Month: May 2020

President Trump has been a seismic event in American politics.  For the first time in generations a man dared to speak the truth about like illegal immigration, off-shoring of American jobs and even whole industries to China and malign neglect of the working class in this country.  You have to go all the way back to Ronald Reagan to find someone who challenged the status quo and rallied the country behind a Pro-American platform.  And even though he’s been attacked relentlessly by every aspect of the Elite centers of power he managed to revive the economy and give conservative voters hope that things could be fixed.  And despite the apocalyptic appearance of the COVID-19 epidemic I fully expect him to be re-elected in November and do even more to turn this country around on the social and economic aspects of life here.

But in 2025 there will be a new president.  Maybe Mike Pence will be Vice President in 2024 and that may provide him with presumptive front runner status in the Republican primary race.  But what I’m interested in is who is out there right now that possesses the instincts and talents that could rival the kind of success that President Trump has demonstrated when squaring off against our enemies?

One guess might be another businessman.  In fact, let’s look at the essence of Donald Trump’s background.  He was born into wealth accrued by his father as a real estate developer in New York City.  So, you have a wealthy businessman who isn’t part of the Wall Street crowd.  Later he took some of his business interests public like the casinos, with decidedly disastrous results for his stockholders.  What that tells me is that he is an outsider of the corporate establishment.  His business is based on his family ownership of real estate assets in New York City and the connections with government and local business communities that he has built up over the course of his life.  In my mind that may be the kind of man we might expect to possess the skills we need.

Another possibility is someone like Tucker Carlson.  He apparently has decided that he wants to take on the elites on behalf of the working class, Christians, straight white men and other despised groups who fall into the category of deplorables.  Having grown up as one of the elites, he has quite a lot of information about them and he seems to have a convert’s zeal to repair the damage done by his former comrades.  Does he have the grit it takes to stand up to the kind of dirt they would throw at him?  It’s hard to say.  Having been part of the media for many years he may have all kinds of dirt they can expose against him.  Could he endure something akin to what Billy Bush did to Donald Trump during the campaign?  I think that’s hard to say.  But we may find out.  I have a feeling that Carlson has an interest in politics.

What about conventional politicians?  Ted Cruz?  Rand Paul?  Ron DeSantis? Mike Pence?  I think someone like DeSantis might be a possibility.  I favor a governor over a senator.  And DeSantis is showing determination in the way he’s running Florida.  That’s a tough place for a conservative to flourish.

Mike Pence?  If you had asked me back in 2016, I’d have said definitely no.  Seeing him fold like a cheap suit when that weasel George Stephanopoulos grilled him about the pro-religion law that he passed in Indiana was disgusting.  After eight years of working for President Trump he’ll certainly have learned a lot.  But can you learn instinct?  Can you learn grit?  I think Mike Pence would have to prove himself to me and many others before we’d believe he has the right stuff.

Finally, how about going back to President Trump for a successor.  How about Donald Jr.?  This one is intriguing.  A father is always a bad judge of the talents of his children.  I think we’ll have to wait to see if Don Jr. begins acting like a presidential candidate.

One thing I’m quite sure of is that we’ll be best served by having a long series of debates in which the candidates attack each other mercilessly.  I believe 2016 has shown that a gentlemanly discussion is useless for picking a leader.  We need plain talk and hard questions to find out who is strong enough to knock off the Democrat nominee.  I’m very much looking forward over the next few years to see who emerges on the Right as a successor to President Trump.  I only hope whoever it is that he has half the brains and guts of the current occupant of the Oval Office.