Here is how 2024 may go, just one crystal ball. Ready? As of late 2023, Trump – facing four politically-motivated indictments, and Biden – facing impeachment, federal bribery, and growing mental acuity concerns – are tied at 43 percent, Trump leading the GOP field by 40 points, Biden leading the Democrat field by 64 percent. So, what’s next?
Seven harsh realities will define 2024, assuming both become nominees – itself a major question.
First, election integrity – faith in it, and the actual thing, is the sine qua non, the “without it nothing,” of 2024. Trust in the “system” dogged 2016 and 2020, losers making outsized claims.
While Clinton’s allegations were contrived and what dogged Trump in 2020 is now water under the bridge, the issue looms large. If voters in either party believe the electoral system is not sound, or does not reflect their votes because tainted by corruption, they may stay home.
Alternatively, if most vote and the outcome seems marred, questions will surface. However, assuming all eyes stay focused on election integrity and we get a true vote, other issues rise.
Second then, even as Republicans and Democrats talk issues, a third-party candidate could run – perhaps with the “No Labels” Party, maybe RFK Jr. or Cornell West. That would split the Democrat vote, creating or widening the victory margin for Republicans.
On the flip side, disaffection with Trump could motivate a longshot Republican, reversing the effect. While seven presidential elections seem upsets, odds are against an upset this time.
Parenthetically, the upsets were – as this analysts sees it – 1844, when James Polk beat incumbent Martin Van Buren for the Democrat nomination, then beat Henry Clay in the general election, running on Texas annexation – or border security.
That upset was followed by General Zachary Taylor besting Democrat William Cass in 1848, having won the Mexican-American war, again border security. Next was James Garfield, an unlikely compromise candidate who came out of nowhere in 1880, winning then sadly assassinated.
During the past century, Woodrow Wilson caught a victory in 1912 when Theodore Roosevelt, a wildly popular former Republican president – drawing from both parties – ran as a “Bull Mooser,” beating Republican Taft, allowing Wilson to win. Wilson squeaked another win in 1916, almost falling to Republican Charles Evan Hughes, who foresaw WWI.
The last two upsets were Harry Truman over Thomas Dewey in 1948, based on Dewey thinking he had it and Truman not giving up, then Bill Clinton’s plurality in 1992, based on third-party candidate Ross Perot taking 19 percent, conservatives abandoning George HW Bush on taxes.
Okay, now a third big factor. The vice presidential candidate on both sides this time will play a major role, as both presumptive presidential nominees are older. Disapproval of Harris is sky high, and a strong Republican vice presidential nominee could attract new votes to Trump’s side.
Fourth, among top substantive issues, the economy is first – always. Americans are struggling, little faith in Democrat policies. Inflation, interest, and unemployment are rising, causes widely understood – namely, federal overspending, ending energy independence, and overregulation.
Fifth, government overreach has come into its own. This includes attacks on parental control of children, and federal power concentration via vaccine and mask mandates, CRT, ESG, transgenderism, race reparations, attacks on free speech, faith, police, security in homes, and climate-related mandates, taking away traditional private decisions. This is now a hot button.
Sixth, border insecurity – as in 2016 and 2020 – is flashing red. Democrats have, for reasons incognizable except to add voters, opened the southern border, shipping busloads of illegals nationwide, most never returning for asylum hearings. Citizens in blue and red states are furious.
Border security is now a wedge issue, as the country is swamped by illegal-driven homelessness, housing, schooling, economic, and crime crises, border-related drug deaths among the young.
Finally, seventh, Democrats’ stunning foreign policy failures define them, a disastrous Afghanistan pullout and marine deaths – which Biden failed to mention on the anniversary, cozying up to Communist China and terrorist Iran, hemorrhaging US ordinance to Ukraine, and creating dependence on foreign oil. These are now part of voter calculus, huge liabilities.
Net-net, these seven factors are likely to define 2024, and seem unlikely to favor Democrats. That said, as Van Buren, Cass, Taft, Hughes, Dewey, and Bush 41 all learned – to quote the non-candidate Yogi Berra … “It ain’t over ‘til it’s over.” Those are the harsh realities of 2024.
Robert Charles is a former Assistant Secretary of State under Colin Powell, former Reagan and Bush 41 White House staffer, attorney, and naval intelligence officer (USNR). He wrote “Narcotics and Terrorism” (2003), “Eagles and Evergreens” (2018), and is National Spokesman for AMAC.
The states that had questionable election integrity are in either dem or rino hands. There’s absolutely no reason to believe theyve had epiphanies and decided to walk the straight and narrow path. I wish this was like 1980 but its not. Fully fifty % of our fellows are on the dole or dupes and dolts who think a communist government will allow them to keep their assets.
I predict a big surge of “COVID” right on time to save the Democrat day…
Please, I will NEVER believe that Jack*ss Joe Biden’s Election was “honestly” won! And unfortunately, I still don’t believe that the Republican Party Leadership has learned and corrected this. I have to believe that whoever is the Republican Party candidate will LOSE AGAIN! Which REALLY means that We the People LOSE! As I constantly say: STUPID IS, STUPID DOES!
It is of paramount importance to me that I am confident in the integrity of our elections. Right now, I do not have that confidence. I can accept that my choice of candidates may not win. I will not accept that there is any fraud involved. There should be an election day, people should vote in person unless there are clearly defined extenuating circumstances, not just for someone’s convivence. The idea that one should not be required to present valid identification to vote is beyond absurd to me.
Biden and the whole democrat party are disgusting murderers.
Then there is an eight, and I think the most important harsh reality, the Democratic Main Stream Media. MSM refuses to report real news that shows the real family that should be under indictment, the Biden crime family, but instead spins all the phony indictments against President Trump! If MSM “journalist” accurately reported on the election integrity, VP Camel Harris’ word salads, the true state of our economy and how Bidenecnomics is gas lighting the people, government overreach, especially in Bidens Justice Dept, a border, that is not a border, and foreign policy that every day people wake up, not knowing if there will be a nuclear war that day.
My feelings are that if people, that pay more attention to Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy, America’s Got Talent and all the brain numbing, so called sit-coms, and watched Newsmax, OAN or Real America’s Voice instead of MSNBC, CNN and all the major network news, they might be able to determine in their own minds what is the truth.
It’s all in God’s hands.
Only liars and the willingly self-delusional do not understand by now that there was massive fraud and cheating in the 2020 elections. The same for 2022. Yet only two states, Florida and Texas, have done anything significant to ensure election integrity since 2020. That means the cheating machine that was in place in 2020 and 2022 is still in place in 48 of the 50 states. Does anyone doubt that the 2024 election is already over?
Unless the pressure cooker blows the whole kitchen that it needs to be cleaned..scrubbed repaired and repainted nothig will change Same old. Dominion is a magic word
To quote a highly respected Founding Father: A. Hamilton; “If it be asked, what is the most sacred duty and the greatest source of our security in a Republic? The answer would be, an inviolable respect for the Constitution and laws.”
The only way the Dems could ever win in 2024 is if they cheat again like they did in 2020. Why anyone would consider voting for a democrat blows my mind. Dems are on the wrong side of ever moral and legal issue from killing babies to open borders. Now again they want to push an incompetent senile old man to run for a second term, Total insanity and very unamerican!
I disagree with one point. The economy should be second and freedom should be first- especially freedom of speech. What good is a strong economy if a young boy is expelled from school for wearing a “ there are only 2 genders” shirt while the other side is free to indoctrinate and mutilate children; if one is forced to buy a certain kind of car because of a false claim of climate change by the very elite who own 5 mansions and just as many jets; if one is sent to jail for 11 years for joining arms in front of a death clinic, but others can burn buildings and police cars, and threaten the lives of conservative judges with little or no consequence; if guns of law abiding citizens are confiscated, while drug addict Hunter still faces no consequences for having a gun and for compromising our national security; if one is forced to take an untested vaccine that is not only abortion tainted, but also has serious heart consequences for some; if churches are being forced to provide services and medical options for which they have a strong Biblical opposition; and especially if you can be silenced by any media because you don’t agree with their radical, sick ideas? What good would a bank account do me if it can be closed out if I voice an opinion that goes contrary to the liberal media? I don’t believe that Biden will even be capable of running a year from now- so they may put in others who have similar or worse anti-American values, such as Newsome or Michelle. Democrats vote in unison. They are willing to give up freedom and morality for power. Republicans are not as united. We have the rhinos, the log cabin group, the business first group, and those who still hold to old fashioned values. I still believe that abortion is murder ( stopping a beating heart, ripping arms and legs from the body, decapitating heads, and many other methods even worse than Hitler used mostly because one believes their own flesh and blood to be an inconvenience or the male wants his fun but no responsibility) and I still believe the Bible ( including Sodom and Gomorrah) to be true. I will have to answer to God for my vote.
had we gotten new leadership for the republican party trump would be a walk, but with rino ronna who knows. she’s romney’s niece i wouldn’t trust any of them.
PLEASE. We KNOW the election is fixed, but if the conservatives unite and all vote and get involved in the process while carefully watching, documenting, and analyzing the election, we have a far better chance of exposi g, litigating, and overcoming the traitorous Marxist Democrat coup.
“What dogged Trump …. is water under the bridge” after a paragraph on Election Integrity!
At that point I considered this a bogus article and stopped wasting time reading further.
Interesting article.
Add that Dictator Beijing biden has quietly Killed LNG (Liquid Natural Gas) from being shipped by Railcars/Railroads raising prices and cutting supplies just as Winter is coming.
And all the Major Class M Solar Flares with its 500,000 Mile Wide Hole in the Sun and another hole almost as big which NASA and the government knew back in 2013 but LIE and say Global Warming is the problem. Solar Flares are causing major electronic problems and having a major effect on our weather. The SUN CONTROLS our weather and has NOTHING to do with humans.
So much for the Green agenda on having energy with Solar Flares which fries Solar Panels, Wind Turbines, and Electric Vehicles among other electronics.