Commentary
“Who’s Ready for Biden vs. Trump, Round Two?” – The Wall Street Journal
“Look at people’s faces when you say, ‘Looks like it’ll be Biden and Trump.’ These faces tell you everything – the soft wince, the shake of the head, the sigh. Those are the emblems of the 2024 campaign now.” – Columnist Peggy Noonan, The Wall Street Journal
“The nation does not want this to be its choice in November 2024.” – Hugh Gurdon, editor-in-chief, Washington Examiner
That may well be the current thinking, but why? When more than half of the Republicans don’t want Donald Trump to run again, and nobody wants Joe Biden to run again, including 70 percent of this own party.
There are Democrats who want Trump to run again, strangely thinking Biden would beat him.
“Recent polling shows a 2024 matchup against Biden would be an uphill battle, to say the least.” Columnist Kimberly Ross, Washington Examiner
As the political narrative accelerates, I’ve decided I would put down my thoughts on the current situation, recognizing that Election Day is still 550 days off. In an effort to be objective, I have included a number of quotes from various pundits and columnists to show you what others are saying.
“The prospect of a rematch between Joe Biden and Donald Trump strikes many commentators as dismal.”– Columnist Ira Stoll, New York Sun
Thoughts on Biden
It’s hard for me to fathom Joe Biden running for reelection. His cognitive abilities aside, we are being led to believe that he has been a success in his first two years, as if the big spending legislation he has signed was his doing, and that it has been good for the nation.
“Trump makes Biden re-electable no matter how awful, deceitful, and nationally debilitating the Democrat’s first term has been.” – Hugh Gurdon, editor-in-chief, Washington Examiner
Thoughts on Trump
His four-year tenure as president left little doubt that he is a figure unlike any other in the nation’s history, the first person without government or military experience to be elected president of the United States. With his business experience, his approach to governing was unconventional.
“Republicans are more enthusiastic about Donald Trump than Democrats are about Joe Biden. In a recent survey, only 53 percent of Democrats said they want Mr. Biden to run again, compared with 61 percent of Republicans who said the same about Mr. Trump.” – Columnist William A. Galston, The Wall Street Journal
In “How America Changed During Donald Trump’s Presidency,” a paper published by the Pew Research Center, they noted Trump’s policy record of changes at home and abroad. “He achieved a string of long-sought conservative victories domestically, including the biggest corporate tax cuts on record, the elimination of scores of environmental regulations and a reshaping of the federal judiciary.”
Trump has been the subject of character assassination and unfair media and legal treatment from the time he declared for the presidency in 2015. The fact that he is the target of constant derision by politicians, pundits and lawyers, means he’s doing something right.
“If he’s doing something right, he deserves a third chance at the presidency. Furthermore, he fights as a representative for millions who lack power and influence,” Kimberly Ross of the Washington Examiner asks – “We can’t abandon him now when so many are turning on him. Right?”
We know how 51 former intelligence officers colluded to help Biden defeat Trump in 2020 and can understand how this must stick in Trump’s craw, but I think for him to win in 2024 he has to run on issues and policy, forgetting 2020 as a rigged election that was stolen from him. I’m not alone.
“Do you think Donald Trump will run from here until November 2024 saying the 2020 election was rigged and stolen? If he does – and of course he will – you lose.” – Columnist Daniel Henninger, The Wall Street Journal
Thoughts on DeSantis
In a recent Wall Street Journal op-ed by Mark Penn, former advisor to Bill and Hillary Clinton and currently chairman of the Harris Poll, he posed the question – “Can Ron DeSantis beat Donald Trump?”
Penn tells readers that “Front runners often falter,” and up and comers often win and reminds us how Barack Obama beat Hillary, Jimmy Carter beat establishment figures Mo Udall and Henry “Scoop” Jackson, and “challenger Trump polished off Jeb Bush, who had led the GOP pack.
While Penn concedes that he doesn’t give advice to Republican candidates, he points out that a Trump-Biden rematch is a risky proposition, suggesting that DeSantis, who has yet to enter the race, needs to “up” his game.
With ultra MAGA voters making up Trump’s base, DeSantis will need to go after more moderate Republicans and Independents, who are looking for someone who can cure the economy and stand up to their interests
What About a Third Party?
Fahgettaboudit. I remember Ross Perot’s unsuccessful bid in 1992, and Trump has indicated he would not run an independent campaign.
What About a Trump-DeSantis Ticket?
A recent Rasmussen Reports and Political Medias, Inc. survey found that in a matchup against Biden and Harris, 51 percent of likely voters would vote for a Trump-DeSantis ticket, compared to 43 percent for Biden-Harris. It revealed that Trump-DeSantis wins with women, Independents, Hispanics, and college grads, and does historically well with blacks.
That sounds promising, but I just don’t see Trump going for DeSantis as his running mate after his current attacks on the Florida governor. I am reminded how he passed over Jeb Bush for Mike Pence in 2016.
The Risk of Harris
As Biden continues to show signs of old age, concern mounts over Vice President Harris’ readiness should Joe fail seriously.
“She has been a mystery, a politician who has been unable to say anything pertinent or even coherent on policy. Instead, the loud and sudden laughter unconnected to any clear stimuli, and the sheer looping nonsense of her words. This will give voters pause.” – Columnist Peggy Noonan, The Wall Street Journal
Other Candidates in the News
Recently declared candidate, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, has called for a “course correction“ in the Republican party, but there’s no way he will ever be nominated. His first mistake came with his recommendation that Trump bow out of the race.
On the left, names once mentioned – California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, and Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker – are no longer mentioned since Biden announced his reelection. However, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has entered the race.
In conclusion
That’s the current thinking as I see it, but it’s early and we have experienced surprises before. Most notable being the deep state’s October dirty trick to help Biden win in 2020.
Here’s a final quote for you to ponder:
“Multiple polls in key states now have (Trump) losing the general election to President Joe Biden for a second time, even though Biden is unpopular and trails at least one other Republican candidate in head-to-head matchups.” – Editorial, Washington Examiner
Stay tuned.
May God continue to bless the United States of America
