The Horses Are At The Gate #241
By Hank Silverberg
Who is running for President in 2024? No one officially at the moment, but there are a lot of
For me, at present, the only issue with Biden is his age and his health. He's 79. We don't know all the details about his health, but he will be over 80 at the start of a second term, and I am not sure an octogenarian can handle the job. Ronald Reagan left office at 78, and we learned later he was in the early stages of dementia at the end of his second term.
This is no way implying that Biden is sick. I just think we need someone younger for the job.
That immediately rules out Donald Trump as well. There are a lot of reasons why he should not run again, but he is 76 and very well could be under indictment or even in jail by the 2024 vote.
Please don't call it age discrimination. We are not talking about your average job here.
Despite the critics, Biden has been doing an adequate job and has worked hard to fix the mess Trump left us. That in itself makes him a good president. I will save my rationale on that for the campaign if he runs again, or a legacy analysis if he chooses not to run.
My take? The torch needs to be passed again!
Options?
Let's start with Republicans, since interested Democrats will wait until Biden makes his decision before even hinting they want the job.
Already running, though he hasn't formally announced, is the bumbling, ideological Governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis. He has to be re-elected Governor first this November, and all the polls show him in a tight race with Republican-turned -Democrat Charlie Crist.
DeSantis just doesn't look or sound like presidential material (look at last week's dumbest quote of the week as an example). He likes stunts, but just doesn't seem to know how to govern.
Florida ranks third in education achievement among the 50 states, yet DeSantis has spent much of his term criticizing and tampering with the state's schools.
He complains about the estimated 700,000 illegal immigrants in the state and their drain on resources, but the state's unemployment rate is 2.7%. He should be bragging about that. He doesn't because it goes against the GOP narrative that the economy is a mess because of Biden.
Many Republicans view DeSantis as a more polite version of Donald Trump. I think that fits.
Another possible candidate who continues to dodge an answer on a possible run, is Virgnia's one-term -limited Governor Glenn Youngkin. He's been in office for only two years and was never involved in political office before he became Governor. Lately he's been running around the country backing other Republicans for office, including Trumpites and those who deny the 2020 election results. He does acknowledge Biden as the fairly elected president, but won't disavow those who deny it.
Virginia was in good condition when Youngkin took office and pretty much remains that way. Unemployment in the state went down to 2.6% in August.
Youngkin's big issue has been giving parents more control of what goes on in schools, focusing on critical race theory which is NOT even in the state's curriculum. He also wants to change how schools deal with gender identity--an issue not on most parent's agenda. They are more concerned with math scores and reading skills. Virginia's schools are ranked 4th among the 50 states. They really don't need to be messed with.
Youngkin is also pushing a restrictive abortion law banning the procedure after 15 weeks with rape, incest and health of mother exceptions. But polls indicate a majority of Virginia's residents, like the majority of the country's voters, favor abortion rights.
A Roanoke College Poll conducted in May indicated 53% of Virginians favored legal abortion with some restrictions, while 35% say it should be legal under any circumstances. These figures echo nationwide polls.
https://www.roanoke.edu/about/news/rc_poll_politics_june_2022
Youngkin and DeSantis are doing what many Republicans are doing, trying to separate themselves from Trump a bit, but they are also still catering to Trump's constituency by dodging questions on the 2020 election results.
There are other possible Republicans likely to toy with the idea of a presidential run.
They include, not in any particular ranking order:
1) Mike Pompeo, the former Secretary of State.
2)Nikki Haley, the former UN Ambassador and former South Carolina Governor.
3) Ted Cruz, the Senator from Texas.
4) Mike Pence, the former Vice President.
5) Rick Scott, a former Florida Senator.
They all have one big problem--their association with Donald Trump. That leads to another possible candidate, outgoing Wyoming Congresswoman Liz Cheney, who was Vice-Chair of the January 6th Commitee and a constant critic of Trump. She may appeal to traditional conservative Republicans fed up with the Trump cult.
Why did I choose to write about this now? It's only a couple of weeks until the mid-term elections. Some states have started early voting. The outcome of this November's election could keep us on the road back to the 1950's or turn us back around into the 21st Century. Those seeking the White House will take note.
Mid-Terms
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With the mid-term elections just over a month away,
many voters are worried about more than just push-button issues like inflation, immigration or even abortion. A new CBS poll out this past weekend shows that 73% of all voters feel that our democracy is threatened. Two thirds say people like them would have fewer rights and freedoms than they do now if the other side wins the election.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/house-republican-majority-opinion-poll-2022-09-25/
And to make matters worse, a third of Republicans think the GOP should not accept the results in places where the Democrats win and have plans ready to challenge the results.
What has been lacking from the GOP in the past few campaigns has been any clear policy other than denying election results and blocking legislation sponsored by Democrats. But House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy has now suggested one. It's called "Commitment to America" as kind of a follow up to the old "Contract for America" in the Newt Gingrich days of the 90's.
McCarthy says the agenda will lower crime, fix inflation and "restore faith in elections."
There are, of course, no specifics, and all this comes while much of his party still tries to convince us that the 2016 elections were fraudulent without any evidence to back that up.
McCarthy may have some trouble with his agenda. Only 38% of those polled by CBS think the Republicans would makes us safer from crime.
But at least the GOP is finally talking about issues instead of spreading fake news about voter fraud and rigged elections.
South Not Rising Again!
In some places the Civil War has never ended. Mathews County, Virginia, along the southern part of the Chesapeake Bay, is the latest example. There's a Confederate statue outside the door of the
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| (Mathews County statue) |
"The continued presence of Confederate symbols that represent the idea of white supremacy is an insult to all fair-minded citizens of Mathews."
The statue is a lone Confederate soldier called the "Silent Sentinel," and is similar to those on the grounds of almost every courthouse in Virginia.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/09/22/mathews-virginia-confederate-statue/
https://www.bet.com/article/2kn0n8/naacp-threatens-lawsuit-virginia-statue-pro-confederacy-groups
They are being taken down in many places. A statue of Robert E. Lee was removed in downtown Richmond this year after protests. It was cut up and taken to a place unknown. That may have been what prompted some members of the Sons of the Confederacy to come up with a suggestion in Mathews County that the county deed the land where the statue sits to them. That way they could take care of it on private land instead and leave it in place.
There was a heated board meeting about this last week with some of those against moving the statue actually calling the NAACP request "racist" for denying other people's "southern heritage."
There was no decision yet, but the NAACP is threatening a lawsuit if the statue is not removed.
A similar debate in Loudoun County two years ago led to an almost identical statue being torn down, taken away by the Daughters of the Confederacy and put in storage.
Most of these statues were put up long after the Civil War ended. They were erected during the Jim Crow era of the early 20th Century, supposedly to honor those who fought for the Confederacy. Often the intention was to intimidate Blacks who had business in the courthouses, including criminal cases or voter registration. That legacy remains the issue.
Dumbest Quote of The Week!
This week's dumbest quote comes from Academy Award winning actress, comedienne and sometimes political commentator, Whoopi Goldberg. It was during her appearance on "The View" where she was having a discussion about South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham's sudden switch on the issues of abortion and same sex marriage. Graham's positions have changed from "leave it up to the states" to his call for a more federal approach. Whoopi said this:
"Well, maybe he's getting married? Do it quick, because I know people are fooling around with our marriage rights, wherever you stand."
The comment in context seemed to question the Senator's sexual preference. After a commercial break, Whoopi came back and apologized and called her comments "a joke." But Whoopi should know by now there are certain things you don't joke about these days. She also said maybe she shouldn't be on "The View" anymore. She said it, not me.
(Your comments and suggestions are welcome)
(My book "The Campaign" can be purchased at the links below. Or you can buy a copy by emailing me at:
HankSilverberg@gmail.com for instructions on how to get a copy at a reduced price and with my signature.)
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