As we enter the new year, there are two maladies affecting the American electorate…TDS and TRS.
The first, Trump Derangement Syndrome, affects almost all Democrats and the second, Trump Revenge Syndrome, affects so called MAGA Republicans. Both syndromes cause those affected to have a singular and myopic view of Donald Trump.
For those with TDS, Trump is someone who portends the downfall of our democracy tied to what they view as his authoritarian leanings…he is also, in their view, a racist and misogynist…to them he represents our worst instincts, morally and politically. For those with TRS, Trump is someone who is plain speaking and has been unfairly maligned, misinterpreted and persecuted…he simply wants America to be great again. To them that means replacing the progressive and socialist path the country is on and returning it to a society that adheres to law and order and the principle of hard work and earned achievement.
Those with TDS give Trump no quarter…he can do no right. His personality is their flashpoint causing a viscerally negative reaction…”hate” is probably not too strong a word when it comes to the TDS view of Trump. Those with TRS love and admire Trump without reserve…he can do no wrong. For them he represents a return to common sense.
Those with TDS will do anything to prevent Trump from acquiring power again. Those with TRS seek to exact revenge against those who beleaguered Trump’s presidency with unfounded accusations by putting him in office again thereby allowing him to attain the power needed to right the wrongs done against him.
For those affected by these syndromes there is no middle ground. They represent the extremes. The fact is that neither faction, if successful in electing their respective candidates in 2024, will enable us to achieve an agenda that will allow America to move forward again. Rather, we will continue to be bogged down in vitriol and non compromise.
If Biden is elected again it will be solely due to TDS despite his own supporters’ acknowledgment of his obvious mental and physical deterioration. If Trump is elected it will be due to TRS despite the chaos that will undoubtedly ensue.
What is the solution? Do we vote for someone who is failing and feckless or do we vote for someone who is divisive? Neither party seems to want to give up their candidate for the good of the country.
There is, however, one path that may work to the benefit of Republicans and Democrats…indeed, to the country as a whole.
As reported by The Hill early in December, according to the Messenger/Harris poll, Nikki Haley beats Biden by 4 percentage points on a head to head basis in the general election. Trump beats him by 7 percentage points. At the same time Haley attracts 40 percent of independents and Trump 37 percent. A Wall Street Journal survey later in the month had Haley beating Biden by a healthy margin of 17 points. The Real Clear Politics polling average has Haley beating Biden by 4.9 percentage points whereas Trump leads Biden by 2.9 percentage points. In essence, these polls show that Haley has a chance of beating Biden by drawing support from independents and moderate Republicans who object to Trump and his hard right allies as well as disaffected Democrats who object to Biden’s pandering to the extreme left and are worried about his ability to govern. Both of these factions encompass people who want us to be governed from the middle and who yearn for a common sense approach to government.
The upcoming primaries will be a good harbinger of Haley’s standing in the party. If she has a relatively strong showing she could prove to be the alternative that Republicans are able to turn to in the nominating convention that will put them in good stead with the general electorate despite the fact that Trump may actually beat her in the Republican primaries.
Nominating someone who does not win the majority of the Republican Party’s primaries is not without precedent. For example, in 1912, the first time a Republican primary was held, William Howard Taft was nominated despite Theodore Roosevelt winning most of the state primaries and receiving more of the popular vote. In 1932, Joseph France won most of the state primaries but Herbert Hoover was re-nominated as the Republican standard bearer. In 1936, William Borah won more of the state primaries but Alf Landon became the party’s nominee. In 1948, Harold Stassen won more primaries than Thomas Dewey but Dewey won the party’s nomination. And in 1952, Robert Taft won more primaries than Dwight Eisenhower but lost the nomination to Eisenhower.
So the questions that have yet to be answered are whether the Republican Party will, despite his assumed primary victories and lead in the polls, be willing to shed Trump for the benefit of the country and whether Democrats and MAGA Republicans are able to embrace Haley as a reasonable and viable alternative to another four years of an increasingly failing Biden and the threat of a Kamala Harris succession.
We can only hope.