Just watch “The Look” and you might know. It first appeared on the faces of American television and media professionals on the evening of November 8th. In 2016, the undeniable specter of Trump's presidency began to take hold.
Today, “The Look 2.0” is back. The most recent iteration is a mixture of resignation tinged with strong discomfort. There is an optimistic sense of impending doom born of the Biden administration's many dysfunctions, and a growing realization that the legal battle waged against Donald J. Trump is backfiring.
So that constipated look is everywhere these days. You can see it in the alphabet soup face of a 6 o'clock cable TV anchor, or a Democratic congressman, or (more recently for me) the face of a lawyer friend you haven't seen in a while. (Related: Bob Erlich: America's ruling class has completely failed)
Indeed, The Look can be, and often is, a conversation stopper. No surprises here. The people viewing The Look are generally Trump detractors/haters, politically engaged types who were convinced that the Orange threat from Queens was gone for good. Hey, isn't that a “fair and balanced January 6th”? Committee” was supposed to secure it?
Moreover, we all know that defeated presidential candidates rarely make a political comeback. And, to tell you the truth, Number 45's post-election issues and statements did not benefit him at all. Added January 6th It was a huge failure, and the chances of Trump returning to the national stage were slim.
Now back to the building blocks of The Look. Element 1 is the amnesia caused by the elation that accompanies dramatic victories. It was easy to forget that many Democrats here were so elated at Donald's defeat. joe biden Who won? Yes, that same Biden — supposedly a famous and lovable politician — couldn't get 150 people into a room while stumbling over primary disasters…Democratic elder statesmen were thinking of Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth. I couldn't stand it anymore and had to rescue him. Warren completely destroyed the party. Biden has been so consistently wrong on foreign policy issues that President Obama's Secretary of Defense Robert Gates dismissed him as “wrong on almost every major foreign policy and national security issue for the past 40 years.” It is. Mr. Biden is also notorious for his declining mental strength since his days as vice president.
In retrospect, the second element was perhaps predictable, given the breadth and depth of Trump Derangement Syndrome. Simply defeating Trump will never be enough here. If possible, he should have been impeached (again), indicted and imprisoned. In the end, what were the drawbacks? You don't think Mr. Trump will come back after having the whole kitchen sink thrown at him, right? Unfortunately, the answer appears to be yes, at least in the short term. So far, Trump has defeated all challengers (with the exception of Nikki Haley's campaign on pro-life support), built a commanding lead in the polls, and will now control the Republican Party. There is no doubt about it.
The result of these two monumental developments…is what I saw on the faces of my legal colleagues when I asked them who the Republican nominee was. Really It will be – and Republican or not. Really I received the injection in November.
They say seeing is believing. If so, that look may indeed portend another unexpected victory for the Great Disruptor.
Bob Ehrlich is a former Maryland Governor, Congressman, and State Representative. He is the author of his five books on American politics, as well as opinion pieces published in major American newspapers and periodicals. He and his wife Kendel can be heard on their weekly podcast, “Bottom Line with Bob & Kendel Ehrlich.”
The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of the Daily Caller News Foundation.
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