A Classical Example of “Who Needs This”
Thanks to embarrassing lawyering and selfish arrogance, Hunter Biden has appeared not only to have put himself in a more serious legal pickle, but also has insured that his father will face the unnecessary, unceasing drumbeat of Republican allegations against him throughout the forthcoming campaign. President Biden already had to deal with enough challenges to his ability to carry forward for a second term. He certainly did not need Republicans continuing to falsely implicate him in his son’s misdeeds.
Any comparison between the failings of the President’s son with the three indictments which former President Donald Trump already has received and will carry into the 2024 campaign, are ludicrous. What is inexplicable is that Hunter Biden and his lawyers were unable—or unwilling—to accept a plea bargain even if it kept open a possibility that he might be charged for crimes at a later time.
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Iowa
The first in the nation Republican caucus began its annual Iowa State Fair this weekend. Most of the candidates seeking the nomination spent a significant part of the weekend in Iowa. At the same time, the candidate leading the pack spent a grand total of two hours on the ground in Iowa on Saturday. Despite passing on all the traditional events at the Fair, Trump, once again, appears to have walked away remaining far ahead of his challengers. Press reports suggest that Trump remains almost untouched in the minds of the probable Iowa caucus Republicans.
The only candidate who is making a significant point of attacking the former President is Chris Christie. Given how far he is trailing Trump, the former New Jersey Governor has little to lose at this point. Christie also has opted out of the Iowa caucuses while putting all his efforts into New Hampshire’s “first in the nation” primary. Meanwhile, all the other thirteen GOP aspirants have not put a glove on Trump in their campaigns. The only thing they appear to be accomplishing is demonstrating how much money they can successfully spend on failing campaigns.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis can cut and shake up his campaign every week, but it has done little to boost his polling numbers. The only thing that DeSantis has demonstrated so far is that his approach to challenging Trump is a fiasco. Even his appearances at the Iowa Fair did not go over well as he received significant pushback from the crowds.
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Debates
Republican presidential aspirants have until August 21st to meet thresholds and to declare whether they will participate in the August 23rd debate in Wisconsin. At this point eight candidates have qualified and five have agreed to support the GOP nominee in 2024. Three others have not yet signed this pledge: Trump, Pence, and Christie. In addition, the former president has yet to confirm whether he will participate in the debate to be hosted by Fox News.
Waffling about attending, as he did before the Iowa Fair, is part of Trump’s showmanship style. Similarly, as he expects to be the nominee, he likely will agree to the pledge while having little compunction about reneging on it should he not be nominated. There is a part of Trump who believes that he has nothing to gain in a debate; yet he loves a good show and does not want to cede the evening to one of his rivals.
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Abortion
The special election held last week in Ohio sent two signals to all those running in any election in 2024. The special election was especially important because of the very surprisingly large voter turnout—regardless of party affiliations. Voters were required to vote in person, in the beginning of August, in a strongly Republican state.
By rejecting a proposed constitutional amendment to raise to 60% the number of voters who must approve an Ohio constitutional amendment, Ohioans set the stage for a vote in November which will likely amend the Ohio constitution to permit abortions. This vote also suggested that the issue of abortion remains an extremely hot issue in the eyes of the American voters and likely will remain critical for many voters throughout the 2024 cycle.
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Republican Soul-Searching
If the numerous Republicans seeking to challenge Donald Trump for the nomination are serious about their chances to test the former President, they are not succeeding in making a dent in any of the polls. Up to this point almost all of the candidates even have supported Trump’s attacks on the various indictments.
If they persist in permitting Trump to define the conversation among GOP activists, they will stand no chance of possibly taking the nomination away from him. At this stage it appears that the former President will not withdraw or backdown regardless of how many indictments or potential trials he is facing. His rivals will need to move soon--during or following the August debate--or all their campaigns are likely to be still-born.
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