The Patriot Post® · A Race to the Bottom

Here’s a crazy thought: Wouldn’t it be great if, in this year’s presidential election, we don’t find ourselves casting our vote for a candidate simply because he’s not quite as bad as the other guy?

But that’s the rationale President Joe Biden urged all Americans to adopt just last week. In his Valley Forge campaign speech, he spent 33 minutes raging about the irredeemable evil of Donald Trump and the tragic consequences certain to result if Trump were to win the 2024 election. Biden’s message is a clarion call to America: Returning Trump to the presidency would put democracy and our precious freedoms at risk. Nothing less than the survival of our nation hangs in the balance; we can’t let it happen.

I suppose Biden’s speech was intended to throw down the election-year gauntlet and fire up his political troops. It may have succeeded, but if so, only at the expense of convincing American voters that Trump, his enthusiastic supporters (the so-called “MAGA Republicans”), and presumably anyone who votes for him in November — American citizens all — are essentially enemies of our country.

That, of course, is precisely the wrong message for the president of the United States to send to a deeply divided American public. Whatever happened to Joe Biden’s stirring Inauguration Day pledge to pull us all together?

That lofty idea is long gone. At this point, mutual respect and trust — maybe even bare tolerance — across party lines has effectively disappeared. In my view, it is critically important right now for Americans to find a way to come together on the pivotal issues facing our nation — border security, national defense, inflation, energy, and the environment, just to name a few.

Realistically, there will be little inclination to build bipartisanship, either in a Biden administration second term doubling down on its failed 2020 policies, or in a second Trump administration bent on retribution over actual and perceived mistreatment by the preceding one — particularly after an election primed with vitriol spewed by both sides.

Biden’s speech confirmed what we’ve long surmised about Team Biden’s reelection strategy. Evidently, they’ve concluded that the best thing (and perhaps the only thing) they have going for them is a widely reviled opponent. Their strategy is to capitalize on — and where possible, to enhance — the widespread public discomfort with Donald Trump.

The Democrats’ aggressive efforts to wound their opponent hit a major snag when their barrage of criminal indictments actually improved Trump’s stature among potential voters. It turns out that most Americans are fair-minded and disinclined to reward politically motivated election interference. Who knew?

But the fact remains that Trump’s coming court battles will be a major drain on his presidential campaign, may lead to new efforts to disqualify his candidacy, and will surely yield a blizzard of Leftmedia negative coverage. And so, as of today — and seemingly confirmed by Biden’s own words — the Democrat game plan remains operative: a Biden run for reelection against an opponent who is disliked by many and severely saddled with legal woes.

It’s a fine strategy provided that Trump is the GOP candidate. But how would that picture change if Trump is not the GOP nominee?

It seems obvious, even to this armchair observer, that it’s never a good idea to play to your opponent’s strength. That’s been proven time and again in military history. In 1940, for example, the German Wehrmacht rolled into Paris unscathed simply by bypassing most of the vaunted Maginot Line and the French defensive forces dug in there.

So, GOP, here’s some food for thought: Don’t play the Democrats’ game. Choose instead a 2024 presidential slate that offers America capable, proven leadership — anchored by solid but centrist-conservative principles — and is ready to serve for eight full years. Change the conversation away from a backward-looking, wholly unproductive replay of 2020 and toward the challenges directly in our path.

And while I’m providing free tips on electioneering, here’s one for both parties. Whether to hold on to power or to oust an incumbent, nothing beats having the best candidate for the job.

Republicans, if you believe that Trump is the best your party has to offer, go for it. But don’t con yourself into believing that he somehow deserves that opportunity as retribution for past mistreatment. Take a hard look at the alternative candidates, be realistic about Trump’s pros and cons, and think about the long game well beyond one four-year term.

Democrats, most of you already know that neither Joe Biden nor Kamala Harris is the answer, for your party or the nation, in 2024 or later. Tradition argues for supporting an incumbent’s bid for a second term — but there’s nothing traditional about a doddering 81-year-old presidential nominee. You can do better.

Both parties, and ultimately our nation, will benefit mightily if you each put forward your best man — or woman!