must seem to be a gift from G-d (in Whom they do not believe) and will deliver the nation into their hands. But that will only be true under the following conditions: (1) voters assign blame to Trump, and (2) voters believe that the Democrat candidate will do a better job in restoring the economy.

And herein lies the elements of the Trump re-election message: Democrats lie. They have made serial slanders against Trump that have been demonstrably false but repeated endlessly. The public did not ultimately support Russia Hoax 1.0, Ukraine Hoax 1.0, and Russia Hoax 2.0. All of the claims about what a disaster Trump would be never came true: no plundering by him or his family of the federal fisc (unlike Biden), no concentration camps, no reporters jailed, no favorable treatment for Russia or any country other than America. Trump has hours of video with known false claims against him to replay to the voting public. So if all of that was a lie, why wouldn’t the “Trumpvirus” also be a lie?

And the second element is the theme Trump pitched to African Americans in 2016: What do you have to lose by voting for me? Trump’s policies since 2016 un-throttled restrictive elements that prevented people from making a good economy on their own. Economies heal when people are free to invest, produce, and consume. Command economies fail — slowly if restrictions are fairly loose, quickly if the “experts” hold a tight grip on the steering wheel and gears. If we are down economically in November 2020, what is the best way to bring us back up? We were down in 2008 and not much better in 2016. During Trump’s presidency until the novel coronavirus pandemic our economy was surging and recovering at an incredible pace. Would returning to Obama’s economic and global policies be the best path out of a global pandemic economic slump?

These are two good (and I think convincing) messages. But what puts it over the top is that the Democratic campaign in the fall will only be about one thing: smearing Donald Trump with all the old and repeated claims trying to make the Big Lie stick this time. I don’t think it will work, because it is nakedly untrue and thus unfair. We have seen this play run over and over again. When you go down the list of over-the-top machinations against Trump, or anyone associated with Trump, you understand who and what you empower if you vote for the Democrats in November.

You made me defend him.

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  1. Spin Inactive
    Spin
    @Spin

    Petty Boozswha (View Comment):
    unfitness

    Unfitness is, as unfitness does. 

    People keeping saying he is unfit for office.  Those are the same people who tell us to vote for a guy who can’t keep his teeth in, and doesn’t know his wife from his sister.  

    Trump has shown himself just as fit as the rest of those lyin’ bastards.  

    • #31
  2. MichaelKennedy Inactive
    MichaelKennedy
    @MichaelKennedy

    Petty Boozswha (View Comment):

    I have never criticized anyone that held their nose and made a binary choice in 2016. What has driven me to TDS is the goosestepping sycophancy [at least in public] of so many that know better. If we had told Trump we will support you when you appoint good judges and allow real Republicans to deregulate, but we will never bend the knee to your awesomeness, I would have been happy, Trump would have been miserable and probably would have resigned, definitely would not have run again. And the Republican Party would not have lost House seats in Charleston, SC or Oklahoma City or Omaha, squandering most of the gains we made under Obama.

    Boy ! What a load !  The House seats that Bloomberg bought will come back in November.  Maybe it’s because I’m old that I notice that most presidents lose House seats  in the first midterm election.  Reagan lost 26 seats but, of course, Dole helped by delaying the tax cut until 1982 so it did not help with the election.  In Trump’s case, he had 24/7 negative press an d a bunch of GOP swampers resigning and taking those lobbyist jobs.

    • #32
  3. MichaelKennedy Inactive
    MichaelKennedy
    @MichaelKennedy

    Petty Boozswha (View Comment):
    he did not want Trump to mobilize his mob to get him thrown out of the Senate.

    Voters, you mean ?  Damn those voters !

    • #33
  4. MichaelKennedy Inactive
    MichaelKennedy
    @MichaelKennedy

    Rodin (View Comment):
    No other President in your lifetime was attacked and lied about on this level by the opposition party

    How about attacked and lied about by his own party? Paul Ryan, for example.  Also Romney and his agonizing over impeachment.

    • #34
  5. Petty Boozswha Inactive
    Petty Boozswha
    @PettyBoozswha

    Reagan had a horrible economy with Volker wringing inflation out of the system through outrageous interest rates. Reagan also overreached and tried to tamper with Social Security, giving Tip O’Neill something to rant about. There is a big difference between losing 26 seats in those circumstances and the level of Trump loses with peace and prosperity, with a referendum on Trump being the only real issue on the ballot. I think Trump was blessed by the timing of the Kavanaugh fiasco, which brought Republicans home by showing the reality of today’s Democrats. If it hadn’t been for that – if a referendum on Trump was the only issue presented – I think we would have lost over 60 seats in the House and control of the Senate. That would have been the two by four to the forehead that would have woken up the Trumpkins on our need to replace the man.

    • #35
  6. MichaelKennedy Inactive
    MichaelKennedy
    @MichaelKennedy

    Spin (View Comment):

    Petty Boozswha (View Comment):
    unfitness

    Unfitness is, as unfitness does.

    People keeping saying he is unfit for office. Those are the same people who tell us to vote for a guy who can’t keep his teeth in, and doesn’t know his wife from his sister.

    Trump has shown himself just as fit as the rest of those lyin’ bastards.

    My daughter, who is a lefty, was visiting the Armistice Day weekend and the TV was on. As I walked by, she exploded at the TV saying”That Trump is so incompetent!”  I stopped and asked her if a stock market at 28,000 and 3% unemployment did not matter to her ?  She replied, “NO!”  She, of course, is a government employee. An FBI agent.

    At least she told us in September 2016 that she would not vote for Hillary. I think the FBI grapevine knew Hillary is dirty.  Personally, I have believed that Comey did his press conference that summer to avoid an agent revolt.  They all knew.

    • #36
  7. Django Member
    Django
    @Django

    MichaelKennedy (View Comment):

    Petty Boozswha (View Comment):
    he did not want Trump to mobilize his mob to get him thrown out of the Senate.

    Voters, you mean ? Damn those voters !

    Yes. How dare they hold their representatives accountable!!??

    • #37
  8. Django Member
    Django
    @Django

    MichaelKennedy (View Comment):

    Spin (View Comment):

    Petty Boozswha (View Comment):
    unfitness

    Unfitness is, as unfitness does.

    People keeping saying he is unfit for office. Those are the same people who tell us to vote for a guy who can’t keep his teeth in, and doesn’t know his wife from his sister.

    Trump has shown himself just as fit as the rest of those lyin’ bastards.

    My daughter, who is a lefty, was visiting the Armistice Day weekend and the TV was on. As I walked by, she exploded at the TV saying”That Trump is so incompetent!” I stopped and asked her if a stock market at 28,000 and 3% unemployment did not matter to her ? She replied, “NO!” She, of course, is a government employee. An FBI agent.

    At least she told us in September 2016 that she would not vote for Hillary. I think the FBI grapevine knew Hillary is dirty. Personally, I have believed that Comey did his press conference that summer to avoid an agent revolt. They all knew.

    I have to ask: What does matter to her? 

    • #38
  9. Franco Member
    Franco
    @Franco

    MichaelKennedy (View Comment):

    Spin (View Comment):

    Petty Boozswha (View Comment):
    unfitness

    Unfitness is, as unfitness does.

    People keeping saying he is unfit for office. Those are the same people who tell us to vote for a guy who can’t keep his teeth in, and doesn’t know his wife from his sister.

    Trump has shown himself just as fit as the rest of those lyin’ bastards.

    My daughter, who is a lefty, was visiting the Armistice Day weekend and the TV was on. As I walked by, she exploded at the TV saying”That Trump is so incompetent!” I stopped and asked her if a stock market at 28,000 and 3% unemployment did not matter to her ? She replied, “NO!” She, of course, is a government employee. An FBI agent.

    At least she told us in September 2016 that she would not vote for Hillary. I think the FBI grapevine knew Hillary is dirty. Personally, I have believed that Comey did his press conference that summer to avoid an agent revolt. They all knew.

    Do you dare ask her if she thinks anyone at the FBI is incompetent, or you know, even worse?

    • #39
  10. Spin Inactive
    Spin
    @Spin

    MichaelKennedy (View Comment):

    Spin (View Comment):

    Petty Boozswha (View Comment):
    unfitness

    Unfitness is, as unfitness does.

    People keeping saying he is unfit for office. Those are the same people who tell us to vote for a guy who can’t keep his teeth in, and doesn’t know his wife from his sister.

    Trump has shown himself just as fit as the rest of those lyin’ bastards.

    My daughter, who is a lefty, was visiting the Armistice Day weekend and the TV was on. As I walked by, she exploded at the TV saying”That Trump is so incompetent!” I stopped and asked her if a stock market at 28,000 and 3% unemployment did not matter to her ? She replied, “NO!” She, of course, is a government employee. An FBI agent.

    At least she told us in September 2016 that she would not vote for Hillary. I think the FBI grapevine knew Hillary is dirty. Personally, I have believed that Comey did his press conference that summer to avoid an agent revolt. They all knew.

    You just Plamed your own daughter?  Where’s Scooter Libby when you need him?  Ha ha!  

    • #40
  11. MichaelKennedy Inactive
    MichaelKennedy
    @MichaelKennedy

    Django (View Comment):

    MichaelKennedy (View Comment):

    Spin (View Comment):

    Petty Boozswha (View Comment):
    unfitness

    Unfitness is, as unfitness does.

    People keeping saying he is unfit for office. Those are the same people who tell us to vote for a guy who can’t keep his teeth in, and doesn’t know his wife from his sister.

    Trump has shown himself just as fit as the rest of those lyin’ bastards.

    My daughter, who is a lefty, was visiting the Armistice Day weekend and the TV was on. As I walked by, she exploded at the TV saying”That Trump is so incompetent!” I stopped and asked her if a stock market at 28,000 and 3% unemployment did not matter to her ? She replied, “NO!” She, of course, is a government employee. An FBI agent.

    At least she told us in September 2016 that she would not vote for Hillary. I think the FBI grapevine knew Hillary is dirty. Personally, I have believed that Comey did his press conference that summer to avoid an agent revolt. They all knew.

    I have to ask: What does matter to her?

    I’m not sure.  She is 53 and single and happy in her career with the FBI. She lives with her mother, my ex-wife, and would seem to be a natural Hillary voter.  She will be eligible for retirement in a couple of years and has plans for a career as a health care fraud investigator.  She goes on trips to Europe with her mother.

    • #41
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