Face it or not, we’re in the throes of Campaign 2020 and the political ads will only get uglier and more abundant.
With multiple candidates competing for the Democratic nomination and a virtual three-way tie in national polls between Bernie Sanders, Pete Buttigieg and Joe Biden, it will be tough slog until the Democratic Convention in late August, where the eventual challenger to President Trump will be decided.
Many Democrats and progressives have committed to supporting whomever the Democratic nominee is, whether it’s their “favorite candidate” or not, because the thought of four more years of a Trump administration is intolerable. They are sick of the divisiveness, obstruction, pettiness and lies that continue to define this presidency.
But even with the overwhelming rancor that has dominated the Trump presidency, there is still a good chance that he will win the White House in November. Though he should easily lose, he continues to enjoy the loyalty of adoring supporters, including a massive majority of Republicans who have no problem with the president’s words or actions -- and have unshakable allegiance to – or fear of -- him. And, he has the economy’s strength working in his favor.
Trump is well positioned to win again for these four reasons:
He enjoys widespread support among white nationalists in part because of language used by Trump and his senior officials, including “nationalist” and “invasion” that have hateful meanings. Policies that target minorities and the expansion of the travel ban to many African nations (without justification) signal that the administration is friendly toward this faction, which represents a sizeable segment of his support. All Trump supporters aren’t racist, but all racists are Trump supporters.
The historically low unemployment rate, which many economists conclude is a continuation of the low employment rates during the Obama Administration. And, is fake because while people are working, many are working two and three jobs just to make ends meet.
The stock market performance has been strong during the Trump administration, with the S & P index tracking the 500 largest U.S.-listed companies – having set multiple absolute records.
Trump is a darling of corporations with big-money donors, and he has the support of the Republican establishment.
Conversely, here are 10 reasons Trump should lose:
He is guilty of abusing the office of the presidency and he is aided by Congressional Republicans in doing so. According to one New York Times report, Republicans admit they acquitted Trump in the impeachment trial out of fear, not because they believed he was innocent.
His 2021 budget proposed steep cuts to Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security, programs that are life sustaining for those who receive those benefits, despite his rhetoric to the contrary.
He is obliterating Democratic norms and we are careening toward authoritarianism now (especially with William P. Barr heading the Justice Department). As an example, the president’s private attorney, Rudy Giuliani, is now funneling information to the Justice Department about Hunter Biden’s work in the Ukraine, even though no evidence suggests any illegality.
He is violating the Constitution’s emoluments clause, with his resorts profiting from the federal government while he holds the office of the presidency.
He will continue to seek the aid of foreign governments in winning elections at all costs (The best indication of future performance is the past).
He is sewing racial divisions within America, not healing them with continued divisive rhetoric and policies (including plans to reverse Obama administration rules prohibiting racial discrimination in home lending and undoing part of the Fair Housing Act designed to prohibit the same.
He is stacking the courts with conservative federal judges – more than 180 to date, 92 percent of them white males, with just one black and one Hispanic judge.
He promised to cut the debt but has instead ballooned it to $21 trillion, an unfathomable number. Debt that eventually will destroy our economy.
He has been accused of multiple sexual assaults.
He does not have the best interest of the country as his top priority; he is only motivated by personal gain/money.
It’s often said that Americans vote with their pocketbooks, thus low unemployment and a booming stock market work in Trump’s favor. But a quick check of the pros versus the cons of another four years of a Trump administration provides ample justification that America can’t afford a continuation of this administration for reasons that go far beyond economics.