The American Chronicle: What’s in store for us?
Somehow, with all these events in Kazakhstan (by the way, who was talking about Russian occupation of Kazakhstan?!), negotiations with the Americans and NATO, we lost sight of events in the United States
And there will be congressional elections ahead that may noticeably change the political landscape in this country. But of course only if the Democrats lose control of at least one chamber. And that is where it is headed. The irony, however, is that this trend is not so much the merit of the Republicans (who, in my view, are still doing little to secure their victory), as of the Democrats themselves, led by the President. They have certainly done a good job of failing the next election.
I don’t even remember what they did on the southern border or by withdrawing the army from Afghanistan. Voters are now fed up with the administration’s other highly unsuccessful initiatives – compulsory vaccinations, compulsory masks and other covid restrictions. And most importantly, inflation! This is the worst inflation the country has seen in 40 years. Of course, the pandemic and the logistical collapse have also contributed to the price rise. But the Biden administration certainly bears just as much, if not more, responsibility. Above all because of its policy of welfare payments, which have gone on for far too long and in far too large an amount. Not only has this fuelled inflation, but it has also led to a shortage of workers. People in low-paying jobs preferred to sit on benefits rather than work for wages that were sometimes lower than benefits.
There are no words, Biden embraced a politically divided country, promising to find ways of national reconciliation. But the policies pursued by the White House have only further divided people. Biden seems to be running amok, his decisions often have more ideology than common sense, an understanding of what voters want. He must have thought of going to war with parents, to declare as domestic terrorists those of them who actively advocate knowing and somehow influencing what and how their children are being taught in schools. And this is primarily about parents protesting against the school dividing children into races, portraying some as victims and others as oppressors. It is against the school encouraging transgender play by teenagers and the too early and too explicit initiation of students into the ‘secrets’ of sexuality in the classroom.
Its social policy of privileging some groups (supposedly oppressed) at the expense of others (supposedly oppressors) has the potential, if not for civil war, then for local conflict. But we see that from time to time there are already, fortunately so far, only skirmishes between supporters of the two camps.
Having gained power in the country, the Democrats as a whole have not shown themselves to be the best helmsmen, but the personality of the president (not to speak of the vice-president at all) has broken all records of unpopularity. Biden’s approval rating in office is not even rolling, but hurtling downward, dragging the entire party down with it, leaving it little chance of winning Congress. The only thing the Democrats can still hope for is if Trump, on whom it largely depends today which congressional candidate the Republicans will support in their primaries, chooses to nominate people loyal to him personally rather than those popular with voters.
By the way, a recent Pew poll asked respondents to name the best of seven presidents over the past 40 years. Trump came in third behind Obama and Reagan. The worst, both Democrats and Republicans named Biden. Biden, however, says he intends to run again. If the presidential election were held tomorrow and the incumbent had to face Trump again, Biden would likely suffer a crushing defeat.
Apparently, Biden’s declaration of his intention to run again has no real ground to stand on. His vice Kamala Harris in this vein is not even on the table. Which means it is time for the Democrats to start looking for a new candidate for president. And here it seems that once again Hillary Clinton appears on the scene – who’d have thought it – a figure seemingly long since written off the political boat. But the irony is that the Democrats probably don’t have anyone who can realistically challenge the Republicans in the next presidential election. So, all kidding aside, it’s not long before we plunge into deja vu, witnessing a new Clinton-Trump bout.
Although Trump has not yet decided whether he will run in ’24, it is likely that his competitive instinct will not allow him to give up the chance to take revenge for his defeat. His credibility among the mainstream Republican electorate is certainly high. However, many independent voters (which is what determines the outcome of the election), while generally agreeing with Trump’s policies, cannot reconcile themselves with his persona. At least that was the case in the last election; they gave their votes to Biden. Therefore, it would be calmer for the party if another popular politician, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, became its candidate.
DeSantis said in his early statements that he would not cross Trump. But here’s where things have become strained between the two lately, and who knows how DeSantis will behave before the election. This may not work out in favour of the Republicans.
That to me is the outline of the political picture of the day. There are, of course, many nuances and various details and accents to this picture, from which I have chosen only those that might interest readers of this page in Russia.
Mikhail Taruta