2020 has been a terrible year. But it can get worse. Trump could get re-elected. Is 2016 about to repeat itself?
Recent revelations by former National Security Advisor John Bolton and others have confirmed that the President will do anything to get re-elected. While it is unclear whether he understands it is wrong to seek foreign help to get reelected, that’s what he is doing. And because Trump has done more than any foreign adversary could to undermine our role in the world, plenty of countries are more than happy to oblige.
Evidence of foreign interference already has been documented with no meaningful response. Don’t expect one from the White House. That’s about as likely as expecting Trump to turn himself in to the IRS for cheating on his taxes. Vice President Biden has raised the issue, but it sometimes seems no one’s paying attention. Biden and most other Democrats are closely watching the polls. There’s a lot to like. So far, the election appears to be Biden’s, and the Democrats, to lose. If that’s the case, what should a gaffe-prone candidate do? Lay low? Be careful?
And therein lies the problem. Democrats again have counted chickens before they’re hatched. They look at Trump’s blunders, lies, crimes, and chaos and are unable to imagine him getting re-elected. And because the polls suggest they are right, they are not doing enough to ensure the right election results. They are making the same mistake they made in 2016, when pretty much every Democrat, from Hillary on down, assumed the election was a formality.
What if the polls are wrong? What if overconfident Democrats assume the polls are right and, wanting to avoid the risk of contracting the virus, stay home? What if Trumpers, motivated by what they see as an unfair attack on the President and their priorities, turn out in unexpectedly high numbers? What if vote-by-mail proves to be a fiasco, as Trump and others predict? What would Trump do if evidence, even scant evidence, suggests that the election outcome is unclear? Add to this the unfortunate possibility of Biden becoming incapacitated in some fashion between now and election day.
Are these real worries? Maybe not all of them, but there is certainly enough to cause one to worry. Democrats, independents, alienated republicans, and everyone else eligible to vote must get in gear to minimize the possibility of a disaster in November.
Necessary actions include the obvious tasks of voter registration but also should include getting everyone to focus on the election. Think about it. Discussions of Biden’s agenda have taken a back seat to the issue of racism. These discussions are important and overdue but not to the extent that it blinds voters to the possibility of Trump winning in November. Put in other words, progressives need to broaden their focus beyond police brutality, racism, and economic justice and start focusing on Trump’s record and what a new, sane administration might look like.
The leadership of the Democratic party needs to do something it hasn’t done this year to date—take risks. Those risks include getting Biden in front of the key issues of the day. He should lead calls for racial justice and criminal justice reform, rather than throwing his support behind the proposals of others. He also needs to take Trump on. What if Biden challenged Trump to a debate now? It could be a win for Biden if Trump declined. It would also be a win if Trump embarrassed himself in such a debate. It would be a win if it re-awakened the public to the pending election. The only loss would be if Biden wasn’t up to the task. I think he is, but the Democratic leadership and Biden himself need to take the risk.
Hillary Clinton, whether you like her or not, should have been elected President in 2016. Democratic complacency is what let Russian interference and other shenanigans help Trump win. If democrats and other anti-Trump voters had been on the job in 2016, Trump would have lost and returned to reality TV and real estate fraud, clearly his strong suit.
Those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it.
J.E. Dean of Oxford is a retired attorney and public affairs consultant. For more than 30 years, he advised clients on federal education and social service policy.
Stephen Schaare says
Still with the Russian collusion?
Linda Hamilton says
Ah yes, Russian collusion, Mueller Report, Indictment, all proved to be a worthless waste of our tax dollars. We fervently hope President Trump will be re-elected.
John Dean says
Ms. Hamilton and Mr. Schaare: Thank you both for reading the piece. Please note that I did not comment on the issue of President Trump’s alleged collusion with Russia in the 2016 election but, in my next to last paragraph noted that Russia had interfered with that election. On that point, the (Republican-led) Senate Intelligence Committee agrees. In the report posted on its website, is the following: “Russian government-affiliated cyber actors conducted an unprecedented level of activity against state election infrastructure in the run-up to the 2016 U.S. elections . . . Throughout 2016 and for several years before, Russian intelligence services and government personnel conducted a number of intelligence-related activities targeting the voting process. . . . The Committee found ample evidence to suggest that the Russian government was developing and implementing capabilities to interfere in the 2016 elections, including undermining confidence in U.S. democratic institutions and voting processes. ” Partially because Trump himself solicited Russian help, I believe there was collusion. Please note that the above-referenced Senate Committee report did not find evidence the interference influenced the election. Such “evidence,” something like a voter admitting they voted for Trump because of the Russians, is hard to come by.
The point of the comment about Hillary Clinton is that the interference and “other shenanigans,” which, for me at least, include raising the issue of Clinton’s emails, persuaded a sufficient number of voters in key states for Trump to carry those states and win the Electoral College vote. My hope with the piece is that voters who would like to see Biden win in November, will not be complacent. I’d also like to see Biden himself get more aggressive.
Let me politely take issue with the suggestion that the investigations surrounding what the Russians did in 2016 was a waste of money. All indications suggest they, and perhaps others, are at it again. I think we are all better off knowing of these attacks on our democracy. If the Russians and others did not think the efforts could influence an election, I suspect they would not be engaging in these activities.
In any case, although we’re on different sides in the upcoming election, thank you for commenting.
Mike Huffstetler says
Mr. Dean.
Once again, your article is a joke!
The polls are clearly biased and wrong!
The Dems and Biden are on the wrong side of every important issue by:
Favoring Unfettered Immigration
Favoring the Iran Nuclear Deal
Favoring Globalism
Favoring Sanctuary Cities
Favoring Defunding Police & ICE
Encouraging Anarchist Behavior in Major US Cities under the Guise of Peaceful Protests
Refusing to Hold China Accountable for Sending the Wuhan Virus throughout the World, Perhaps Intentionally
Insisting on Raising Taxes
Encouraging Historical Monument Destruction
Trying to Extend the Wuhan Virus Shutdown, Secretly Hoping it Will Slow the Recovery & Make Trump Look Bad
Refusing to Enforce Law & Order in the US
Attempting to Deprive Americans of the Right to Bear Arms & Freedom of Religion
Refusing to Investigate the Russian Collusion Hoax
Refusing to Investigate Joe Biden’s Ukranian Burisma Holdings Corruption So His Son Could Line His Pockets
Refusing to Investigate Joe Biden’s China Corruption while Gaining a $1.5 Billion Hedge Fund Investment for His Son
Refusing to investigate Corroborated Sexual Allegations Against Joe Biden
Need I go on?
Trump will win because of these issues and others!
By the way, the only racist in this race is Joe Biden. Donald Trump has done far more for the African American population and other minorities in 4 years as President than Joe Biden has done in 8 years as VP and many more as a Senator.
The Dems & Joe Biden are slowly losing the African American & Hispanic vote that they never deserved but to which they believe they are entitled! Don’t forget that it was a Republican, Abraham Lincoln, who brought us to victory over slavery, and, for that the Dems had him assassinated!
Please do encourage Joe Biden to debate Donald Trump now!
Then the Dems will be frantically searching for yet another anointed candidate, as the American public sees how truly incompetent Joe Biden has become!
John Dean says
Mr. Huffstetler: Thank you for reading the article. We’re on different pages, but let me differ with you politely on one comment: calling Joe Biden a racist. I have difficulty in understanding how anyone can say that. Regardless of your views on Trump, and even on whether Biden is up to a campaign, calling him a racist strikes me as over the line.
I don’t expect you to agree with me. Let’s both see what the voters decide in November.