Taking Stock: The Political Climate, Mid July 2024

We find ourselves at a moment that will be in the history books for years to come. At his Pennsylvania rally on Sunday, Trump miraculously turned to the right as a sniper bullet whizzed past only nicking his ear. Many in his evangelical base swear this was an act of God and proof that God has chosen Trump to carry out God’s mission presumably “to make America great again.” Some followers go even farther proclaiming that this miraculous event shows that Trump is God’s special prophet, maybe like the Old Testament prophets or even Jesus. Meanwhile he has chosen JD Vance, a MAGA hardliner and a 2020 election denier, as his Vice President presumably to seal the deal with Trump’s white working class base. We don’t know yet whether Trump’s near death experience will nudge Trump more  toward the middle, soften his rough edges, or accelerate his fascist tendencies. But what we do know is the Republican Party is now unified as the Party of Trump and any similarities with the past GOP are left smoldering in the ashes.

What is in some ways just as frightening is what is happening to the Democrats. All the polls show now that Trump is ahead in the battleground states. For Biden to win he needs every Democratic vote he can get and every independent vote. He must carry most of the battleground states and hold the “Blue Wall.” Yet the party is now split about Biden’s candidacy. Unless the Democrats can come together around a unity candidate, the chances of beating Trump are at best slim and probably nil. The issue, of course, is whether Biden, who will turn 82 before the year is out, has the energy and acumen to carry the torch. Even as more elected officials and Democrat leaders are now urging Biden to pass the torch to a candidate who is younger and has more charisma, Biden is hunkering down, vowing he will never step down. He believes that he is the comeback kid who has proved in the past that he can win against all odds and will win again even if all the indicators now show otherwise. And he does not appear to understand the stakes.  He answered one of the questions by ABC’s George Stephanopoulos in his prime time television interview that he will have no reservations or misgivings even if he loses to Trump if he can honestly say that he gave the campaign his best shot. No, Joe, wrong answer.

Biden is putting his ego and desire to stay in power above what is best for the nation. This is selfish and frankly unforgivable.

As matters now stand, it is hard to see how this movie is going to have a happy ending.

The main problem that I and many others have with Biden—who without doubt has been a good first term president—is that too often his communication skills have deteriorated to the point of not making sense. He slurs his words, speaks with hesitation, loses track of his thoughts and is painful to watch. While this was most pronounced during the disastrous debate, it now happens a lot of the time. I watched most of the NBC Lester Holt interview and snippets from the NAACP speech. The speech challenges and gaffs continue, maybe are even getting worse. This should disqualify anyone running for President of the United States. Nothing is more important than being able to communicate to the American people and to the world. Communication skills are critical in a leader. Sadly, Joe Biden has lost those skills. That is not necessarily his fault but rather one of aging’s cruel surprises. Now close to 75 percent of Democrats believe Biden is too old to run. People understand this. He is too old. More and more people are concluding that the emperor has no clothes (or in this case. no voice).

In a previous post, I suggested a come-to-Jesus meeting with the brain trust of the party. Yes, making a switch now is messy and not without risk but it is the only way that we stand a chance of beating Trump. It must happen and must happen very soon. There is no other viable option.

 

 

2 thoughts on “Taking Stock: The Political Climate, Mid July 2024

  1. So very sad, but so true. Cliché I know And it’s all happening at some crucial turning point in the US that frightens me deeply. Maybe because it requires some important decision making for me.

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