More Questions

That The Defendant is again trying to become the President of the United States obviously raises terrifying prospects for the future. Will he subvert the very fundamentals of our democratic system? Will he use his power to further inculcate his hatreds and prejudices into the American character? How can he possibly keep that hairstyle for another four years?

But these questions (mostly the first two) divert us from others that we should also be thinking hard about. Here are two. 

First: Who will be his running mate?

Typically, this question is a curiosity. It’s like wondering why there is such a thing a synchronized swimming. It is interesting but it won’t really have any great impact on your life. This year is different. There is a lot of talk about Biden’s VP. Most polls show that Vice-President Harris is a drag on Biden’s chances given his age and the better than usual chance that she will become the big cheese. What is only beginning to be discussed is who will be The Defendant’s running mate. And that choice may be even more important than Biden’s. 

Yes, The Defendant is old, too, and that’s one reason why his VP matters. But his Big Mac diet seems to be keeping him spry. More important, though, is the political calculus that the Defendant’s people have to make when they anoint their choice. On the one hand, will they choose someone who is more palatable to more people and therefore enlist votes that might not otherwise have gone to their team? Maybe. But there is a real danger for them to think that way. It boils down to one word – impeachment.

The Defendant was impeached twice the last time around because he did some crazy shit. Well, this time he is even crazier. If, by some chance, the Democrats take control of Congress, the over/under on the first impeachment resolution will be two weeks from Inauguration. Even if, as expected, Democrats don’t take control, the kinds of things that The Defendant is claiming now that he’ll do when re-elected could very well force those Republicans who have retained at least some degree of sanity into an impeachment state of mind.

In light of this, the logical choice for The Defendant’s VP will be someone even crazier than he is. That’s his impeachment insurance policy. It is reasonable to assume that Congress will think twice about tossing The Defendant when the result wouldn’t make things any better. Maybe even worse (if possible). And even if they impeach the VP also, unless the Democrats take the House, that leaves us with Mike “My Son Checks My Porno” Johnson. 

Sure, that insurance will carry an expensive premium. The Defendant might lose some of his non-MAGA Republican support. But if the polls are close to correct, The Defendant is ahead now even while facing six million criminal charges and with all the bizarre shit he keeps saying. So, a clone of a running mate shouldn’t turn those supporters off. It might even encourage them.

Second: What Happens If He Loses? 

People with half a working cerebellum are fretting over the nightmare of The Defendant winning back his seat in the Oval Office. We should obviously be as afraid of this as we would be if a 60 Minutes camera crew showed up at our office. Nothing good can come of it. But what this fear masks is the lesser but still legitimate fear of what will happen if he loses. 

The Defendant cannot accept the idea that he has lost at anything. To him, the worst thing he can be called is a “LOSER.” This is the notion that lies at the pit of what substitutes for his soul. We all know what happened the last time he had to face that reality. He denied it and denied it and continues to deny it. He convinced the army of mindless who worship him that his denials were true. The most tangible result was January 6. A more subtle but no less real result has been a loss of trust in our political system and the resultant desire to hand that system back over again to The Defendant, ironically a man that no one can trust.

All of that is bad enough. Horrible. But a loss the second time around will make that first loss look like a Junior Prom. The distrust of the system that The Defendant will foster will be more immense; the protests that he will stir up will be more strident; and the violence that he will inspire will be more brutal.

The Defendant is an evil superhero. He has the power to pose a colossal threat to our way of life both if he is elected and if he isn’t.

And he’s the favorite.