My fellow men know this story well. You meet a girl with pretty eyes and a great body. Just like you, she loves to go hiking and you both share the guilty pleasure of having cannolis at that neat Italian place downtown. You already knew where you were going to take her on your first date, because she said she wants a "nice guy to settle down with," and that's exactly who you are!
But after she politely declines your offer, you later see her leaving that Italian place on the arm of the biker guy who isn't very nice and most certainly DOESN'T want to settle down.
What does this have to do with President Trump and Republicans in 2020? A lot, actually. You see, right now, we've been deluged by a lot of polling. Some of it says that President Trump is going to lose. Others show good Senators like Steve Daines (R-MT) trailing in what should be easy races. Oh, and the articles: NeverTrumpers and Liberals seem to be gloating, while "clear eyed" analytical types are telling us to be prepared for a redux of Election Night 2012.
Fortunately, nearly all of us are like the girl who rejected you for the biker. We don't always say what we mean--and for a variety of reasons. In some cases, we haven't made up our minds. In others, we worry about vocalizing something which could cause ridicule (I was hesitant to admit how much I like to watch TLC's 90-Day Fiance until someone else said it first). We're also cautious of potentially catastrophic outcomes such as a lost job or broken friendship.
To deal with that, let's eschew the polling and look at what people are doing:
-Despite continued warnings about the Kung Flu, Americans have flocked to beaches and other open spaces, often in contravention of direct orders.
-Even after Joe Biden promised to impose a National mask mandate, mask wearing continues to be a contentious issue, with many Americans not wearing them unless asked to do so when entering a store or other indoor establishment.
-Gun sales have surged.
-While in-person attendance may have been below expectations, more than 11 million tuned in to President Trump's Tulsa rally in June.
-President Trump has more than 83 million followers on Twitter and his tweets regularly exceed 100,000 likes.
-By contrast, Joe Biden has 6.7 million followers, and his tweets occasionally, but rarely, approach 100,000 likes.
It's true, some of this happens because President Trump IS the President, but after four years of being hammered mercilessly by the media, he has remained not only politically resilient--but he continues to capture the imagination of our fellow Americans. Who else was able to do that? In recent years, that would be Barack Obama and Ronald Reagan--both of whom comfortably won second terms, despite political polarization.
Oh, and one more thing: in Scott Rasmussen's most recent (early July of 2020) survey, he points out that President Trump is polling right where he was in January. While most of this article is downbeat on the efficacy of polls, this one point should tell us something: if after being impeached, fighting the Wuhan Weezer, going up against a highly-virulent form of media opposition, and factoring in the problems with polling...if President Trump is right where he was in January, then you know he's on the road to victory.
So, fellow Republicans, we have our orders: we must knock on doors, make phone calls, and share the good word on social media and with our friends. The victory is in our hands if we want it.