The 2024 Election

The 2024 Presidential Election

I confess, I’m a political junkie. I read polls, I read commentary on polls, and I enjoy the horse race. I watch election returns and I make it my business to understand how elections are supposed to be run. My first vote for President was cast for George McGovern, and my politics have not changed since then. For those of you are too young to remember McGovern, he was the Democratic Party’s nominee for President in 1972. Most of the country found this left-wing Senator from South Dakota to be an extreme liberal, but I liked him fine. He lost in a landslide to Richard Nixon. Today he would be compared to Joe Manchin, perhaps slightly to Manchin’s right.

I was a registered Democrat until 2009, when I became an independent. Today I call myself a lower-case “L” libertarian. A generic libertarian is a social liberal and a fiscal conservative. Plenty in there for everybody to hate. Since libertarians exalt the individual above the crowd, favor limited government staying out of our bedrooms, our businesses and our wallets, we never win elections. Put ten libertarians in a room and you get at least 12 different opinions on everything.

My parents were yellow dog Democrats, which would describe nearly the entire party today. They would vote for a yellow dog if it was a Democrat. I eventually outgrew that. I’ve voted for Republicans, Democrats and others over the years. I didn’t vote in 2016; in 2020 I voted for the sanest man in the race, the bipolar guy.

Democrats

Democrats are hesitant to challenge the President, in part because they are all complicit in his incompetence in ruling the country. RFK, Jr is the only candidate thus far that has a chance of deposing Biden; I’m not holding my breath. Gavin Newsom wants to turn the U.S. into California. No, thank you. Of the declared and probable Democrat candidates I favor RFK, Jr. I will probably contribute to his campaign. If Joe should not run, Kamala Harris will run. I pray every night for Joe’s health. Secretary of Transportation Buttigieg had my support in 2020, but he has proven himself a glib empty suit. Maybe Alvin Bragg will run. I’ll give him money to do it so he will stop prosecuting good guys and setting criminals free.

It appears today that the race will be between Biden and Trump. God help us. I’d have to vote for Trump, despite his baggage. Biden is hell-bent on destroying the country, has wiped out years of progress and development, stumbled us into a war, and is openly flaunting immigration law.

Republicans

The Republicans are both simpler and more complicated. Trump is in the lead but is not a Republican. Instead of attacking Joe Biden, whose record constitutes a target-rich environment, he’s attacking his closest Republican competitor. My step-mother was a Trumpist, and I respected her mind, clear to the end at 96. One daughter was a Democrat, now deceased, the other a Republican.

Besides Trump we have Nikki Haley (I like her), Tim Scott (already contributed to his campaign), DeSantis, and the seven dwarfs. I like Vivek Ramaswammy and will likely support him, unless Glenn Youngkin enters the race. I will not vote for a Democrat. The party has abandoned liberalism for thuggery.