Gaming the Election
There are four basic options. Either Trump wins in a blow out, or he wins in a squeaker. That’s two. The other two are that Harris wins in a blow out, or she wins in a squeaker. And very different things will happen to us all, depending.
Let us deal with the squeakers first. If Trump wins in a squeaker, there will be riots and there will be lawyers. If Harris wins in a squeaker, there will be lawyers. We know there will be riots if Trump wins in this way because there were riots the first time, and because of the assassination attempts, and because of the absolutely-anything-but-Trump vibe that we have going on. And anything here refers to anything from civil unrest to civil war.
What about Trump losing in a squeaker? We already know there will be cheating and election interference because of the non-stop election interference that has been going on before our very own bewildered eyes for the last several YEARS. You know, I know, we all know about that. All of that will be highlighted and most obvious to everyone, and so all the red state voters will have the disposition of a cinnamon bear with a bad migraine. But generally speaking they are not the rioting type, and as J6 illustrated, are not very good at it. And besides, George Soros will not have had pallets of bricks delivered to all the suburban neighborhoods that went heavily for Trump. They will not have the disposition or the wherewithal to riot.
This does not mean they will simply take the results lying down, however, so there will be lawyers and heavy pressure brought to bear on various attorneys-general and other assorted governors, urging them to kick in some significant way. I see that set up careening down to a constitutional crisis of some sort. It all depends on how close the squeaker is, and how flagrant the cheating is.
Harris winning in a blow out? I included this above because it is one of the logical options, but . . . it is not going to happen.
Trump winning in a blow out is, I believe, the most likely scenario. But these are weird times, and this is like trying to predict which direction a wounded duck football punt is going to bounce. Nevertheless, we should be prepared for it, as it is a possibility. Likely even. There will be riots, and there will also be precious little patience for rioters. Not only would Trump have a mandate to clean house, so would a lot of governors.
GRAPESHOT, n. An argument which the future is preparing in answer to the demands of American Socialism.
Ambrose Bierce, The Devil’s Dictionary
These Are Just the Semi-Finals
In the aftermath of all that drama, there are issues where Trump would not govern as a centrist at all. I am thinking of issues like the southern border, meaning that I believe deportations would begin, starting with criminals and gang members. That will be the issue that takes up all the oxygen at first. Almost all the yelling will be taking place there.
But there will be other issues, just as pressing to us as Christians, where Trump has embraced the way of a compromised centrist. He has already signaled this on the life issue in various ways. Given the fact that Thomas and Alito are the two oldest Supreme Court justices, they might want to retire when the retiring is good. If this happens, there will be an awful lot of horse trading on the Republican side and, as I have argued before, we will need a handful of Republican senators who are on the record about their unwillingness to approve any SCOTUS nominee who is anything less than stellar on the life issue. The life issue must become a litmus test for any acceptable nominee.
One of the reasons why Christians should support Trump in this election now is that, given his waffling on the life issue, we recognize that we are therefore in the semi-finals. And in the finals, we should much rather be dealing with the results of a Trump victory than with a Harris victory. If Harris is president, we will have no chance when it comes to the next SCOTUS nominee, and no influence at all. If Trump is president, we have a really good chance to affect what happens. And I would much rather fight with Trump about it than fight with Harris about it. Some sort of acceptable deal is possible with Trump, and not with Harris.
The French Connection
A word about those erstwhile conservatives who are now plumping for Harris. You know the kind of thing I mean. Writing articles in the NYT like . . . “The conservative case for voting for radical commies.” Now I really do understand those conservatives who simply cannot bring themselves to vote for The Donald. He . . . you know . . . violates norms that do not comport with the Edmund Burke bow tie, or the giant picture in their study of George Washington praying by the side of his horse. Donald Trump does not radiate those kinds of vibes, not at all. So write somebody in then, somebody with a soul as rare and as refined as your own. Write yourself in, for that matter. But if the purity of your political ethics has driven you to cast your vote for Harris, and to publicly argue that other conservatives should likewise sell their souls for the princely sum of thirty cents, then I am afraid that your commitment to the permanent things was inscribed on rice paper with a mechanical pencil, wadded up, and then thrown into Nebuchadnezzar’s blast furnace. As Lord Falklands would put it, were he here, “Jeepers, man.”
A Reminder, Whatever It Takes
So our political scene is now resembling the chaos of that cabin scene in Night at the Opera. Some are diligently trying to adjust to it, telling themselves that this is the “new normal.” It really is not, and indeed cannot be. Human beings cannot live in this way, and so it is all going to straighten out at some point. Some would be content if it simply straightened out in some “common grace, common sense” sort of way, and one understands the sentiment, of course.
As I argued on Monday, it seems to me that we should aim a little higher in our prayers. God has been revealing to us all just how stupid we are, and wouldn’t it be marvelous if this realization led to real repentance? We are certainly due for reformation and revival, and a really healthy prayer should be to ask God to “do what it takes.” Whatever it takes to humble us and break us down, then Lord God, please do that. Whatever it takes to humble us . . . although apparently we have not gotten to that point yet. If a Harris administration would do it . . . then perhaps God in His severe mercy would grant us that. In order for God to raise up Gideon, He first had to send the Midianites.
But I don’t think this is going to happen this way, not just yet anyhow. While it is wise to have some emotional room in the budget for that, we should also be prepared for what we think is more likely. As of this moment, this appears to be a Trump victory which, if it is decisive, will recenter all our political debates. I mean, look at how much has been discombobulated already . . . Cheney endorsing the commie, and a Kennedy campaigning for Trump. Odd bedfellows indeed. But our task will be to resist that recalibration when it comes to life, gender, and children.
Because if the woke ship sinks, the rats will all swim over to the ship that didn’t sink. In fact, some of the rats may have already done so.
However, Comma
So I think we should be prepared for what is most likely to happen, and that would be a Trump victory. And I think that if that happens, we should thank God for His (very limited) mercy on us. But the mercy is not a matter of simple deliverance, because Trump is in no way our deliverer. Rather, it is the mercy of a little more time. Our gratitude should not be over winning the tournament, for a Trump win would not mean that we won the tournament. Our gratitude should be over the fact that we did not get eliminated from the tournament, which is quite a different thing. There will be another round.
And Christians taking a stand in that round will not be an example of inconsistency, or flipping, or turning coat, or anything like that. It will simply be the next step in a long and faithful journey. As you no doubt guessed, there will have to be more on all of this.