As Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump realizes his defeat is imminent, he is trying to create doubt about the legitimacy of the likely next president, Hillary Clinton, as he has about the legitimacy of the current president, Barack Obama. While providing zero evidence, he is claiming that the elections are rigged, three weeks before the elections, just as he claimed for years that President Obama was not born in the United States, without providing a shred of evidence. Such a pathetic, reckless shame. This Trump innovation, "rigged election," or what I call 'Riggedism,' can undermine trust in our democracy and spur dangerous consequences for our nation.
Trump should bow out gracefully, now, or after the elections. Preferably now. He has brought such acrimony and disrepute to public discourse and presidential politics through a history of lies, foul-mouth manufactured outrage, and fake contempt for a system which has served exceptionally well. His poll numbers are dropping due to his mushrooming misogyny, race-baiting, tax-dodging, xenophobic rants, and his fomenting of fear, inciting of hate, and the growing list of sexual assault victims who have been coming into public view since the start of this October.
The worst revelation came out last week, in the form of the 2005 Access Hollywood video, in which Trump offers graphic instructions on how to sexually assault women, in a lewd a conversation with then Access Hollywood host Billy Bush. How low can a presidential nominee go? Not much lower than Trump has, who may even go lower, depending on what other shoe or shoes may drop before the elections. Some in the media refer to the video as Trump's October Surprise, and while that might be true from an election standpoint, I view the tape as a vile, reckless shame, brought about by an unrepenting predator.
Besides, which of the scandals which marred Trump's campaign would not qualify as an October surprise? For a typical presidential candidate, characterizing Mexican immigrants as rapists and criminals, and Muslim immigrants as terrorists, would have been an immediate disqualifier. Trump made these accusations at his first campaign press conference, in which he declared candidacy for the presidency. Therefore, from day one, from the very first hour of his campaign, Trump disqualified himself.
The down-spiraling Republican Party and the ad-dollar greedy media capitalized on this demagogue, and pushed him all the way to the top of the GOP ticket. Realizing Trump he is losing now, especially after the release of the Access Hollywood video, the GOP brass has begun moving away from him. Nonetheless, House Speaker Paul Ryan and others in the leadership have not withdrawn their endorsements of Trump, yet, for fear of Trump voter backlash. As if Trump voters would want to be, or could find a home, anywhere else but in today's Republican Party. So, why are many Republican leaders leaving, or appear to be leaving, Trump? I will return to this question shortly.
The media has finally turned on Trump since they realized after he got the GOP nomination, that he could actually win the election and if he does, he will very likely curtail freedom of the press and infringe on the First Amendment. He may do so through new restrictive "legal" instruments or decrees. Journalists and citizens could then be at personal risk of prosecution, and possibly persecution, if they say anything critical of Trump or his policies. He would be expected to use government resources and powers to target various media firms, like CNN, CBS, ABC, and NBC, which would ultimately hurt their parent conglomerates bottom lines, profit and clout. He has shown virulent contempt for the media during everyone of his populist rallies, and therefore, moving aggressively, "like a bitch," against them would not surprise anyone.
The Republican leadership supported Trump for months, knowing full well that he is nowhere near qualified to be president of the United States. Again, why abandon him now? At the same time, the media trumped up Trump, the Andrew Dice Clay of presidential politics (plus the irony), because he is "good TV," he is good for ratings, and covering him nonstop sells a lot of TV ads. Neither the Republican Party nor the media gave a damn about what this election should be about, the interest of the American people, as one people, and the well being of the nation, as one country, one United States of America. Until now. Why?
The primary reason the Republican party is abandoning Trump now is the lack of regard the GOP nominee has shown for proper party decorum. He burned more bridges with the party and its elders than did the Nazi Blitz of London during World War 2. Most notable were the devastating attacks on both presidents Bush, presidential candidate Jeb Bush, and Senators John MacCain and Lindsey Graham.
A secondary reason the GOP is moving away from Trump now is the lewd Access Hollywood video, which fluoresces in shades of long-standing criminal conduct by Trump, and which threatens Republican support in middle class and affluent white suburbia. The graphic assault on two well-known, wealthy white women (Nancy O'Dell and Arianne Zucker,) directly targets the very demographic of women the Republican Party identifies with the most amongst female voters. Almost every Republican Senator, Congressman, Congresswoman, and party leader, who criticized Trump's graphic remarks cited having daughters, as if to say they would have not found the remarks objectionable but for having daughters.
As a result, the Republican party is deeply concerned that losing white suburban women vote would lead to losing both houses of congress and many state and local elections, in addition to the presidency. They are trying to stem the tide of disdain for a devolving party before it is too late. At the very same time, they are trying to do so without withdrawing their endorsements of Trump, in order to avoid offending his voters. Unfortunately for the GOP, Trump has repeatedly chastised Speaker Paul Ryan and other Republican leaders for distancing themselves from him. This should offer those leaders appropriate context for withdrawing their endorsements.
The Tertiary reason for the GOP's move away from Trump is the fear of his temperamental and single-minded approach to conflict resolution. Such approach could prove rather dangerous in dealing with other nations, many of whom expressed concern and displeasure with Trump's brand of "iron fist" diplomacy. There is a genuine concern amongst leading conservative intellectuals, including George Will and Charles Krauthammer, regarding the embarrassing candidacy of Donald Trump and his unsuitability for the presidency. The two Republicans have strongly admonished Trump on his poor knowledge of the issues and ill temperament. [Pertinent editorials and interviews can be accessed through routine online searches.]
Ironically, Trump's running mate, Governor Mike Pence of Indiana, and many Republican notables have indicated on several occasions during the past few days that they believe the elections would not be rigged and that they would accept the election results, regardless of whether Clinton or Trump is the winner. This alone speaks volumes about the discord in the Trump campaign and in the Republican Party and about how greatly removed the party's nominee from reality and from his own running mate. Further, it speaks to the insidious nature of Trump's Riggedism that even his running mate has recoiled away completely from Trump on his suspicious assertion.
A large majority of polls show that Hillary Clinton will win the election and will be the next, and first woman, president of the United States. Then, the single most important question will be the following: once defeated, what will Donald Trump do? Will he accept the results gracefully, or will he resign to his tower of hollow enigma and call on his followers to riot? Will his followers, many have legitimate concerns, heed his call and riot, or will they trust the vast majority of election experts who have unwavering trust in the fairness of the American election process? Will they break the law and put many lives, including their own, at risk, or will they move their concerns forward in a democratic fashion? Will they in the future chose a candidate who genuinely cares about their concerns and about this country, or will they cling to one who would use them, as Trump has, to insult his or her to the party's nomination and possibly the presidency? Only time will tell.
Azzam Elayan
October 28, 2016
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