HOW TO LOSE AN ELECTION

I am sure there are hundreds of books on winning elections. But, have you ever seen anything on how to lose an election? How about this one?

If I were setting out to help any candidate lose his election bid, here are some of the things I would recommend. First I would try to flood the floor with as many candidates as I could. Let’s say maybe seventeen. These would be accomplished individuals with diverse backgrounds and experiences. The one thing they all have in common is gigantic egos. Each one of them would actually believe they have a chance of winning. Some even are convinced.

Next I would arrange for a series of forums which I would call debates. These would be televised and the television executives would be told that these forums would have excellent viewership thereby attracting big bucks from advertisers. To insure interest in these forums I would employ moderators and questioners whose sole job it would be to create an atmosphere of animosity among the candidates. Their jobs would be to start fights between former friends in order to spark interest in the “debates.” Television ratings would go up.

So skilled would these questioners be that candidates would have to defend themselves from all manner of wrongdoing real or imagined. The candidates would be bloodied up. Even the best of them would not escape the attacks. At no time would any candidate be allowed to offer any positive program to voters. They would be too busy defending themselves from salvos of attacks.

At some point, candidates would begin dropping out of the race. Their funding would dry up because their donors would also see their guy destroyed by the debates.

In the end there would be one survivor. This would be the “people’s” choice. This would be the one who, though virtually destroyed by months of attacks, managed to win the last vote for the nomination. This would be the last man standing.

Now this “people’s choice” sets out to win the general election. He is bloodied. He is all but broken. He has lost his positive message in the fog of attacks by his fellow competitors. Now the real battle begins.

The other side of this race sees a weakened candidate who can barely stand on his own two feet. All the while they have laid low and waited as their opponent has been beaten up by his fellows. They know their race just got a lot easier.

We have seen this a lot in recent elections. Republicans have beaten themselves and they are trying to do it again. It’s called snatching loss from the jaws of victory. The White House is occupied by a complete failure and the two who are trying to take over in the Democrat Party will do anything and everything in their power to continue in that failure. This shouldn’t even be a contest. The Republicans should win an overwhelming victory, but they are trying to lose.

Ronald Reagan was right when he admonished all Republicans to never speak ill of a fellow Republican. It was called the eleventh commandment. Sadly our current crop of candidates seems to have forgotten this rule.

This country and this election are too important to be destroyed by egos. Now there is a vacancy on the Supreme Court. We definitely need the adults to show up. If we fail to elect a Republican this time, I fear our country will suffer irreparable damage and harm. We only have one chance to get it right. Let’s not lose this election.

Ron Scarbro