I am truly stupefied that so many people still have so much interest in the presidential election that ended so decisively eight days ago.
Nothing is more annoying in this respect than people taking to the streets to protest the free and fair election of Donald Trump – complete with their delusional rallying cry, “He’s not my president.” But a close second are pundits taking to the airwaves to tell you why Hillary lost, especially given that they’re the ones who kept telling you why she was going to win.
Frankly, the former are like political arsonists setting fires to which the latter must respond … like political firemen. But the raging flames are such that no less a pundit than President Obama spent much of his news conference in Greece yesterday trying to put them out, while explaining why he’s not the reason Hillary lost.
I share the above because even I have been obliged, on far too many occasions, to explain why Hillary lost. I invariably warn that it’s complicated. But I also cite the one word that I think provides the best explanation: karma.
Then, if pressed, I offer a version of what I wrote nearly six months ago in “E-mailgate: FBI Gives Hillary Tongue Lashing but Recommends No Charges,” July 5, 2016. Here is the operative excerpt.
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Hillary set up her personal e-mail server to avoid oversight by the Obama Administration. Evidently, she wanted to maintain contact with people of dubious reputation (like Sidney Blumenthal). This, despite the fact that they are the very people who brought her husband’s administration, as well as her family’s ‘charitable’ foundation, into disrepute; and, more to the point, that Barack Obama made her promise to keep them at arm’s length if he appointed her secretary of state.
In doing this, she not only betrayed Obama’s trust, but also violated State Department rules and regulations. But her sense of entitlement is clearly such that she couldn’t care less.
In any event, F.B.I. agents recommending no criminal charges, and Justice Department prosecutors declaring their intent to oblige, will provide fodder for endless partisan debate. But I see no point in participating. Except I feel constrained to note that there’s a big difference between escaping criminal charges and defying karma. Especially given that the latter is often a bitch that slaps when you least expect.
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Now juxtapose that with this:
Hillary Clinton on Saturday cast blame for her surprise election loss on the announcement by the F.B.I. director, James B. Comey, days before the election that he had revived the inquiry into her use of a private email server.
(New York Times, November 12, 2016)
Like I wrote, karma is often a bitch that slaps when you least expect; in this case, just “days before the election.”
Meanwhile, in “‘I Can’t Hear, or See, or Say that Name [TRUMP] Without Spitting,’” March 14, 2016, I called for people everywhere to treat anything branded TRUMP as if it were branded KKK. Now comes this:
Three buildings on New York’s Upper West side will soon drop the Trump name, CBS New York reported…
Some residents at Trump Place signed a petition last month for the name removal…
‘He’s disgusting, and you know it’s embarrassing to tell people you live in a Trump building,’ Marjorie Jacobs said.
(CBS News, November 15, 2016)
I’m out!
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Can’t see or hear Trump…