Over a late dinner final evening, after studying that the Maine Secretary of State had decided that Trump was ineligible to be on the Republican main poll, I used to be requested why there might be any query as to the propriety of making use of Part 3 of the Fourteenth Modification. I placed on my lawyer voice and commenced explaining canons of statutory development, the constitutional that means of the phrase “officer,” and the way there have been two, and solely two, positions in our authorities that have been nationally elected, the president and vice chairman, distinguishing them from the expressly named elected officers in Part 3.*
As eyes glazed over, and head started to shake backward and forward, Dr. SJ requested “How is it potential that the president, THE PRESIDENT, wouldn’t be included in Part 3?” As I used to be about to answer that “asking a query isn’t an argument,” a reply that has by no means brought about Dr. SJ to really feel warmly about me, one other individual on the desk responded, “Why, since all people however the MAGA crazies is aware of that Trump is a mendacity, venal, narcissistic ignoramus, can’t the Democrats simply beat him?”
It’s an excellent query.
There’s Biden’s age. He will not be a lot older than Trump, however he seems enfeebled and certain unable to serve out one other time period as president. And no one needs Kamala Harris as president. Trump, regardless of his myriad failings, comes off as much more vigorous than Biden.
There’s the schism between the liberal majority of the Democratic social gathering and the novel progressive wing. Biden has confirmed himself too average for the progressives and too progressive for the moderates. He’s been attempting to string the needle for the previous three years, satisfying nobody. Now, his place on Israel and Gaza has so outraged the progressive wing that they’re calling him a fascist dictator and his supporters “blue MAGA.” With out the assist of the progressive wing, Biden gained’t have the votes.
Will the left wing of the social gathering abandon Biden and both assist Trump or, extra probably, not vote? Whereas it’s arduous to think about that they are going to sit idly by whereas Trump wins, they’re doctrainaire sufficient to take action, and their more and more outraged rhetoric means that they might properly select the least utilitarian path to allow them to wrap themselves within the glory of rightesous distress for the subsequent 4 years.
There’s the border downside, which has confirmed a nightmare for each Biden and Trump, to not point out the “sanctuary” cities that have been so very supportive of undocumented immigrants till they needed to feed and home them.
There’s the economic system, which isn’t almost as dangerous as many really feel it’s, however isn’t almost pretty much as good as Biden supporters need folks to consider it’s. Inflation has at all times been an election killer, and no quantity of statistics and charts makes the price of bread really feel any higher. Folks work to do higher, to not keep barely behind the speed of inflation, even when it’s growing at a lowering price.
There’s crime, which is statistically happening for essentially the most half however seems to be worse as a result of its each in our face and as a substitute of condemning it, the left makes excuses for it. A part of that is the unlawful conduct employed in furtherance of radical causes, which the left sees as “largely peaceable protest” whereas everybody else is fairly darn indignant about it. And but, there they’re, doing it, and doing it some extra, and there’s no sense that something is being achieved to forestall it and the Democrats aren’t fascinated by getting protesters off the freeway so we will get to our planes on time.
If the issue was simply beating Trump, the reply would appear fairly clear. Be regular. Be liberal. Reject the radicals and provides nearly all of People a nation that doesn’t appear to be within the fixed throes of fringe outrage. Or is there nothing clear about it and regardless of absolutely the certainty of the Democrats that they’re the great guys on the precise aspect of historical past, they only can’t appear to muster the assist to crush Trump and put an finish to this nationwide nightmare? Why resort to arguing over the interpretation of Part 3 when they need to be capable of simply win?
*In a New York Instances op-ed, Kurt Lash offers a fairly good clarification of the authorized arguments concerned. Curiously, the reader feedback vary from “nah” to “YOU’RE WRONG!!!”
