The thing the GOP seem to be burying their heads in the ground about is that the will of the people can only be ignored for so long. And the people who they have to ignore are suddenly the rich people, who will refuse to be ignored, as opposed to the democrats' historically poor constituency. The collapse of GOP support in the suburbs in the mid-term elections was a striking feature of the new political alignment in America. We may have a perfect storm this year to keep Trump in office due to the voting problems that covid is inevitably going to cause, but winning might be the worst thing that the GOP could hope for right now. It will get ugly for them. I think that mk referred to them the other day as the dog that caught the car. Maybe that was you. Either way it was apt.
A friend of mine called Trump the dog that caught the car the Saturday after the election. That assessment presumed that he would face repercussions. He hasn't - not yet. The real problem with electing a craven opportunist is that it will drive out everyone principled and leave governance to craven opportunists. I'm no Paul Ryan fan but I'll give him this - he bailed when it became clear that his agenda did not align with Trump's. Unfortunately our constitution was written for craven opportunists - electoral college, 2/5ths human black people, the Senate - and the ones that are left standing will fly the plane into the ground before they relinquish the yoke because they're - say it with me - craven opportunists. The thing that saves us is when the calculus for craven opportunists says "don't go Trump."
Yes, and I guess I'm still optimistic that we will get to that point before it's too late. Other times I feel like Asimov hit the nail on the head, and we're the Foundation sinking into decadence and nepotism that is beyond repair.The thing that saves us is when the calculus for craven opportunists says "don't go Trump."
Asimov cribbed it from Toynbee, who did the World History Magnum Opus before the Durants but after JG Frazer. "Civilizations die from suicide, not by murder." He wrote 12 volumes to prove his point. The quote is at the beginning of Volume 4, which I have around here somewhere, but haven't quite been able to stomach. Of course, the thought wasn't original to him, either, nor Thomas Cole, Nor Gibbon.