Welcome to the commentary magazine daily podcast today is Thursday July 30th 2020.

We are getting a later start than usual. I apologize for that. I'm John Pajor. It's the editor of commentary.

Christine Rosen is off this week with me as always executive editor Abe Greenwald. Hi Abe.

Hi John.

And associate editor Noah Rothman. Hi Noah. Hi John.

So whether to distract from the genuinely horrible news of an annualized drop in the GDP of nearly 33%

9.5% in the second quarter alone or because he fears that he's going to lose or because he can't control himself and is a crazy person Donald Trump today suggested delaying the election in November.

And I don't have words for this. I said about a year ago on Facebook I made this crack that every time he I want to go in he pulled me back out like Michael Corleone and Godfather Part 3 in reverse.

What I remember that was every time I think well you know what it's not so bad Trump administration's not so it's done some good things and you know beggars can't be choosers and you call balls and strikes and he's done some good things and things are terrible elsewhere and all that I'm you know whatever.

And then he does something that you just can't count and this is about as low a moment as I can remember in the presidency the president of the United States saying because he doesn't like and thinks doesn't trust mail voting that that the election should be delayed because it's obviously the consequences of such voting he believes is unfavorable to him personally a side from fact that he has no power over delaying the election.

He cannot delay an election that is not in his constitutional writ and nor can the nor nor is it clear that a national election it could be delayed given given the the way the Constitution is written.

This is just the you know the end of the American experiment if a person who thinks he's doesn't doesn't like the way the election is going announces that the election should be the the circumstances should be changed to put them in more favorable circumstances to him.

Because to hell with them not the subject of this country he is a person we hired to be the president and he is a person who is probably as he now thinks likely to be fired as president if he is floating at you know three months before election day the idea that the election day has to be moved and since it can't be moved as you say presumably the election as it will be carried out well then in his eyes and his fans eyes and whomever else be fraudulent.

Right so that's that's now that will now be the declared framework.

This is one of the problems with elevating as an executive of the nation's laws and a preserve of the Constitution someone who has no familiarity with or affinity for the Constitution.

America is not a system of is not about the people who run it it's about the maintenance and preservation of the system of government that was created by the Constitution in 1789 that is what America is it is a system it is a genius of a system and the system has fundamental rules and one of the fundamental rules is that the system is created by the Constitution in 1789.

And the fundamental rules one of the fundamental rules is that the election day is the first Tuesday in November every four years when we elect president now you can say as some people do and have as I have thought that the inviability of this rule is has been made problematic by the floating of a lot of mail voting and not in person voting that the clear intent was the idea that the president is not going to be able to do that.

The intent was the idea that people were supposed to vote on this day not on previous days and so therefore it's not so great that said it is the first Tuesday in November that is when it is and it is not the president who sets the place manner in time of elections it is Congress president has no role in the electoral in the process by which the elections are run they are conceived they are held or they are adjudicated none.

And that is the system and he doesn't care about the system he doesn't like systems he likes them fine if they if they help him and he doesn't like them if they don't help him and the fact that he has so many enablers in this regard in his own party and in the commentary it is a disgrace.

Here is a weird thing though I mean from a strategic perspective obviously this lacks any strategic thought but he is he not actively depressing his voters he is telling you your vote won't matter this thing is rigged it is over it is done it doesn't matter if you come out from the election results are pre ordained you as a down ballot republican have to be furious with this you are supposed to even if you are going to vote for the vote.

You have to run hard for the sake of the down ballot for the sake of the governors for the sake of the senate and the house and the legislatures that could be lost in November a republican office holder up and down the ballot has to be really freaked out at this point I get it softly softly you need every single Trump voter you can if you are even going to be competitive right but if he is actively depressing his vote where is your incentive not to forge your own path here.

I know there is an incentive and I you know I haven't spoken this harshly about Trump in years and certainly not on this podcast but what he did today was disgusting and despicable and it is disgusting and despicable because it is a it is a reflection of the idea that if he doesn't get his way it's fine if the entire country blows up.

...