The Relentless Underdog
Americans are suckers for a good underdog story. The story of Rocky Balboa is as American as guns, baseball and apple pie. Eli Manning's New York Giants teams live in NFL lore for defeating the evil empire New England Patriots twice. LeBron James was very much an underdog in the 2016 NBA Finals as his Cavaliers team took down the dynastic Golden State Warriors.
Americans fawn over underdogs in sports and film, but not in politics. People very much want established favorites in the political arena. With the media-driven proclamation of a Joseph Biden victory, it appears the streets of America are filled with happiness, sunshine, rainbows and smiling unicorns. Considering some polls had Biden winning by 17 percentage points, the former Vice President is Apollo Creed, the undisputed world champion boxer from the Rocky series. President Trump is Rocky himself, an American immigrant success story.
Donald John Trump has the backing of the ordinary everyday person. Middle-class Americans make up the vast majority of his donation base. White, Black, Hispanic, and Asian support of Trump has increased because of his authenticity, his made-for-television personality, and, most important, his policies that help the farmers, truckers, healthcare professionals, and many other working-class citizens.
In contrast, Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. is the establishment's choice, supported by corporations, protected by the media owned by the corporations, never fact-checked by Twitter or Facebook, and adored by those who only know him as Barack Obama's Vice President. Biden's situation is strikingly similar to that of Thomas Edmund Dewey in 1948.
Dewey was a heavy favorite in that year's Presidential Election, his third attempt at the Oval Office (2020 makes Biden's third attempt at becoming President). Dewey had the cooperation of the press. Pollster Elmo Roper reported Dewey was leading by 13 points; the New York Times proclaimed that Dewey winning was "a foregone conclusion"; even on Election Night, the Chicago Daily Tribune ran the headline "Dewey Defeats Truman."
Conversely, there are parallels on the other side of the Presidential tickets. Donald TRUmp and Harry TRUman, incumbents with rapidly sinking popularity (depending on who you ask), found themselves with their backs against the wall. Truman was the face of a fractured Democrat party that saw itself at a fork-in-the-road moment, similar to how the Republican party is present day. Despite mounting pressure and seemingly insurmountable odds, Truman never wavered in his confidence to win the election. At the 1948 DNC, he stated, "Senator [Alben] Barkley and I will win this election and make the Republicans like it - don't you forget it!... We will do that because they are wrong and we are right." It was this moment Truman started developing cult-like passion from his supporters.
President Trump has developed unbridled passion from his followers. Tens of thousands of Trump 2020 sign-waving, MAGA-mask-wearing patrons have filled venues all over the nation, despite COVID concerns, cold weather, transportation issues, and public scrutiny.
He ends every rally with the words "Make America Great Again." Those four words have shaken the country to its core while eliciting a gamut of emotions from every citizen.
As votes churned in during the 1948 election and Truman took the lead, Dewey was still backed heavily by the press. An NBC radio personality proclaimed, "Mr. Truman is still ahead, but these are returns from a few cities. When the returns come in from the country the result will show Dewey winning overwhelmingly." The result was eventually a Truman victory.
As of this writing, the election remains ongoing despite CNN, NBC, FOX, and the Associated Press giving Biden the victory. Very few probably feel TRUmp still has an ice cube's chance over an open flame to win this election. That's what being an underdog is all about. Looking defeat right in its face and giving him the double bird. In all likelihood, TRUmp's odds are far lower than what TRUman faced, considering the legal action needed to secure victory. However, TRUmp has an American right AND constitutional duty to fight the results if he and his administration can prove foul play.
Rocky Balboa never quit.
Neither did TRUman.
Neither should TRUmp.
The Relentless Underdog must keep fighting.
