No matter what President Trump — or even millions of Americans – think about the 2020 presidential election, it is over. There is no chance – zero — that Trump will be entering the Oval Office before 2024 – if then.
Democrats and their media pals believe that the best – and perhaps the only – way to stop Republicans from gaining control of the House and even the Senate, is to make the 2022 midterm election all about a demonized Trump, what they have very successfully branded as “the big lie,” and their bogus narrative about an ongoing insurrection. They even say that if Republicans gain power, the Republic … the democracy … is at risk. Some go so far as to predict the end of the Republic.
Democrat strategists believe that by forcing Republican candidates into taking a stand on the 2020 election, those candidates will lose support no matter what position they take. If they say the election was stolen, they will be branded as nutty acolytes of Trump by the media – part of the Democrats’ bogus “cult” and “insurrection” narratives. Conversely, if they say that they believe Biden won the election, those on the left believe that there is a real possibility that a large number of the Trump base will not vote for them.
The best thing for all the GOP candidates can do is to stop opining about the 2020 election. Stop being intimidated by the Democrats and the media. Stop being dragged into the Democrats strategy.
If I may put on my political consultant hat for a moment, here is how I would handle the 2020 election controversy. As a candidate, I would issue a written statement as a final comment on the 2020 race. In the face of later inquiries, I would direct reporters to the written statement.
What would such a statement look, you ask? Like this.
For almost a year, there has been a contentious debate over the outcome of the 2020 presidential election. For the most part, the sides are settled between those who believe that President Biden won both the popular and the electoral vote. On the other side are millions of people who believe that the election was stolen through massive vote fraud. Neither side seems likely to change their minds anytime in the future.
President Trump is not on the ballot in 2022. Therefore, I see no need or value into participating in an acrid academic debate about his role in the Republican Party or his plans to run or not run for President in 2024.
In view of the partisan deadlock on those issues, it seems that bringing that debate into the 2022 midterm election serves no useful purpose. It will not change the outcome of the 2020 election nor determine the future plans of President Trump. Continuing this useless debate is only a distraction from the critical issues of the day and the important issues that need to be aired in the upcoming campaign.
If Democrats wish to make the 2022 midterm election about a past election that is settled – rightfully or wrongfully – and to campaign against a person who is not on the ballot, that is up to them. I will not engage them in that fantasy. I will not allow them to divert public attention from their failed policies and dangerous proposals of the Biden administration.
As a candidate for (fill in here), my campaign will be focused on the issues that impact on the voters – and the American people – relative to the office I seek. I will maintain my focus on the reasons I am running and why I believe that I would be the best person to represent the interests and welfare of the people.
I expect my candidacy to be judged on what I offer to the people in the next election – and not on what I may or may not believe about the past or future. I believe I am the best candidate for this office, and I will focus on making my case with the people.
This will be my final statement on the 2020 and 2024 elections as we enter the campaign season for the critically important 2022 midterm election.
To make this statement effective, candidates will have to avoid being suckered into the debate the Democrats would prefer Republicans to have. I would also not allow Trump’s myopic focus on the 2020 election to drag me into that debate from his side. If I were a Republican candidate in 2022, I would concentrate on the office I am seeking and the issues relative to that office.
Democrats well know that IF voters consider the Afghan disaster, the border crisis, accelerating inflation, increasing crime, the supply-chain crisis, worker shortages and double-talk on the Pandemic, there is no doubt that the GOP will win back the House, probably take the Senate and win offices across America.
Republican candidates throughout the land should not succumb to the Democrats’ – or even Trump’s — efforts to distract attention away from the 2022 election – and the issues that impact on the people directly. They should not by into debating the Democrats largely bogus narratives grounded in outrageous fearmongering.
2022 is the Republicans to lose. Unfortunately, it would not be the first time the Grand Old Party snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.
So, there ‘tis.