Trump's Losing Ugly--and Dangerously

Trump on Clinton picking SCOTUS judges: "Nothing you can do... Although, the 2nd Amendment, people, maybe there is." https://t.co/U3lH0IiWF7

— CNN (@CNN) August 9, 2016

This morning, I was planning on writing about how Donald Trump, down in the polls, was becoming increasingly ugly in his invective and tactics. The "rigged" insinuations--the idea that if he loses, it won't be because he is a lousy candidate who behaves erratically and has prompted the defections of numerous current and former (albeit, mostly former) GOP officials--it will be because somehow, the system is "rigged". It could be argued that this argument strains credulity and won't even be bought by most Republicans--but is not making that appeal to "most Republicans". He is making that appeal to the folks who still think ACORN is a thing, that Barry Soetero is a Muslim Kenyan, and that the Democratic nomination was won by a person with significant brain damage. Sure, we want to believe those people are rare and weird, sort of FOX News website commenters meets The Hills Have Eyes. But many of them have voter's registrations all right.

And they have guns, and these are the ones who really worry that the Mommy State is going to take their guns and leave them in the kill box of the Chipotle as defenseless as that Pajama Kid from the Obamacare ads.

Now, Trump's proven himself to be worthy of the Republican nomination by being well-acquainted with the oldest tactic against the Clintons--just keep shoveling shit, and sooner or later, some of it will stick. You couldn't help but notice the manipulation factor of the grieving mother of one of the Benghazi attacks' victims holding Hillary Clinton "personally responsible" for her son being killed at the RNC. Now, I know that anger and trying to assign blame and a deeper meaning is a part of grief--but does anyone think Hillary Clinton put on a camouflage pantsuit and her sensible jackboots to kill CIA contractors that day?

That Pat Smith and Charles Woods are now working with the probably disturbed, "endangered white guy", Birther lawyer Larry Klayman to sue Clinton for wrongful death and defamation is just sad. Maybe they believe this guy will manage to accomplish something nine official investigations didn't. But there is a lot of reason for doubt. (Hint--he's not in it for your best interests, parents--he's got axes to grind and he'll use you for a whetstone.) It's deeply visceral. It doesn't have to make sense. So when Trump calls Clinton "Lucifer" and accuses her of corruption and everything else--he's softening her up: some of it will stick. That's why it doesn't really mean anything to him if one of his surrogates suggests the "firing squad" for her and is investigated by the Secret Service--Trump thinks that is a job well done. That's the language "his people" like to hear.

So maybe he'll suggest her emails got an Iranian scientist killed--and Mike Pence even repeats it, even though this is idiotic. Every conspiracy theory you can think of--just shovel that shit. SOP.

But suggesting himself that maybe the "Second Amendment people" have a solution to her taking office and picking gun-control friendly judges (she is not, in actual fact, for ending the Second Amendment, and even conservative justices have previously upheld some forms of gun control) is reminiscent of Sharron Angle's "Second Amendment remedies" comments. Both make the basic assumption that if voting doesn't get you the result you want--well, that's what guns are for. And that is highly undemocratic. It's saying that one bullet should cancel out the votes of millions. It's more than ugly, more than the flailing of an angry, poor loser--it's actually alarming.

Now, he has walked it back a little, and his surrogates and some of the sorry folks who endorsed him have tried to say he might be joking--really? Isn't the appeal with Trump supposed to be that he's authentic? Is sarcasm that much of his repertoire? When he expresses admiration for Putin and thinks it's just incredible how Kim Jong-Un eliminates his enemies, it might be the moment to take a little time-out before jumping to the conclusion that he's joshing with us. As for the claim that he's inarticulate and not really a polished politician--this man has put himself in front of cameras for years. Didn't he say he has the "best words"? Hasn't he boasted of his high IQ and his good genes from his nuclear physicist uncle? He knows what the hell he said, and I don't think he wasn't being deliberate.

So first--he roots for sabotage with an act of foreign espionage, and now--civil disorder and assassination. New Trump slogan: Make America a Great Third World Dictatorship! He's a disgrace.