I am puzzled

Submitted by Basat Tayfun (Turkey), Oct 20, 2020 at 18:52

Dear Dr. Pipes;

I am am left-leaning, and probably on the liberal side on many of the issues that matter to you and other conservatives. As a left-of-center person, I thought Trump is leaving (if he loses) or building (if he stays on) a terrible legacy for all conservatives and a backlash the likes of which the GOP/right has not seen in some time -- probably since the New Deal. Just the risk of a blue-wave, with all its attendant risks for all things conservative, should be enough to prove this point. Due to the electoral college system, I am not able to say if Biden's lead is a mirage, al a Hillary Clinton, or not. It may very well be that Trump survives this challenge to his rulership an remain "The Dictator". But, as events have made clear not just during his impeachment, but practically every domestic steps (or missteps) were made possible or blocked (if not outright driven) by Congress. Even with the House in (relatively) liberal hands, the Senate is able to protect him and his agenda.

Long story short, the power lies with 20-some people and those are the ones that are facing a direct, one-man-one-vote challenge. The irony is this massive, almost-revolutionary challenge to conservatives everywhere is being triggered and amplified not by a charismatic, young revolutionary, but an almost-octogenarian Trump -- by simply being who he is.

Will you not be concerned if a number of key GOP seats change color in the near future because of Trump? Don't you see a massive reversal of fortunes for all manner of conservative agenda once that happens. If enough seats change party ownership, not only will Trump risk becoming a sitting duck on Day 1 of Term 2, but I can easily see some of "his" achievements reversed. Even a safe-bet conservative SCOTUS appointment may become meaningless. A system awash with trillions of freshly minted real and virtual dollars, and a burning leftist theme to raise taxes to WW2 levels, most any deep-pocket entitlement program or a high court salary would be easy to fund and finance. If I were a conservative, I would be worried about a leftist/liberal resurgence, if not outright revolution, thanks to the 750-dollar billionaire.

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