Alas, it has begun. Eighteen plus months of electioneering leading to the presidential contest of 2024. Why can’t we be like saner nations and conduct elections over multiple weeks instead of multiple half years?
I hate to think about this process and am definitely scared. It seems to me there is a good chance this election will determine whether our democracy survives or heads down the muddy path to dictatorship. How the rest of the world must be aghast at what they are observing and will continue to observe in the future.
They will have a lot to look at because this is going to be a nasty time, significantly worse than any election cycle I’ve observed over my long lifetime.
There will be the lies, of course. But then, there always are lies. However, none like we’ll be seeing in this campaign. This year they will be led by the Lie King of the World who has taken his ability to prevaricate to previously unseen depths. And then there will be all the lies by those who learned the trade from their master. Lies no person with half a brain could believe. Unless their brain has been effectively washed by means of the theory of repetition used by Hitler and other similar scum. You know, tell it often enough, no matter how absurd, and people will start to believe it. How else can you explain the widespread acceptance of the peacefulness of the January 6th insurrection, the ineffectiveness and even danger of the COVID vaccines, and the nonoccurrence of the Holocaust.
And we mustn’t discount the hypocrisy. Always a part of a politician’s bag of tricks, but now occurring at levels never before seen. Like Florida governor DeSantis deriding Hillary Clinton for having classified documents on her home computer (which I do think is stupid and terrible, by the way) but saying not a word about Trump’s egregious shenanigans. Or claims of defending the constitution while making every effort to overturn an election.
Unless a miracle happens, the Republican nominee will be either Donald Trump or Ron DeSantis. That’s enough to scare you right there, but also enough to verify my fear of heading toward a dictatorship.
Furthermore, if there is any possibility at all of Republicans in primaries selecting another candidate, that possibility is effectively undermined by those desiring to be that alternate candidate.
Suppose in a Republican primary Trump receives 34% of the vote, which is about the number of Republicans who will love him no matter what he does. And further suppose DeSantis gets 30%. That leaves 36% to be divided among others. A sufficient number to win—if they all go to the same person.
Well, who will be in the race? So far the field includes Doug Burgum, Chris Christie, Ron DeSantis, Larry Elder, Nikki Haley, Will Hurd, Asa Hutchinson, Mike Pence, Vivek Ramaswarmy, Tim Scott, Francis Suarez, and Donald J. Trump. That’s 12 people! Ten other than Trump and DeSantis. Ten candidates to split that remaining 36% of the vote. And Rick Scott is considering adding himself into the mix, a scary proposition in itself.
So what will happen. Maybe a couple of the ten will receive 7%. A lucky one might get 10%. Many probably will rake in 1% or less. But no one is going to come close to the 30% of DeSantis or the 34% of Trump. After this happens in a couple of the primaries, Trump will have been perceived as a winner. A few will drop out. And in the next primary Trump’s percentage might rise to 38, making it even more difficult for those remaining to catch up. A few more primaries and it will be obvious Trump will be the nominee, or DeSantis if he or Trump himself manages to inflict enough harm on the ex-president.
This is exactly what happened in 2016.
Here is what the Republicans can do to avert this tragedy. But I doubt they will because it requires a personal sacrifice that is anathema to politicians. The ten other candidates should get together and pick one of them to run. The nine others should pledge to support the selected individual. Then suddenly that selected individual wins the first primary. If he or she does, or even comes close, then people will start wondering if they have an alternative to Trump and DeSantis, that the latter two might indeed be vulnerable. The landscape of the primaries could change.
But, alas, can you see that happening?
The Democrats aren’t off the hook either. Let’s state the obvious: Joe Biden is going to be the Democratic candidate. Period! In a sensible world he would beat any Republican in a landslide. But we no longer live in a sensible world. It’s sad that less than half of Democrats think Biden’s doing a good job.
Democrats have got to accept the fact that it is essential for the future of our country that no Republican becomes president until that party eschews their stands of the last several years.
That means the Democrats have to stop being babies. Many may withhold their vote because Biden is not doing everything they want. Disgusting That is just as destructive to the country as what the Republicans are doing.
Here is what the Democrats must do. If Biden is too conservative for you, vote for him. If Biden is too liberal for you, vote for him. Anyone who withholds a Democratic vote out of “principle” is donating a vote to the Republicans. Anyone who withholds a vote and, and, out of pique, votes for a Republican, is effectively handing two votes to the GOP candidate.
Finally, another scary possibility, two nut jobs are entering the Democratic primary. Robert F Kennedy, Jr. is an antivaxxer and general crazy who would fit better in the Republican party. Or some other world. Marianne Williamson is a self-help author and a former spiritual advisor to Oprah Winfrey, just the background I’d want in a president. All they can do is endanger a Democratic victory.
It's going to be a long 18 months.
I hate to think about this process and am definitely scared. It seems to me there is a good chance this election will determine whether our democracy survives or heads down the muddy path to dictatorship. How the rest of the world must be aghast at what they are observing and will continue to observe in the future.
They will have a lot to look at because this is going to be a nasty time, significantly worse than any election cycle I’ve observed over my long lifetime.
There will be the lies, of course. But then, there always are lies. However, none like we’ll be seeing in this campaign. This year they will be led by the Lie King of the World who has taken his ability to prevaricate to previously unseen depths. And then there will be all the lies by those who learned the trade from their master. Lies no person with half a brain could believe. Unless their brain has been effectively washed by means of the theory of repetition used by Hitler and other similar scum. You know, tell it often enough, no matter how absurd, and people will start to believe it. How else can you explain the widespread acceptance of the peacefulness of the January 6th insurrection, the ineffectiveness and even danger of the COVID vaccines, and the nonoccurrence of the Holocaust.
And we mustn’t discount the hypocrisy. Always a part of a politician’s bag of tricks, but now occurring at levels never before seen. Like Florida governor DeSantis deriding Hillary Clinton for having classified documents on her home computer (which I do think is stupid and terrible, by the way) but saying not a word about Trump’s egregious shenanigans. Or claims of defending the constitution while making every effort to overturn an election.
Unless a miracle happens, the Republican nominee will be either Donald Trump or Ron DeSantis. That’s enough to scare you right there, but also enough to verify my fear of heading toward a dictatorship.
Furthermore, if there is any possibility at all of Republicans in primaries selecting another candidate, that possibility is effectively undermined by those desiring to be that alternate candidate.
Suppose in a Republican primary Trump receives 34% of the vote, which is about the number of Republicans who will love him no matter what he does. And further suppose DeSantis gets 30%. That leaves 36% to be divided among others. A sufficient number to win—if they all go to the same person.
Well, who will be in the race? So far the field includes Doug Burgum, Chris Christie, Ron DeSantis, Larry Elder, Nikki Haley, Will Hurd, Asa Hutchinson, Mike Pence, Vivek Ramaswarmy, Tim Scott, Francis Suarez, and Donald J. Trump. That’s 12 people! Ten other than Trump and DeSantis. Ten candidates to split that remaining 36% of the vote. And Rick Scott is considering adding himself into the mix, a scary proposition in itself.
So what will happen. Maybe a couple of the ten will receive 7%. A lucky one might get 10%. Many probably will rake in 1% or less. But no one is going to come close to the 30% of DeSantis or the 34% of Trump. After this happens in a couple of the primaries, Trump will have been perceived as a winner. A few will drop out. And in the next primary Trump’s percentage might rise to 38, making it even more difficult for those remaining to catch up. A few more primaries and it will be obvious Trump will be the nominee, or DeSantis if he or Trump himself manages to inflict enough harm on the ex-president.
This is exactly what happened in 2016.
Here is what the Republicans can do to avert this tragedy. But I doubt they will because it requires a personal sacrifice that is anathema to politicians. The ten other candidates should get together and pick one of them to run. The nine others should pledge to support the selected individual. Then suddenly that selected individual wins the first primary. If he or she does, or even comes close, then people will start wondering if they have an alternative to Trump and DeSantis, that the latter two might indeed be vulnerable. The landscape of the primaries could change.
But, alas, can you see that happening?
The Democrats aren’t off the hook either. Let’s state the obvious: Joe Biden is going to be the Democratic candidate. Period! In a sensible world he would beat any Republican in a landslide. But we no longer live in a sensible world. It’s sad that less than half of Democrats think Biden’s doing a good job.
Democrats have got to accept the fact that it is essential for the future of our country that no Republican becomes president until that party eschews their stands of the last several years.
That means the Democrats have to stop being babies. Many may withhold their vote because Biden is not doing everything they want. Disgusting That is just as destructive to the country as what the Republicans are doing.
Here is what the Democrats must do. If Biden is too conservative for you, vote for him. If Biden is too liberal for you, vote for him. Anyone who withholds a Democratic vote out of “principle” is donating a vote to the Republicans. Anyone who withholds a vote and, and, out of pique, votes for a Republican, is effectively handing two votes to the GOP candidate.
Finally, another scary possibility, two nut jobs are entering the Democratic primary. Robert F Kennedy, Jr. is an antivaxxer and general crazy who would fit better in the Republican party. Or some other world. Marianne Williamson is a self-help author and a former spiritual advisor to Oprah Winfrey, just the background I’d want in a president. All they can do is endanger a Democratic victory.
It's going to be a long 18 months.
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