Chunk 20: “But the cat came back, the very next day …”
My Dad used to sing around the house when we were growing up.
One miraculous day, a particular song in his musical catalogue turned up on “The Muppet Show”, performed by my favourite character, Rowlf the Dog. I don’t know how old I must have been at the time, but old enough to be blown away that my dad and Rowlf shared similar tastes in music.
Now, with less than eight weeks until the US election on 3 November, this song has been stuck in my head.
Because as of this moment, all the current polling arrives at pretty much the same conclusion: Donald Trump has a 25% chance of being reelected president. One in four. Despite everything he has said and done (or lied about and not done), 42% of registered voters still plan on voting for him.
So I think it’s time that, regardless of the election outcome, we all started to accept reality: with that kind of support, Trump is not going anywhere.
Let’s look at either of the scenarios America will be faced with:
Trump wins
Biden gaffes majorly and crumbles at each of the three presidential debates, the first of which will be held on 30 September. A cure for the Coronavirus is announced, which kickstarts the US economy to come roaring back to life. Trump - rightly touting the greatest come from behind victory in modern political history - is imbued with the confidence to do as he pleases (as opposed to how he acts now). Accordingly, he stacks the American government with family and supporters to ensure the Republican party, and thus the country, remains in his image for generations.
Biden wins
As expected, President-Elect Biden promises to introduce immediate changes. But all normal protocols of a peaceful transition - such as when George W. Bush promised not to criticise Obama (“he deserves my silence”) - obviously don’t apply. Trump is pissed and vengeful, as are his most fervent supporters. They blame the fake news media, rigged postal voting and other stream-of-consciousness conspiracy theories for his defeat. But now, with nothing but time, Trump has 89.5 million Twitter followers to feed and five children to fashion into a political legacy.
Just don’t say my dad didn’t warn you.
“They thought he was a gonna but he never went away.”
