But What If Trump Loses

[bucolic_frolic]

The possibility that Trump would encourage his supporters not to accept this defeat, perhaps by claiming that the vote was rigged or that undocumented workers voted in droves in key southwestern states, must be gravely considered at this point. This conclusion is not simply the product of progressive paranoia, but it is a reaction to what we have seen and heard from Trump and his supporters for the last year, but even more so during the last week.

Speculating about what a candidate might do if he loses is a strange exercise, and one that should have no place in a consolidated and stable democracy, if flawed, democracy like ours. However, it is something that based on the behavior of Trump and his supporters, must be considered. Throughout this long campaign we have seen Trump encourage and even advocate violent behavior, stand by while his Democratic opponent is accused of treason and murder, and evince little understanding of democratic processes or mores. The question of what this man will do if, as is still likely, he loses on November 8th, cannot be ignored given this context.

Trump, should he be defeated, could easily eschew the traditional gracious concession, mobilize his supporters to demonstrate their dissatisfaction with the outcome and their disbelief in his Democratic vanquisher’s victory. Ultimately, however, it would be very difficult for him to stop Clinton from becoming President. Trump controls no security forces, has little institutional support and has few concrete resources other than his Twitter account, but he clearly has the enthusiastic support of enough people to create problems in the immediate aftermath of his possible defeat. Those people could easily protest for a few weeks and continue a lower level campaign of failing to recognize Clinton’s presidency for years.

It should also be remembered that Trump a man with a loyal following of angry citizens with an extraordinarily exaggerated sense of their own victimhood and suffering, and that he has the temperament of an acutely narcissistic middle school student. He also has built a presidential campaign heavily around overreacting, often viciously and with prejudice towards almost all, to every real, or more frequently, imagined, insult or slight he has experienced. This is not the temperament of somebody who will accept an electoral defeat move on and urge his followers to do the same. In a very real way, while seeing this man elected President of the United States should, and does, strike fear in the hearts of millions, even his defeat could create enduring problems for American democracy.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lincoln-mitchell/but-what-if-trump-loses_b_11153432.html

[Agnosticsherbet]

1. I think Trump will count the money he's made

And move on to his next failed bussiness.

[Warpy]

7. His ego won't allow that

It has to be bigger, better, shinier, YUUUGER at all times. He has never taken "no" well, at all, and being defeated by a woman would send him into orbit. Expect a few dozen nuisance lawsuits filed in multiple states against every Democrat in office and possibly out, at the very least.

Also, his supporters have to be considered as an independent force. Even if saner heads prevail, lacing his food with Valium until he gets used to the idea of not being King of America (which is what he thinks the job is), his supporters will very likely rampage. They're just short of being a mob now. A defeat would push them that extra inch.

Trumpism in defeat is likely to be ugly and violent.

However, it's not going to be enough to stop my vote for Clinton. I want that man stopped as soon as possible. I'd want that even as a Clinton hater, which I am not.

[bucolic_frolic]

10. Perhaps some of these

Tea Potty militias would start to march

Could be a modern day Whiskey Rebellion!

[Warpy]

11. Dunno, but those folks are in no mood to respect the will of the majority

if it isn't the same as theirs.

Democracies have always fallen to the far right. There are no historical exceptions.

[Agnosticsherbet]

12. In that case, a lot of people will die and Trump will

Be tried for treason.

I continue to think Trump is in for the money, and will leave with his I'll gotten booty.

[tinrobot]

2. If he loses, he cashes in anyways.

He's only in it for money and notoriety.

I'm sure he'll find a way to get paid for lashing out at Hillary.

[avebury]

15. He will be hurt if he loses all that Russian money

that has kept his businesses afloat. Putin might not tolerate Trump's failure.

We should be concerned about Trump receiving intelligence briefings. I would love someone to drop a really interesting (but fake) intelligence nugget into Trump's intelligence briefing and then sit back and monitor him, his family and his campaign to see if that nugget gets passed along.

[L. Coyote]

3. What do you mean "what if" as if he might win, Trump wishes he was Goldwater's better.

[MichiganVote]

4. Then Michael Moore is going to have to eat some crow it seems.

[roamer65]

5. He would gladly eat that crow.

He is trying to mobilize everyone to vote against Trumpf.

I hope he succeeds.

[MichiganVote]

6. He is right about getting out low income/minority voters. The rest, meh...

[marble falls]

8. If he loses we get at least eight more years of civility and progress.

[Mister Twilight]

9. In 2008.....

I seriously considered the possibility that, in the event of an Obama victory, Dick Cheney would refuse to relinquish power, and was honestly a bit surprised when he did so.

[malthaussen]

13. I was kind of surprised they didn't try to repeal the 22nd...

... but they probably figured they didn't have the votes.

-- Mal

[Aristus]

14. Let the teabillies mobilize...

I laugh at their AR-15's...

[SummerSnow]

16. If he loses, his Twitter rant will be epic.Should be saved for the history books.

I suggest placing them in the Library of Congress.

[Judi Lynn]

20. It's bound to be amazing. The nation waits.

[center]



[/center]

[left-of-center2012]

17. He'll write a book

And appear on Fox News the next four (eight?) years trashing the Democratic administration.

[CRK7376]

18. My guess is

McConnell and his fellow Senate buddies will delay all appointments waiting for the American people to make their selection in 2020 election cycle.……

[Bucky]

19. He can't be just beaten. He has to be routed