Tim
Kaine had a lost opportunity last Tuesday night in his “debate” with Mike
Pence. No, he actually had several lost opportunities in failing to present
himself to the American people as someone with a broad view of this election.
Instead,
contrary to his personality and demeanor which is well known in this State, he
followed the Clinton campaign strategy to try and score points by aggressively
trapping Pence into contradicting Trump’s positions or to make him fumble by
agreeing with the Trump absurd-o-mania.
Score points
with whom?
Trump’s
core support is baked in. Changing their view of Trump by pointing out the
obvious is like trying to make the yoke of a hardboiled egg runny by cooking it
longer. Even so called “independents” are saturated with the Donald’s endless parade
of psychotic observations, opinions, and predictions.
Sure
Trump won’t release his tax returns, but at this point no one expects him
to. I don’t. That train has left the
station, along with all the other trains, boats, and planes that represent the
disgraceful candidacy of Donald Trump.
Someone
with an audience needs to step up and begin a discussion not solely directed on
what a troubled person such as Trump has said and done to define himself so
crudely, but what he represents to the Republican Party specifically, and the
ideologically conservatives in general. These are things that will still exist
after the Donald is left on history’s political trash heap.
There
are numerous points that can be illuminated. From his emphasis on not being
“politically correct” to broaden nuclear warhead proliferation to torture to
tax breaks for the wealthy to ethnic profiling to….oh hell, you know what I
mean. It’s all been out there for
months.
In
this posting I want to reflect on one little subtle claim Trump has made that
makes a big difference.
On
numerous occasions at rallies or in interviews Trump has taken pride in making
a specific claim about himself. “I am
unpredictable” he has stated in very simple terms. He has taken specific
satisfaction in applying this characteristic to how he would engage in foreign
affairs, but he has liberally applied it to how he approaches any “deal”.
This
embracing of unpredictability is not a small thing. Predictability is the single most important
counterbalance to chaos. To advocate unpredictability is to advocate for chaos.
This is what Trump believes and, for once, I believe him.
In
our social world we cannot predict with certainty, but it is important that one
should not equate predictability with
certainty. Certainty is reserved for
physical law. Predictability is what we
aspire to in business, government, and our personal lives. Without it no business could survive or even
begin, government could not create useful legislation, the military would run
amok, and relationships could not coalesce.
Most
human endeavors begin with an assessment of the outcome. The greater confidence
in the predicted outcome the less we are encumbered by risk. When there is less sense of risk there is
less anxiety and a greater probability of achieving goals. Chance and error do enough to undermine our predictions;
we don’t need national leaders to empower pandemonium as a quality of
government.
Mixing
unpredictability with nuclear weapons, for example, is virtually a formula for
the annihilation of the human species.
I’ll
make these predictions if Trump is elected: the stock market will drop
precipitously over the next four years, the housing market will collapse, racial
and ethnic instability will increase dramatically, the United States will
become isolated among nations, deficits and (therefore) the National Debt will
soar, and those that view the United States as a pariah will be elated and feel justified.
These,
I believe, would occur not because Trump is misogynistic or a racist or a narcissist
or simply coarse and vulgar at every level.
These things would happen because he is unpredictable and, as they say,
the fish rots from the head.
I
heard one commentator describe people casting a vote for Trump as them throwing
little Molotov Cocktails at the government. I think that image works. A random
bombing without thought of the consequence is exactly where the Donald wants to
be.
