With Malice Aforethought

[Hortensis]

44. I believe this is essentially true, notably the last.

His enmity toward Democrats is lifelong, the Republicans seemingly existing mainly to him as a means of insulting Democrats through comparison and blaming them for everything the Republicans do. As one of the lifelong liberal Democrat he despises, I do believe his attitudes are bizarre and irrational, and I seriously doubt he could change if he wanted to. He never has.

But in addition to his grand visions of saving the nation from us, the day Sanders genuinely conceded would be the day his base turned on him -- as they did when he pretend-endorsed HRC in 2016, but worse -- and then abandoned him. The media spotlight on him would be turned off. Russia, well I don't know what they'd do, but at very least they'd decide he was no longer a useful asset and turn off their assistance. And he'd return to the self-created backwater of his senatorial office to finish out his last term, where he himself has said he believes he's already wasted over 28 years.

Reason enough for a demagogue with, I believe, delusions of being the only person he's ever known who's right, to cling to the national stage all by itself.