The Republican Party may not survive former President Donald Trump losing his debate against President Joe Biden Thursday night and they know it, a new political analysis finds.
Salon columnist Brian Karem made this case just hours before history is made on a CNN soundstage in Atlanta where a standing U.S. president will debate a convicted felon who has not yet been officially nominated by his own party.
"The fear the [Republican] party could lose control of the Senate and House in the fall elections is palpable," Karem writes.
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"If Trump suddenly appears vulnerable in November, the RNC could resemble a roadhouse bar in Mid-Missouri on a hot Saturday night after the beer taps run dry. The Trump faithful will be battling the non-believers for control of a party headed toward doom."
The odds of Trump winning the debate are stacked against him, Karem argues.
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Trump won't be able to play off an audience or dominate the debate by interrupting (moderators Jake Tapper and Dana Bash will have the ability to cut his mic), and Republicans have unwittingly helped Biden by lowering the bar he must clear, according to Karem.
And Biden's position is strong, he adds.
"Biden has several advantages over Trump," writes Karem. "First, he’s not a convicted felon. He’s actually accomplished something as president. He’s less apt to ramble on about shark bites and electrocutions at sea."
But ultimately Karem predicts the debate will be "Trump's last act" not because of his opponent, but because of his own backers: the Republican party.
"The GOP is a party addicted to winning," he writes. "If, in fact, winning were heroin, there’d be a lot of trainspotting going on in Milwaukee in mid-July. And that’s where it gets dicey for Trump."
Up until now, the party of "Law and Order" has ignored Trump's 34 criminal convictions and civil court rulings that found him liable for fraud, sex abuse and defamation.
But that could change.
"We could also be looking at a chaotic situation in both conventions where one or both parties choose a different candidate after the consumption of copious amounts of pizza, alcohol and cigarettes and the rending of hair, gnashing of teeth and blood-curdling screams of despair and doom," Karem concludes.
That's why he wants Americans to tune into the debate tonight.
"If you aren’t sitting at the table, then chances are you’re on the menu," he writes. "Sit at the table."