All in

Before launching my new post, I would like to indulge in a bit of self-promotion. My last post (Be Bold, 4/11/24) suggested President Biden should take the initiative on the immigration issue by implementing proposals in the bipartisan Senate compromise which Republicans killed at the behest of former President Trump. On 6/4/24, Biden did just that by issuing an Executive Order incorporating many of the items in that agreement. In doing so, Biden was risking the displeasure of the more extreme left of his base. It was a calculated risk because he was simultaneously exposing the bad faith, cowardice and hypocrisy of most Republicans in the House and Senate. I will stop short of claiming that the President read my blog, but it is good to know my recommendation was not unreasonable.

On 4/30/24, after less than a full day of deliberation, a New York jury convicted Trump on all 34 counts in his criminal trial. The verdict came as a surprise to many observers who had not expected it to be so sweeping and so quick. I imagine it was a particularly nasty surprise for Republicans, some of whom had said that they would not continue to support Trump if he was convicted. Suddenly, the reckoning was upon them. With the election on the horizon and the primaries even closer, most, if not all of them in elected office, quickly buckled and reiterated their support for Trump. Those on the short list for Trump's vice-presidential pick were particularly vociferous in their denunciation of the judicial system as they tried to outdo each other to the point of sounding ridiculous to all but the most devout Trump followers. This capitulation of the GOP to Trump was to be expected; after all, we had seen this movie before, over and over. No matter what he does or what happens, Republican elected representatives' fear of Trump and his supporters persists.

You would think that this would erode their support among the rest of the electorate. But if polls are to be believed- a big if- that does not appear to be the case. My skepticism about polls is based partly on the fact that I never participate in one and therefore wonder how many others are like me. Yet we should not let our skepticism lull us into complacence. After all, if polls are inaccurate, they may be equally inaccurate in both directions, leaving us where we started - a close election with an unpredictable outcome. So what is a Middle-of-the- roader to do? First and foremost, we must not succumb to despondence and panic. There are plenty of positive developments in the past three years to focus on - a strong economy, strong job and wage growth and slow but steady cooling of inflation, to name a few. Secondly, we must project a positive outlook. I believe that is the best antidote to the negativism that Trump supporters fall back on as their candidate's positives wane with each new development. I believe that many Republican voters will not be able to sustain their cognitive dissonance when they are by themselves in the voting booth. What I mean by that is that there are a lot of people who are quietly uncomfortable with alternative (fake) facts, conspiracy theories and other characteristics of Trumpism. Lastly, try to engage family and friends in a calm conversation without condescension, judgement or recrimination. In the present climate, this has to be done with caution but I believe there are still people who appreciate a free exchange of ideas. I don't think we would lose any votes by appearing positive and reasonable.

Returning to my introduction above, Biden's executive order, in addition to being a bold move, is the right thing to do since it includes ideas from both sides of the aisle. I believe there are voters who understand that those ideas would have been enacted into law if not for Republican inability or unwillingness to stand up to Trump. Whether there are enough such voters to tip the balance in a close election is the question. One hopes there are.