Democracy 2024: # 50

After this weekend, many Americans will be focused on the Holidays and little else until the calendar turns to 2024. With that in mind, the Presidential candidates have been hitting the trail this week in the early states, before a lull sets in.

As for me, yesterday was the day I went to get my Covid booster, which I assume will only be a once a year occurrence. As has been the case the last few times, I have been grappling with the side effects today and do not feel like writing much. Still, I will try offer a few thoughts.

This week, the U.S. House, with the votes of every single Republican launched a formal Impeachment Inquiry into Joe Biden. This is of course all tied up in the matter of his son Hunter, who showed up at  Capitol Hill this week to defy a subpoena to testify in private, although he said he would do so publicly. The White House has apparently been involved in this strategy, which leads to other concerns. For their sake, they should maybe be grateful he was not questioned on live television.

It has to be said though, that this vote was ridiculous. An actual vote on Articles of Impeachment might fall several Members short in the Republican House, but Donald Trump pretty much forced the Republicans to take this vote out of spite. For one thing, Biden is accused, sorta, of wrongdoing as Vice President and as a former Vice President. All of this dates to before the time he was in the White House, which would make this a historically unique circumstance.

 

Hunter Biden is facing several federal felony charges and will have his day in court. Republicans have consistently been unable to point to any specific alleged illegality on behalf of Joe Biden. That is sort of an important point and makes all of this look like a partisan fishing expedition.

 

However, common sense seems to indicate that Joe Biden likely did act in unethical and sleazy manners and has been dishonest about it publicly. No, Joe Biden was not trying to get rich personally off his names or the offices he has held going back to the 1970s. but it seem pretty obvious he was aware that his son and brother were trying to get rich off his name and position and he was happy to encourage them to do so. Such is life as a Biden.

 

Frankly, this history should be used against Biden in a normal political world.We do not live in one currently. Any Republican who wants to claim that Joe Biden is "corrupt" or "dishonest" or a "bad person" loses any standing when they support Donald Trump. In my view, whatever bad things Biden has done in his life, or whatever bad traits he has, Trump has him beat eight ways to Sunday.

 

I wish there was an honest and ethical conservative Republican which might be nominated for President by the party I was once so proud to be a member of. Right now, my only strategic option is to hope Nikki Haley defies the odds and shocks people later this winter and spring. I am thoroughly unenthusiastic about her and what she has represented for several years now (and somewhat admire the fact that Chris Christie is attacking her on the airwaves as well for resisting a full break with Trump) but beggars cannot be choosers. As opposed to Trump and Biden (and a couple of others on the Republican side), at least I would be able to hold my nose and vote for Haley in November. That factor shows why she is the strongest Republican candidate for a general election. Of course, Trump cultists and DeSantis cultists are saying they could never vote for her. If and when the time comes, maybe, maybe not.

 

The biggest campaign news of the week was that New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu, a one time potential candidate himself, has endorsed Haley's campaign. That will have to help her there more than it can hurt. He announced his decision by proclaiming "you bet your ass". he was supporting her. That speaks to our current culture. I will not even get into the "story" that broke last night about the Senate Hearing Room.  I am resisting the urge to offer any jokes on that matter but I can hardly imagine how SNL might approach this tonight.  Somehow, it will have to involve Bowen Yang as George Santos.

Trump has been out on the trail saying "The American Dream is dead" and the only way to save us for literal destruction is to make him President again. No matter how far ahead he might be in the polls, he cannot accept the concept that anyone opposes him,and his rhetoric will likely get only worse.

In conclusion, I want to talk about something that Ron DeSantis said in front of television cameras yesterday. He took a break from stating his opposition to Satanism and basically saying it should be illegal. On that matter, while I am no friend of the Devil Worshippers, I do not think it is very American to dictate what someone can believe or how they worship, as long as laws are not broken.

Yesterday though. DeSantis responded to a question by saying, yes, Donald Trump will claim,that any primary or caucus contest he does not win was "stolen" from him. DeSantis said Trump will cry fraud no matter what and even pointed out (as I have written about years ago), that Trump insists that all the Emmys for the Apprentice that he did not win were stolen (or "stollen.") from him.

Indeed you get it Ron. The sociopath you once aired campaign ads in which you treated like a god to your infant children is exactly that person. He did it after Iowa in 2016 and of course he did it when Biden beat him in 2020 and of course it was wrong each time. So good job Governor DeSantis, keep leaning into the truth.