Double Down
There is something truly remarkable about people. We can — at least most of us can — keep two completely opposite ideas in our mind at the same time and not notice any contradiction at all.
It’s as of we carry a little box in the back of our brain, where both ideas live in an uneasy truce, then take one or the other out whenever it suits our need.
You doubt it? Well, let’s look at some of them. Why? Because will help explain just how the ever-shrinking part of the United States electorate still supports Donald J. Trump.
That’s why I titled this blog Double Down.
Not familiar with the term? It originated with blackjack — a card game some people call 21 — where you have the ability to double your bet and draw just one card.
Now in 21 there are some rules. The biggest is that if you end up with more than 21 points worth of cards in your hand, you lose. It’s a risky thing to do to take just one card. Not just because you might go over 21, but because you might draw a low card and lose anyway. Then you lose twice as much.
A lot of politicians double down. You say the county paid way too much for a public works project, and your opponent — the incumbent — show bids and comparable prices.
“Lies, all lies,” you reply. “You’re using fake figures.” That is doubling down.
There are still Trump supporters around, people who live in a bubble and don’t let any news from source except the ones loyal to the President get inside. They don’t understand why the rest of us don’t sees how hard the President is working, and how he has kept the Coronavirus in check and kept the economy from getting worse.
After all, he told them that is what he is doing, even though he is betrayed by his enemies, and the list of enemies is getting longer and longer all the time.
They made their bet. They voted for him. And, if they change their minds, they have to admit they made a mistake. It’s easier to just double down.
That’s a heroic thing, after all. They are staying the course.
Now another gambler at the blackjack table, one who has lost just as much money as the first one, might look at their losing hand and think about doubling down as well. Then he remembers the old saying “don’t throw good money after bad.” You lost, quit while you’re ahead.
But, the Trumper might say “don’t change horses in mid-stream.”
You could warn them “don’t go from bad to worse.”
“Where there’s life, there’s hope,” they say to you. Maybe a little quieter, a little shaky, but still with a hope of confidence in their voice. How bad, after all, could things get.
Well, bad news is what happens to someone else half way across the country. A serious problem is what happens to your sister’s husband. A tragedy of horrendous proportion is what happens to you.
That could be the secret weapon to defeat Donald Trump.
The election is about six months away. Right now, a million people or so in our country are believed to have contracted Coronavirus. We’re heading toward100,000 deaths.
The initial wildfire broke out across the New York City area, then in other big cities and big states where lots of people live together, work in close quarters and commuted every day on crowded trains and buses.
Now the economy is limping along. Lots of people say start it up, but that’s like yelling “put all those cows back in the barn. They only have a three week head start.”
Lots of states are starting to see problems, and lots more are seeing their economies limp into debt. Just shed a tear or two for states like Florida — proud of having no personal income tax, estate tax, or inheritance tax. Instead, the state lives on sales tax revenue, much of which is paid by tourists. Who won’t be coming this Summer.
And the Captain of our ship of state — as some of his most avid supporters must be admitting to themselves — is making it hard to stay the course, because he seems to be changing the course every day.
Well, I predict he will find six months worth of enemies to blame for our nation’s problems. After all, growing unemployment is bad news. Oh wait, someone we know is out of work. That’s a serious problem.
You mean my wife has lost her job?
Blaming China for that is cold comfort. And don’t open the mail, which is full of overdue bills and second notices. Now, want to double down?
