When Babe Ruth arguably called his shot at Wrigley Field in Game 3 of the 1932 World Series before smashing a home run over the center field wall, he secured his status as a living legend.
Having witnessed former President Donald Trump’s behavior the past decade and in the debate last week, I predict Vice President Kamala Harris will become the 47th president of the United States. It’s hardly a Ruthian prophecy. My opposition to Trump is no secret, nor is my support for Harris, cemented during my address at the Democratic National Convention last month.
Credit: Geoff Duncan
Credit: Geoff Duncan
But here is the critical factor overlooked in the horse race coverage: For Republicans who care about the principles that made our party great, it’s heads they win, tails we lose. Harris is a liberal Democrat, and Trump is a spineless opportunist who spent large portions of his adult life identifying with and donating to Democrats (including Harris’ California attorney general campaign).
Either way, conservatives don’t have a vehicle or champion. I’m choosing Harris as the short-term antidote hoping it will spur long-term growth. Last week’s debate spotlighted three specific areas where Trump’s behavior falls short of conservative values.
First, Trump’s willingness to peddle half-truths continues to accelerate. In the debate, Trump denied admitting he had lost the 2020 election “by a whisker” and promised “so many facts and statistics” to support his conspiracy theories. These are claims that at least 86 judges — appointed by presidents of both parties — have rejected.
When describing another debunked claim of pets being eaten in Ohio, Trump’s running mate, Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, said the quiet part out loud over the weekend. In a CNN interview, Vance declared he was willing “to create stories so that the American media actually pays attention.”
“Creating stories” is this election cycle’s version of “alternative facts,” a phrase made famous by Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway early in his presidency.
Make no mistake: The broader issue of immigration is real and deserves scrutiny and solutions from the candidates. It deserves better than blatant falsehoods. Or Trump’s scuttling of a bipartisan border bill by claiming, “only a fool, or a Radical Left Democrat, would vote for this horrendous Border Bill.”
Second, Trump callously overlooks the obvious. Last week when asked about his plans for a health care plan to replace the Affordable Care Act, Trump promised “concepts of a plan” that would be revealed “in the not-too-distant future.” Seven years ago, with full Republican control of Congress, Trump broke a 2016 campaign promise when he failed to repeal the 2010 federal health care law. All the while prices and complexities continue to spiral into a dizzying space.
As the nation’s eyes turns to anticipated interest rate cuts from the Federal Reserve this week, our $35 trillion dollar (and rising) national debt did not come up as a topic. Both parties have blame to bear, but Republicans are supposed to be the fiscal hawks. On Trump’s watch, the national debt rose by nearly $8 trillion. This year, the U.S. government will spend a record $1.2 trillion on interest payments alone, the highest amount ever recorded. If we want to get serious about preserving America’s greatness, we cannot whistle past the graveyard on the spending spree.
Finally, Trump’s vision for an America that shrinks on the world stage flies in the face of past GOP icons. Many on the right are heralding the new Ronald Reagan biopic starring Dennis Quaid. What would the 40th president — the unabashed Cold War warrior whose strong and steady leadership relegated the Soviet Union to the ash heap of history — think of Trump’s refusal to state his desire that Ukraine should win its war with Russia? Or Vance’s desired outcome in Russia’s war with Ukraine that allows Russian President Vladimir Putin to keep the land Russia has seized?
These are just three examples of the tragic story our party has allowed Donald Trump to write on our behalf over the past decade.
Much like a magic show, Republicans during the Trump era have been tricked into staring at the wrong shiny object to mask the tomfoolery of the magician. It should come as no surprise that every election since 2016 has ended with a GOP disappointment. If we want to get serious about winning and governing again, we must get back to our principles and we must get rid of Trump.
As an eternal optimist, I believe the process starts in earnest with the election now just seven weeks away.
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