The U.S. can’t let Trump win: His victory would embolden the most hateful Americans...

[DonViejo]

The U.S. can’t let Trump win: His victory would embolden the most hateful Americans who fostered his rise

A victory for Trump would legitimize the dangerous, inchoate anger of unhinged Americans

BOB CESCA

Donald Trump is an existential threat to American democracy, and therefore he can’t simply lose the election. He has to be electorally humiliated. Crushed. Embarrassed. The candidate who pledged “so much winning” has to be personally mortified by an unequivocal loss — an electoral massacre so severe that it leaves little room for screeching about rigged elections, and, more importantly, the loss has to be so overwhelming that it discourages any similar would-be populist tyrants from emerging in the future. In a word, Trump and anyone similar needs to be politically put-down in a way that permanently ends whatever derangement led us to this point.

Sadly, however, the latest polls continue to indicate that the popular vote will come down to a five-point contest.

Monday’s CBS News poll, taken following the conventions, puts the race at 47-41 (including leaners) in Hillary’s favor. PPP’s latest numbers also reflect a five-point race, even after all the hoopla surrounding the Democratic Convention; even after Hillary’s historic nomination and President Obama’s moving remarks; even after Michelle Obama’s barnburner address and especially the salient remarks by Gold Star parents Khizr and Ghazala Khan. It’s still just a five or six point race, even after the deeply contrasting conventions, and even after news about Trump’s nefarious connections to Putin; even after Trump trolled the Khans on Twitter (as predicted by Hillary in her acceptance speech), and even after his utterly disastrous Palin-style interview with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos on Sunday.

Five points separate Hillary and national oblivion. As Bernie Sanders said on “Real Time with Bill Maher” on Friday, Trump is easily the most treacherous presidential nominee in modern history, and yet there’s really not much of a difference in the polls between his numbers and the numbers of previous GOP nominees, McCain and Romney.

It seems as though nothing will change the hearts and minds of Trump’s rage-filled minion. And I suppose that’s acceptable as long as enough sensible, rational Republicans choose to forego this election, either voting for Gary Johnson or Hillary Clinton, or by simply sitting it out. It can’t be underscored enough how this election has to result in a party realignment, with moderate, reasonable Republicans voting with center-left and, yes, progressive Democrats to defeat this cancerous GOP nominee.

more
http://www.salon.com/2016/08/02/the_u_s_cant_let_trump_win_his_victory_would_embolden_the_most_hateful_americans_who_fostered_his_rise/

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

1. Good points raised by the article

However many over emphasize the popular vote numbers when it's the electoral college that determines the final outcome. Maybe it's intellectual laziness on the part of many writers/pundits to overlook what polls in each state portend for that count.

[auntpurl]

2. I've been thinking about this for months.

Even if Trump loses, even if he is CRUSHED, his hateful minions will be emboldened and empowered to display the kind of overt racism, misogyny, bigotry, and homophobia that we haven't seen in many years (depending on the part of the country, obviously).