My Personal Side
By Craig Hastings
“So, what are you going to say this week?” I’ve been bombarded with this question because everyone who knows me knows I was pulling for President Trump, against all the odds, in the face of all the pollsters, and with ninety-eight percent of all the news media outlets suppressing anything positive about the man, to win a second term. The answer is I don’t know. I’m sitting here staring at my monitor trying to put into words how I feel tonight about an election that hasn’t been officially called. (It’s Friday night. By the time you read this we may know much more about the results.) What follows next is all based on what we know at the end of this day Friday the 6th.
First let me say this; if most of the smoke and mirrors hasn’t already cleared by the time you read this, I think tonight President Donald Trump will have lost this election. President Trump will be leaving the White House in January and Joe Biden will be sworn in and moving in as is customary. “So Craig you’ve given up, thrown in the towel, not crying foul?” I’m not saying that. I think this thing stinks and requires an extensive investigation as to how our democracy has failed to conduct an equal and fair election for the most powerful position in the world. Most Democrats I’ve spoken with, as thrilled as they are with the result, feel the whole mass mailing of ballots is something that needs addressed. After all, the shoe may be on the other foot in 2024. “But Craig this happened because of COVID-19. Something had to happen because people were afraid to go to the polls and vote.” That’s an out and out crock. Anyone afraid to go to their polling location could have simply requested an absentee ballot just like anyone else who wouldn’t be around to vote. Never was there a need to mail millions of blank ballots to where only God, Pelosi, and Schumer know.
If because so many people voting absentee would have slowed the process then so be it. After all, look what has happened now! When or if will Americans ever know for sure just how many votes either candidate really managed to tally? So we learned if some of us didn’t already know, it’s up to the individual states to conduct their own elections. Never has there been reason to call this constitutional ability into question. Certainly there has been today. If nothing else comes out of this chaos, a final date as to when ballots will be accepted has to be established by law and or by a constitutional amendment. The order in which votes are counted should also be part of the process. The country is suspicious as to why an undisclosed number of late ballots were held to be counted last. What I would like to know in 2024 is just how many “late” ballots are being held, where are they being held and by whom before any counting starts. Both Democrats and Republicans? Would this be unfair to ask?
Republicans don’t hate mail me when I say this; Donald Trump lost the battle of 2020. Give up clinging to any hope that mass corruption will be discovered and Biden will be sent packing before he hangs his first family photo in the Oval Office. Here’s the hope we all need to cling to; pray that Joe Biden can mentally sustain himself for four years so Kamala Harris is not sworn in as President. I believe Uncle Joe remembers from where he comes from and socialism is not part of any agenda he will push and support moving forward. Harris on the other hand; of course she will! I believe Barack Obama will be behind the scenes calling all the difficult shots for Joe. Probably that’s a good thing for now.
Forget about any further investigation into the corrupt Russia Investigation that included allegations against FBI’s Comey, CIA’s Brennen, and DOJ’s Rosenstein. Hunter Biden’s income of millions of dollars from Ukraine, China, and Russia? Forget it, gone and never to be heard about again. What about Hillary Clinton’s questionable acts of corruption? Are you kidding me here?! Don’t be surprised if Hillary is given a seat at the table in Biden’s Cabinet. And don’t complain much about all of this. Come on, the Trump Administration had four years to bring more of this into play if they so desired. They chose not to and I believe there are probably good reasons why they didn’t. Reasons we simpletons could never comprehend. It’s Washington DC; the swamp. And the swamp has already begun to refill the things commonly found in a swamp, stink and slimy stuff.
Donald Trump lost this election all by himself. Had President Trump stopped with the tweets, ignored the press, stopped with the public rhetoric, and just not talked so much he would have won this election. It wasn’t his handling of COVID-19. He did all anybody could have done to fight an enemy when you’re wearing a blindfold. Biden will enjoy the benefit of the Project Warp Speed and its pace to come up with a vaccine. The vaccine is close and Biden will claim victory and enjoy the accolades of what the Trump Administration had really accomplished. It could be that the vaccine will be available to the public before January. If so President Trump can take one final victory lap.
Americans will have to wait and see what happens next. I’m going to remain hopeful. I believe a much higher power made America and Americans what they are. History recorded twelve men as our “Founding Fathers”. I believe there were thirteen. Think of what happens should America fail and fall as a nation! America is the only reason there remains order in the world. I’m not going to predict doom and gloom as so many Americans are. I also don’t think an America united is something that will materialize as promised by Joe Biden. There won’t be any of those many planned post election riots since Biden won. That’s good I guess. I predict the country will remain divided in anticipation of 2024. The 2024 election for the presidency of The United States will be a wide open free-for-all in both parties. Biden will not be healthy enough to run if he is still president in 2024 and on top of this he has about fifteen much younger Democrats who feel they would be a better choice.
So where is Donald Trump in 2024? This is the priceless question we all would like to know. I don’t think he will give it another go but, I do believe he will try to be relevant in four years and all the years in between. (Yes, he can run for another four year term) His family has been unfairly and without precedent been put through way too much in the last four years. And then there’s this: the four short years of Donald Trump’s presidency will probably amount to a doubling of the Trump family fortune if not more, legally acquired wealth in this case. The 45th presidency of Donald John Trump will be the most studied, discussed, cussed, and dissected four years of any in the next 100 years or more. And why wouldn’t it be? And just think, you lived to witness it all and survived without a scratch!
Look, I’m willing to move on and support the elected President of The United States whether Democrat or Republican. I think we must regardless of how we think the process evolved this voting cycle. It happened, it’s over now, we must move forward carrying one flag, our flag. Of course there is nothing wrong with planning and hoping for a different outcome in 2024 because that’s how we roll here in the greatest country in the world. There will be no need for me to absorb Fox News most of my waking hours of the day and night anymore. Why not? Because there is no way Joe Biden will be anywhere near as entertaining as Donald Trump. Donald Trump is going to remain on the world stage in some capacity whether you like it or not. He will continue to make fun, talk down to some individuals, and criticize everything democrat. Didn’t we all tune in to our favorite news outlet to see what wild and crazy thing he was up to next!? Love President Trump or hate him if you please but, he was someone good for America when America needed someone good. God Bless America and everyone who believes in her!
(The views and opinions expressed in the submitted columns are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of The Journal.)