To show he controls these people

Some people are now suggesting that the November election has the possibility of being a blowout for Dem candidate Joe Biden. For example, Harry Enten suggests Biden could get 412 electoral votes (270 needed to win), the biggest Democrat win since LBJ in 1964. Peter Hambly added this reminder: “Deeply unpopular candidates lose elections. The end.” Enten reminds us other models show Biden getting only 200 electoral votes. So don’t take a win for granted.



Gwen Snyder tweeted that she thinks the nasty guy recognizes the coming loss, so is grabbing all the power he can now. That faster action is because his ego couldn’t take such a big loss (see above) and a big power grab would prevent that from happening.



Wajahat Ali, in an article for The Daily Beast, talks about some of the things the nasty guy might use to stay in office even if he loses in November.

The man lies about elections he wins. Just imagine what he will do if he loses.

[Jason Stanley, professor and author of How Fascism Works] added that if Trump and Republicans can represent the electoral system itself as being rigged, then “being a norm-breaker makes Trump seem authentic. That’s the authentic appeal of a lying demagogue—people think your brash, norm-breaking behavior is a sign of authenticity.”

He’s authentic all right. He hasn’t strayed from who he is. However, he is authentically an an authoritarian wanting to stay in office for life.

If the election is close and comes down to a contested state, say Wisconsin or Florida, what confidence does anyone have in this Supreme Court to be impartial?
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And if he is declared the loser, who knows what the limits are for a commander in chief who’s already exhorted his followers to “LIBERATE VIRGINIA, and save your great 2nd Amendment. It is under siege!" He sent similar messages about Minnesota and Michigan, and weeks later an armed militia shut down the Michigan state house and forced lawmakers to work from home.

“That was to show he controls these people,” said [Ruth Ben-Ghiat, author of Strongmen: How They Rise, Why They Succeed. How They Fail]. “That those people can be trotted out to make trouble... he has planned that very carefully.”

I get the newsletter from Detroit Film Theater and their @ Home offerings. I watched one of them this evening. It was Mr. Topaze directed by and starring Peter Sellers. It came out in 1961 and is described as a classic thought to be lost and now restored. Sellers plays a schoolteacher who refuses to change the failing grade of the grandson of the duchess and loses his job. DFT says of the film “Sellers’ first and only credited directorial feature captures the comic genius at his peak …” The description reminds us that Sellers starred in The Pink Panther, comedies I remember fondly from my youth. However, this wasn’t a comedy. It was quite interesting and enjoyable and I didn’t expect the ending. But it wasn’t a comedy.