Race for the White House 2020 # 19

Today, we can take a brief look at the possibility of a Trump vs. Biden general election, since it seems clear that the current President has Biden on his mind more than other potential opponents. Perhaps, he is being way too premature, but in Trump's psyche, he sees Biden's early lead in the polls as a sign of being in position to win the nomination. Trump himself ties it to what he perceives as being in the "number one" position from the time he announced, whether true or not, and being center stage at all the debates.

It is impossible to deny that in its first couple of weeks, the Biden campaign has seen him catapult to the top of polls both nationally and in early key states. Some might even theorize that Biden has the potential to cruise to the nomination. I definitely believe he will have to earn it and the path will be fraught with minefields. Biden also, perhaps reasonably, shows in most polls as the best option for his party to take on Trump. After all, Trump won in 2016 because he was able to peel off enough Obama/Biden voters believed to be "working class" in key states. Now, polls show that Biden might even have the possibility of beating Trump in Arizona, which is a state that no Democrat has won since 1996. There is also a belief now that the Trump campaign's own internal polls show Biden as their strongest potential opponent.

So, while Trump may still go after Bernie Sanders or Pete Buttigieg a bit on Twitter, he mostly been focusing on talking about Biden and retweeting negative stories about him. Meanwhile, on Capitol Hill, cable news studios, and political blogs, discussion of the Mueller Report and its aftermath continue to prevail. Many on the right are very angle at North Carolina Senator Richard Burr, the GOP Chairman of the Intelligence Committee for issuing a subpoena to Donald Trump Jr. to once again testify in regards to the Trump campaign's potential ties to Russia. On the House side, Democrats on the Judiciary Committee have voted to hold William Barr in contempt of Congress. Republicans are apoplectic over that. The roles were reversed a few years back when the GOP House voted to hold then Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt. I would perhaps be one of the few Americans to think that both were possible in contempt in regards to refusing to fully cooperate with Congress.

In the past couple of days, Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani, whom with each passing week makes it harder to believe that once upon a time he was a unifying and popular figure throughout the country. is saying he will travel to Ukraine to find dirt on Hunter Biden, the sometimes troubled son of the former Vice President. Many allegations have been made to shady business ties between the younger Biden and the Ukrainian government and potential involvement by his father. Americans will have to determine for themselves just how seemly or unseemly it might be for political figures to rely on "dirt" from foreign governments on their opponents or opponents' families.

I cannot help but feel that Donald Trump Jr. and Hunter Biden probably have a whole lot they would not want the country knowing about the way they conduct themselves, both personally and professionally, and their fathers, with their own ambitions in mind, have acted for a long time to hope that those activities never get uncovered. The two young men are probably alike in many ways and the same might be said for their fathers. American deserves better.

Of course, there is a long time to go to determine whom the Democrats will ultimately nominate. Party demands are indicating that Biden is having to move more and more to the left such as a statement this week in which he seemed to say he believed Obamacare should be extended to illegal immigrants through "clinics" and not just emergency care.

The most recent Vice President is the front-runner for now but is incredibly prone to gaffe and confusing statements. They have defined his political career and it is hard to imagine that at age 76, Biden is going to be getting any better. The past five years have shown that Trump can get away with virtually any gaffe, mistake, or wild statement. Will the same rules apply for Biden?

Also, on the topic of Vice Presidents, the official Trump reelection signage continues to include incumbent Mike Pence on it, but is there a possibility that the Veep might be dumped for former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley? I definitely think so. Trump is not exactly known for personal loyalty and frankly the move would make sense and might appeal to some female voters. After all, where are the Evangelicals loyal to Pence going to go? They have already seemingly made their beds to lie down with Donald J. Trump.