I got thinking after doing some extra reading on the Michael Avenatti situation yesterday, about presidential candidates and which party, the Dems or the GOP which actually does a better job at fitting what America is looking for to the candidate they put up for nomination. It was rather interesting!
If you go back to let’s say, just after Watergate (because I don’t want to bore you with a Truman versus Dewey debate), you had a country that was totally not believing that the federal government was a good place. They wanted an outsider. The GOP ran Gerald Ford, who had pardoned Richard Nixon and was pretty unimpressive during his “appointed” presidency, and some peanut farmer and former Georgia Governor named Jimmy Carter. It was a shoo-in. In fact, it really wasn’t even close. The Dems saw what was needed, a new face, provided it, and got him elected. Unfortunately, he was actually a worse president than Ford. Count that as one for the Democrats.
Move ahead. Carter runs for re-election. He’s had a terrible term because of the Iran hostage situation, high interest rates, an economy that he had no clue how to handle, and just plain stupidity with his cabinet. Enter the GOP pick. A guy that wanted you to feel good about being an American. Remember “It’s morning in America”? That was Ronald Reagan, and I’m convinced that he wasn’t the great president, he was ACTING the great president. We the people bought it, he delivered the role of a lifetime, and actually became a great president. By the way, he had practiced that philosophy ever since he was a spokesperson for GE back in the 1950’s. He had his lines down pat! That’s one for the GOP. America was happy with his job and had him back for a second go in 1984, beating Walter Mondale. We won’t count that one (but we could).
After Reagan, it was his vice president, George HW Bush against Michael Dukakis. America was extremely happy with Reagan and the job he did, and let’s face it, Dukakis riding around in a tank trying to show he was pro-military was a bit of buffoonery. America chose to stick with what they knew (or thought they knew). Score another for the GOP.
After Bush’s “Read my lips, no new taxes” comment, then raising taxes, America again wanted someone that “wasn’t a politician”. They turned to another southern governor who could charm the pants off of any lady…and oops…he did quite a bit…Bill Clinton. Score another for the Democrats…we’re tied 2-2 if you’re keeping score at home. Like Reagan before him, even though he was impeached starting in early December 1988. Of course, the GOP ran one of their worst candidates ever in Bob Dole. Again, we won’t count this one…two politicians, one that was terrible, one that just got impeached.
After Clinton’s term, it was on to Al Gore vs. George W. Bush. And the country was in the mood for change again. A younger, fresher face in Bush (though some questioned his intelligence) led to Bush getting the nod. GOP leads 3-2.
Bush’s second term win was against the haughty Vietnam Veteran, John Kerry. It showed basically the country enjoyed what they had, even if he couldn’t put the right words together…they didn’t want some Massachusett’s wind-surfing, bike-riding, liberal. Again, we won’t count this one.
After Bush, it was Obama’s turn. America again was ready for a fresh face, and even a black president. That and the fact that John McCain was the third worst candidate ever to run for president. It was no contest. Obama in a landslide. And again we’re tied 3-3.
Finally, you have Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. One a tired, old-looking woman with a ton of baggage the entire porter department at the Plaza Hotel couldn’t handle against an upstart, brash, egocentric businessman who came from real estate and reality TV. It was the new face America was looking for. They went for Trump. GOP leads 4-3.
As we’ve seen in more of these “second-term” elections, unless the person was a total buffoon, like Carter and Ford, or made terrible gaffes in office like George HW Bush, typically, America will give the nod to the incumbent. Trump really hasn’t made any serious gaffes, and though his tweeting has been a sore spot for some (myself included), the economy is going strong, and he’s made a lot of the decisions America agrees with. If the Dems’ want to re-take the White House in 2020, they’ll have a tall order. They need to come up with someone that will out-Trump, Trump. I don’t think anyone in the current crop of potential candidates, and that includes Michael Arvenatti…can come close.
Carry on world…you’re dismissed!
The Lone Cactus 