General Discussion

brooklynite

(94,641 posts) Wed Sep 16, 2020, 09:57 AM Sep 2020

"Why Isn't Trump Trying to Win?"

The Atlantic

What in the world is Trump thinking? I don’t ask the question rhetorically. I desperately want to know, as I cannot imagine why an incumbent president, without any ideological commitment to government restraint, facing imminent judgment over the struggling economy, would lose interest in stimulating it.

According to several conversations with Republicans, the answer is that the president is stuck in a Pollyannaish fantasy of his own making.

On the campaign trail and in his television ads, Trump proclaims that a great and historic economic recovery is afoot. The notion that the economy is sick enough to require a trillion-dollar booster shot is in direct tension with the claim that it’s thriving. So, the theory goes, Trump is unwilling to advocate for stimulus, because he doesn’t want to acknowledge that the economy is broken in the first place.

Trump’s approach to the enfeebled pandemic economy resembles that of a certain cartoon dog sipping coffee in a burning room. It’s the “This Is Fine” style of American politics. Surrounded by evidence of a crisis, Trump seems content to make up promises about a fictionalized economy rather than take action to fix the real thing.

20 replies

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"Why Isn't Trump Trying to Win?" (Original Post) brooklynite Sep 2020 OP

I think he has demonstrated time and again that he has a large following that don't care still_one Sep 2020 #1

I don't know if the author is being rhetorical but it is obvious to me ... Statistical Sep 2020 #2

he just does not have any ability to deal with problems RazzleCat Sep 2020 #3

Cuz he's gonna cheat instead poli-junkie Sep 2020 #4

Putin told him not to worry, it's in the bag? Golden Raisin Sep 2020 #5

Yep. They must feel confident that bamagal62 Sep 2020 #6

But but but... jcgoldie Sep 2020 #7

Here's what I hope: Johnny2X2X Sep 2020 #8

"The German 5th Army is doing a magnificent job holding off the Russians at the Elbe River..." brooklynite Sep 2020 #10

Because it worked last time. Aristus Sep 2020 #9

This. yortsed snacilbuper Sep 2020 #12

Yup TheRealNorth Sep 2020 #13

this. nt Baltimike Sep 2020 #18

Trump has serious mental health issues dlk Sep 2020 #11

So do his followers. Aristus Sep 2020 #19

There is an epidemic of untreated mental health disorders in America dlk Sep 2020 #20

He has given up trying to sway swing voters, plans to win via litigation Fiendish Thingy Sep 2020 #14

He is the leader of the I Don't Care party. leftyladyfrommo Sep 2020 #15

He's confident that the election is fixed in his favor. nt jalan48 Sep 2020 #16

Well said. The economy can't be booming if there's a dire need for... brush Sep 2020 #17

still_one

(92,283 posts)

1. I think he has demonstrated time and again that he has a large following that don't care

Reply to brooklynite (Original post)

Wed Sep 16, 2020, 10:03 AM

Sep 2020

Statistical

(19,264 posts)

2. I don't know if the author is being rhetorical but it is obvious to me ...

Reply to brooklynite (Original post)

Wed Sep 16, 2020, 10:03 AM

Sep 2020

Trump only cares about Trump's ego. If the economy needs further stimulus that means Trump has failed and Trump can't fail he is the bestest at everything he does ego the economy can't need further stimulus.

The cruelest joke of 2016 is America didn't just elect an evil man we elected a narcissistic grossly incompetent evil man.

RazzleCat

(732 posts)

3. he just does not have any ability to deal with problems

Reply to brooklynite (Original post)

Wed Sep 16, 2020, 10:06 AM

Sep 2020

His whole life all he has ever done are the following.

1. Say it's going to happen

2. Talk more about how grand it will be

3. Take on massive debt to have it "happen"

4. Its not "grand", its loosing money

5. Back to a combo of 1 & 2 (aka lie about the situation)

6. Back to 3, because of 4

7. Go to dad to bail you out or declare bankruptcy

8. rinse repete

he never learned how to actually accomplish something, only how to bs his way in then fail

poli-junkie

(1,002 posts)

4. Cuz he's gonna cheat instead

Reply to brooklynite (Original post)

Wed Sep 16, 2020, 10:07 AM

Sep 2020

Golden Raisin

(4,610 posts)

5. Putin told him not to worry, it's in the bag?

Reply to brooklynite (Original post)

Wed Sep 16, 2020, 10:16 AM

Sep 2020

bamagal62

(3,264 posts)

6. Yep. They must feel confident that

Reply to Golden Raisin (Reply #5)

Wed Sep 16, 2020, 10:21 AM

Sep 2020

It’s already been stolen.

jcgoldie

(11,635 posts)

7. But but but...

Reply to brooklynite (Original post)

Wed Sep 16, 2020, 10:22 AM

Sep 2020

The stock market is setting another record... isn't that what matters?!?

Johnny2X2X

(19,082 posts)

8. Here's what I hope:

Reply to brooklynite (Original post)

Wed Sep 16, 2020, 10:28 AM

Sep 2020

I hope those around him see the writing on the wall, but just keep feeding him garbage that he is winning. So he'll just go into election night thinking he will win even if he's down 10 points, then when the results start coming in it's overwhelming.

What I don't want is for him to think he doesn't have a chance so he does something truly authoritarian and the election is not held.

brooklynite

(94,641 posts)

10. "The German 5th Army is doing a magnificent job holding off the Russians at the Elbe River..."

Reply to Johnny2X2X (Reply #8)

Wed Sep 16, 2020, 10:39 AM

Sep 2020

Aristus

(66,432 posts)

9. Because it worked last time.

Reply to brooklynite (Original post)

Wed Sep 16, 2020, 10:30 AM

Sep 2020

In 2016, Trump said things that would have torpedoed any candidate's campaign, to say nothing of the rest of their career. And he was awarded the Electoral College vote anyway. Why give up a winning stratagem?

yortsed snacilbuper

(7,939 posts)

12. This.

Reply to Aristus (Reply #9)

Wed Sep 16, 2020, 10:56 AM

Sep 2020

TheRealNorth

(9,481 posts)

13. Yup

Reply to yortsed snacilbuper (Reply #12)

Wed Sep 16, 2020, 11:16 AM

Sep 2020

this is what the Republicans did in WI - they radicalized the base and fed them red meat to goose turnout. They then coordinated with soft money groups to run ads and discourage Democratic turnout.

Baltimike

(4,146 posts)

18. this. nt

Reply to Aristus (Reply #9)

Wed Sep 16, 2020, 11:27 AM

Sep 2020

dlk

(11,573 posts)

11. Trump has serious mental health issues

Reply to brooklynite (Original post)

Wed Sep 16, 2020, 10:46 AM

Sep 2020

Expecting him to behave in any kind of a rational manner is unreasonable; he’s incapable of ever doing so for more than five minutes at a time.

Aristus

(66,432 posts)

19. So do his followers.

Reply to dlk (Reply #11)

Wed Sep 16, 2020, 11:31 AM

Sep 2020

It's the perfect marriage of candidate and constituency...

dlk

(11,573 posts)

20. There is an epidemic of untreated mental health disorders in America

Reply to Aristus (Reply #19)

Wed Sep 16, 2020, 12:56 PM

Sep 2020

We are so backward when it comes to healthcare, including mental healthcare for our citizens.

Fiendish Thingy

(15,643 posts)

14. He has given up trying to sway swing voters, plans to win via litigation

Reply to brooklynite (Original post)

Wed Sep 16, 2020, 11:20 AM

Sep 2020

With dwindling resources, Trump can no longer afford to win through conventional means by convincing swing voters to choose him. Instead, he is using what cash he has left to pay for litigation to disrupt the balloting process, and post-election, to disrupt the counting process.

It’s all he has left.