by John Cylc

February 24, 2023

The 2024 Presidential election season is just about here, like it or not. Republicans and Conservatives have a big decision to make in their primary. Regardless of whether Governor Ron Desantis decides to throw his hat into the ring or not, the decision will come down to one thing, personality. Specifically, it will come down to acceptance of Donald J Trump’s larger-than-life personality…or not.

There should be zero argument about 45’s effectiveness and performance while in the Oval Office. Inflation was low. Gas prices tumbled below $2 a gallon due to pipeline and drilling approvals. Manufacturing jobs rose. Trade flourished. Enemies feared us, North Korea settled down and even our NATO allies were forced to pay their promised (but ignored) contributions. The military got out of Iraq, tactically. The groundwork was also laid to “tactically” get us out of Afghanistan if the Taliban met certain parameters. Probably the most American thing Trump ever did while in office was answer dozens of questions from the press, even confrontational ones, nearly every damn day. No other modern President has done such.

Even “Never-Trump” or “Anti-Trump” conservatives with whom I speak cannot argue those generally accepted facts. One supposed “Reagan Conservative” that I know admitted to me that Trump had done more for the country and conservatism than Ronald Reagan himself. Then, in the very next breath, he stated that he would still never vote for him! That is one of the most ridiculous and incredulous statements that I have ever heard personally.

My counter to people like that is that we are not voting for a Bishop or Pope. For decades, as our trade imbalance grew, many of us stated that we need someone in office with business experience to “right the ship”. Most conservatives should be aware that the world of business is not full of saints and do-gooders…at least not most of the successful ones.

Should Ron Desantis enter the fray, he becomes the second heavyweight in this free-for-all, no disrespect towards Nikki Haley intended. The Florida governor’s stance, during Covid, against school closures, mandatory masks, business lockdowns and vaccine passports, shot him to the top in name recognition and Republican approval. The Desantis pushback against the biased media is nearly on par with that of Donald Trump, and his military experience does give him a great talking point.

The history of DJT’s Presidential performance, as well as his corporate and professional experience, should be enough to give him the Republican nomination. However, the gullibility of those who believed the Russia collusion and other fake news stories, the constant negative stories, attacks by nearly all the media, and the supposed sensibilities of the millennials and early Gen Z’ers, make his nomination anything but certain.

In this current financial situation, it really should come down to economic issues and ideas, but those will be overlooked or buried by corporate news outlets. Although we all respect someone who fights for himself, Trump was in a catch-22 where he seemed aggressive or defensive all the time. If he did not continuously stand up for himself, he would have seemed weak.

The potential Trump/Desantis battle is going to be one for the ages. It may come down to one mistake or misspeak that will put one in a death spiral and the other over the top.

In contrast, the Democrats have it easy. If Joe Biden decides to run for a second term, he will get little opposition…incoherence, incompetence, or incontinence be damned. In the ensuing Presidential campaign, nearly every progressive, leftist, liberal, socialist, communist, anti-conservative and anti-American will vote for whatever candidate is nominated to oppose the Republican.

On the flip side, if Trump does win the primary, there will still be many Republicans who will still not vote for him…just like last time Biden (supposedly) won. 2020 did not teach them anything.