The American electorate irresponsibly and wholly unexpectedly cut the lines to its moorings in 2016 and guided only mildly by winds blowing off the Russian steppes, shoaled on Trump. A lodged ship is difficult to dislodge. In 2018 this unsettled body took significant but incomplete measures to get back to the main. In late February and early March of 2020 the larger portion of a sudden made additional, significant progress. Intent on dislodgement from Trump and lately aware of the additional Sanders hazard a small group in, of all places, South Carolina deftly and decisively maneuvered around Sanders and chose Joe Biden. And then, "in the 48 hours after South Carolina — millions of Democrats from all around the country, from many different demographics, turn[ed]as one" and made the same choice. The Democratic nominating process was effectively over and the SS America moved back out to sea. Just as she did Trump began to crumble under wave after wave of a tsunami, first a Hobson's choice between a pandemic and economic health and then America's birth curse, Race, reared up again from the deep. The renewed responsible electorate, alternately horrified and amused by Trump's statements on the coronavirus, decisively moved away from the man whose incompetence had inflicted so much needless carnage on them, and to Biden. The Trump menace has been consigned to the sea floor as just another layer of sand. The America is back in open sea. But is the crew able? Can they steer her properly? Has the ship been made sound or is it so badly battered and leaking as to be beyond repair? What of the next Russian gale? She is sailing into the wind. May it blow so fiercely and she be so weak that at the next low tide she is again marooned on a sandbar and this time abandoned to the elements, a rusting hulk with those of Rome, Greece, Egypt, Nazi Germany.
That last is particularly instructive. Adolph Hitler relied on his "instincts" as well. He had no use for science and experts either. He surrounded himself with cranks, crackpots, misfits and perverts just as has Trump. Hitler's instincts failed him with Russia, who enabled Hitler, who enabled Trump, whose instincts fail him with Russia too. The East wind did not hold back the tsunami that crumbled Trump. Like Hitler, and disregarding facts, Trump and his crackpots in their death rattle now reach for Race. For Hitler the scapegoat was of course Jews, mainly. For Trump it is of course Blacks, mainly and perversely it is a crackpot Jew, Stephen Miller, who has been particularly persuasive of Trump in making it Blacks.
The speeches [Friday in the Badlands, Saturday outside the bunker] were drafted for Mr. Trump by his regular team of writers in the West Wing, who are led by Stephen Miller. Campaign officials said Saturday that they thought the speeches struck the right note for the moment.
Again in 2020 Americans, including many elected officials and even some police officers, abruptly, "from all around the country, from many different demographics, turn[ed]as one" and sided with the protesters, with Black Lives Matter, against racist Law-&-Order, against historical policing, away from fear:
Campaign officials have repeatedly said they expect a backlash against the progressive “cancel culture” movement to help the president’s standing with white suburban female voters, who they believe to be frightened by images of chaos in the city streets. But that backlash has yet to reveal itself in polls: A recent New York Times/Siena College survey showed that 75 percent of moderates and even 53 percent of somewhat conservative voters have a favorable opinion of Black Lives Matter.
To which the crackpot Miller, encouraging and enabling Trump's instincts, made,
Central to Mr. Trump’s approach, however, is a belief he and some of his advisers share that voters are misleading pollsters [!] about their support for the nationwide protests, several allies said. As he has sought to present himself as the candidate of law and order, Mr. Trump has rejected suggestions from some aides who have urged him to do more to address racism in America, in the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd in the custody of police officers in Minneapolis.
That last is particularly instructive. Adolph Hitler relied on his "instincts" as well. He had no use for science and experts either. He surrounded himself with cranks, crackpots, misfits and perverts just as has Trump. Hitler's instincts failed him with Russia, who enabled Hitler, who enabled Trump, whose instincts fail him with Russia too. The East wind did not hold back the tsunami that crumbled Trump. Like Hitler, and disregarding facts, Trump and his crackpots in their death rattle now reach for Race. For Hitler the scapegoat was of course Jews, mainly. For Trump it is of course Blacks, mainly and perversely it is a crackpot Jew, Stephen Miller, who has been particularly persuasive of Trump in making it Blacks.
The speeches [Friday in the Badlands, Saturday outside the bunker] were drafted for Mr. Trump by his regular team of writers in the West Wing, who are led by Stephen Miller. Campaign officials said Saturday that they thought the speeches struck the right note for the moment.
Again in 2020 Americans, including many elected officials and even some police officers, abruptly, "from all around the country, from many different demographics, turn[ed]as one" and sided with the protesters, with Black Lives Matter, against racist Law-&-Order, against historical policing, away from fear:
Campaign officials have repeatedly said they expect a backlash against the progressive “cancel culture” movement to help the president’s standing with white suburban female voters, who they believe to be frightened by images of chaos in the city streets. But that backlash has yet to reveal itself in polls: A recent New York Times/Siena College survey showed that 75 percent of moderates and even 53 percent of somewhat conservative voters have a favorable opinion of Black Lives Matter.
To which the crackpot Miller, encouraging and enabling Trump's instincts, made,
Central to Mr. Trump’s approach, however, is a belief he and some of his advisers share that voters are misleading pollsters [!] about their support for the nationwide protests, several allies said. As he has sought to present himself as the candidate of law and order, Mr. Trump has rejected suggestions from some aides who have urged him to do more to address racism in America, in the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd in the custody of police officers in Minneapolis.
If ever words warranted having emphasis added to them it is those four words. That is surreality apart and different from mistrust of experts. This is not, "The polls are wrong!", this is, "No, the polls are right, Mr. President, it is the voters who are deliberately giving the pollsters untruthful answers." It follows that in Crackpot World the voters are also giving pollsters untruthful answers when they say they prefer Biden over Trump by 8%. "The voters are just having a little fun with the polls, Mr. President, you're not really behind Biden by 8%. They're really going to vote for you and you're going to win."
The crew of the good ship America has ably reasserted its competence again and if the battered, leaky vessel is still seaworthy, then on November 3 she will enter the world mainstream again. Will the world have her back after her uncharted voyage to and grounding on Trump? I think not, but what other option do we have but to try?
