My Personal Side

By Craig Hastings
It’s November 25 and I can say with confidence that Joe Biden will be sworn as our next president on January 20. So what’s next? We all move on and accept Joe Biden as our president for the next four years. I don’t hope nor pray that he fails because if he does, America fails. That means you and I will also suffer some of the fallout. I think a few throw away bad actors were behind voter fraud in some states. Do I think there will ever be enough evidence to present to the Supreme Court of The United States to overturn the 2020 election? No, absolutely not. One day in the next six months I believe there will be discovered election crimes to have been committed by those throwaway bad actors I mentioned earlier. So what’s a throwaway bad actor? These are the nobody important partisan recruits of one party hired or either simply convinced to commit acts resulting in altering the vote tallies in an election. If and when the hammer falls and crimes are discovered to have been committed, all fingers will point at these few partisan people. The really important people at the top and in control will disavow any knowledge and the heads of the throwaways will roll. Unfortunately there will always be others ready and willing to take their places.

I worry Joe Biden will be forced out of office by his own party due to a medical condition. I also believe ol’ Joe won’t even put up much resistance and eventually peacefully retreat back to his basement headquarters at home and hopefully live happily ever after. Kamala Harris will move her pictures into The Oval Office and proclaim victory. For just a little while. Huh? Yep, Harris will control nothing but the reading of the teleprompter in front of her. She will read what was decided and prepared by others in the party. Schumer, Pelosi, and Obama will be calling the shots before the 2024 election heats up. Obama?! Absolutely! Barack Obama has revenge on his mind. Revenge on outgoing President Trump for all of the smack talk Trump rained upon him as now President Trump cancelled out all of Obama’s executive orders with his own. President Trump used every opportunity to nuke anything Obama presidency related. Then immediately after, President Trump blew it up in a news briefing. Oh yes, Barack wants to get some payback for sure.

“But Craig, the Democrats won’t shun Kamala Harris! She’s their next nominee for president in 2024!” Absolutely she will not be and that was never the plan from the beginning of her nomination for Vice President this year. She was a pawn in the political chess game. Think about it! Why would the Democrats think she was in line for the throne? She was one of the first to drop out of the primary election because of zero interest in her by democrats. From all that has happened after this election we all know that some Democrats knew there was no need for any campaigning and no need for the notoriety of someone actually qualified to make a good Vice President should Joe need to pass the torch before his four year stint is up. At the same time Democrats couldn’t nominate a Vice President candidate that wouldn’t play the game and stay out the way in 2024. They fear Donald Trump will launch his own bid for the 2024 top job. Trump would wipe the floor with Harris in that matchup. Nope, they gotta do better than Harris to block Trump from regaining the keys to the house.

So yes, I’m convinced as things are today that Harris will not be the nominee and President Biden will not run for a second term and may not even still be in office when that time comes in 2024. My god we’ve already seen some of the infighting between different factions of the party. The far left is complaining because moderate left Joe is appointing many of the Obama old guard to the top positions in his cabinet. For now Biden is standing firm and defending his choices because all of these people served under President Obama. What could go wrong? This is easy for Biden because he’s been there and done that while serving as Vice President under Obama. I was a Trump supporter in 2016 but even I was a little embarrassed by the game of musical chairs he was playing with cabinet picks. He would promote the heck out of someone all over the news (Mad Dog Mattis), then be forced to fire them in a fury of bad press shortly after they were on the job. This happens when you have no clue how the game has been played for all the years you were building things in private business. But Americans were screaming for a business person to lead the country due to the financial state of America and the jobless rates of all ethnic groups. There is no easing into being the President of The United States. One day you’re a business tycoon and the next day you’re sworn in as President of The United States. How does anyone do that without being one of the players for years prior to your swearing in?

What will be the story and strategy leading up to 2024 for both parties? Here’s what I think should all things and players be relatively the same as they are today. If you weren’t convinced I was nuts before tonight you might be after you read my predictions. Now remember, I predict the following based on what I see, know, and think right now, tonight. Should any of the player’s health, financial status, marital status, or social status change I will make my revisions in another story down the road. I’m in this for the next four years. Well, I am if nothing happens to me either. When or should Joe leave office I will begin to worry about what happens next in America before the 2024 election. President Biden will do some things I won’t agree with as did President Trump. Getting us back in the Climate Accord, The World Health Organization, and the Iran Nuclear Deal won’t upset me. My thoughts if I was in a position to decide is America probably should engage in all of them. None of the members could force me to do anything I didn’t think was in the best interest for America. Easy peasy. It’s always better to be sitting at the table with some people you may not trust in order to better keep an eye on what they’re up to. My most worrisome policy that President Biden may change is how America produces our energy resources. Gas and oil have to stay relevant for now, period.

The Green New Deal is fifty years ahead of its time. One day electric vehicles will rule the roads of America. This will take much longer in most other countries that have a large user friendly inventory of gas and oil vehicles. In America our millionaires and billionaires control the majority inventories of the collector car hobby. These vehicles will always need gas and oil but just one electric battery. I pray a large number of wealthy investors continue to stay interested in old cars and trucks. President Biden himself owns a corvette so “Come on man!, keep the gasoline comin’!

Back to the parties! Here’s my prediction on how the Democrats prepare for the 2024 presidential election. Schumer and Pelosi will lose more weight worrying about Donald Trump. Will he or won’t he make a run for the office again in 2024? (I think the Dems should not have interfered in this last election, let Trump win as he probably did anyway, and get him out of the way forever) Harriss will likely be the President some months or even years before the 2024 election but, like I said earlier, she’s out. She will not have the majority support of democrats nor more importantly the Speaker of The House or Minority Senate Speaker. It could be the Majority Senate Speaker. And if she does, the Democrats lose the election. That election will be a run against Donald Trump in this circumstance. However if Democrats do as I think they will and do as I think they should but I don’t want them too, they win in 2024 all things as they are today. “ So Craig, who is your imaginary dream team of democrats?”

Here ya go. Michelle Obama for President and Andrew Yang for Vice President. Have I lost my mind?! Why in the world would Michelle Obama want to be President?! She doesn’t but her husband does! The 2024 election signage and advertising may read; Obama/Yang/Obama. Barack Obama has been kicked in the groin, dragged through horse manure, and the small legacy he did establish in eight years, destroyed. Think about this! Three new firsts in America if she runs and wins. First woman President, first African American woman President, and first husband and wife team to occupy The White House four terms between them. Yes four years because she wins easily in 2028 if she wins in 2024. This will also allow Andrew Yang to build an eight year resume as Vice President to guarantee a smooth transition of power in 2032 to sell to the American voters in 2032. I think this strategy would guarantee the Democrats the presidency for the next sixteen years. I absolutely do. Don’t be mistaken about Michelle Obama. Barack Obama will make all the tough calls but those calls will come from the lips of Michelle Obama. And she will deliver those calls to the American people in a powerful and convincing voice. Her delivery will not equal her husband’s orator ability but she will deliver smoothly and convincingly over all of the loving partisan news networks.

“So Craig you no longer believe in the Republican party and their (our) conservative views? You think there is no hope and Republicans just need to accept the next sixteen years as losers and cower down to the Dems and worship their seats at the table? Keep our mouths shut and our pens in their inkwells so not to say or write a word of protest when we think we’ve been wronged? Craig why have you given up so easily?” My answer is “No” to all of the above if; if Republicans will stop being afraid of a challenge. If Republicans will finally grow spines and stop being walked on! If Republicans will gather in force in the places where Democrats have gathered and are using some made up protest to loot and burn retail stores to the ground. Republicans need to show up in force and stop or at least intervene in these criminal assaults on innocent Americans trying to make a living and feed their families. Republicans will need to toughen up and take any fight to where it’s needed. Donald Trump has been our trainer in America’s political gym. Some Republicans are now tried and true fighters! But who will take Donald Trump’s place as trainer and motivator for the next four years?

So I laid out the plan and strategy I think Democrats should use to keep The White House for the next sixteen years. Do I think there is a pathway for Republicans to stop the Democrats’ dominance for the next sixteen years? Yes but a couple of things have to happen. First, it will be easier to accomplish if Michelle Obama decides her life, her husband’s, that of her daughters, and other family members would be better served if she stays a private citizen. She could remain relevant from her computer keyboard and television appearances easy enough. My god, any television network would pay her daily to appear on any of their program slots! I still wouldn’t think Kamala Harris is the next presidential nominee. She and maybe six others will battle that out on stage through debates.

If Michelle Obama stays out of the race (she could still support someone else but that won’t help much) here’s my thought. In 2024 while Democrats are battling out the nomination on stage, Republicans need to get on board with this ticket without debates and other potential candidates messing up the effort. Republicans need to appear unified and confident in their ticket right out of the gate! Here’s my ticket with all things as they are today; James (Jim) Jordan for President and Nikki Haely his Vice President running mate. I didn’t pick these names from a hat either. I’ve studied and watched these two for four years now and remain impressed by their candor, knowledge of what they address, working man and woman physical dress and appearance, their natural instinct to fight for what they believe, and world experience in politics and how the game needs to be played. And I didn’t pick Haley because she’s a woman and I feel the need to influence female voters! B.S.! She’s good! Watch her, read her, listen to her and you’ll agree. Unless the Republicans have an Avenger prospect of presidential potential that I’m unaware, these two are my team I’m taking to the fight of 2024. As things are today mind you.

(The views and opinions expressed in the submitted columns are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of The Journal.)