Winston Churchill is famous for a lot of historically significant quotes, and this is one of my favorites.
“Americans always do the right thing, but not until they have exhausted every possible alternative.” – Winston Churchill
And so here we are with both political parties in disarray and the possibility of another Trump run on the Republican side, and some unknown far left politician like California’s Gavin Newsom running on the Democratic side. But it seems like Americans and America are ready for something much more stable, more mainstream, and significantly more mature.
We have a small coffee group that meets from time to time and discusses the state of the world, and in particular American politics. Several times in the past few months the question of the next election and who might run has come up. All of us voted for President Trump in the last election because the alternative was Hillary Clinton who everyone knows to be both corrupt and believed by some to be amoral. But it is unlikely that any of us would vote for President Trump in the Republican primary if another viable candidate were available.
President Trump was the right person, in the right place, at the right time to take advantage of the failed candidacy of Hillary Clinton. He was obnoxious, brash, and crude. He was what America needed, what the American people wanted, but what the Washington Oligarchs could not accept. He gets a lot of credit for fighting for his agenda and for us, but not a lot of style points for how he handled himself. President Trump was well intended, but just too polarizing and high maintenance to win again. If you feel exhausted, join the crowd.
Often our conversation turns to who might make the perfect ticket in 2024 and three names keep surfacing. The first is Ron DeSantis, the former member of the House of Representatives and Republican Governor of Florida. He served in the Navy and served on Seal Team One in the Iraq War. Governor DeSantis is a graduate of the Harvard Law School and experienced in successful political management. He handles stress with confidence and poise, and he handles other politicians and the media with ease.
Another name that often surfaces is Nikki Haley, the former Republican Governor of South Carolina and Ambassador to the United Nations. She is tough and seems willing to take on anyone who is blocking her path to success. She is the daughter of two immigrants from India, and as a first-generation citizen brings an understanding of immigrant and minority communities.
But the long shot that we talk about is Tulsi Gabbard, the former Democratic Representative from Hawaii. As an Army Veteran she served in Iraq and Kuwait as a military police officer and has first-hand experience with the pitfalls of our involvement in protracted Middle East wars. She is of Samoan and European descent and a rare thing, a conservative or at least moderate Politician. We are learning every day that her word is her bond, and she has the courage to change to do what is right.
Our discussions centered on the ability to make both the Democrats and Republicans uncomfortable with a split ticket with one Democrat and one Republican. But then last week Tulsi Gabbard announced her departure from the Democratic Party, opening the door to at least one Republican and one Independent.
Ms. Gabbard mentioned in her announcement that she felt the Democratic Party had been taken over by far-left politicians who had abandoned its principles. It was not her decision to leave the party, the party left her or no longer existed. She also called for other Democrats to join her, and in the next few months we will learn about the ability of individual Democrats to stand on their own.
For 2024 we now have more solid choices for the highest offices than we have in years, but the fight is just beginning. As President Trump learned the deep state is real and it does not like for outsiders with new ideas to exist within Washington. There are the elected politicians, the employed bureaucrats, and then there is the K Street lobbyists. All three of these groups have a vested interest in maintaining the status quo.
Apart from these three groups are the American Oligarchs who have large fortunes to protect and who know the Democrats will keep money flowing in their direction. The likes of Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, and George Soros all know who keeps the money flowing and protects their existing fortune. Their ability to contribute to campaigns and sway public opinion is becoming a real issue in our political landscape. Zuckerberg is a real issue and rightly sees Elon Musk as a threat since he might just change Twitter into an honest conversation platform.
The 2024 election will be epic, with the potential to put back in office for eight years men or women who as Plato noted can right the “Ship of State.” The American people must take back the government and return it to a “Ship of State” and not a “Ship of Fools” as it is now. But the winning ticket will have to be one of two choices since voters will not go for two candidates from the same region. So, it is either DeSantis and Gabbard, or Haley and Gabbard. Either ticket gives you a President and Vice President capable of sailing the ship.
These three will need to remember another of Churchill’s famous admonitions:
“You have enemies? Good. That means you’ve stood up for something, sometime in your life.”– Winston Churchill
This article is part of a series on the 2024 Election. You can see others by clicking here.
