Tonight’s forecast…Dark. Continued dark throughout the overnight hours, followed by widely scattered light in the morning. George Carlin
Well folks, this is it, the money shot. We’ve been waiting four long years for this home stretch, and we can’t fuck it up now. But I still feel it only prudent at this point to interject a note of caution going into these last 5 hectic months.
Donald Trump is a hot mess right now. His approval rating is at 38%, even his own campaign admits he’s in serious trouble, and he’s being blamed for everything but mold on cheese, mainly because he wouldn’t know what a kitchen looked like if it fell on his head. He’s a natural target to pile on. But not so fast.
In response to a comment to an earlier article, I responded that right now, there are only three people who should be seeking the national spotlight. Those three being Joe Biden, his eventual running mate, and Tom Perez, the DNC Chair. I’ll expand that to include quality surrogates such as Stacey Abrams, Michelle and Barack Obama, and Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi, who have national recognition, and did an aces job is publicizing the battle lines during the relief effort debates. But that’s it.
For every other Democratic incumbent and challenger running in 2020, let me remind you of one simple thing. Back in 2018, Donald Trump did everything but order somebody to print new ballots to get his name on the ticket. He desperately wanted to make the midterms a referendum on his leadership, to gin up support in what was already looking like a flagging support of his base. This move was purely ego driven, since his popularity was already mired in the low to mid 40’s and moderate GOP incumbents were doing everything in their power to distance themselves from him, especially in suburban districts. This made him a lock-and-load target for Democratic challengers to haul off on in tempting House races.
Which those Democratic challengers wisely declined to do. Throughout the midterm campaign, Democratic candidates ignore Donald Trump in ways that GOP incumbents only wished they could do. Instead, they hammered home common sense solutions to kitchen table issues specific to their districts, and the complete inactivity and incompetence of the HOP in leading the country. And they cleaned the clock with them.
Now here we are two years later, in 2020. And if anything, people are even more sick of the Trump shit show than they were in 2018. And in 2020 there are even more newer, equally pressing kitchen table issues to run on. Everything from the newly minted Trump recession, to the presumed return of the coronavirus in the fall, to the search for racial and policing justice. And each and every one of those can be aid at the feet of the incompetent and uncaring party of their opponent.
Democratic incumbents don’t need Donald Trump to run against. Because they have a sterling record of accomplishments to run on. They can proudly point to all of the legislation they have passe through, things they ran on, and point the finger at an obstructive GOP Senate for the reason that more hasn’t been accomplished. And Democratic challengers don’t need to run against Trump any more that Democratic incumbents do. That’s what their lazy, incompetent, ideologically bereft incumbent opponent is there for. You can tie your opponent to Trump, just don’t make Trump the opponent. Perfect example. Democratic Senate challengers can point out Trump’s impeachment, but then immediately pivot to their opponent’s vote in the impeachment trial in the Senate. And highlight how things would have been different if enough votes had gone the other way..
The only difference between 2018 and 2020 is two years. Trump still sucks, but more people know it. Let Biden, his running mate, and Perez work the national spotlight. Everybody else just take care of business at home. Remember, every vote that a Democratic incumbent energizes in their district is one more person who will vote up ticket as well. Energize your voters well enough, and everybody’s job becomes easier. If it ain’t broke, then don’t fix it.
To know the future, look to the past.before the insanity of the 2020 election, relive the insanity of the 2016 GOP primary campaign, and the general election, to see how we got to where we are. Copies of President Evil, and the sequel, President Evil II, A Clodwork Orange are available as e-books on Amazon, at the links above. Catch up before the upcoming release of the third book in the trilogy, President Evil III: All The Presidents Fen
Follow me on Twitter at RealMurfster35
Tom Perez. Are you trying to suppress the vote.
I joke. But seriously.
It also helps that Trump continues to be his own best walking advertisement against his reelection.
I sure as hell hope that behind the scenes Obama, who will be a big asset has been talking with Biden about exactly this. And more importantly setting up a pow-wow with Perez, Pelosi and Schumer with the point of especially those last two dropping the hammer on their caucuses with a keep it local. As for Trump’s national and international antics WE’VE got this and you guys keep the hell out of it and just focus on what you and the Party have done, how the GOP and your opponent (especially Senate candidates) have stood in the way and limit discussion of Trump to just generally tying him around their necks like an anchor on an aircraft carrier.
I don’t know, Murf. What you’re writing makes sense but it seems funny that the GOP fares best when their “local” candidates (House and Senate) are running AGAINST the incumbent Democratic President and making every election a referendum on him. They’ve basically been doing it since 1994.
And, of course, most of the Democrats’ sweep in 2006 came from running against BUSH, rather than whoever their actual GOP challenger was. (And I wouldn’t really say that 2018 was *entirely* about “keeping it local” since Trump was the primary reason for all those “local” issues being there in the first place.)
This may well be the end of all that, Joseph. The end of a political era is nigh just from the generational turnover alone.