David Hirzel/My Turn
It’s hard to say which of the election upheavals of last week will end up being most damaging to the reputation of the Republican party and the chances of success for those down-ballot candidates who might actually stand on some principle.
But I’ll give it a try. The illness of any chief executive is always a matter of concern not only for the individual but for the orderly conduct of the administration’s business. But it’s one thing that this president admitted to having contracted COVID-19 and entered hospital for care, and quite another to declare himself “cured” in a matter of days when the overwhelming medical experience clearly indicates that such a “cure” is impossible. His personal physicians are increasingly cagey about when he last tested negative for the virus. Such testing was previously done on a daily basis, there must be records of the results. What are they trying to hide?
Which leads us to the spectacle of Mr. Trump’s increasingly erratic behavior and impulsive decisions, like telling his negotiators “to stop negotiating until after the election when, immediately after I win.” This preemptive declaration of victory comes from the man who keeps saying the election is rigged. He ought to know.
How about telling the alt-right militants to stand down and stand by, after having tweeted them the go-ahead—“LIBERATE MICHIGAN”—to occupy the Michigan statehouse in April, and then praising “his FBI” for having stopped the plot to kidnap that state’s governor. What about the shameless and expensive $200.00 gift card for Medicare recipients, a last-minute bribe in lieu of an actual health-care plan to replace ACA. Or his continuing dismissal of climate science in the face of California wildfires and hurricanes ravaging the Gulf coast.
Or his abrupt decision to just not attend the third scheduled presidential debate because the debate committee decided that it should be held in a virtual setting, rather than a live in-person one. His reasons are entirely self-referential. Without a physical stage on which to project an image of dominance, when the debate must inevitably focus on abstract concepts like vision and policy, he apparently feels there is nothing to be said, no further points to be made. How else are we to think about it?
The damage he is doing to the party that has adopted him as their standard-bearer cannot be underestimated. He is refusing to take advantage of the largest single opportunity—probably 70 million viewers—to address the country on behalf of the party, and lay out their platform and vision for the next four years. Instead he will use that day to hold yet another of his rallies before a few thousand people, to boast about his few accomplishments and whine about how he’s been mistreated by the press. The conservative media will dutifully cover the event and follow up with softball interview questions, but a conservative political agenda and plan for the future will be nowhere to be seen.
Mr. Trump seems blissfully unaware that the election has already begun, and that there is more to it than just the presidential election. At a time when the country desperately needs strong and competent leadership, he demonstrates on a daily basis that he is incapable of providing it.
(David Hirzel is a Bay Area author and frequent op-ed contributor to this newspaper. Anyone interested in writing a My Turn essay may contact editor Sherm Frederick at shermfrederick@gmail.com.)
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