So, Donald Trump racks up another electoral victory and Nikki Haley, the last one of eleven standing, at the traditional start of the race, says she will fight on.
It is a sign of rot in our political system that there are no surprises any more – no upsets.
Not even in New Hampshire.
Our politics is like a bad novel or movie that can’t break out of its set tropes and cardboard characters.
It never lifts off.
It just keeps sinking.
Ms. Haley should hang in. I doubt she will after Super Tuesday.
Remember when Chris Christie said he was staying in, all the way to the convention?
I wish someone would.
If only to raise a lonely flag and say: I dissent. This is not what the party of Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt and Dwight Eisenhower truly is.
I have written of the GOP’s march to folly. And there is always another level of debauchery, like Sen. Tim Scott competing for sycophant of the decade, as well as the vice presidency, by publicly–and to Mr. Trump’s face–professing his “love” for the frontrunner.
Mr. Trump, for his part, was his typical sore winner self, attacking Ms. Haley whom he had just defeated by more than ten points.
We don’t congratulate our opponents on races well run any more. We keep slashing and burning until there is no opponent left.
Hence, no lonely voice going to the convention saying “I dissent.”
Rot.
But I still assert that the Democrats are engaged in a folly of their own. And not to suggest moral equivalence. The Democrats are not a threat to the Constitution. And some, like Rep. Jamie Raskin, are noble defenders of the constitutional order.
Sometimes, some Democrats get so caught up in wokeness that they forget about issues like the minimum wage, corporate greed, and access to prescription drugs.
Their sins are minor.
But their inability to see the train coming at them is major.
It could give us Trump II.
Millions of voters think Joe Biden is too old for another term and Donald Trump is rolling toward the presidency. He has energy and momentum.
If the Democrats think the ace they hold is: The country will never do it. Not again, they are delusional.
The Democrats need a big move.
Mr. Biden needs one.
Big moves, when you are losing, are risky and often go thud, or backfire.
Bob Dole resigned his Senate seat and lost his tie.
Thud.
John McCain picked Sarah Palin for veep. And the tough minded, straight-talker suddenly looked like a frightened fool.
What could Biden do?
If he replaced Kamala Harris with someone who exudes competence, that would greatly defuse the age issue. But who might that someone be? No one comes quickly to mind. At least no one so reassuring that he or she would offset the furor that would come from dumping Ms. Harris.
Mr. Biden should have thought of competence and reassurance in 2020.
So he really has only two options.
One is to take himself out and hope that someone decent emerges from a competitive primary. The polls show that a generic Democrat wins in 2024, whereas Mr. Biden loses. Generic is OK. The system is set up so that a regular person, with honesty, common sense, love of country, and some experience can handle this job.
Perhaps a person like the governor of Kentucky, Andy Beshear rises, Or Gov. Gavin Newsom, of California, tests well in battle
I believe Mr. Biden has to think about it.
I believe he wants to save the country from Trump II.
The second option is to change the campaign:
Yes, talk about democracy.
But, also, hit the age issue head on. Say: Yes I am old. Yes I am fragile. But I also have 60 years of political experience and 80 years of life, and both are invaluable.
Second, Biden should run on, not just himself, but his government and his party.
Talk about people like Janet Yellen, the most qualified Treasury secretary in our history. Or Gina Raimondo, a Commerce Secretary who works at it. Ditto Pete Buttigieg.
Talk about the party: We are offering a PARTY – one that stands for something. They offer an authoritarian personality cult.
There is a T-shirt out there that says: “Why I am a Democrat.”
And underneath that heading is a list: Women’s suffrage. Social Security. The WPA. The GI Bill. The Peace Corps. Federal Deposit Insurance. The Voting Rights Act. Head Start. Antitrust. Medicaid. Rural electrification. School lunches.
I would add the expansion of the National Institute of Health, which began under Franklin Roosevelt, and rebuilding war-torn Europe and Japan.
I saw a pamphlet with the T-shirt text at the Coshocton County Fair a few years ago. I wondered then as I wonder now: Why don’t Democrats talk about their history and their values?
I mostly agree with you today, but I do have two items to bring up:
1. The Republicans have been in a death spiral since the 1960s when the Southern Democrats left the Democratic party and became Republicans after Kennedy and Johnson began to support the blacks in America, reference:
> CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1964
> THE 1965 VOTING RIGHTS ACT.
2. I think that Biden, besides Save Democracy, has an excellent record to run on.
Just my thoughts. Have a good day.
This is not the party of your father. It is a party of Socialists and Marxists. Read Rules for Radicals by Saul Alinsky which describes steps to destroy the country. America is truly
Quit defaming Trump supporters. Say what you want. He is the only person willing and able to take on the Deep State. At least he loves the country.