When the dust settled after the Midterm election, Democrats held the Senate by one-seat, the same as when they went into the contest. Republicans hoped to get the Senate back but had an uphill battle since 24 of the 35 seats changing hands in 2022 were Republican. Democrats had far less to defend, nonetheless holding onto the Senate for the next two years. U.S. press reports following the Midterms blasted former President Donald Trump for not creating the so-called “red wave” to take dominate control of the House and Senate. Democrats and the press gave Biden a big victory in the Midterms when, in fact, his low approval rating directly tied to the economy and his foreign policy, gave the GOP just enough momentum to take the House. When you consider that the 2018 Midterms and 2020 went all Democrat, stopping that trend and flipping some 20 House seats was a remarkable feat.
All the chatter about how well Biden did in the Midterms can’t deny the fact that he’s lost the House for the next two years. How that affects Biden’s decision to run for president is anyone’s guess. Biden’s stock definitely went up after the Midterms, fueling speculation that the 80-year-old president will run again. But with a new generation of Democrat and GOP leaders waiting their turn, there are no guarantees that old folks like Biden and Trump can win another general election. Trump thinks of himself a forever young but he’s be 78-years-of-age if he won the GOP nomination. Waiting in the wings is a new generation of GOP leaders including 50-year-old 63-year-old former Vice President Mike Pence (R-Ind.), South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley who’s been making the rounds.. Truth be told, Haley looks more like a vice presidential pick, nicely paired perhaps with 44-year-old Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
DeSantis commands the most attention recently in match ups with Trump, largely because of his recent 19% win for another term in Florida. Whether DeSantis is ready for primetime is anyone’s guess. Trump has a definite advantage in terms of his campaign team already in place, hosting rallies since Trump left office. But inside the GOP, as it was in 2016 when Trump ran for president, there’s an active, vociferous anti-Trump movement led by Washington Post columnist George Will, former Weekly Standard Editor Bill Kristol and anti-Trump gadfly George Conway. Whatever the opposition inside the GOP, it didn’t stop Trump in 2016 but could present problems in 2024. Trump is anything but an unknown quantity with most voters about 75% wanting no part of another Trump presidency. So Trump’s path to the nomination could be an uphill fight in 2024.
Speaking at the Republician Jewish Coalition Saturday, Haley drew loud applause opposing Biden’s attempt to put a new Iranian Nuke Deal together. Most experts think with revolutionary fever sweeping Iran and Iran backing the Russian war in Ukraine, the deal was certainly dead for the foreseeable future. But Biden looks for any foreign policy headlines since most of them are negative with his proxy war against the Kremlin. “If Biden succeeds in getting back in the Iran deal, I will make you’re a promise. I’ve said before. The next president will shred it on her first day in office,” Haley told the crowd to wild cheers. Most backers of Israel think the Iranian Nuke Deal was a hazard, bringing Iran dangerously close to producing a nuclear bomb. Haley knew how to work the crowd but she’s a small stature when it comes to running against the likes of former President Donald Trump.
All Republican hopefuls, including Haley, DeSantis, 58-year-old former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tx.), Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fl.), 52-year-old former House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), etc., don’t have Trump’s showmanship, leading many to think he could take the Republican nomination. No other candidate, other than Trump, has the entertainment value to hold an audience or develop a following Ryan came out forcefully against Trump, not because he’s not entitled to run in 2024 but because he’ll lose the general election. Trump’s 25% base isn’t enough to win a general election, promising, as Ryan says, a sure Republican defeat. Ryan recognizes all the media hubbub about Trump but just doesn’t think he can win another general election. That leaves other viable candidates, like DeSantis, to step up to mount a strong primary challenges to Trump.
Of all the possible GOP candidates, 63-year-old former Vice President Mike Pence represents a wild card. Pence lacks Trump’s baggage, has appeal to independent and crossover Democrats looking for a change in 2024. Forget about past loyalties, running for president is serious business especially when the current White House occupant has done such a poor job with the economy and foreign policy. Never before, has any U.S. president wrecked diplomatic relations with Russia and China, two nuclear-armed adversaries wielding clout around the globe. Biden’s approach to heap pressure on China and India has backfired, leaving the U.S. in the most vulnerable national security space since WW II. Biden continues wage his proxy war against the Russian Federation when it endangers WW III or nuclear war on the European Continent. Many voters, Democrats and Republicans, look for a change.
About the Author
John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He’s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.
