Monroe Dispatch - No Struggle, No Progress

Has anyone noticed something different this time around as the 2020 presidential election nears? Four years after Donald Trump became the Republican presidential nominee, it was like a rebirth of conservatism in America, as those who proudly called themselves conservative, gave the term new meaning. The primaries clearly showed that Trump was their man when he easily defeated more well known conservative politicians who had made a name for themselves from their years in Washington. To say that Trump was a different politician who brought a raw barebones “in your face” kind of politics to the game, instantly made him a darling of the right. It didn’t matter if Trump had never held office or fitted the traditional description of a politicians, he was rich and was saying the things that many conservatives wanted to hear. It’s didn’t matter what everything that candidate Trump would say on the campaign trail and even in the race against Hillary Clinton, the base was fired up and Russia was in his corner. And surprise of all surprises, Trump won the election that shocked the nation and the world. It didn’t take long for Trump as president to live up to the bravado he expressed on the campaign trail, as he began to use the office of the presidency for what he wanted and for those who supported him. Republicans in Congress and around the nation gave him their loyal support even though President Trump ran the White House as if he was a loose cannon. But what could Republicans do but stand behind the president, as many religious groups crowned President Trump as their “Messiah” in the form of King Cyrus from the Old Testament. That was then. This is now.

President Trump, four years later, finds himself in the fight of his life and not just politically. With the realization that he may actually lose, President Trump has taken campaigning for president to levels that would make conservatives political strategists like Lee Atwater blush. The president has not shown any sense of decorum in the current race, nor did he show any four years ago. And it appears that the majority of voters who preferred Trump over Hillary Clinton simply because they have always hated the Clintons, have fell out of love with “The Donald”. This time around, voters seems to saying that it is time for someone new and since Trump ran for reelection unopposed, there was not a viable alternative to run against Democratic nominee Joe Biden. Biden had been “running” for president over the last two years and even though Democrats had a wealth of presidential talent to choose from, Biden having spent eight years as vice president to Barack Obama, had the inside track. Now it appears that the almost unlimited support that President Trump has enjoyed from conservatives and those who left the Democratic Party, is evaporating in thin air.

It is bad when this time last year as President Trump was headed to an impeachment trial in the Senate, every Republican was poised to not convict the president, except Mitt Romney. Romney for a while, became an outcast of the party. President Trump was relentless in attacking Romney for his views, but Trump “survived” the impeachment trial. People were warned that with his vindication, President Trump would be worse than ever as president. Those predictions proved to be accurate. Voters see President Trump as demeaning the office, constantly engaging in childish behavior through his tweets and his failure to keep America safe through the COVID-19. He couldn’t keep his wife and youngest son safe. There are few endorsements from GOP senators who are up for reelection, as no one wants to hand on to the president’s coattails. The president goes where he is welcomed, out on the campaign trail holding rallies with thousands in attendance, with nary a care if anyone who attends contracts the virus. With two weeks to go, if there is an “October surprise” left to spring on Joe Biden, the time is now. Because time is a luxury that President Trump does not have and the only thing left for him is to contest the election if he loses. The president may have to go down with the ship and he will take as many as he can with him. Perhaps that is why the “rats” are jumping now to ensure that they will have a political life after Trump. He certainly won't. Remember, the world id watching. So is God.