Countdown to 2024: Growing speculation over potential 2024 nominees
That’s the unofficial list of 2024 Presidential Candidate to date. Biden is still stalling and hasn’t officially announced yet. The Republicans have been pacing their announcements at about one a week so that they don’t step on each other. They’re showing up at state caucuses and GOP conventions. Trump, Pence, and DeSantis showed up Saturday at the NC GOP convention, and Biden showed up in Rocky Mount on Friday to tout a grant. Senator Tillis was censured for some votes. It probably will take at least several months after the official primaries next year before the candidates shake out. The assumption at this point appears to be that Biden may have the Democratic nomination locked up in spite of his low poll ratings.
Of course, most of the news focuses on the GOP front runner who is facing two indictments. The first one has an official trial date set for March ‘24. It is an untested notion that a candidate could not serve after a felony conviction. The right-wing media claim that it is another DOJ witch hunt. They’re also working hard to continue to discredit the FBI. A few of the GOP candidates have taken a head-on assault on Trump, but most have danced around making direct criticisms. They are afraid of alienating his large voter base.
President Biden
President Biden finally made it official that he is running for a second term. Regardless of his age and low poll ratings, he couldn’t say No. So far, no one has announced their opposition to him. Given the ineptitude of the Secret Service, a bullet would seem to be more of a threat.
It’s a different story for the Republicans. It seems like someone is announcing his or her candidacy every other day. Trump is still the leader in the polls, but I predict that even if he is not in jail by the primaries, he will face more than one conviction. Of course, he will play that out on appeal, but a felony conviction itself I think would disqualify him. Aside from his die-hard supporters, I think few people will still buy his claims that he won the 2020 election.
The Republicans have been focused on getting legislation passed in state legislatures and not focused yet on the 2024 elections. The Republican National Committee has kept its distance from the DeSantis/Trump circus. I guess they’re waiting for them to knock each other out.
CBS: Fox sued over election falsehoods
Dominion Voting Systems has filed a civil defamation lawsuit against Fox News claiming that the organization and its commentators knowingly published false information about Dominion. During the process of discovery, several instances during depositions have revealed that employees knew they were repeating falsehoods. Rupert Murdoch, chairman of the organization that owns Fox News, made a statement that acknowledged that several employees knowingly promoted Trump’s lies. He has separately indicated that he will not be endorsing Trump this time. He disclaimed any personal responsibility, which implies he might be trying to throw one of his children under the bus. I’m not a lawyer, and I will not comment on the case per se.
Politics involves more than just politicians. It also includes lobbyists, advocacy groups, wealthy donors, corporations, demonstrators, and media who try to influence legislation. Fox News flew high during the Trump administration using its high profile and ratings to justify ad rates. Even after he left office, they were the primary media platform for him and his policies.