When Donald Trump’s Machiavellian predecessor Sarah Palin first arrived in the glint of the national spotlight in late August of 2008, she declared: “It turns out the women of America aren’t finished yet!” Boy, was she ever right. In fact, it took two of her own—a tag team effort between journalist Katie Couric and her comedic counterpart Tina Fey—to take the sheen off Palin’s folksy appeal in the heartland.
After Palin failed to name for Couric a single paper she read and Fey hilariously reenacted Palin-isms word-for-word, the great McCain hope became his campaign’s undoing. By Election Day, 59 percent of voters — 6 in 10 men and women alike — said Palin wasn’t qualified for the job. Palin, who was brought on board to boost John McCain’s standing with women, ultimately couldn’t withstand the measure of her equals. Couric and Fey had done what men couldn’t — expose Palin as a traitor to the very people she supposedly represented.
We are now watching a similar dynamic play out with Donald Trump, who bet his presidential bid on being the “law and order” candidate at a time of heightened anxiety around national security and social issues.
“My plan will begin with safety at home — which means safe neighborhoods, secure borders, and protection from terrorism,” Trump pledged during his acceptance speech at the Republican convention. “There can be no prosperity without law and order.”
So when the parents of fallen soldier Capt. Humayun Khan — a bona fide hero who died in service of his country — stood up at the Democratic convention to question Trump’s candidacy, they became the perfect test case of the GOP nominee’s commitment to the rule of law.
Khizr and Ghazala Khan specifically rooted their criticism of Trump’s policies in the heart and soul of our democracy — the Constitution — and the American compact that if you work hard and contribute, you too can share this country’s many blessings. Part of their contribution became a sacrifice no parent should be called to make — a beloved son who offered his life to save those of his fellow service members.
The Khans’ devotion to this country was exactly what Trump should be lauding as the candidate who promised to protect us from our enemies. But his failure to simply acknowledge their loss and thank them for their sacrifice despite their criticism of him has proven to be the fatal wound from which he might not recover.
It turns out the law and order candidate isn’t particularly concerned with the merits of the Constitution — the very document that orders our law. It turns out the national security candidate isn’t particularly impressed with those who protect their country with their lives. It turns out the GOP’s larger-than-life candidate melted into a pool of pettiness when matched against a patriotism of true conviction.
Trump’s suggestion that Mrs. Khan hadn’t been allowed to speak because of her Muslim faith was, by any measure, devoid of a shred of empathy for her loss. His charge that he — a candidate running for the highest office in the land — was “viciously attacked” by two grieving parents who occupied a stage for all of five minutes defied reasonability. His continued insistence that he was right to defend himself against their unfair treatment was not only preposterous, it was sickening.
After his aides reached out for help from Republican leaders on the Hill and didn’t get a single taker it was clear that Trump — who repeatedly promised his followers “so much winning” — was losing his battle with the Khans. It was a battle he chose to wage when everyone else advised him to walk away. By the end of the week, the reviews were in: Trump had severely overstepped, according to 70 percent of respondents in a Fox News poll who had heard about the dispute.
And as only Trump could do, he put a multiplier effect on his failure by denouncing DNC speaker and retired four-star Marine Gen. John Allen as a “failed general,” trivializing the meaning of a Purple Heart, and refusing to endorse Sen. John McCain, whose military record he has ridiculed in the past (note: Trump finally did endorse McCain Friday evening).
Will any of this dissuade Trump’s dyed-in-the-wool supporters? No. Decency, empathy, and conviction aren’t motivating factors for them. But it absolutely hurts his chances with independents and undecideds of sound mind. Take Colorado Springs resident Marianne Quast, the mom of an Air Force vet, who said she originally admired Trump’s willingness to simply speak his mind.
Now, Ms. Quast said, she resents Mr. Trump’s disrespectful language about the military, including his response to the Khans and his joke about the Purple Heart. She said she trembled at the thought of her son serving under such a volatile president.
“I’d honestly worry about a third world war. All those poor kids still serving. God forbid we elect Trump,” Ms. Quast said. She added, “Clearly Trump has no respect for veterans, no matter what he says.”
Throughout this campaign Trump has spewed repugnant utterances, then doubled down on them with worse. He has thrived by doing so, reveling in his own carelessness and defiance of social norms. But the Khans are to Trump what 47 percent was to Mitt Romney — a crystalizing moment revealing what lies at the heart of a candidate.
Trump, perhaps blinded by their religion or their status as immigrants or his insatiable insecurity, couldn’t see that the Khans were unassailable messengers. His blind spot betrayed that he isn’t the indomitable freewheeling ball buster he appeared to be during the primaries, but rather a fragile little man consumed by childish pursuits who simply lacks human decency. You can call me an optimist or maybe even a patriot, but I’m betting those aren’t qualities most Americans want in a president. And that’s the persona that will haunt him the rest of this election as he’s continually confronted with the pocket-sized Constitution that’s transcended him.