In daylight, I recognize how unlikely it is that Donald Trump will be elected president. Despite his Republican victories, polls show that a significant majority of Americans (even a majority of Republicans) do not want to see a President Trump.
Trump trails Hillary Clinton by 11.2 percent in the average of nationwide polls compiled by Real Clear Politics. Just 26 percent of women have a favorable opinion of him, while 67 percent view him unfavorably. Yes, he has shown amazing resilience, but it is hard to see how he will overcome such overwhelming negatives.
But late at night, when ghosts roam, the picture is far less clear. What if Islamic terrorists, recognizing what a catastrophe his election would be to America’s image in the Muslim world, stage a series of terror attacks on American soil? How many mass murders and plane bombings would it take for a majority of American voters to turn to a strong man?
Americans are already very worried about terrorism. It is not enough to tell them that more Americans have died falling in their bathtubs than have been killed by terrorists. Home soil is special.
Fear is seldom rational. Yes, Americans like our open, free society and most Americans don’t blame all of Islam for Europe’s terrorist attacks. The Catholic Church is not responsible for the IRA, nor the Protestant churches for the violence in Belfast nor Islam for the Islamic State.
But what if the economy turns south, followed by a series of terrorist attacks that result in a large number of American deaths? Would the rhetoric that offends us now sound like salvation in November? Personal and family safety is a trump issue in all nations. It is certainly a Donald Trump issue. Is this my overactive imagination? Some of the most common words in world history are: “It can’t happen here.”
Richard D. Lamm is former governor of Colorado and a professor at the University of Denver.
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