Now for the bad news: things are trending Biden's way. The stock market is soaring. Gas prices are down or seem to have stabilized. Inflation now appears to have moderated. Consumer confidence is climbing. Interest rates are down. People are spending and they're noticing improvements from Biden's massive infrastructure legislation. Bear in mind that Americans have very short memories and once they start to feel better about things, all else fades away.
And, there's more: The Democrats are united and Biden's got a phalanx of cheerleaders ready to do his bidding within big labor, the arts, academia, the media, the mammoth federal bureaucracy and even in corporate America. He's got the deep state, the elite state and the effete state solidly on his side.
Remember: all of these well-fed, well-heeled, well-entrenched groups will cover for Biden. They will help Biden run another basement campaign if that's necessary. They will set up a facade if need be to shield him. And, at that same time, they will viscously and relentlessly attack President Trump. They will stop at nothing to destroy him. Nothing! Beyond all that, we know they are very creative in coming up with ways to change rules, laws, mechanisms and procedures to influence the vote.
What all this means is that right now, the way things are going, Biden may have already hit bottom and that makes him seem more and more like the ultimate winner in November. And that's really bad news!
But it doesn't have to end this way.
So, a lot will depends on how President Trump conducts himself and his campaign after New Hampshire. He must move swiftly to unite the party. He must discipline himself, going on the attack early but with a laser like focus on Biden's failures and the need to move forward. He must present a clear, simple, sensible plan for the future of America and hammer home the key points of the plan again and again. He must work hard to convey a reassuring sense of leadership for those who remain nervous or ill at ease with the idea of another Trump term. And, above all he must surround himself wit the right people and pick the right running mate.
To be clear, I am not suggesting that Trump stop being Trump. His authenticity is key. It's one of his strong suits and frankly, I wouldn't have it any other way. But I am suggesting that, since we all know him very well by now, Trump should no longer feel the need to assume such a huge persona that he takes all the oxygen out of the the room. He can give us, and himself, a bit more breathing room. Which is to say that it's okay to occasionally be quieter and more gracious as Trump was on election night in Iowa when he generously commended his opponents.
And now, a flashback: if Trump had not talked over Biden so much in that first one-on-one debate they had in 2020; if Trump had not interrupted so much; if he had not run roughshod, he would have allowed more time for Biden to mess up -- something that Biden is very good at in that type of setting. But Trump would not relent and, in the process, Trump became the issue. Do you remember that night? Sometimes, if you've finally got your opponent out of the basement and into the spotlight all you need to do is step back and let everyone watch him mumble, grumble and stumble his way to defeat. But Trump never allowed that to happen and that moment stuck in people's minds.
Lessons learned? One would hope so, because that would be the first step in the right direction this time around.
No comments:
Post a Comment