As the poll margins narrow and Democratic candidate, Hillary Clinton’s, presidential campaign is temporarily stalled due to illness, Republican stalwarts are facing the renewed possibility that her rival, Republican candidate, Donald Trump, could steal in and win the election. It’s a prospect that is privately filling many of them with dread.
Along with her pneumonia, the Clinton campaign suffered a setback last Friday when she made a relatively rare gaffe, saying:
“You can put half of Trump supporters into what I call the basket of deplorables. Right? Racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamophobic, you name it.”
Even though it contained more than a grain of truth, she moved quickly to dial back on the remark, but the quote was widely reported and the damage was done. To add to her woes, Clinton’s campaign managers have admitted they mishandled the announcement and media handling of her health scare.
These factors have led to Trump gaining ground and narrowing Clinton’s lead in the polls, which had looked a lot more convincing until last week.
They have also contributed to the current atmosphere of behind-the-scenes anxiety among many Republican strategists, and opinion formers, who decided some while ago that a win for Trump can only mean disaster.
Talking to BuzzFeed, prominent conservative and Trump detractor Ben Howe said:
“I’m losing faith in Hillary’s ability to win this easy-ass election.”
The BuzzFeed article featured quotes from several other Republicans who all spoke on condition of anonymity, and were unanimous in their concern over the way things are turning. They said things like:
“He’s not qualified … and it’s a massive problem. I’m not a fan of Hillary Clinton, but at least I feel like some of those jobs that are required for president, she could do them.”
“[A Trump victory] would be terrible for America, and for the world. I can’t think of one good thing that would come of it.”
One Republican strategist was almost comical in his response:
“I’m curled up in the fetal position watching The West Wing and drinking a basketful of deplorable liquor.”
Clinton is due back on the campaign trail later this week, although worries still abound over the state of her health. There have even been rumors that she may have to drop out, with the person most likely to replace her cited as the current vice-president, Joe Biden. Speculating on that possibility, one Republican commentator told BuzzFeed:
“Wouldn’t that be an amazing track for Biden’s career? Saving the free world by stopping Donald Trump.”
Featured image by tiburi via pixabay, available under a Creative Commons 0 1.0 Universal license.
