That’s what a real Presidential Election is supposed to be. When it’s over the country should feel a sense of cleansing and accomplishment. The winner invariably enjoys a job approval rating over 50% on Inauguration Day.
In the the ten elections from Carter versus Ford in 1976 to Obama versus Romney in 2012, the country got the benefit of competent candidates giving it their best shot. You could say we got the benefit of a good fight in those campaigns and a sense of finality, at least for a little while.
Trump-Clinton 2016 was a horse of a different color…a tremendously dissatisfying affair. It seemed as though each candidate represented the only person that the other candidate could possibly beat. Many felt like me: Trump was a totally unqualified liar who was impossible to not watch; Hillary was an intelligent grating deceiver who was impossible to watch.
Trump entered office with a 45% job approval, topped out at 46%, and presently sits at 40%…which means he remains unpopular but Impeachment Proof and very dangerous.Trump’s 40% number represents his base’s taunt to Trump Resistance…”you ain’t got game.”
His base is right. The Resistance is diffused and, in some cases, counterproductive. Trump is given the luxury of choosing who to counter-punch against. Not good.
Time to go to Plan B.
Somebody has to view Trump’s continued presence as our President as a personal insult that cannot be tolerated any longer. They have to take it personally. And then they have to go all in to effect his removal.
It should be a save the country from a real and present danger movement rather than a bring Democrats back movement. Sound lofty and pie in the sky…maybe…but every now and then life throws a challenge at a people that cannot be ignored.
Ultimately it comes down to what individual people are willing to do. A couple of people came to mind as I was putting this together…Benjamin Franklin and Sheldon Adelson…a couple of gentleman not usually mentioned in the same sentence.
Franklin because he was the one who, when asked what the drafters of the Constitution had given the people, replied…”a Republic, if you can keep it.” The clear message being that the Republic requires active maintenance and, from time to time, actual heroism. Adelson, because he has the guts and tenacity to make himself the single most consequential private citizen in two countries…Israel and the United States.
But, back to Plan B. How should it be done and who should do it.
The plan is to physically follow Trump wherever he goes and take whatever he says as the opening of a debate. The person on the assignment has to be an excellent speaker capable of drawing big crowds and press attention. They have to approach the assignment enthusiastically and fearlessly. If executed properly, Trump’s job approval numbers can be brought down to the mid twenties where he is impeachable and removable.
The person to do the job is Terry McAuliffe former Governor of Virginia.
Comments are welcome at tomc[at]wednesdayswars[dot]com. Comments will be addressed in subsequent posts.