Will Americans Discern the Difference in This Election?

            Incumbents, those currently in office and seeking reelection, usually remind voters of all their great accomplishments. If the incumbent does not have a good record on which to campaign, their opposition is wise to remind the voters of the disastrous results of the incumbent. In the 1980 presidential election, Ronald Reagan was challenging President Jimmy Carter for the presidency. The polls showed that the two men were running a close election. They met for only one debate one week before the November election.

            During the debate, Reagan asked a question that became famous: “Are you better off now than you were four years ago?” The nation was experiencing some dark days with stagflation (inflation combined with wage stagnation), interest rates in double digits, and an oil embargo in the Middle East. Carter told Americans to stop complaining about energy and wear a sweater in the house. The misery index in 1980 was 21.98. Any honest American would answer Reagan’s question with a definite NO. Reagan focused the minds of the voters on the Carter failings and won the election. 

            When a candidate has no accomplishments and has nothing good to tell the voters, they have nothing on which to campaign except calling out the faults of their opponent. President Joe Biden told Americans last week that he does not have any accomplishments on which to brag. He did not say such a thing in actual words, but his attack on former President Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans told his story as plainly as possible. Even though neither Trump nor Biden is on the ballot for November, Biden obviously wants the focus to be on Trump. The strategy worked in 2020, so he is hoping that it works again.

            Michael McKenna posted his opinion about Biden’s horrible speech. He described how Biden failed to say anything good about himself and his time in the Oval Office by declaring war on MAGA Republicans, basically half the nation. 

President Joe Biden’s speech last Thursday, in which he declared war on those who voted against him in 2020, gave us a peek into the actual status of the 2022 election cycle. By trying to make the election about the actions of the former president – rather than about Mr. Biden’s own record or any of his legislative “achievements” – he made it clear that the Democrats know they are in trouble unless something happens to shake up the race.

If Team Biden thought otherwise or believed the public polling, they would have not felt the need to drag President Donald J. Trump into the campaign. They have good reason to be concerned. When limited to likely voters (rather than the more expansive and less reliable metric of registered voters), the generic ballot test for House races indicates that the Republicans are headed towards a modest majority consisting of about 230 Members in the House next January.

            Biden and the Deep State are still trying to destroy Trump. The January 6 investigation did not dig up enough dirt on him, so the FBI raided Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate. The Department of Justice will give slow leaks to the public, just enough to keep Trump’s name in the news cycle and to fire up the Left-Wing base.

            Wise Americans will ask themselves the provocative Reagan question: Are you better off after two years of total control of the federal government by Democrats? Any honest American will say NO. There should be a giant RED tsunami in November wiping all Democrats out of office. However, I remember two years ago when Trump should have won by a landslide vote, and I do not allow myself to become too optimistic.

            I know that too many Americans still have Trump derangement syndrome (TDS), an irrational hatred for all things Trump. The term comes from Charles Krauthammer, a psychiatrist, who originally coined the phrase Bush derangement syndrome in 2003 during the first term of George W. Bush. Krauthammer defined the “syndrome” as “the acute onset of paranoia in otherwise normal people in reaction to the policies, the presidency – nay – the very existence of George W. Bush.” 

            The term was later applied to the extreme hatred for Trump shown by millions of Americans. Their hatred was so intense that it impaired their reasoning and judgement. They could not see all the good things that Trump was accomplishing – despite constant harassment -- because their view was blocked by their hatred for the man. Such people did not even consider any of the Trump accomplishments: peace in the Middle East and in the world, the U.S. Embassy moved to Jerusalem, no wars for four years, a southern border that was under control, energy independence, the best economy in U.S. history, and low unemployment in all categories.

            Too many Americans get their news from the alphabet news stations and media that is firmly in the pocket of Democrats. This lack of truth, plus their hatred for Trump, pushed them to vote for Biden. Such voters did not know about the Biden family corruption before the 2020 presidential election and thus voted for one of the most corrupt presidents in U.S. history.

            I have been praying for America and Americans for numerous years. I remain hopeful that America can be brought back from the cliff that Democrats are pushing us over. However, I realize that it is possible that too many Americans continue to carry hatred for all things Trump in their hearts and will not be able to discern the truth. Biden is trying to fan that hatred. Will he be successful? Only time will tell. Meanwhile, I continue to ask God to bless America!