Abbreviated Pundit Roundupis a long-running series published every morning that collects essential political discussion and analysis around the internet.
Trump’s Stunning Guilty Verdict Shatters His Aura of Invincibility
His conviction on 34 felony counts is powerful new information, and we should hold institutional Democrats responsible if they don’t use it—ruthlessly and effectively.
One of the most bizarre things about the Donald Trump era has been the persistence of his aura of invincibility. Trump, who never reads books but somehow harbors deep knowledge of what history tells us about how autocrats succeed, cultivates this aura relentlessly. The nonstop lying about his poll strength, the absolute refusal to concede the slightest error in any situation, the endlessly hallucinogenic fabrications about his crowd sizes—all of it flows from his seemingly instinctual sense that conceding any hint of weakness must be resisted at all costs, lest it unleash forces that shatter him entirely...
He was getting away with all of it. Again.
Until he didn’t.
The force of this truth should inform how Democrats proceed now. Democratic operatives sometimes say there’s no sense in talking about Trump’s criminal trials, because his “negatives” are “baked in,” as the grating consultant-speak has it. Indeed, according to a source familiar with the situation, the Biden campaign has no plans for any paid ads on the verdict.The campaign did put out apowerful statementabout the verdict, and it’s somewhat understandable that Biden himself is cautious about commenting on Trump’s legal travails, given that his own Justice Department is prosecuting Trump.
