Believe it or not, America is just short of twelve months away from the next Presidential election, potentially the last one ever held in this country.
It looks more and more like the election will pit two old farts against each other… for the second time. President Joe Biden, who turned 81 years old on Monday will apparently be the Democratic Party candidate, while ex-President Donald Trump, a youngster at 77 years old, appears to be a lead pipe cinch to represent the Republican Party. Biden beat Trump by 7 million votes in 2020; however, inflation, the wars in Gaza and Ukraine, and a very leaky Mexican border have resulted in the 2024 race being forecasted to be a very close one.
Incredibly, the disgraced former President could win the contest despite the many legal problems that he is facing at this time.
I shudder to think what would happen to, and within, the U.S.A. should Trump be elected. In his first term, he surrounded himself with fawning idealogues, ignored the advice of experts, ditched the traditions and protocols of the Presidency, and embarrassed our nation on the world stage by undermining our traditional allies and sucking up to dictators. And then, pooh poohed the Covid-19 pandemic and measures taken to combat it, resulting in the worst effort of all industrialized countries… a whopping 1 million deaths from the coronavirus.
This time around, candidate Trump is promising, if elected, to carry out a war of retribution and vengeance against all his “enemies”, which include Democrats, moderate Republicans, Jews, Mexicans, Chinese, journalists, FBI employees, judges and prosecutors, BLM activists, and former Trump Administration employees who had the temerity to rat out his illegal activities and half-baked policy ideas between 2017 and 2021. Trump recently referred to this group of perceived antagonists as “vermin” that needed to be eradicated.
Adolph Hitler used that same wordage to refer to Jews, intellectuals, and his opponents… who were later sent to gas chambers.
I have no doubt that Donald Trump, if elected in 2024, would cobble together some sort of Brown Shirt brigade to wreak havoc on our heretofore democratic country, much like he did (illegally) while in office during the Black Lives Matter protests.
Protesting government decisions would be a risky proposition under Trump II, as autocrats don’t like criticism. Elections would be in jeopardy, as well, because Trump doesn’t trust them and (based upon the Jan 6 Capitol Riot) doesn’t think he has to abide by them.
It is incredible to me that Donald Trump, with all his warts, could be elected next year. This prospect is the clearest evidence to date that the United States is circling the drain, potentially becoming a laughingstock among nations for its bad judgment. The guy has nothing to offer except hate, narcissism, and bad ideas.
Evidently, many Americans are willing to cast aside the Constitution and the rule of law and take their chances on a guy who already failed them once.
Joe Biden is quietly doing the job he was elected to do. He inherited an economy on the brink of a depression, which has been avoided thus far by drastic action from the Federal Reserve. Higher interest rate hikes have affected everything from soup to nuts, producing lots of wailing and gnashing from potential voters. However, the overall economy seems to be weathering the storm.
The biggest issues facing Biden’s re-election plans are (1) his age, and (2) illegal immigration. He can’t do anything about (1) and doesn’t seem to be doing anything at all about (2). Also, the military aid that the U.S. is providing Ukraine and Israel has struck a nerve among a lot of potential voters: wouldn’t that money be better spent here in America, making our country stronger?
I’m old enough to remember democracy working in this country. Up until a half century ago, leaders from both political parties would iron out their differences and create policy that made lives better for most Americans. “Compromise” was the key, and it resulted in the transcontinental railroad, the interstate highway system, putting a man on the moon, and so forth. Nowadays, the entire country is so caught up in partisan positions (Red vs. Blue, Religious vs. non-Religious, Gun Rights vs. Gun Control advocates, Pro-Life vs. Pro-Choice, etc.) that public officials elected to solve problems instead spend all of their time in D.C. blaming the other side and publicly badmouthing each other. These “adults” are engaged in an unending spitwad shooting contest… and seem proud of themselves for doing so.
Our system of government seems to be, in the Digital Age, incapable of functioning in the interest of the majority of Americans. Perhaps voters are ready to throw in the towel on democracy? That could very well be what happens in 2024.
Unfortunately, when a country moves from a democracy to a dictatorship, it is usually a permanent thing. Authoritarian figures don’t want or need input from the average citizen, and they certainly don’t like criticism. Scapegoats (religious, ethnic, racial) are used to deflect attention from the failures of the regime. Nepotism is almost assured. Elections, if they have any, are truly “rigged” to the benefit of the despot, much like the elections in Russia.
We Americans have become very used to free speech, freedom of movement, freedom to worship whatever God we want, freedom to possess firearms, and the Rule of Law. Authoritarian governments are not keen on any of these “rights”.
Therein lies the crux of the matter: discarding the democratic model (because you are frustrated by it) could put Americans in a worse position… and it’s a decision that is almost impossible to reverse short of a civil war.
I don’t know what will happen in 2024. I’ve been lucky to have lived under democracy for my entire life and think it is a viable model if elected officials take their roles seriously and TRY to solve problems. However, if most Americans want to experience something different, where all ideas and solutions emanate from the same narcissist, then so be it.
I won’t be around much longer to endure the consequences; let the Gen Z folks deal with it.