Thinking the Unthinkable

FOR THE PAST FEW WEEKS, polls have indicated a very close race between Biden an Trump,usually about forty two forty two, Trump sometimes ahead by a point. Of course, its early, and the polls mean little. But, still...The mere fact that Trump is running,the fact that he appears to be the inevitable Republican presidential candidate,the fact that he is apparenty currently ahead in the polls,and, worse of all,the fact that he very well could be elected and become once again the president of these Unted States...is shocking. Suddenly, there is one poll, a poll which is regarded as an "outlier", which has Trump ahead by nine points, shockingly. Surely this is not accurate...Neither Trump nor Biden is popular, nor ever, within recent memory, ever have been. Trump's unfavorable rating has from the beginning of his controversial political career ranged far ahead of his favorable rating. Both Biden and Trump, frankly, need, by popular consensus, to retire, and leave the governing to the next generation. Objectively, honestly, Biden has done will; his policies are working. But the increase in the price of gas and the price of food, both of which Biden has worked to mitigate, are driving undecided voters to Trump. Of the many possible scenarios, the most likely one is that Trump's very real criminal defense diffiulties will eventuallly drag him down, turn the undecided voters against him, and Biden will win another uninspiring election, while Trump and his supporters decide whether to once again claim that the election was stolen from them. Either way the country will be in trouble;another post election civil war, or, heaven forbid, Trump as president, again. You wonder about the complete arrogant confidence with which Trump and his gang would reenter the White House, falsely claiming a mandate from the American people to vigorously impose the entire wacky far right agenda on the country; book banning, mandated preyer in chool, complete deregulation of the ecoomy, bring back coal, and all. A Trump election victory in 2024 would inspire him and his supporers into a frenzy of extremist policies, and send the e of the country, the progressives, the indifferent, and the sane, into a tailspin of depression os such severity so as to possibly be unable to mount even a token resistance againt the fascist forces of the right. Several months ago I mentioned to my sister the possibility that Trump could be elected, considering Biden's unpopularity. She asked, in horror: "President of this country"? Unthinkable indeed.It is time to consider the implications of a another Trump presidency, unthinkable though it seems to the sane and the decent. It is also not only reasonable, but important to begin to consider of the even more seemingly unlikely, unthinkable scenario of a Trump convicted of multiple felonies, sentenced to prison, on his way to prison, and, simultaneously, president elect. It is beginning to appear that Trump's status as former president will not deter the criminal justice system from functioning normally with regard to his alleged crimes. The evidence against himforall inety one alleged felonies, is overwhelming.It is difficult to imagine Trump not being convicted of at least one serious felony, probably more. And, again,the possibility tht he might actually get elected president becomes more possible every day. To a very large extent, his support seems to besed on anger, resentent, and defiance. The more he is punished for his criminality, the greater his support seems to become. That's a toxic mix for a country in a toxic state of being.