It’s Time To Move On From Donald Trump
There are two facts about politics: It's a dirty game, and perception is everything.
Yesterday the fortunes of the Republican Party went from a hopeful giant red tsunami to an expected red wave, ultimately deteriorating into a ripple. So what happened? Just three weeks ago, I stated that Trump must go.
The result of the 2022 mid-terms solidifies my feelings about Trump. He was the man for 2016, but no longer. Everything is perception, and too many Americans perceive Trump as an extremist or inappropriate candidate. Recent comments that Trump has made solidify that viewpoint.
The environment with the policies of the Biden Presidency should have made this election a slam dunk for Republicans. High inflation, rampant illegal immigration, record gasoline prices and supply shortages should have resulted in many Democrat losses. Instead, most Trump-backed candidates lost or underperformed.
What was particularly stunning was the win of the Pennsylvania senate seat by John Fetterman over Mehmet Oz—a Trump-backed candidate.
Watch–John Fetterman Opens Debate Night: 'Hi, Goodnight Everybody'
Fetterman is brain impaired from a stroke and has a heart condition which led to his stroke. He often appears in a hoodie and has trouble stringing two sentences together. Yet here he is, the next Senator of Pennsylvania. It's as if America is being mocked by the citizens of Pennsylvania.
New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman stated, "Trump is indeed furious this morning, particularly about Mehmet Oz, and is blaming everyone who advised him to back Oz – including his wife, describing it as not her best decision, according to people close to him." This wouldn't be surprising because Trump's ego wouldn't let him admit he failed. He similarly refuses to acknowledge that his ‘Operation Warp Speed’ was a failure.
Even Kari Lake, the charismatic and very articulate Republican, is still locked in a battle with Katie Hobbs for the governorship of Arizona. This shouldn't have been close. Hobbs refused to debate Lake. Here again, Lake was backed heavily by Trump.
For the most part, Trump's policies have been successful; however, you get a lot of unwanted baggage with Trump, the man. The thinking was that after 2020, he would be humbled and change his approach going into the 2024 election; he obviously hasn't. In a rally before the mid-terms, he signalled that he would run in 2024. He can't keep his mouth quiet. It didn't help the Republican candidates because it signalled to Democrat voters that a vote for a Republican was also a vote for Trump.
Looking through comments on various online sites, it's evident that Trump is losing favour with his supporters. There is the feeling that it's time for Trump to give way to a younger person with solid policies of secure borders, prudent spending and maintaining a vibrant energy industry. The following is typical of online sentiment :
"Trump has lost his lustre and the ability to be a major Republican asset. Time to move on if Republicans want to win in 2024".
Recently, Trump has started attacking Governor DeSantis of Florida. It will not end well if this is the strategy the ex-President uses. At a rally, he called DeSantis 'Ron DeSanctimonious'. This taunt was totally uncalled for. DeSantis just won the Florida governor's race by the most significant margin ever. Also, DeSantis has to be the most successful governor in America. He has unashamedly taken on corporations, wokeness and the sexualization of small children in school. Most importantly, he has broad-based support.
After DeSantis' victory, Trump inexplicably warned DeSantis against a White House run yesterday during a NewsNationinterview in which he stated the following:
'If he runs, he runs. If he did run, I will tell you things about him that won't be very flattering.
'I know more about him than anybody other than perhaps his wife, who is really running his campaign.'
Trump is behaving like a spoiled brat; he obviously refuses to change and lacks self-awareness. Whether DeSantis runs for President or not, I believe Trump will dig his own political grave.
Evolution or Devolution
I hoped that Trump would evolve into a more mature and measured candidate. None of us is the same at 50 as at 21 or 80 as at 60. As we continue to age, we can evolve with greater wisdom or devolve and break down into a chaotic shell of our former selves. Many people, as they age, become more intolerant, petty, irritable and stubborn. Trump is showing many of these signs. He has stopped evolving.
On the other hand, DeSantis has shown outstanding leadership and is laser-focused on his mission without resorting to ill-advised attacks on his compatriots. He knows how to handle the press when appropriate. One of his most outstanding achievements was overseeing the response to the Covid pandemic. Here the contrast between himself and Trump is stark. Trump is still trying to re-live 2016 and detracting from the policies which did succeed. It's embarrassing when Trump keeps lauding his Covid response or won't take responsibility for his actions.
Today's America is irrevocably balkanized. It resembles the Yugoslavia of several decades ago. Trying to unite the disparate factions seems like an impossible task. A man like Trump only accentuates the divisions, as he is a highly polarizing figure. He has no hope of uniting the country. On the contrary, DeSantis has shown that he can win over Democrats and Independents.
It's time to move on; it's time for America to evolve.
I agree. It is time for Trump to bow out, in favor of Governor DeSantis as the leader of the Republican Party, but he won't. He has an enormous ego, as most successful people do. He was very good for the nation in many ways, but he was not astute enough to see that he was being played. He had an historic opportunity in North Korea, but that idiot Pompeo destroyed it. He tapped into a yearning of the public to drain the swamp, but but that is an impossible task. They are in charge, and they are protected by federal civil service laws. He was the first Republican presidential candidate I ever voted for in fifty years of voting, and I voted for him twice, but he clearly had a toxic effect on some of the candidates in 2022. Thank you, President Trump, but please retire gracefully.
I agree that Trump has not been helping his own cause (I myself was not impressed with his promotion of Operation Warp Speed) - but I don't think he deserves the blame for the recent election results.
Fact: the US voting procedure is a sham, with voting machines just happening to go down in the most hotly contested states.
Do you think it is just a coincidence that Republicans had such a victory in Florida, where DeSantis imposed the most rigorous vote protection measures?
Florida banned mass mail-in ballots, banned ballot harvesting, requires a voter ID, and Gov. DeSantis created an election police force.
(Referenced here: https://chriswaldburger.substack.com/p/anarcho-tyranny-in-the-usa)
Yes, DeSantis is a worthy candidate in his own right, and Trump's hostility towards him does him (Trump) no credit.
Emerald Robinson also shows the counting spikes in many of the contested states:
https://emeralddb3.substack.com/p/its-obvious-now-americas-voting-system
However, the US system (like Australia) is rigged in a more pervasive way: no matter which candidate gets in, nothing much changes. Or if it does, that candidate quickly finds themselves subjected to termination (as we saw here in Australia in 1975 with the Whitlam government, and in recent years with any PM - from either party - who did not toe the party line being quickly ousted).
Maybe I'm being too cynical - but right now the US is busy escalating their latest war, more & more directly with Russia, and talking up nukes. Both Democrats & Republicans seem to be on board with this agenda, and any anti-war voices are being heavily suppressed (as we saw with the covid/pandemic lockdown policies).
And maybe we do see hopeful signs in the Florida win.
But I'm not holding my breath.