Just posing the question gives us the willies.
Gail Collins: Well Bret, the election’s next week. OK, you probably knew that. But let’s take a look back. Which part are you going to miss most? The debates? The polls? The chance to hear Donald Trump announce that he’s done more for Black Americans than any other president, with the “possible exception” of Abraham Lincoln? Bret Stephens: Gail, the only thing I can possibly imagine missing about this election season would be the expression on the faces of certain Fox News hosts in the event of a Joe Biden landslide. Otherwise,2020 just felt like a long hostage crisis, this time with every American being held captive. Then again, the moment I start dreaming about a Biden victory, a voice in my head screams: Jinx! At this point, do you see any prospect of Trump winning? Gail: I bet every single dedicated citizen is thinking: Obviously it’s going to be Biden. And then: Hey, remember Hillary? Bret: I’m worried. When it comes to the top battleground states, Trump is polling almost exactly the same against Biden as he was four years ago against Clinton. Biden has higher personal ratings than Clinton, which is good news, but Trump seems to be campaigning much harder than Biden. And when I see a reputable poll that puts Biden neck and neck with Trump in Texas, it can mean only two things: Either we are headed toward the biggest electoral landslide in a generation, or pollsters are once again clueless about who is really going to turn out to vote. In other words, pass the Maalox. Gail: We’re superstitious and trying to hold off a jinx. But yeah, I predict Biden’s gonna win. Bret: Sssshhhh! Gail: But presuming I’m right, do you think we’ll have a normal transfer of power or the scenario where Trump cries foul and chains himself to his desk in the Oval Office? Bret: Even if he remains chained to the desk, he’ll go. I think. Gail: Depends on how close he comes. If he’s just walloped, I’m presuming his friends and family will try to ease him out the door. But if it’s even vaguely close in the critical states he’ll go on missing-ballot meltdown. Bret: I was struck by a recent column by our colleague Ross Douthat, bluntly headlined “There Will Be No Trump Coup.” Ross’s argument is that, as aspiring autocrats go, Trump is too incompetent to pull off anything so ambitious as stealing an election.
