The minute that Donald Trump got the Republican nomination, the narrative of the general election became nationalized and crystal clear: The “Big Tent” versus the “Crazy Carnival.”
Trump is a lot of things, and they are all bad. It is really hard to understand how it is he’s even running as close as he is to Hillary to begin with.
And then we hit today. There often comes a moment in every campaign when you know exactly how it’s going to go between that moment and the vote count. Donald Trump has certainly made such observations and predictions difficult by just being his profoundly incompetent self.
I’ve been thinking for months now that he will take us to a tipping point where the Democrats will have their well-deserved landslide. And… he hasn’t, until today.
Today Donald Trump became a traitor. That’s a big word, and a serious accusation. Honestly, in my opinion, a lot of what Donald Trump has said verges there already in a domestic sense. And — for the past few weeks — it’s been clear that his connections with Russia and Russian supporters in the Ukraine are there and dubious.
His bankruptcies have meant he cannot get money from US banks so he’s been floated loans from Russian banks and their oligarchy. That’s a fact.
Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort has been paid to consult with the Russian allied politicians in the Ukraine. Another fact.
And Russia has hacked the DNC server and given documents from WikiLeaks. Not quite a fact, but a logical conclusion for sure. Russia has not hacked the RNC server, another fact.
So there is your background. And today, Donald Trump called for the Russians to hack some more. That makes him a national security risk, and a traitor.
The whole thing, honestly, is dripping with irony. The GOP has wrapped itself in the flag and patriotism and attacked us on the left for a lack of it for years. And they have managed to nominate a traitor.
Trump campaigns on “America First,” but clearly his America is located somewhere near Moscow. He belittles world trade and trade deals, but clearly he’s got his own personal trade deal going on.
Traitor Trump has already gotten the anti-Russian plank yanked from the Republican party platform. And his rhetoric attacking our alliances in Europe, including NATO, is like an open invitation for Vladimir to begin to take over eastern countries — should he choose to do so.
Journalists were already beginning to connect the dots before Trump stepped in it today. Now this is a real campaign issue. Foreign policy experts are talking about it. Republicans are trying to run from it (or at least walk it back), and Democrats are calling this for what it is.
The FBI is already on it.
We’re going to be hearing about this one until Election Day. Let’s hope the press and the FBI don’t drop it either. It’s going to shape Trump’s loss — and the size of it, that’s for sure.