Here’s a thought experiment.
What if the eventual Democratic nominee for President in 2024 selects a Republican running mate? Someone like Mitt Romney or even Liz Cheney. Someone who respects and truly vows to defend our democracy.
We know that Donald Trump will be the Republican nominee. And we know that the Republican party has devolved into a cultish mob that censures their own members for voting to impeach a man who committed obvious, heinous treason, or even for things like voting for infrastructure improvements in the wake of a global pandemic.
We know that Trump supporters are a minority of United States citizens. We know that they have received barely a warning for all of their traitorous behavior. And we know they are further emboldened to carry through in 2024 what they failed to do in 2020, which would be the final nail in the coffin of the democratic American experiment; RIP after 235 years.
The reason Republicans can pull this off is that they only need a fairly small minority of the overall population, what with gerrymandered control of state houses and election boards enough to lie about voter fraud and overturn the will of the people (it also helps to have a sizable number of supporters who have been whipped into a mad frenzy through decades of anti-government rhetoric and deceit blaming Democrats rather than GOP policies as the cause of their continued economic subjugation).
Adding to that are Biden's sagging poll numbers, which isn't terribly surprising given that Biden is not the fiery, charismatic senator of years past (give the dude a break, he's pushing 80), and the fact that because of Kyrsten Sinema and Joe Manchin, Democrats are poised to achieve almost nothing while they purportedly control both chambers of Congress as well as the White House. The most recent statewide elections bear this out, and from my perspective they are a sure bet to lose both houses of Congress in 2022.
It seems that should all this come to pass, it will be time for all of us to recognize that our democracy will be in the the 59th minute of the 11th hour. It feels like a time to recognize that perhaps whatever has been tried thus far has not been working. There are 4 significant voting factions in this country right now: those that vote for Democrats, those that vote for Republicans, those that vacillate between both parties, and finally, those who refuse to vote at all (which is easily the most sizable).
Democrats will have a typical primary season which will be almost meaningless. They will argue about issues that most of them generally agree with, and they'll occasionally come together to excoriate Trump and his enablers as a grave threat to our nation. But whoever emerges from the fray will have a singular opportunity to appeal to over half of the voting public—those whose minds haven't yet been made, and those who lack a reason to vote at all who would otherwise stay home.
This nominee will already have votes from Democrat supporters and those who recognize Trump for the danger he clearly is. No matter who they choose as their running mate. They'll never win votes from Trump supporters or straight-ticket Republican voters. It will come down to independent voters and those who don't vote. And selecting a conservative, yet sane and rational running mate will send a message that things are different, the stakes are high, and that unlike the GOP, Democrats are willing to put their democracy before their careers.
And the thing is, the political cost to such a move for Democrats isn't even that great. Unless the President dies in office, the Vice President will have as little authority or influence as the President wishes (the Senate will already have more than 50 Republicans, so tie-breaking won't be a factor). And when it's time for that VP to run for President, they'll have to campaign for the nomination just like everyone else, so nothing is guaranteed.
I don't actually think this will happen. Let me state that right now. Don't run to Vegas and slap down some cash on this, because it will not happen. But short of a truly charismatic, inspiring, and beloved figure emerging from the Democrats' caucus to deliver a message and vision that unites democracy-loving people against the rampaging tyranny of today's Republican party, it feels like the America we've grown up with is about to stab us in the back.
The reason Republicans can pull this off is that they only need a fairly small minority of the overall population, what with gerrymandered control of state houses and election boards enough to lie about voter fraud and overturn the will of the people (it also helps to have a sizable number of supporters who have been whipped into a mad frenzy through decades of anti-government rhetoric and deceit blaming Democrats rather than GOP policies as the cause of their continued economic subjugation).
Adding to that are Biden's sagging poll numbers, which isn't terribly surprising given that Biden is not the fiery, charismatic senator of years past (give the dude a break, he's pushing 80), and the fact that because of Kyrsten Sinema and Joe Manchin, Democrats are poised to achieve almost nothing while they purportedly control both chambers of Congress as well as the White House. The most recent statewide elections bear this out, and from my perspective they are a sure bet to lose both houses of Congress in 2022.
It seems that should all this come to pass, it will be time for all of us to recognize that our democracy will be in the the 59th minute of the 11th hour. It feels like a time to recognize that perhaps whatever has been tried thus far has not been working. There are 4 significant voting factions in this country right now: those that vote for Democrats, those that vote for Republicans, those that vacillate between both parties, and finally, those who refuse to vote at all (which is easily the most sizable).
Democrats will have a typical primary season which will be almost meaningless. They will argue about issues that most of them generally agree with, and they'll occasionally come together to excoriate Trump and his enablers as a grave threat to our nation. But whoever emerges from the fray will have a singular opportunity to appeal to over half of the voting public—those whose minds haven't yet been made, and those who lack a reason to vote at all who would otherwise stay home.
This nominee will already have votes from Democrat supporters and those who recognize Trump for the danger he clearly is. No matter who they choose as their running mate. They'll never win votes from Trump supporters or straight-ticket Republican voters. It will come down to independent voters and those who don't vote. And selecting a conservative, yet sane and rational running mate will send a message that things are different, the stakes are high, and that unlike the GOP, Democrats are willing to put their democracy before their careers.
And the thing is, the political cost to such a move for Democrats isn't even that great. Unless the President dies in office, the Vice President will have as little authority or influence as the President wishes (the Senate will already have more than 50 Republicans, so tie-breaking won't be a factor). And when it's time for that VP to run for President, they'll have to campaign for the nomination just like everyone else, so nothing is guaranteed.
I don't actually think this will happen. Let me state that right now. Don't run to Vegas and slap down some cash on this, because it will not happen. But short of a truly charismatic, inspiring, and beloved figure emerging from the Democrats' caucus to deliver a message and vision that unites democracy-loving people against the rampaging tyranny of today's Republican party, it feels like the America we've grown up with is about to stab us in the back.