It's a negotiating technique: Claim the initial position.
Assert that the matter is settled. Claim you've already won.
On election night, 2020, before most of the ballots were counted, but when the early indications looked like a Biden win, Trump spoke:
"This is a fraud on the American public. This is an embarrassment to our country. We were getting ready to win this election. Frankly, we did win this election, we did win." [Audience cheers.]
We saw a fresh iteration of the technique after the debate on Tuesday. In the post-debate spin room, at subsequent speaking events, and in writing, it is the same message: Trump won in a landslide and the opponent cheated.
Trump on Truth Social:
"Polls clearly show that I won the Debate against Comrade Kamala Harris, the Democrats' Radical Left Candidate, on Tuesday night."Also on Truth Social:"People are saying that Comrade Kamala Harris had the questions from Fake News ABC. I would say it's very likely. . . . Despite having to debate three people, Polls firmly state that I won, and EASILY."
In a speech in Las Vegas yesterday:In Trump's world, there is no set of facts that would allow a Kamala Harris victory to stand on its face. Even Trump political allies and Fox News acknowledged that it was a bad night for Trump and a good one for Harris. No matter. Someone acting in bad faith was quick to present evidence to the contrary. After all, it is the internet and we have free speech:
"I hear she got the questions, and I also heard she had something in the ear."
Elon Musk comes along shortly after, admitting his data is worthless, but presents it anyway. It fits Trump's narrative, and Musk's:
What is true? Anything could be true. Trump uses a ready-made source that will meet any need: "People are saying" and "I hear that."
I know of no effective way to inoculate the American political system against a November reiteration of Trump election denial, except, of course, a Trump win. Trump has trained his supporters to accept what he claims. It is either true or could-be-true. Could-be-true is close enough.
Mainstream media warned of the "red mirage" problem four years ago: Early votes would skew to Trump and Democratic votes would come later. Before the 2020 election Steve Bannon was caught on tape laughing about Trump's plan to announce and claim victory on election night when Trump was ahead in the vote count. Americans knew what to expect, but it did not inoculate the system against what Trump doing exactly what was predicted.
After the fact, the political system took action to protect itself. The Electoral Count Reform Act of 2022 clarified the role of the vice president as ministerial in counting votes. Indictments of 2020 fake electors are a caution to potential new ones in 2024. Security at the Capitol has been beefed up for this coming January 6. The biggest vulnerability remains, though. Approximately half the American public tolerates and endorses a leader who flagrantly and proudly creates his own reality. This is a democracy, so a self-governing people are free to be governed by someone who makes things up. And that is what we have. Trump makes things up, proudly and shamelessly.
Trump can sell. Democrats underestimate how believable he sounds to people who want to believe what he makes up. He says he won elections and debates in a landslide, and that is welcome news, and it could be true. He seems utterly confident and convinced of what he says, and that makes him believable, at least to some of the people some of the time, and very possibly half the people this time.
Whatever the vote this November, he will claim a landslide victory, and a lot of people will believe him.
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5 comments:
We just need to actually win the election and then to deal with any lawlessness that follows. Let the fools believe what they want, but hold them accountable for their behavior. The same goes for Trump.
I think they most important part of the debate was how Harris came through. Trump called her low IQ and couldn't handle something as important as the presidency. I think she had to prove she was just as smart as him and maybe smarter. She did that in spades. In fact, she crushed him. That's exactly what she had to do. Now, people believe she's up to the job. So, it's about 50-50, which is a big step for her. Biden had no chance, which is why he's still trying to campaign against him. The new player is causing him a lot of trouble. He could lose. And he knows it.
The only way he loses is if the Blue Tsunami people keep talking about actually happens. I sincerely hope The Attorney General is preparing his sharpest Attorneys to be ready for the flood of baseless lawsuits sure to be filed when (if?) Trump loses by even a huge majority. I also admit to not really having much faith the Garland DOJ.
Of course Trump claims he won the debate, just as he claims he won the 2020 election and will claim he won the coming election regardless of the results. Led by a lawless liar, Republicans have become peddlers of anger, hatred and asinine conspiracy theories. The big loser is the United States of America.
You're right Mike.
It should be 100% clear to everyone that Don Old is a pathetic loser who makes the US look weak.
He's the definition of a Patsy.
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