Politicians, pundits the press, and political science professors have described the 2016 election of President Trump as more of a vote against than for.
Though Trump emerged as the GOP standard bearer, he was not popular with most Republican primary voters. And an unprecedented number of Republicans and conservatives kicked their party affiliation and the political principles to the curb out of a visceral hatred for Trump. He was arguably the most controversial candidate ever nominated by one of the two major political parties.
Heading into the election, Democrats were beaming – confident of electing Hillary Clinton to the presidency. Their confidence was so high that the defeat of Clinton put the Democrat left into traumatic political shock and anger – so much so that they immediately launched a resistance movement and started talking of impeachment even before Trump’s inauguration.
What the Democrats failed to recognize was the unpopularity of their candidate and their programs. Millions of voters – who were not particularly fond of Trump – could not make themselves support the Democrats and their far-left agenda. Many were voting against Clinton more than for Trump. By the way, I was one of those voters.
Biden campaigned as a moderate – more appealing to more voters than such hardcore left-wingers as Senator Bernie Sanders. The fact that Biden jumped so quickly and so far to the left has created a bit of buyers’ remorse – especially among independents. That is a major reason why Biden’s favorability rating has tanked.
Unfortunately, Trump never understood that he was deemed the better of two Hopson choices. He very much needed to grow his base. He did not – and that triggered a reverse dynamic. People who were not particularly fond of the Democrat’s left-wing agenda – or any of the presidential candidates — grew to dislike Trump more than Biden.
Democrats and their media cronies may be setting up another opportunity for Trump to return to the White House by making their candidates and policies more unpopular than any GOP alternatives – maybe even Trump. They may have overplayed their hand in taking their vicious and mendacious attacks beyond Trump and to all things Republican and conservative. They are assassinating the character of millions of Americans.
These unrelenting attacks on not only Trump, but every Republican voter, seems to be creating a backlash. Demonizing millions of Americans as hate-mongers, racists, homophobes and sexists is bound to fuel resentment – a resentment that can be best exercised by punishing Democrats at the polls in 2022.
Make no mistake about it. The news media’s obsession with Trump is a major factor that is keeping him in play for 2024. He is the subject of every news cycle and virtually every program on CNN and MSNBC. They are making him more powerful and influential than he is.
It may be intentional. They may believe that by predicting that he will be the GOP standard bearer in 2024, that can create a self-proving prophesy – in the belief that he would be easy to defeat in 2024.
There are two problems with that thinking. First of all, there is no guarantee that Trump will run … and that he is unbeatable. That is a left-wing fantasy. But no group may be more responsible for the return of Trump than the radical left Democrats and their press parrots – by getting a lot of good Americans really pissed off.
Democrats may have wasted a lot of strategy and energy if Trump is not the candidate in 2024. And I still believe the odds are against Trump running successfully in 2024. His obstacle is more likely to be the nomination than the General Elections.
So, there ‘tis.