Political prognosticating is neither a hobby nor an interest of mine. The few times I've tried – a Bob Dole surprise victory in 1996, Mitt Romney landslide in 2012, Kamala Harris/Cory Booker ticket in 2020 – it's been an epic embarrassment to myself and loved ones.
But even though I do my best to stay out of the prediction game these days, I still love observing political trends, strategies, and tactics. I'm fascinated by the machinations of political operations and organizations even as I shake my head in disbelief that anyone could think it is the path to peace and joy.
Truthfully – and I am eternally grateful for this – the deeper in my faith that I grow, the more like Jesus I'm trusting the Holy Spirit to shape me into becoming, the more detached I feel from this ultimately futile pursuit of earthly power and prestige. In short, it's bewildering to me how anyone can suspend all forms of rationality and logic to ally themselves with causes and movements that are often so double minded and ethically undisciplined.
Take the now infamous red-backdrop speech from President Biden a couple weeks ago that laid out the election strategy for the country's majority party. In it, the man who claimed to be restoring a more dignified and unifying politics to our culture claimed that his opposition – the so-called MAGA Republicans - represent a grave threat to the stability and security of the American republic. He had previously tweeted out the same accusation.
Calling your fellow countrymen anti-Constitution and anti-democracy is outrageous enough when the claim is made by an opportunist paid handsomely for being provocative on cable news. But for the President of the United States, flanked by military guard, preceded by the Marine band, to lob such invective is irresponsibly destabilizing.
Further, a careful observer will find any "vote for us to save the Constitution" appeal odd when it emanates from the same movement that has demanded the abolition of the United States Senate, the discarding of the electoral college, and the abandonment of any remaining shred of dual federalism.
But the more instructive observation to make is not nearly as glaring. Should we assume that our country's president is sincere in his warning about the domestic threat posed by what has become the core nucleus of the Republican Party, and not merely utilizing reckless hyperbole for the sake of craven political posturing, wouldn't it be reasonable to observe his party willing to make some form of sacrifice in order to neutralize the danger?
Dan Ornelas asked that very question recently on Twitter.
Couple this with the fact that Democrats spent nearly $44 million during the primary election cycle to help these supposedly democracy-endangering MAGA Republicans defeat their moderate challengers. Would that not make them accomplices in the insurrection?
See, Democrats financially supporting MAGA Republicans during primary season makes sense as a political strategy. It's far easier for them to find electoral success against a publicly perceived radical than someone who positions themselves moderately. But if you truly believed those radical individuals were an existential threat to our way of life, as Biden represents them, you'd want them defeated by anyone, as soon as possible. You would make sacrifices to your own political wish list in desperation, realizing that rescuing the republic is more important than your latest climate change power grab or gun control measure. But no such sacrifice is ever forthcoming from the political left.
In other words, common sense exposes the insincerity of the president's appeal. One would think that will come with dire electoral consequences; but again, I've learned not to bank on my own skill as a political prognosticator or prophet. Still, if this closing sales pitch works for Democrats, it's only because the voting public has become as undisciplined as the politicians they foolishly trust.
