It’s
hard to avoid politics these days with midterm elections approaching. A
widely reported July Harvard Center for American Political Studies
(CAPS) and Harris Poll paints a disturbing picture as a large majority
of American voters do not want either Joe Biden or Donald Trump to run
for president in 2024. That’s significant.
Seventy-one percent of
respondents said President Biden should not seek a second term. Reasons
given were: he’s been a bad president, he’s too old and they have doubts
about his mental fitness. After just 18 months in office, they’ve seen
enough. They say he is a liability to the party and he should step aside
at the end of his term.
Meanwhile, 61 percent of respondents said
former President Trump should not run. Americans said Trump is too
erratic, he will further divide the country and 30 percent said he was
clearly responsible for the Jan. 6 assault on the nation’s Capitol
building. Many believe he lacks a moral compass.
Most reasonable
people cannot abide by Trump’s abrasive and boorish demeanor. Trump has
covert narcissism and always wants to be the center of attention. He
antagonizes most Americans with his preoccupation with the Big Lie that
the 2020 election was stolen from him. Like Biden, he is a net liability
to the party going forward.
Moderate Republicans wish Trump would
step aside but he should also vigorously endorse a conservative
candidate with more media savvy, more diplomatic adroitness and more
general appeal. They want a new face for the Republican Party. Failure
to move forward may divide the party and hand the Democrats a win in
2024.
Trump does have a loyal following. However, he hasn’t shown a
willingness to go away quietly. Many Republicans are quietly hoping the
Jan. 6 hearings will help solve their Trump problem. If Trump is
charged with a crime by Attorney General Merrick Garland, Trump would be
denied the opportunity to run in 2024.
The public is not happy.
Seventy-five percent think the country is moving in the wrong direction.
A recent New York Times/Siena College poll said Biden’s job-approval
rating sits at just 33 percent. The Rear Clear Politics composite index
had his job-approval at 38 percent.
The survey said Biden has
failed at handling the economy/inflation, getting legislation passed in
Congress and securing the southern border. The Harris Poll showed only
30 percent of Democrats would vote for him in a Democratic presidential
primary, according to Mark Penn, the co-director of the Harris survey.
Many
Americans are ready for younger candidates. Both Biden, 79, and Trump,
76, are too old. So are Bernie Sanders, 80, and Hillary Clinton,74. Vice
President Kamala Harris, 57, is younger but her job-approval rating may
be even lower than Biden’s. Who else might want this impossible,
thankless job?
California Gov. Gavin Newsom, 54, and Illinois Gov.
J.B. Pritzker, 57, are testing the waters. There are Transportation
Secretary Pete Buttigieg, 40, and Senators Elizabeth Warren, 73, and Amy
Klobuchar, 62, who have presidential ambitions.
On the Republican
side, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, 44, is talking like a challenger to
Trump. Other notables are Mike Pence, 63, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin,
55, Mike Pompeo, 58, Nikki Haley, 50, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, 66,
Rep. Liz Cheney, 56, and Sen.Tom Cotton, 45. They just need Trump to
exit the stage and remove the negativity that surrounds him. The party’s
candidate could use Trump’s endorsement, but not his bluster.
Could
there be an independent, third party candidate if we get a repeat of
Biden-Trump in 2024? Is that an acceptable option? Is that the best we
can hope for?
The polls say 60 percent of voters would consider a
moderate independent candidate. How about a moderate Republican and a
moderate Democrat joining forces in an effort to unite the country? By
party, 53 percent of Republicans and 64 percent of Democrats said they
would consider a ticket featuring moderates.