Kingmaker vs King

 

I have been silent on the whole 2024 election cycle because, frankly, I will not vote for Biden or any other Democrat with the possible exception of Robert Kennedy, Jr. It isn’t because I think he is so wonderful. Instead, it is because I agree with his vaccine stance. And that is it. But I have, for several decades, believed that we have over-vaccinated our children.

 And I will admit that there isn’t really anyone on the Republican side who has delivered an inspirational message for why I should vote for her or him, either. They are campaigning on the strength that they are “not Trump”. Not really a reason.

 I voted for Donald Trump twice. With no regrets. But quite honestly, he is a marked man with scandal, indictments, impeachments attached to his coattails. It is hard to believe he could overcome this and be an effective leader. Even members of his own party think he is last week’s fish.

 In addition, even if he ran, and won, he would be a “lame-duck” on January 20, 2025. How effective could he possibly be with all that on his back? The indictments, the so-called scandals and his lame-duck status crushing him down? It would be hard even for the strongest possible candidate to overcome all this.

 Had he won in 2020, he would have been serving a continued Presidency, with no break, to give him impetus for at least two more years and maybe even to the beginning of the 2024 election cycle. But recent history has shown, e.g., Reagan, Clinton, Bush, Obama, that by year six, Americans are tired of that President.

 And each had an issue which negatively impacted the second half of his second term. Reagan had Iran-Contra, Clinton had his impeachment, Bush had Katrina and Obama had the IRS fiasco. But they were all judged by history to be mostly successful Presidencies. As a lame-duck, Trump won’t have that same opportunity.

 But, he presently is polling very strong and in some polls will beat Biden, or any Democrat. Except, you guessed it, Robert Kennedy, Jr. And the present Republican candidates have been given no indication any of them would support him if he won the nomination. And, in reality, Trump is not a Republican. Instead, he is an independent individual who ran as a Republican. And won.

 Americans are tired of all the divisiveness caused by both parties’ leadership. Perhaps it is time to revert to what George Washington believed: parties cause fracturing of the American spirit, actually pits American against American, which happened in 1860, and is happening again. Trump could help heal our electoral process by deciding not to run and instead back Kennedy. Democrats and Republicans alike would be hard-pressed to criticize him for this.

 Sometimes, people can be looked on more favorably by what they did and didn’t do. Being the king-maker sometimes is better than being the king.