Would Trump Have Won the Election With a Campaign to Annex Canada, Occupy Greenland, Take Over Panama and Rename the Gulf of Mexico?

It would be difficult to speculate, with the American electorate in such a condition as it is now, lied to by the media, wrapped up in one specific, one-sided media bubble or another, without a lot of facts from which to discern what's true, as to whether Trump's sudden recurring, repeated themes, which have deviated considerably from the attacks on transgendered persons, and exaggerations of the President's ability to control retail prices, would have been winning campaign themes.  People are so ignorant, stupid and blind to reality, all they see is the name, "Trump," and he gets their vote.  

So this craziness, which would be funny if it were part of a skit on Saturday Night Live, but instead is dangerous and fearsome because the senile old man who spouts it off as if it were a recording being replayed over and over is about to enter the most powerful political office in the world, is being treated by the news media with as much of a straight face as they can muster.  It's business as usual, as far as they are concerned, and if the topics sound like a comedy routine from a late night variety show, well, that's just news.  

The news conference Trump gave at Mar-a-Lago a couple of days ago was quite telling.  Whoever does his make-up is having a difficult time hiding his aged appearance.  He has difficulty focusing when anyone else is speaking, and no matter what was said, he has specific themes that get played, as if he's trying to remember his best applause lines from his rallies.  In the middle of some real whoppers, which are easy to detect from the tone of voice, facial expression and hand gestures that accompany every lie he tells, it was hard not to laugh.  And then, every time I laugh, I'm forced to remember that in 12 days, this man will be sitting in the Oval Office, behind the resolute desk, with his finger on the nuclear trigger.  

And, with his finger on every other trigger of the power of the Presidency.  How can we emphasize and underline the fact that we are in real trouble, since that simple phrase sounds to trite and casual to express realistically exactly how bad it is.  

Looks Like a Lot of Help for Putin, and a Lot of Empty Bravado

Personally, I'm systematically shutting down relationships, and a few friendships, with people who still support Trump.  If they are lacking in the ability to see exactly what is going on, of how much of an enemy of American idealism the cult that has formed around this man has become, and who is pulling the strings, controlling what he says and does because he has literally lost his mind, and keeps parrotting the same themes, then I cannot have a meaningful relationship with them.  And I'm not being arrogant, I'm being practical.  I have to keep my own sanity, and I can't be influenced or emotionally driven by responses to that kind of ignorance.  I'm extremely uneasy about living in a country where the political paradigms are shifting and I feel as insecure as I do when I cross the border into Mexico. 

I've heard it pointed out that most of the themes now running through Trump world originate with Vladimir Putin.  January 20th will be similar to Christmas day in Moscow, with Vladimir opening gifts of some things he could not acquire for himself.  I don't think Ukraine will bow the knee to either Trump or Putin, so his loudmouthed bragging about bringing that war to an end on day one will be for naught.  NATO countries have already agreeded to step up their support. Trump has no influence with the Ukrainian government.  They may wind up having to accept Russia's terms, and give up the eastern third of their country, bu

And that's where all the Greenland talk comes in.  Greenland is a large block of ice with a few square miles of land around the edges and about 50,000 people.  Trump claims that "people have been saying the United States needs Greenland for our security for a long time now."  

And what "people" would those be?  Aside from Harry S. Truman, who co-host Rosanna Scotto of Fox New's The Five, claimed wanted to buy it in 1867, 17 years before he was actually born, the same imaginary ones he cites without bothering to check is facts on every other issue?  And let me interject here, and say that if that bit of stupidity and made-up, fake journalism doesn't clue you in on just how untrustworthy, factless, clueless and deceitful the far right wing media is, then that has become the standard by which stupid is measured,

A US takeover or occupation of Greenland would be a hostile act to Denmark, which owns it.  And that causes a rift in the NATO alliance, something Putin would absolutely love to see happen.  If Greenland is necessary for US security, then Denmark, part of the NATO alliance, would recognize and facilitate that need.  But of course, most Americans couldn't even find Greenland on a map.  

Russia has a lot to do with the Panama Canal talk, too.  Trump claims China controls the canal, another one of his big lies.  They don't.  But you won't find any contradicting of his lie anywhere in the media.  Nor is there any justification for the United States taking back control of the Canal Zone.  Our military is always in position to protect the canal, we are allies with Panama and, in fact, our navy already guards the waters on either side, since we do have a two-ocean navy.  But of course, it would be to Russia's advantage to have a friendly Trump deciding who gets to use the canal and who does not.  

Changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico is a genuinely important issue in world politics today.  It ranks right up there with the price of a dozen eggs.  Well, it wouldn't be Trump if there weren't some kind of bigotry and hatred worked into the equation somewhere.  His niece has correctly told us the man is an egomaniac, and can't stand not to be the center of attention and will do whatever it takes to get him there.  Those same imaginary people who have been advocating for a military takeover of Greenland must be muttering about changing the name of a Gulf that forms the entire eastern coast of Mexico. 

I don't expect his base to really care much about any of this, or even have a clue about what he wants to do or why.  What I do hope this helps with is convincing those who voted for him along the margins, either to get back at Biden for his Israel/Gaza policy, or because they though Trump would do a better job bringing down the price of eggs or groceries or gas, that they were stupid and thoughtless when they voted, and that somehow they owe the rest of us our country back as the price for their stupidity and ignorance. 

Too Many Americans Are Past Caring About Their Own Ignorance

Ask Americans to explain how it was that Harry S. Truman wanted to buy Greenland in 1867, when he wasn't born until 1884.  And half the people that are asked will scream and whine about the question being an attack on Fox News, The Five, and Rosanna Scotto, rather than even think about the level of dishonesty displayed by a second rate television journalist on a cable network where lying and distorting facts is an industry. 

Ask Americans who voted for Trump to explain Project 2025.  Most can't.  

The problem isn't at the top, though.  Democrats, under the Biden Administration, had the ability to bring this criminal to justice in the first two years of Biden's term, and the justice department leadership they appointed to get this job done failed, either because they did not take it seriously, or they feared for their own safety, or they were paid off in advance and never intended to do a damn thing.  Sorry, but the blame cannot be fobbed off on the corrupt, inept, incompetent justices Trump appointed to the Supreme Court, or to the corrupt judges he appointed to the federal bench and expected to rule in his favor when he needed her to.  

And outside of those who understand this, and know exactly what we are looking at, people still voted for him, mostly out of complete or deliberate ignorance.  Those who do see this for the insanity that it is are excusing it by saying, "Well, it's just the way he talks, he really doesn't mean it."  But what politician, in his or her right mind, would even engage in ridiculous talk like this, and almost completely abandon the rest of their agenda?  That's the key here, in his right mind.   Trump isn't. 

The biggest fear of the founders who drafted the Constitution in 1787 was that a chief executive of the government would take power as a monarch, not that he or she would be insane or senile.  The provisions of what to do in the event that a President became unable, physically or mentally, to serve in office didn't come along until the 25th amendment was ratified in 1967, 180 years later.  Inciting insurrection wasn't added to the constitution until after the Civil War.  It doesn't appear that any consideration was ever given to the fact that voters would elect someone who was mentally unfit, either by insanity or by senility or dementia, to serve in office.  

Can We Salvage American Constitutional Democracy? 

An informed and educated electorate, something John Dewey considererd essential for the preservation of democracy, doesn't appear to exist in the United States any more. Media control is blatantly one-sided, evidenced by what the ownership of newspapers like the Washington Post, New York Times and Los Angeles Times have done to throttle even their own political editors.  These are, by the way, among the media outlets who think Trump's erratic, demented behavior and displays of senility are normal, and that political conversations like renaming the Gulf of Mexico or making Canada the 51st state are just post-election norms.  

We can't sit around passively waiting for things to develop. Staying informed will take some effort.  There are groups forming, pushing some of the traditional, old-school political norms some Democrats seem committed to following aside, a measure of predictability that gives the GOP a distinct advantage, and take some bold steps, trying things out to see if they work.  New leadership will arise out of those places where we experience success, some of whom have already demonstrated a measure of boldness, and who have abandoned the old school successfully.  

And I think the most important thing we can do is remind ourselves that, even though some of this conversation and rhetoric coming from Trump is outlandish, threatening, ridiculous and often doesn't make sense, he, too, is restrained by a constutition that gives power to the people, power that we have ways to exercise, even without a majority of seats in Congress.  We're about to see how much erosion of democracy has taken place, and whether or not the rails will still hold.  

For my part, the blog, which may be old fashioned, but it belongs to me, will continue.  I have signed on to support the Leaders We Deserve PAC led by David Hogg.  Anyone who is bold enough to interrupt Andy Biggs in a Congressional Hearing and shout the truth until he is escorted from the room is bold enough for me.  I will step up my involvement in my own, safe blue state, to keep it that way and keep Trump and his feds out.  I have joined and will support Indivisible.  I will volunteer for candidates in my area, and close by, who exhibit the understanding that bi-partisan, old school cooperation with the Trump agenda isn't possible, since it represents an un-American, anti-patriotic perspective.  

We need to get the leadership and the knowledge that we have, collectively, to make sure Democrats take back Congress in 2026.