Make It or Break It

So, we are all in agreement I guess, that the 2024 Presidential elections, could very well be [the] make it or break year fo r the nation. I personally think that our Midterm elections should be looked upon as a “wake-up” call to every Republican.

The fact that we were expecting a “Red Wave”, that never came to fruition; the fact that we lost the Senate, and, in spite of the fact that we won the House, still, all told, the November Midterms, came as a hint that the Republican Party, was not quite as ready as we all thought it was. I define “not being ready” as quite divided within the rank-and-file members of our Party. Vis-à-vis, we all better become organized; better unite before November 2024, otherwise we would be risking the future of this great nation – that simple.

[The] principal issue[s], in my humble opinion, is: are we going to be able to rally behind one Republican candidate, as well I think Democrats will with theirs, whomever that may be? For some time there, the majority of the Republican universe seemed to have been behind Donald Trump. No longer the case. As of late however, many in that majority seemed to have changed their mind and, simply said, they are against Trump. Be it the events of January 6th or be it the Democrats indoctrination crusades to demean and destroy Trump’s image and popularity; or be it Trump’s outspokenness, the fact is our Party is divided, as proven by the Midterm elections.

So, now we know that Trump has already announced his candidacy, and, as of now, there are quite a few other leading Republicans that appear as, they too, will throw their hats into the mix. Leading that pack, our own Florida Governor, Ron DeSantis, some of the others, like 20 names being thrown around, among them, Mike Pence, Mike Pompeo, Nikki Haley, and others. I personally think, it will all come down to just two people, namely Trump and DeSantis – the rest, I do not think stand a chance. That being the case, what can we expect?

I will say this much, the very fact that we have two such strong frontrunners as are Trump and DeSantis, is in and of itself, not so healthy for the Party if you think about it. This dichotomy, while great for what democracy is all about, again, regretfully, in this instance can only serve to further divide the Party, which is precisely what Democrats would want. Remember the old paradigm “divide and conquer.” I personally think we would have been much better off if only one of them Trump or DeSantis ran, as then, like it or not, we would all have been forced to rally behind one candidate.
Yes, I personally believe that Ron DeSantis has all the qualifications to be a great President. That is not in question, the real question here is who is more electable, Trump or DeSantis? Well, while Ron DeSantis has not formally announced his intent to run, for the sake of this dissertation, let us assume he does. Bottom line, so we the voters, you, and I, will have to decide as to who we are going to vote for. The question is, are we going to vote with our hearts or with our heads?

As to what is on the line, well, for Ron DeSantis, his record as Governor speaks for itself as well as his rollover victory in the Midterms. Only downside, or only question rather, does De Santis have the weight, the national popularity needed to win? The name De Santis for most everyone in Florida is a household word, but…remember, that does not necessarily mean it carries the same influence in the rest of the 50 states.

The next argument some have made on behalf of De Santis is the Party’s need for a “generational change,” – which, in laymen terms only means, the need for a younger person. On the presumption, of course, that with youth comes new energy, innovative ideas, etc. That is true. Bottom line, in my humble opinion, De Santis’ possible greatest disadvantage is the fact that, outside of Florida, he may not have all the necessary pull needed to beat an extraordinarily strong Democratic contender – even if that contender is the incumbent Joe Biden.

As far as Trump is concerned, I think we can all agree in the fact that he was a great President, in spite of the fact that Democrats made him out to be, little less than a political monster of sorts. Trump’s greatest advantage, his record as President. His list of accomplishments, too long a list to mention here. Trump’s biggest disadvantage, on the other hand, is that many folks in the Party dislike his personality. Yes, Trump can be arrogant, at times, he can rub many the wrong way. Many conservatives and independents today, see Trump as his own worst enemy. Needless to say, again, the Democrats’ repeated campaigns to ruin his image, certainly did not help his damaged image either.

As far as I am concerned, personally, I have not made up my mind yet as to which way I will vote. If De Santis does run after all, I will try and make my decision using my head and not my heart – meaning, I will have a better sense of what I want to do as we get closer to the Primaries. Be it Trump or De Santis, or whomever else is running, [the] only alternative that we do not have is to have the Socialist Democrats run this nation for another four years, as that will be for sure, “the true beginning of the end” of this nation. May God save us and may God save the United States of America.”