by Pa Rock
Citizen Journalist
When Donald Trump wins, it is due to his own magnificence and has nothing to do with the hard work or dedication of anyone else, and when Trump loses he quickly assigns the blame to others. We witnessed that phenomenon daily with the coronavirus pandemic: on the days when there was good news he grabbed the stage and the spotlight and was effusive in his self-praise, and if things weren't going so well people were fired, or transferred, and other distractions were brought before the press to keep the negative news at bay. On one bad news day Trump was even quoted as saying that he bore "no responsibility whatsoever" for some awful outcome.
Always grab the credit and never share in the blame. The "buck" that habitually ended up on Harry Truman's desk never lands on Trump's. He passes blame along like a junior high school game of "hot potato."
Donald Trump loves being a winner, but on days when he doesn't have that option, he will quickly settle for being the victim. If he didn't win it must because somebody cheated - and Trump is every bit as good at being the victim as he is the winner.
As the 2020 election begins to clarify, it is starting to look more and more like Trump will be seen by many as the underdog in the race, much as he was the recognized underdog against Hillary Clinton in 2016. And that is the position that he would probably rather be in. As the underdog he can cast aside some of his image as a bully and come across as a more sympathetic character - all the while retaining the full force of the presidency at his immediate disposal in the event he needs to manufacture a quick news story to help his campaign or harm Biden's.
Several things are coming together that help Trump grab the underdog status. He is slipping in the polls due in large measure to his mishandling of the pandemic response as well as several statements he made during the early days of the emergency that border on being bizarre. Trump claimed, for instance, that he was taking a drug that had not been approved in the fight against coronavirus because he "felt" that it would be beneficial in preventing him from catching the deadly virus. He also hypothesized (aloud) that if bleach and disinfectant kill germs on the outside of the body, there ought to be some way for that same process to work internally - an irresponsible remark that led to some accidental poisonings.
Trump is also credited with allowing the coronavirus to establish a strong foothold in this country because he eliminated our national pandemic defense team prior to the onset on the disease, and then he stalled in making the public aware of the imminent danger posed by virus. Now many believe that Trump is rushing the country back to pre-pandemic levels of activity to pump up the economy - at a time when the number of cases is still rising. Overall, many Americans regard his handling of this medical crisis as a failure, and that perception is working its way into the national political polls.
Trump's poll numbers are also slipping due to what many perceive as his hunkered-down and fitful responses to the current domestic demonstrations that are occurring across the United States - and the world - primarily as a response to unchecked police brutality toward people of color. Trump's strong racist tendencies keep him from aligning with the general mood of the public - and he seems to be becoming increasingly isolated and paranoid.
A new poll by NPR/ PBS Newshour/Marist has Donald Trump's national approval rating at just 41% - and his overall disapproval rating at a whopping 55 percent. Those numbers clearly aren't good enough to win a national election - but the election is still a full five months away and lots can happen in that length of time.
Sixty-seven percent (two-thirds) of the poll respondents said that they believe Donald Trump has increased racial tensions in America.
And, 47% of respondents said that they "strongly" oppose the job that Donald Trump is doing as president.
Those numbers are severe enough that they will be extremely hard to come back from - but five more months will tell that tale.
Last week retired General (and former US Defense Secretary) Jim Mattis issued a strong and stinging rebuke of Trump's immature handling of the presidency. Another retired General (and former Secretary of State) Colin Powell, a Republican, announced that he would be voting for Joe Biden in November. Senator Mitt Romney (another Republican) said that he would not vote for Trump in the general election and would likely write-in his wife's name on the ballot. And, The New York Times reported that former Republican President George W. Bush will not vote for Trump.
If it's underdog status that Trump wants, it's piling on!
There seem to be a growing number of Americans - some of them quite prominent - who are tired of Trump's racism, constant lying, raging ego, pettiness, nastiness, and general vile nature - and as they abandon his ship, they leave for good.
And no amount of rage tweeting will bring them back.
Citizen Journalist
When Donald Trump wins, it is due to his own magnificence and has nothing to do with the hard work or dedication of anyone else, and when Trump loses he quickly assigns the blame to others. We witnessed that phenomenon daily with the coronavirus pandemic: on the days when there was good news he grabbed the stage and the spotlight and was effusive in his self-praise, and if things weren't going so well people were fired, or transferred, and other distractions were brought before the press to keep the negative news at bay. On one bad news day Trump was even quoted as saying that he bore "no responsibility whatsoever" for some awful outcome.
Always grab the credit and never share in the blame. The "buck" that habitually ended up on Harry Truman's desk never lands on Trump's. He passes blame along like a junior high school game of "hot potato."
Donald Trump loves being a winner, but on days when he doesn't have that option, he will quickly settle for being the victim. If he didn't win it must because somebody cheated - and Trump is every bit as good at being the victim as he is the winner.
As the 2020 election begins to clarify, it is starting to look more and more like Trump will be seen by many as the underdog in the race, much as he was the recognized underdog against Hillary Clinton in 2016. And that is the position that he would probably rather be in. As the underdog he can cast aside some of his image as a bully and come across as a more sympathetic character - all the while retaining the full force of the presidency at his immediate disposal in the event he needs to manufacture a quick news story to help his campaign or harm Biden's.
Several things are coming together that help Trump grab the underdog status. He is slipping in the polls due in large measure to his mishandling of the pandemic response as well as several statements he made during the early days of the emergency that border on being bizarre. Trump claimed, for instance, that he was taking a drug that had not been approved in the fight against coronavirus because he "felt" that it would be beneficial in preventing him from catching the deadly virus. He also hypothesized (aloud) that if bleach and disinfectant kill germs on the outside of the body, there ought to be some way for that same process to work internally - an irresponsible remark that led to some accidental poisonings.
Trump is also credited with allowing the coronavirus to establish a strong foothold in this country because he eliminated our national pandemic defense team prior to the onset on the disease, and then he stalled in making the public aware of the imminent danger posed by virus. Now many believe that Trump is rushing the country back to pre-pandemic levels of activity to pump up the economy - at a time when the number of cases is still rising. Overall, many Americans regard his handling of this medical crisis as a failure, and that perception is working its way into the national political polls.
Trump's poll numbers are also slipping due to what many perceive as his hunkered-down and fitful responses to the current domestic demonstrations that are occurring across the United States - and the world - primarily as a response to unchecked police brutality toward people of color. Trump's strong racist tendencies keep him from aligning with the general mood of the public - and he seems to be becoming increasingly isolated and paranoid.
A new poll by NPR/ PBS Newshour/Marist has Donald Trump's national approval rating at just 41% - and his overall disapproval rating at a whopping 55 percent. Those numbers clearly aren't good enough to win a national election - but the election is still a full five months away and lots can happen in that length of time.
Sixty-seven percent (two-thirds) of the poll respondents said that they believe Donald Trump has increased racial tensions in America.
And, 47% of respondents said that they "strongly" oppose the job that Donald Trump is doing as president.
Those numbers are severe enough that they will be extremely hard to come back from - but five more months will tell that tale.
Last week retired General (and former US Defense Secretary) Jim Mattis issued a strong and stinging rebuke of Trump's immature handling of the presidency. Another retired General (and former Secretary of State) Colin Powell, a Republican, announced that he would be voting for Joe Biden in November. Senator Mitt Romney (another Republican) said that he would not vote for Trump in the general election and would likely write-in his wife's name on the ballot. And, The New York Times reported that former Republican President George W. Bush will not vote for Trump.
If it's underdog status that Trump wants, it's piling on!
There seem to be a growing number of Americans - some of them quite prominent - who are tired of Trump's racism, constant lying, raging ego, pettiness, nastiness, and general vile nature - and as they abandon his ship, they leave for good.
And no amount of rage tweeting will bring them back.
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