Op-Ed: Try Putting ‘Science’ to These Politics
By Chuck Malloy • June 19, 2023It doesn’t take a college professor to realize that former President Trump was in a heap of trouble politically after the mid-term elections.
Trump’s endorsed candidates took a beating last November, blowing the Republican Party’s chance of gaining control of the Senate and the GOP managed to win just a slim majority in the House. Trump was widely blamed for those losses and his announcement for the presidency was something that only late-night comics could appreciate.
Kerry Hunter, a political science professor at the College of Idaho, was among those who thought the former president was done politically. Then came the indictment from New York, and a more recent one in Florida, and suddenly “The Donald” is back – holding rallies, raising millions of dollars and firmly establishing him as the frontrunner for the GOP nomination.
“Right now, I have a hard time seeing any of the other candidates defeating him in the primaries,” Hunter told me. “I’d be surprised if all the votes for the other candidates will add up to what Trump gets in the Republican primary.”
Hunter has been teaching for 35 years, so he offers a pretty good educated guess here. But two other professors – Markie McBrayer at the University of Idaho and Jacklyn Kettler at Boise State University – have a different perspective. They agree that Trump has a decisive edge, but say that it’s too early to declare him as the winner.
McBrayer and Kettler make a good point. At this time in 2015, Jeb Bush appeared to be the presumptive Republican nominee, and we know what happened to him. Then back in the ‘70s, there was this unheard of peanut farmer, Jimmy Carter, who became a household name in 1976.
With Trump, says McBrayer, “His strategy is similar to 2016. His rhetoric is the same and he has grass-roots appeal, so he hasn’t changed much at all. But the party around him has changed.”
And, despite his lofty poll numbers, there is no shortage of Republicans who want to move on from Trump. It remains to be seen if it is enough to deny him the nomination.
“Something worth watching is what political elites within the party are doing,” McBrayer said. “If political elites within the GOP can rally behind a single candidate, say (Gov. Ron) DeSantis for instance, then DeSantis would have a decent chance of winning.”
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Time will tell if indictments against Trump, now or in the future, will have an impact on the race. It has been a plus for him so far, but Kettler says the judicial drama paves the way for attacks from Trump opponents.
“I think there is concern about whether Trump brings the strongest challenge to Biden,” she said.
The general election is another game entirely. The stars are pointing to a Biden-Trump rematch, which few people seem to want to see. Then there is a possibility of Liz Cheney jumping into the race, for the main purpose of keeping Trump out of the White House.
“If I were a Democrat – and I am neither a Republican or Democrat – my biggest concern would be whether Biden dies, or has a serious health problem that makes him incapable of serving, Hunter said. “But if he’s still around, there’s nothing like Trump to galvanize his supporters.”
For now, the major focus is on the Republican side. As McBrayer sees it, DeSantis is providing the biggest challenge to Trump at the moment. He has hired experienced pros who are well equipped to get him through the Iowa caucus and early primaries, and the Florida governor has gathered a large number of endorsements from Iowa legislators. She gives former Vice President Mike Pence an outside shot, although his style seems more suited to the Reagan era. For others, getting into double digits will be a struggle – although anything is possible.
One thing for sure is that these professors will have some interesting material to bring when classes resume in the fall semester.
Chuck Malloy is a long-time Idaho journalist and columnist. He may be reached at ctmalloy@outlook.com
This Op-Ed was submitted by Chuck Malloy. Op-Eds do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of those at the Idaho Dispatch.
Tags: 2024, 2024 Presidential Election, 2024 Presidential Primary, Donald Trump, General Election, GOP, Jacklyn Kettler, Jeb Bush, Joe Biden, Kerry Hunter, Liz Cheney, Markie McBrayer, Mike Pence, Republican Party, Ron DeSantis
Many of us have decided to not vote for Trump but Vivek Ramaswamy. Powerhouse conservative and not a polarizing figure like Trump has become. The man is absolutely brilliant. Check him out – – – > https://www.youtube.com/@vivek-2024
Liz Cheney? Are you serious? She can’t even win her own state of Wyoming, being tossed out and censored by her own party there. And if she admits she’s actually a Democrat, even more so!
Here’s the thing about Trump: everyone knows that these “indictments” are politically-motivated. He’s already survived two sham impeachments plus the nonsense about January 6th. And no one in the lamestream media is talking about Alvin Bragg’s political vendetta or Hunter Biden’s sudden clemency – in stark contrast to Trump’s persecution. There are MAJOR things wrong with this nation’s biased federal law enforcement and they’ve made Trump into a living martyr.
We have larger problems in our nation which are soon going to come to a head. Either the nation is going to rise up and get rid of the Deep State – restoring freedom and liberty – or we’re going to turn into the worst kind of banana republic. We’re on the verge right now with an incompetent President and Vice President (not to mention at least two Democratic Senators) and unless the ship gets righted soon, that whirlpool of corruption will destroy this nation.
Hah! We could drill down and speculate on one interesting dynamic and we might be able to tease out one testable conclusion. However, the whole ball of wax is a double blind Rube Goldberg machine.
“there is no shortage of Republicans who want to move on from Trump.” This is the mantra of the Rockefeller Republican Est globalist wing. They want MAGA killed once and for all and DeSantis is their man. Pence? He’s disgusting. A globalist stooge through and through. Liz Cheney could present a challenge to Trump? Just like her CFR director globalist daddy? She is DESPISED. Is it possible the person who wrote this article doesn’t even get the basic equation? It’s not right vs left, D vs R. It’s national sovereignty vs the demonic NWO/one world gov agenda. Someone isn’t paying attention. Digital currency, social credit score, total surveillance, kill shots yearly monitored by the UN, Frankenfoods…wake up and smell the coffee. It’s the llth hour and the Republic is on life support. Talking about what GLOBALIST to vote for is insane.