A lot of people look at New Year’s Day as a way to make some changes, but as the old saying goes, “The more things change, the more things stay the sang.” Or as Roger Daltrey sang, “Meet the new boss; same as the old boss.”
A few days after the Colorado Supreme Court voted to remove Donald J. Trump from the primary ballots, the Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows made the determination to remove Trump from the ballots citing his involvement in the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection coup attempt. Since then, she’s reported her house was “Swatted,” a term in which people make false 911 calls to homes or businesses in hopes law enforcement will go in guns a-blazing.
Bellows is a Democrat but as Secretary of State, elections are one of her duties. And sure enough, people are already saying they’re going to fight fire with fire. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Kentucky) made a comment that the House of Representatives has the final say on certifying the Electoral Votes. But I anticipate it’s big talk for someone trying to make a name for himself. I doubt even some Republicans might risk this, because it can always backfire.
For the most part, I fear Trump and the Republican Party are setting up a repeat of 2020 only worse. If they can scream “foul” so many times, people will believe them. Brazil, which itself has had some sketchy politics, determined last year that Jair Bolsonaro, former president, is barred from running for political office until 2030 for his false claims of election fraud. It’s a horrible condition when Americans can look to Brazil as a way to govern. Trump and the GOP know things will get bad this year. It’s the typical playbook – when you lose, blame the officiating.
And if you can’t win legally, then cheat so you can win. Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colorado) said she is moving to switch districts as she was nearly defeated by 500 votes from her challenger Adam Frisch. It was so close, a recount was ordered. After the year she had, it’s likely that unless she saves a quintuplet babies from a burning building or something amazing, she will be out regardless what district she’s in. I mean, she has proven that she has no seriousness about her job and that lewd behavior at the Beetlejuice musical didn’t help matters. Considering, she has built herself up as a God-fearing model of Christianity, her behavior is the type of hedonism people preach about in Sodom and Gomorrah.
So, she’s taking a playbook from her once BFF and now rival enemy Marjorie Taylor Greene. She’s moving from one area to another. Boebert, who represented the third Congressional district which is mostly the western and southern area of the state, said since current representative Ken Buck is retiring, she’s looking to get in his district. But this might backfire against her. The fourth district composes the eastern part of the state and the people may not like her coming into their area thinking it’s an easy win.
Remember, this is the same political party that criticized Hillary Clinton for running for Senate of New York and argued left and right, Barack Obama was born in Kenya, even though a birth certificate showed he was born in Hawai’i. (His mother a born American, which meant he’s born American.) It’s likely Boebert may not even make it pass the primary and her re-location may open the doors for other challengers. It has happened before in recent years. Madison Cawthorn lost in the primaries in 2022 in North Carolina. Eric Cantor lost the primaries in Virginia in 2014 and John Sullivan lost the primaries in Oklahoma in 2012. It is possible. You can only do so little before the voters get tired of it.
And this Congress did so little that it would be something if most of them lost their jobs in 2024. This has been the least productive Congress in many years, if ever. They only were able to pass 27 bills. Usually, they manage to pass at least 200 bills. And yet they criticize others for wanting higher wages for less work. Most of 2023 they were concern with who was going to be the Speaker of the House and how they could find ways to go after President Joe Biden and his family.
While polls show that Trump would defeat Biden, it’s likely the polls are inaccurate and only people who respond to phone calls are choosing Trump. Remember polls said that Jimmy Carter would defeat Ronald Reagan and Hillary Clinton would defeat Trump. This year, many Gen Zers and Millennials will be turning out to vote. While Boomers are still alive and kicking, the questions is how much longer. This will very likely be the last Presidential elections in which Boomers may have a considerable amount and edge. But not all Boomers are fans of Trump.
Most of the people who supported Trump in 2016 don’t support him now. His outrageous claims are getting harder to comprehend every day. And how much longer can people still hear the same thing? He was President for four years and didn’t get a lot done. What makes them think he’ll do it if re-elected. Also, he doesn’t have the support of the Republican-controlled Senate that he did earlier. Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) can’t live forever and his behavior in public is case for concerns.
As I’ve posted earlier, if people think voting people in office will be “retribution,” they may find themselves the subject of the same retribution. The one thing people don’t remember about authoritative figures and dictators, they want people to fear them. And the one way they do that is by getting rid of the people who are sycophantic and loyal to them. It’s one thing to get rid of an opponent. Getting rid of those loyal to you shows that you mean business.
And while people keep commenting on Biden’s age, it raises questions on other elected officials. Should McConnell still be in the Senate? Should our Supreme Court Justices be required to retire after a certain age? Dianne Feinstein was 90 when she passed away. The whole “Age is just a number” mantra takes on a different meaning when it applies to these people but not those people, doesn’t it?
The one thing about Biden’s age that no one is really want to admit is that they’re afraid Vice-President Kamala Harris will ascend to the Presidency. Democrats can be just as racist, sexist and misogynistic as they claim Republicans to be. That is what people are saying about Biden running as they bring up Bernie Sanders or Robert F. Kennedy Jr. despite Sanders being older than Biden.
As Trump and his attorneys are trying to argue that he has “absolute immunity,” Judge Tanya Chutkan has rejected these claims and special counsel Jack Smith has argued immunity doesn’t apply. And it doesn’t. If it does, it means it was wrong to impeach Bill Clinton for perjury and all the things Republican have said Biden has done are immune too. The door swings both ways.
But Trump and his followers are betting on the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in his favor or people being ignorant of the laws to justify his actions. A President who can do anything they want without consequences isn’t exactly what the position was intended. There are checks and balances for a reason. However, it’s likely this will be one of the most contended elections in years. The Republican Party would do the right thing by cutting him loose but they know they can’t win without him, even though they haven’t been winning much in recent elections.
It’s possible they’re afraid that Trump will continue to run as an independent, as Kennedy has said, and take some votes away from whoever the Republican candidate is, thus allowing Biden to win a re-election. Because when you’re losing, you can blame the officiating. It’s the old “My child is the only one marching in step in the parade” ideology.
I know that with the start of a new year, this is not something most people want to think about. But until we solve this issue, it’s never going to be over. How can people think that Trump’s continued false claims of election fraud led to thousands traveling hundreds of miles to Washington, D.C., three years ago. This wasn’t something people did on a whim. They had an agenda and that agenda was to overthrow the government. Whatever happened to the saying, “The driver of the getaway car is as guilty as the bank robbers?”
It’s very likely voters will reject Trump even more this year. The reason we had such a turnout in 2020 was so many people wanted him gone. They had learned their lesson for 2016. However, more older voters were still alive. Yet, they may not still be alive this year, leading to a lower turnout in their age range, which will only further their excuse the 2020 election was stolen, despite no evidence after multiple recounts.
The Atlantic has reported that even if he’s convicted, Trump can exhaust his appeals and still ascend to the White House. At the time, he could urge the courts to overturn any convictions. But at 78, he may not be in the best health. I don’t anticipate the RNC demanding that Mike Pence return as his running mate. Pence was supposed to be Trump’s safety. I don’t think Ron DeSantis would want to run with Trump. Greene obviously wants it but she would also jeopardize her standing in Congress.
It’s likely they could put Nikki Haley as his running mate. But that might be the damage Sarah Palin brought to John McCain. Yes, she has an Anglican-sounding name. Her real name is Nimratta Nikki Haley and she was raised as Sikh parents from India. To many Trump supporters, it doesn’t matter. Remember that woman who called Obama an Arab at the McCain rally in 2008? She’s a dime a dozen. And many Republicans don’t want a woman, regardless of her name, religion, or ancestry, next in line to the White House.
So, regardless, it’s going to be a rough year. And I’m not wishing him any ill-harm, but unless Trump’s health gets really bad, he’s the front runner so far. But are the Republicans going to stand up like Adam Kizinger, Chris Christie, Liz Cheney and Joe Walsh have? I can’t believe I’m actually defending Christie, Cheney and Walsh who are responsible for getting us to this point. That’s how crazy things have gotten because of Trump.
It’s never too late to make amends. And the start of a new year is the perfect time.
What do you think? Please comment.
Zane Says 