For months, the former president, Donald Trump, repeatedly exhibited his age issue with so many gibberish and incoherent speeches at rallies. The Democrats were lured into thinking that his cognitive ability was deteriorating and would be no match for the president’s debating skill and experience.
It is hard to think that the president’s people did not see his cognitive problem before the debate. But they were probably confident that he would look old and feeble at the debate but a “normal” 81 years old and feeble statesman. They forgot the former president was once a show host and had appeared on TV probably more than any politician in history. He had learned the skill of pretending. In fact, he was a great pretender. He even prepared for the contingency by leaking to the press that he had decided on a running mate, no doubt to be announced at the debate if things would not go smoothly for him.
Republicans set a trap for the self-confident Dems.
At the debate, a different Donald Trump appeared, focused, energetic, and controlled, to the surprise of the Dems. But it was too late for them. When the viewers of the debate saw the president at the podium, they would ask the obvious question why did his handlers allow him to appear? Could there be traitors or saboteurs lurking inside the Democratic campaign? An excuse for the president to back out of the debate such as a flu or sore throat would be bad but not as damaging as his performance at the debate. What is going on?
Well, the MAGA Republicans have done a fine job of setting their goal, devising a plan and implementing it perfectly even when they run into unexpected problems.
The Republicans are disciplined and well organized. They know their mathematics. And with the help of genius minds in mathematics, science, technology, and engineering such as Elon Musk, Peter Thiel who come out passionately and publicly to help the Republican Party, hands on.
A guy who has just arrived in America from South Africa, takes a look at the cars made by legacy companies for a century and SEES that he can make better cars and KNOWS what to do to build them and in no time, creates a company worth more than all the legacy car companies combined. That guy is now LOOKING at the Republican Party and if the Democrats still think that the ideas he gives to the Republicans as to how to re-organize and win political races are that of a political novice, then they must stop and think again. Everything of importance now is computerized, using algorithms, or AI, political battles being no exception.
The Republicans know how to fight and has fought effectively, from the Bush v. Gore victory to McConnel’s successful blocking of the appointment of Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court to the 2020 presidential victory even though they lost the popular votes, hugely.
The Democrats on the other hand seem to be confused and rudderless. They are not sufficiently politically nimble. The Republicans accepted the debates because they were not sure they could persuade the undecided to vote for them. But they had a contingency plan, the vice president nominee announcement, that would soften any blow the former president would have received during the debate. The Democrats suggested the debates. So, they seemed to think they were obligated to go forward, or a cancellation or delay would show weakness. They had known the pitfall of a Biden appearance at the debate (to suggest otherwise, that they did not know, is to suggest something more sinister than what is known) but seemed paralyzed, unable to make a proper decision.
After the Democrats’ debate debacle, the former president, Donald Trump, issued a statement denying that he was not connected to the Project 2025. Then, the Republican Party announced that it has dropped the federal abortion limits from its platform, strategic announcements to woo moderate voters. They have plans, precision plans.
The Democrats has visions where the country should go, decades from now. But tactically, they are underhanded. They need to focus on November 5, only a few more months away, as the Republicans have been. What the Democrats need now is for a few computer or AI geniuses to take a leave of absence from making money to engage themselves full time in helping the Democrats. They can’t just send money to them, then turn around and proudly talk about climate change as if American election politics is beneath them to take a public stance.
Then, the voters will get back to watching debates and political discourse because they will be more factual, reasonable, rational, and more sophisticated worth watching with their children. The voters, even hardcore rightists, want to be enlightened.
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John P. Le Phong (7/10/24).