Happy Thanksgiving. Or maybe in the memeocracy it should be called Fucksgiving, as in the day we give fucks about things.
Donald Trump has yet to reassure the public on his competence, his demeanor, or any of the other things we seek from a president. He has planned a victory lap (or a thank you lap, depending on which mouth of his campaign apparatus is speaking). He has offered up nominations for various Tsars that offer no reassurance that he will form a whole\hyp{}cloth approach to government.
But the tone itself is the most disconcerting. He continues to seek ego-petting and placation, with one report stating that Mitt Romney will only be offered the position of the nation’s mouthpiece to the world if he kisses the ring. He has not attempted to be conciliatory, even to his former opponent Hillary Clinton, merely stating that he will not seek to have her imprisoned.
In short, imagine if Donald Trump were elected president, and you have a pretty good picture of what’s going on with—oh. Ha, ha, ha.
The tone from the Republican leaders in the legislature is muted. They are following the same script from the campaign, which is to try not to upset Trump while pretending to focus on their legislative agenda. They are the guy in the break room that is sipping from the empty soda can while the fight goes on, trying to pretend that he doesn’t notice.
The Democrats appear to be shaking off their defeats and seeking to mobilize with vigor. So, we come to the question of why they lost.
For anything as complicated as politics, of course, there are many parts to an answer to that question. In 2012, Romney lost because Obama was popular, because the traditional coalition had shrunk, because Romney himself was rather stiff, and so on.
In 2016, I must return to my thesis that the more fun candidate won. Hillary never cemented herself as a soulful, fun person. Trump didn’t either, but the level of animation and outrage the man embodies make up for the lack of a human personality. In other words, having some form of overstated persona beats a limited, timid one. People forgive a lot in campaigns if you come across as an active participant, someone who cares enough to speak even if the words come out wrong.
So, with that my plan for 2020 is to examine the race through the lens of funnest-person-wins. Early betting markets currently have the ticket of sex, drugs, and rock and roll (to be determined which one will be top-ticket, which will be veep, and which will sit out) ahead of World War III.