Naturally, in the beginning, victory seemed like the only acceptable outcome for either side. Reputations, political capital, perhaps the election itself--all seemed to hinge on a New York City jury. That was seven weeks ago. Since then, eyes have opened, ulterior motives have been exposed, and unforeseen benefits--at least for team Trump--have emerged.
In the bedlam and ruckus of the Trump trial, one new truth has emerged: no matter what the outcome, Donald Trump wins.
The case was always flimsy. Much like the two impeachments of Trump during his first term, the Democrats' goal was never to serve justice. No, the community-organizer guerrilla mentality has less to do with moral, legal, or ethical victory. The coin of their realm is chaos and destruction. Think George Floyd. Think Covid. From the chaos of both nightmares, the true goals emerged: DEI, CRT, government mandates, tyranny.
So it goes with this pompous flex, this lawfare, this unprecedented show trial. The first lawsuit brought against a President of the United States. Charged, in law professor Jonathan Turley's words, "under a state misdemeanor which died years ago under the statute of limitations. It was zapped back into life in the form of roughly three dozen felonies by claiming that bookkeeping violations...were committed to hide another crime."
A partisan judge with a daughter deep in the pockets of prominent Dems. An unconstitutional gag order. Instructions to a jury that make conservatives cringe and liberals blush. They--the Alinskyites, the Obama disciples--they don't care about tarnishing national institutions or defiling the sanctity of rule by law. In fact, that's their fetish.
Broadly speaking, the "Trump trial" began not on April 15th, but in the early morning hours of November 9th, 2016. Eight years this has dragged on. The Bragg-Merchan trial is a dumbshow, a diorama, a battle in the greater war.
None of the left's efforts--their "resistance"--has been about "winning" in the classical sense. Globalism at its very core is against the idea of decentralized power. This is why "Make America Great Again" rankles the globo-left so much. They would do away with America--and especially American exceptionalism--in favor of a world economy where the global average is the new normal for everyone, and favoritism is shown only to the "disenfranchised" and "othered".
The left's plan in the current trial (and the three others which have now been delayed in order to draw out the distractions as long as possible) is manifold:
It's not about winning. It's about slowing momentum.
Much like communists who insist "we'll get it right this time", the left has a masochistic streak when it comes to Trump. The more they try to contain him, the more he turns his prison into a stage. Barnstorming on his day off to do rallies in Michigan and Wisconsin, an emblematic visit to a bodega that was the scene of an attempted robbery, a triumphant rally in the Bronx. Last but not least, the daily bite-sized press conferences outside of the court room.
The verdict will very likely be guilty. It's Manhattan, it's Trump. Moreover, Merchan is under a lot of pressure to deliver, and his underhanded tactics are as numerous as the days the trial has lasted. No matter! Trump's credibility with black voters has only grown with each passing day of his politically motivated persecution. If he ends up with an angry mugshot, New York might just turn red.
If the jury surprises us? That will be wonderful in its way--proof that justice can prevail despite all hands on deck pulling the other way--but perhaps more fraught than a guilty verdict. Trump may be seen by moderates tempted to vote for him as a recipient of some kind of billionaire's get-out-of-jail privilege.
So, to the extent that Trump can't lose, he also can't win outright. No matter what happens, the Harry Sissons, Krassenstein brothers, Brooklyn Compliant Dads, and Bobby De Niros of the world will spring into action.
And Trump will retort. And on and on we go.
If Trump is reelected? Stock up on essential medicine, because the one card that trumps Trump is pandemic, and H5N1 is tuned up and waiting in the wings.
Corn Pop Brah! FJB! LFG!