Donald Trump has begun to contemplate the unthinkable: He might lose. At a rally in Florida on Sunday, Trump lapsed into an uncharacteristic moment of self-doubt, diverging from his script to wonder aloud whether running for president was a good idea: "I'll let you know on the evening of November 8th." And two days earlier, Trump actually uttered the words, "if I lose . . . ." before trailing off.
Nonetheless, Trump continues to repeat his favorites with supreme confidence in their effectiveness. In his last few appearances Trump again claimed that rampant voter fraud ensures a rigged election, that the media is in on the conspiracy to rig the outcome, that Clinton is physically weaker and sicker than we all think she is, and that Clinton has been allowed to skate on lawbreaking that should have disqualified her from running at all.
But if Trump's strategy is all about dragging Clinton down into the pig slop with him--and about generally spraying a layer of pig slop over the whole process to make (some) voters turn away in disgust--it looks as if this all may end with Trump floundering around in the pig slop all alone. (And are there any signs that this is boosting GOP voter enthusiasm?)
All this suggests yet another way in which the punditry got this race all wrong. Yes, it's true that Clinton is one of two historically unpopular candidates. Yes, she is widely distrusted. Yes, she is a flawed candidate. But this campaign just isn't a "race to the bottom," as the cliche has it. One candidate is widely seen as fundamentally lacking in basic decency and fitness for the presidency, while the other just isn't. And increasingly, one is affirmatively preferred by her supporters, to a degree that the other just isn't.
Editorial on 10/25/2016