OPINION:
The polls are wrong. There is not going to be a “blue wave.”
To paraphrase Mark Twain, rumors of President Trump’s demise are greatly exaggerated. Every person who was with Mr. Trump in 2016 is with him today.
I have seen the same polls you have seen. I know that Mr. Trump is underwater on almost every issue, from immigration to the economy to foreign policy. And if we were discussing a so-called “normal” president who governed in so-called “normal” times, I would say that was enough to guarantee defeat for the majority.
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But “normal” doesn’t appear to apply to Mr. Trump.
While I am sure that a sizable share of MAGAs are angry and believe that they have been lied to (they have been, countless times) they are not staying home on Nov. 3. And they certainly are not showing up to vote against Mr. Trump.
In June 2015, citizen Donald Trump descended that golden escalator and declared his intention to seek high office. Fast-forward 12 years, and the Democrats still have not figured out how to exorcise him. I do not think that they ever will.
Mr. Trump doesn’t have supporters. He has followers. Negative headlines, accusations of autocratic behavior and embarrassing missteps only endear him to them. Never was this truer than when Mr. Trump got slapped with 34 felony convictions.
His followers know who and what he is. They do not care. You are either with them or you are the enemy.
Now the good news. GOP victory is the best outcome for liberals. Imagine if the Democrats won, as the polls and pundits suggest. The moment that they grabbed the gavel, it would become obvious they could do nothing, fix nothing and change nothing. From that, they would be reduced to a scapegoat for Mr. Trump and Republicans.
In the MAGA era, it is better to be on offense. We saw Mr. Trump employ this very posture when President Biden was in office. Blame, blame and more blame propelled him right back to the White House.
Conservatives can keep Congress for another term. They can continue to rubber-stamp Mr. Trump’s unproductive policies and distasteful comments and actions. I believe that two more years of struggle under Republican leadership would all but assure the election of a post-Trump Democratic president.
We are just not there yet.
BRIAN HUBA
Halfmoon, New York
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