A Look Ahead To 2024 and The Future

We are now just over three months beyond the last election and already many are already engaged in ramping up for the next cycle in 2024. There is no doubt that the 2024 elections will be an extremely intense period within our nation as the battle lines are already being drawn.

Already it looks like an old-fashioned game of musical chairs on the Republican side, while Democrats are awaiting the next shoe to fall on their side of the aisle as speculation continues to mount regarding the present occupant in 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue and holds the nation in anticipation of an announcement sometime this summer. 

On the Republican side the visits to Iowa and New Hampshire are already being planned as potential candidates look at the opportunities to edge the former President from what is seen as the front runner from that spot and rise like cream to the top of the milk bottle that the dairy delivery man used to drop on our front porch.

Of course It is way too early to make any serious predictions in regard to that race. We must also be cautious as we watch the everyday maneuvering amongst Democrats, especially behind the scenes.

There are some out there who have begun speaking about the potential for a strong third-party candidate, mostly because they are becoming weary of the poor performances by the two major parties to deliver on campaign promises over the years. Unfortunately, I don’t see a personality out there such as a John Anderson, Teddy Roosevelt or even a Ross Perot who could capture the imagination of the electorate.

Unfortunately, in my opinion the two major parties are too strong and this magical third person would surely only act to weaken one or the other of the two parties and throw the election to the stronger of the two major parties. 

Elections have become a numbers game and in the 2020 election we witnessed how important the get out to vote effort was by the two major parties and without a major party machinery at work to carry their candidate across the finish line success is less and less likely.

Holding together the base of both parties is very important to whomever might be the candidate of the two major parties. There can be no doubt that Donald Trump has done that. It is yet to be seen whether Biden can energize his base in a substantial manner, especially if the economy continues to stay flat or falter further.

The 2024 election will no doubt come down to not how many votes a candidate musters, but in what states does he or she obtain them. It is truly a numbers game and consultants have recognized that beyond doubt as even the smallest precincts can make or break a national candidate.

The Electoral College is the true battlefield, and no one understood that better than NBC newsman Tim Russert as he would hold up his grease boards on election night and manipulate the numbers on those boards to show potential outcomes. It was a fascinating evening of nail biting and pacing in 2008 and certainly established Russert’s reputation for understanding the battlefield for votes.

No one  was more disappointed than I with the poor performance of Republicans in the 2022 midterms. It seems that Republicans have mastered the ability to “snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.” The slim majority which they won the House and the embarrassing struggle to obtain the Speakership may have seriously weakened his ability to manage his own party and craft an agenda for positive changes within that chamber and for the nation.

If Republicans are to rise up from this debacle and restore a strong sense of leadership in their party, and confidence in the electorate as to their ability to lead the nation, their hopes for a turnaround in 2024 may be dashed.

Our nation and the world looks to America for leadership and a return to common sense governance and a steady hand on the world stage. America’s greatest days are far from over,  regardless of the chaos we see at times within our deliberative bodies. It instead lies in the citizens of this great nation who rise to every challenge and lead the world in innovation and creativity. They do so because of the foundations of Freedom which this nation is built upon.