No one expects Donald Trump to be magnanimous if he loses the election, but neither do we know what he’s capable of when he has nothing to left to lose.
By David Todd McCarty | Monday, October 5, 2020
In 1991, as Saddam Hussein’s army was retreating from Kuwait in advance of US-led coalition forces, they set fire to 600 of the over 700 oil wells. It would be two months before the first well was extinguished and six months before the last one was put out. Twelve years later, in the midst of the second Gulf War Saddam Hussein was captured hiding in a hole and made to stand trial in Iraq. In 2006, three years after his capture, Hussein was convicted of crimes against humanity and hung by the next until dead. He was 69.
Donald Trump hasn’t respected any democratic norm, social courtesy or legal boundary in his entire time in office, so the idea of a peaceful transition of power seems unlikely. Not suggesting it will come to violence or that he would be so bold as to refuse to leave office. He’s frankly too much of a coward and it’s unlikely that anyone in a position of any power would be willing to be hung for treason for aiding and abetting him.
But that doesn’t mean he wouldn’t attempt all many of radical executive orders, policy shifts and retributive antagonism before he beat a path out of town. Trump is nothing if not vindictive and he’s not above leaving with the attitude that if he can’t have it, no one can. What would be really frightening would be for the President to turn on the American people as disloyal for not re-electing him and attempting to enact his revenge purely out of spite.
We’ve never been in this position before so it’s hard to know how the government would react. Would Republicans continue to go along with a lame duck President that might very well face numerous criminal charges and indictments? Would they run for cover and like Peter claim that they never knew him? Likely.
But the militias, the angry Trumpers with their flags and their guns, the average asshole who was enjoying his newfound freedom to be openly racist, they are going to be upset and will present a problem, especially in the window between the election is called and a new President is sworn in.
Besides the threat of real violence in the streets, or individual acts of terrorism, there is the reality that we are still going to be fighting an ongoing pandemic with no sign of being under control for at least another year. How will that manifest itself with a public who feels they were cheated because their leader told them they were? It’s hard to say, but it’s unlikely they will just put their tail between their legs and start wearing masks.
Until we have a functioning government again, and a justice department we can trust, there is likely going to be a period of relative lawlessness in America. We are going to need to lay low and let them blow themselves out I fear. This will be a dangerous time to push.
Already Trump is leaving the hospital after three days, tweeting, “Don’t be afraid of COVID!”
This will only endanger even more Americans as they refuse to take the virus seriously, take adequate precautions, and threaten the lives of everyone around them.
He continues to push for opening schools and the economy and his followers echo his sentiments as they spout nonsense and act irresponsibly.
If Joe Biden is elected, even by a considerable margin of victory, there won’t be much he can do until the parasite leaves the White House. That will be a dangerous time for America. If by some miracle, Donald Trump is re-elected to a second term, we will have witnesses the demise of the United States of America first hand, from a front row seat.
I imagine it will be a bit like Steve Bushemi asking to stay on the asteroid in Armageddon so he could have a front row seat to the end of the world.
Follow David Todd McCarty on Twitter @davidtmccarty and The Standard @capemaystandard
