Frum is W’s former chief speechwriter.
The Bullwark is the online zine of former Dan Quayle chief of staff and Never Trumper Bill Kristol. This is what Last writes:
The mood at this convention was valedictory. As if the race was already over. Trump 2024 is acting like Reagan 1984. Like he’s riding a 17-point advantage in the polls.
And I am sorry, but this is the reality:
[Trump] has spent three weeks running against a zombie campaign. Everything has gone Trump’s way. And he still hasn’t been able to break 48 percent. [He has NEVER, in ANY election, gotten so much as 48%] He’s still only leading by +3 nationally.
….
…the Trump we saw last night can be beaten. And the fact that Republicans don’t realize this only adds to his vulnerability.
…
This is why I read this article:
I am concerned about how Republicans will react if Trump loses.
Because that crowd seemed to find the idea of a Trump defeat utterly incomprehensible.
I mean that there did not seem to be any recognition that defeat was possible.
I am concerned that this iteration of the Republican party lacks the ability to countenance a loss.
I fear for what a Trump administration would do if he wins. But I also fear for what this Republican party will do if he loses. Because they have moved past electoral politics and into the realm of messianic prophecy.
They will not accept it. It will be Jan. 6 on a steroidal-crack cocaine cocktail. They will try to start the second Civil War.
