Democrats are humming a tune while they watch MSNBC:
"It's my party and I'll cry if I want to,
Cry if I want to,
Cry if I want to.
You would cry too if it happened to you."
A spirit of giddy triumphalism has spread among Democrats.
They expected a beating in the midterms and instead got off with a stern warning. The liberal commentariat universe thinks it understands the situation. They write that the support system that made Trump possible is over. Fox is fed up with Trump. Billionaire donors are peeling off. Republicans in purple districts try to wash off the MAGA. Besides, Trump is old and tiresome.
Leslie Gore's 1963 hit is deliciously perfect for Democrats who listen to pundits. Trump must be crying. Drink liberal tears? No! Drink Trump tears. Trump had declared he owned the Grand Old Party, and now he doesn't. The double meaning of party is perfect. Now Trump sobs that:
"My Johnny has gone
But Judy left the same time.
Why was he holding her hand
When he was supposed to be mine?"
The analogy works so nicely. Ron DeSantis is Judy, the new one, the younger one. It is the oldest story in the world. First wives know it all too well. Then sometimes second wives learn it. Trump's wives did. Who better than Trump to get replaced by a younger model of politician. Model! How perfect the metaphor.
This post is a caution. Literature warns us. Beware of hubris. Every romance story has an impediment. Every horror movie warns not to be too quick to assume the monster is dead, really dead. Leslie Gore herself warns us. She followed It's my Party with another hit:
"It's Judy's turn to cry
Judy's turn to cry
Judy's turn to cry
'Cause Johnny's come back to me."
Trump has a weapon. He has devoted supporters who love Trump more than they love the GOP. They may not be a majority, but they are enough. People with "Trump won!" bumper strips on their cars are in it for the long haul. The GOP infrastructure of politicians and influencers need Trump's supporters. They are an essential part of any GOP path to victory. Leslie Gore explains:
"One night I saw them kissing at a party
So I kissed some other guy.
Johnny jumped up and he hit him
'Cause he still loves me, that's why."
Trump doesn't need Republicans. Republicans need Trump. Trump can kiss "some other guy" in the form of his own party and drive Johnny crazy with jealousy and fear. Trump knows his power. Trump doesn't care about the GOP. He can leave and take his supporters with him in the manner of Theodore Roosevelt's Bull Moose party. He would be a powerhouse, not a Nader or a Jill Stein or even a Ross Perot. Trump has a message, and he hinted at it when he announced. The world is a mess and both parties are at fault. Both parties are corrupt and led by elitists who run America for their own benefit. Not yours. Not you, the people. Only he can save us. He would lead a "people's party." A Trump party. He would be a star. He might not win the election, but he would win the game he is playing. He would be what he wants to be, undaunted hero, the great man of destiny.
It may not be necessary. GOP politicians need his voters. They cannot risk his defection. Trump is fully willing to kiss someone other than the GOP. In the song, Johnny comes running back.
Okay, okay, I hate that song, but it's a terrific analogy.