Former National Security Advisor John Bolton has been flogging his newly published book on every available media outlet. Among the many statements he has made is that Russian president Vladimir Putin thinks he can play president Trump like a fiddle. I don't know how Bolton knows what Putin thinks - I doubt Putin has shared his thoughts on this or any other matter with Bolton. What I do know is, ever since his escalator ride before announcing he was running for president Trump has been playing the likes of Bolton like a fiddle with mastery honed over decades in the business world, his knowledge of human nature and his ability to manipulate, bully and bluff his way through any situation. "The likes of Bolton" include most Republicans, many in the media, a majority of Christian evangelists as well as other religious groups and large parts of the business community. He has done this by figuring out how to win the votes of just enough people to put together an Electoral College majority. The 2016 election was the perfect stage for candidate Trump with an opponent whose unfavourability rating, as bad if not worse than his, outweighed her many positives in the minds of enough voters. Add to that the complacence she and her supporters seemed to express in the run-up to the election and Trump was able to emerge the winner. Can we hope 2020 will turn out differently? To recycle the slogan from the 2008 election, yes, we can. Apart from the unexpected pandemic and ensuing economic disaster, we have a Democratic candidate in Joe Biden who has experience and knowledge of how government is supposed to work and can be expected to adhere to established norms of personal and official conduct, in other words the anti-Trump. Will that be enough? In a normal world it likely would be. Given our current dystopian reality I would say that Democrats should be looking for the proverbial kitchen sink. Having little political experience myself, I hesitate to recommend a strategy. I would, however, venture to say that in a political climate where George Will is calling for a rout of the Republican Party, it would be foolish for traditionally Democratic voters to look for ideological purity, no matter what their ideology. I know it is customary to say the upcoming election is the most important one of our lives, but can you imagine what 4 more years of this nonsense will do to this country?
- drrama7