Facing the dire scenario I laid out in the last post, Republican Presidential wannabes will attend their first debate on Wednesday, August 23rd. Former President Trump may or may not show. I believe he won’t. Why take incoming from the likes of no-chance Chris Christy? Let the former New Jersey Governor and others continue to beat up on Trump’s closest challenger, Ron DeSantis.

As I’ve pointed out, the Florida Governor has faced an unprecedented attack from all sides since he scored a resounding reelection victory. Trump spent millions on negative ads long before DeSantis could wind up his Florida duties and declare. Democratic allied media never let a day go by without several negative stories. When given a chance, other Republican candidates joined in.

While several of the debaters have executive experience as successful governors, not unexpectedly, the two getting the most pre-debate buzz are the two without government administrative experience: Senator Tim Scott and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy. 

Besides echoing some standard Republican boilerplate like “energy independence” and sealing the border, Scott offers little of the toughness to turn the government away from its present anti-democratic course. Having a sunny disposition and trying to be everyone’s friend indicates more of the same.

Joining Vice-President Kamala Harris in her phony attack on Florida’s Slavery curriculum to play the race card on DeSantis shows that under his likable guy persona is a dark side. It reminds me of Joe Biden.

Ramaswamy is auditioning for vice president on Trump’s ticket. Promising to pardon Trump is a giveaway. Writing and talking about being “anti-woke” and being in the trenches getting actual legislation and policies to combat the movement is a different thing. A governor has to do stuff. Vivek is this election cycle’s, Mayor Pete. North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum’s record is far more impressive if you want a successful tech tycoon. 

So long as Trump dominates the news with his endless indictments and court appearances, any story out of the debate will have a short life. The Democratic plan is working perfectly. The candidate they fear most is Ron DeSantis bloodied with plenty of Republican help. Trump will lock up the Republican nomination on Super Tuesday or earlier. As soon as he’s locked in, Joe Biden, either for health reasons or because of a smoking gun proving he’s a crook, will throw open the nomination.

The ’24 election is likely to be seminal, and not in a good way, not only because of changes in the future but with further increases in alarming trends already in place. Instead of a sudden turn to a less free society, it will give further impetus to what is already in motion. 

For instance, the Department of Justice is already politicized and weaponized against those standing in the way of an imperial government. In 2016, Donald Trump, a political outsider, was elected president. Immediately he was assigned a special counsel embroiling his administration in a bogus investigation for years.

If this wasn’t enough harm, when the 2020 race was at its height, damming information on Trump’s opponent showed up in Hunter Biden’s laptop. The Justice Department’s FBI had possession and authenticated the computer. Yet, it remained silent when Joe Biden and his allies claimed it was Russian disinformation. This DOJ deception might account for Trump’s narrow loss.

Instead of telling the truth when the New York Post broke the story, the FBI pressured media platforms to suppress the account. If this wasn’t election interference, what is?

Suppressing information opposing the preferred narrative wasn’t restricted to this one instance; it was a Covid feature. Media platforms quashed truthful details on the pandemic’s origins and better policy positions with implied government pressure on their businesses. Laid out when Elon Musk set free the “Twitter Files,” government entities used private companies to do what it prohibited from doing itself.

“Thank you to everyone!!! I have never had so much support on anything before,” Trump wrote in an all-caps message on his Truth Social app. This message was in reply to his latest indictment. The former President is well aware of the benefits of his multiple court cases. If, as expected, he adds a charge in Georgia, he will probably be in court throughout the nominating process. With cable news already following each courtroom journey, this will be wall-to-wall Trump. 

As I predicted, Democrats load the Republican’s weakest candidate with questionable charges to minimize coverage of Trump’s opponents for the nomination while rallying Republicans to his defense. The result is both the ex-president and the Democrats get the candidacy both want.

Anyone will want to run against a candidate who never polled or received votes tallying over 50%. Once Trump has locked the nomination, putting old, corrupt Joe Biden out to pasture in favor of someone young and unsullied will follow. The trap set for the Republicans will snap shut.

Of course, a young accomplished Republican candidate puts the plan in jeopardy. Hence, the full court press on any leading young Republican appearing in the polls. Without Biden’s baggage, California Governor Gavin Newsome or Michigan Governor Gretch Whitmer look much more palatable against the old, largely disliked, encumbered Trump than a young, highly successful Florida governor Ron DeSantis.

This circumstance tells us why the Florida Governor has faced unrelenting derision from the Democrats and their media allies. Reelected by a close to 20% margin and one who appointed a blue-ribbon panel to create a mandatory course teaching the true story of slavery, they paint him as an unlikable racist.

The present administration’s report card signals incompetence. A catastrophic Afgan pullout and a stalemated war in Ukraine highlight the lack of ability in foreign affairs. These failures join the highest inflation and interest rates in decades—the border needs fixing. The homefront isn’t any better. Add a judge’s finding the government has joined with media platforms to suppress free speech. Several house committees are just one Joe Biden bank account showing receipt and dis[persement of funds from his son’s “business” from impeaching Joe. 

Given the administration’s sorry state, the Republicans should be reserving moving vans for their executive branch ’25 takeover. Yet Joe Biden is the betting favorite to win. The reason is Donald Trump is the favorite to be the opposition. The former president has a loyal following but has always been upside down in the national surveys. So long as they can run against a candidate with such a low ceiling, Democrats are in fine shape. 

As I pointed out, the whole Democratic coalition, including its media allies, has worked hard to encourage Republicans to rally around Trump with an unprecedented number of lawsuits. It puts the former president constantly in the limelight, sucking all the oxygen away from other candidates. The last thing Democrats want is for Trump to be convicted and unable to run, but with our slow-motion judicial system complete with appeals, jail will never happen before the election.

So far, the Democratic plan is working fine. Trump is well in front to be the Republican nominee. Anyone running for office would love to run against an opponent with a 45% ceiling.

The only problem with the Democrats is their ticket of Joe and Kamala have their problems. Joe is old and looks and acts feeble while the net is closing in on his criminal conduct. The blowup of his son’s sweetheart’s deal on taxes and gun leaves poor Joe naked before the world. The smoking gun is out there, and it’s only a matter of time before it surfaces. It will be sooner rather than later. 

The disliked Kamala has shown a unique lack of ability for someone in her position. Getting rid of Joe now leaves you with someone viewed even less favorably. There may have been a different plan all along.

While worrying about the next election’s outcome, I see an enormous opportunity for our nation. Other nations have worsening trends. As I’ve pointed out, China, by moving to state control of the economy, and the results of a horrendous population control program, is on a downward journey. Europe is more market-oriented, but declining populations are robbing the continent of dynamism.

By contrast, we can extend and maybe even accelerate progress by turning away from the industrial policy of “Bidenomices” and returning to policies favoring growth. We know what works, so why become pale imitations of others when we have a better formula? A Free-literate growing population working in free markets engaging with others in free trade will outperform “elites” running top-down economies.

I grew up in an era where the press told us the USSR would overtake us with its larger population and well-thought 5-year plans. Ronald Reagan saw it differently. He expanded our present and future arms capabilities, and the Soviets found they couldn’t keep up. Reagan knew we had the more productive system. Instead of burying the US, economic woes led to the dissolution of the USSR.

If we stay true to our principles, we will continue to lead the world to a better future. We can continue an upward march by reducing government interference in the economy, expanding free trade with other nations obeying the rules, and taking steps to maintain needed population growth. Of course, without a skilled populace, we will come up short.