Donald Trump is now involved in no less than six major legal complications. Even with all of his problems, millions of people and a major party are willing to back, and even potentially re-nominate, this man. It’s scary. But Trump isn’t what’s keeping me up at night. His continued power within the Republican party begs the question: If a candidate can have this many problems while openly espousing this extreme a philosophy and continue to be the standard bearer of his party, what will happen when someone steps up with equally dangerous ideas who is politically astute enough to not generate constant scandal? What will happen when we have a candidate embracing Trumpism who displays intelligence and political leadership? Trump is a political idiot with openly extreme ideas. The next threat to American democracy will be neither.
When you step back and think about it, the only thing that we have going for us is Trump’s own stupidity. Think of access Hollywood. Any astute politician would never let such a political blunder occur. Any politican with any degree of political wisdom would know enough to not admit to sexually assualting women in the past while on the campaign trail. Examine Trump’s actions and attitudes surrounding the top secret documents at Mar-a-lago. It’s virtual political suicide. His actions were blatantly illegal, were done without any regard whatsoever for whether he would be caught and carried out for no apparent reason. Then, he had lawyers unable to give him a decent representation. And, of course, there is the pandemic, and Trump’s botched response to it. Most people agree that this is much of what lost him the election. Where would we be if he had proved a competent and able leader in a time of crisis? Trump has constantly kept himself in the spotlight–in negative ways. Our best, and often only, weapon against Trump has been Trump. But this can’t last.
If the Republican party finds itself too politically impotent to move against Trump, what will happen when someone who is cunning as well as deceitful attempts to co-opt the power of a major political party to use as a Trojan horse for an extermist agenda?
Trump isn’t the one that should worry us. Eventually, Trump will bring himself down with his own political incompetence. What should really worry us is the next generation of Trump acolytes who are able to keep out of constant legal and political entanglements. History teaches us that eventually a leader will step forward who has ideas just as dangerous, or who is perhaps even more extreme, and who is politically calculating. An intelligent, politically astute Trump follower is an inevitable part of America’s future.
Bringing down Trump will not, in and of itself, be enough over the long term. We will have to bring down his extreme ideas, or we risk defeat from a truly dangerous opponent later.
Progressive Without Apology 