Now What Mr. Trump?

[Joe Elliott]

Boy, these are exciting times. In the next our, Trump is going to make his big announcement. The three most likely options are:

1. Bigfoot is real because he saw one and will try to recruit them the next time he needs the Capitol stormed.

2. His big announcement that he promised us a few weeks ago is: "I have no big announcements to make in November. And in December I will have another big announcement to make."

3. That he is running for the Presidency.

Does he have a real chance? His best chance was to have the Secretary of State candidates that he endorsed to win the elections. Then he could ask, probably wouldn't even have to ask, for them to award him the state's votes, regardless of what the people voted. This chance has gone up in smoke. All of his Secretary of State candidates were defeated. All of them. And very many of the MAGA candidates in other races. But all of his Secretary of State candidates went down in flames. Even in the most Red of states, the people still want their vote to count. They may intend to vote for Trump in 2024, but they want to make the final decision on that in 2024, not in 2022.

Republican leadership has now turned against Trump, for good reason. He picked obscure candidates, mainly because they would own him the most if they won. They would have to do his bidding in helping overturn a future election. What does this mean for Trump?

Nothing.

The pattern of voting shows that Trump and MAGA candidates storm through the Republican primaries. And go down to defeat in November, except in very Red states and districts.

Will the Republican voters wise up? I don't think so. A bird in hand is not worth as much as 25 in the bush. A Trump victory in 2024 might be very unlikely, but if the unlikely is somehow pulled off, like it was in 2016, the MAGA crowd, or at least their leaders, may get permanent control of the country. By determining which states election were valid and which were fraudulent. Too much to pass up. What good is having DeSantis for four or eight years when the long term prospects of the Republicans, at least MAGA Republicans is considered bleak?

Trump is coming in November 2024. Do not miss that vote.

[Richard Smith]

Boy, these are exciting times. In the next our, Trump is going to make his big announcement. The three most likely options are:

1. Bigfoot is real because he saw one and will try to recruit them the next time he needs the Capitol stormed.

2. His big announcement that he promised us a few weeks ago is: "I have no big announcements to make in November. And in December I will have another big announcement to make."

3. That he is running for the Presidency.

Does he have a real chance? His best chance was to have the Secretary of State candidates that he endorsed to win the elections. Then he could ask, probably wouldn't even have to ask, for them to award him the state's votes, regardless of what the people voted. This chance has gone up in smoke. All of his Secretary of State candidates were defeated. All of them. And very many of the MAGA candidates in other races. But all of his Secretary of State candidates went down in flames. Even in the most Red of states, the people still want their vote to count. They may intend to vote for Trump in 2024, but they want to make the final decision on that in 2024, not in 2022.

Republican leadership has now turned against Trump, for good reason. He picked obscure candidates, mainly because they would own him the most if they won. They would have to do his bidding in helping overturn a future election. What does this mean for Trump?

Nothing.

The pattern of voting shows that Trump and MAGA candidates storm through the Republican primaries. And go down to defeat in November, except in very Red states and districts.

Will the Republican voters wise up? I don't think so. A bird in hand is not worth as much as 25 in the bush. A Trump victory in 2024 might be very unlikely, but if the unlikely is somehow pulled off, like it was in 2016, the MAGA crowd, or at least their leaders, may get permanent control of the country. By determining which states election were valid and which were fraudulent. Too much to pass up. What good is having DeSantis for four or eight years when the long term prospects of the Republicans, at least MAGA Republicans is considered bleak?

Trump is coming in November 2024. Do not miss that vote.

Trump is a US citizen.  He has every right to run for president.  The voters get to decide.   That is how a democracy works.   If he has no chance, then why worry or concern yourself with him?  DeSantis shares almost every one of Trump's policies.  It doesn't make much difference to me which Republican wins the upcoming election so long as the current incompetents who have brought the country to ruin are defeated.  How can anyone suggest things are better today than under Trump two years ago?  Inflation is at record highs.   Gas prices are double.  Around five million unknown persons have crossed the open border with no end in sight.  The stock market has crashed.  Interest rates are skyrocketing leading to a recession.  Crime is out of control.  Homeless overrun our cities (which are too dangerous for any law-abiding person to walk the streets).  There is another endless foreign war costing us trillions.  But Trump is the concern?

[Joe Elliott]

Trump is a US citizen.  He has every right to run for president.  The voters get to decide.   That is how a democracy works.   If he has no chance, then why worry or concern yourself with him?  DeSantis shares almost every one of Trump's policies.  It doesn't make much difference to me which Republican wins the upcoming election so long as the current incompetents who have brought the country to ruin are defeated.  How can anyone suggest things are better today than under Trump two years ago?  Inflation is at record highs.   Gas prices are double.  Around five million unknown persons have crossed the open border with no end in sight.  The stock market has crashed.  Interest rates are skyrocketing leading to a recession.  Crime is out of control.  Homeless overrun our cities (which are too dangerous for any law-abiding person to walk the streets).  There is another endless foreign war costing us trillions.  But Trump is the concern?

Trump has the right to run again. And I have the right to criticize him. You seem to imply that my criticizing him deprives him of his rights.

If Trump has no chance, then why worry about him? Since none of his major election deniers got elected to a critical office, like to the Secretary of State office in the various states, I am worrying a lot less about this than I did a couple of weeks ago. And his supporters hopes that he might somehow get elected/selected should be greatly diminished. His best chance has just faded away.

Democracy's survival depends on the people's confidence and loyalty to Democracy. If this falters once, the chain of continuous Democracy can be broken. Germany's chain of Democracy was broken by one slip up by the German voters in 1932. A conscience decision by too many voters to vote for someone who was clearly an enemy of Democracy. That was all it took.

The institution of Democracy is a good deal more stable than it was in Germany in 1933, thanks to the loyalty to Democracy being strong throughout the government. Still, it is never a good idea to elect someone like Trump. Why flirt with disaster?

Despite tens of millions of Americans not being loyal to Democracy, Democracy continues to survive, but by a fair narrower margin than I feel comfortable with. I hope it continues to survive, in 2024, in 2026, in 2028 and beyond. I trust that it will. I think the high water mark of the assault on Democracy, from this generation, has come and gone. And the hopes of tyranny now rests on one old fat man in Florida who has to keep his most fervent supporters locked in to hear his entire speech announcing his candidacy.

[Joe Elliott]

The out of power party almost always does very well in an off year election. Plus the economy is not as strong as it could be. What caused the Republican's to do so poorly? One reason above all others:

Fear that Trump may win the Republican nomination and election in 2024.

If Trump wins the Republican nomination in 2024, the danger will be that must closer. Instead of needing to win both the primaries and the election, Trump will now be just one step away. Voters will vote, not only against Trump, but also against Republican candidates for the House and Senate. As additional insurance, that if Trump somehow wins, he will get no support from Congress in any efforts to nullify future elections. The Republicans will be setting themselves up for a huge defeat.

Of course, this decision, to nominate Trump or not, is not up to the Republican leadership, but to the millions of Republican voters. If I was a Republican voter, I would be urging fellow Republicans not to do this. The definition of stupidity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. As the voters have gotten to know Trump better and better, they have turned against him more and more over time and there is no reason to think that this trend is going to reverse. It may be tempting to choice a course, that if it works out, you don't have to worry about losing elections in the future. But this is a course that is bound to fail, as it is also Un-American.

[Joe Elliott]

Trump said:
“In order to Make American Great And Glorious Again, I am tonight announcing my candidacy for President of the United States,”

If Trump wins, should the First Lady be referred to as Lady Ma-Ga-Ga?

[Rick Plant]

Mr. Trump is about to be indicted for espionage. 

[Richard Smith]

Mr. Trump is about to be indicted for espionage.

Imagine if Putin indicated his political rivals, staged tactical raids on political opponents and their homes, controlled the media with state sponsored propaganda, changed all the election laws just prior to the election in a way that ensured, his election and used the justice system to cover up his crimes and corruption.  These are Stasi-like times in America.