It seems that we see polls every day showing Donald Trump in trouble in every category, from immigration to affordability. Now, add a new one: the war against Iran.
If Trump was normal, he would be worried about the midterms. Right now, he stands a good chance of losing both the House of Representatives and the Senate. Yet he continues as if all is well. What gives?
There are, I believe, two basic reasons. One, he is delusional and, therefore, really believes that, no matter what the polls show, he will still win the elections by a landslide. Two, in his rational moments, he believes that he will prevail in November, by hook or crook. Hook: He will subvert the election process in key states, by having “Make America Great Again” people in control. His chief tool will be voter suppression — using the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act if it passes the Senate or his own version if it does not. Crook: Failing this, he will resort to a more sophisticated version of the Jan. 6, 2021, attempted coup.
It is this last gambit that is the most scary. According to Dr. Timothy Snyder (see his “The Desire for Terror” and “Defense of Democracy”), going to war has certain benefits for the wannabe dictator, one of which is the possibility that someone, even himself (“self-terrorism”), will create a “terrorist incident,” which can be used to justify Trump’s taking over of the government by canceling the midterms.
But, for Snyder, even in this dire circumstance, there is still hope: “Self-terrorism only works if we panic, demand ‘security,’ (and) accept suspended democracy as protection.” What Snyder does not say (but implies) is that, even in the best case, we, the people, need to be ready to mobilize as never before.
Frederick Longacre
Hockessin
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