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I have written several columns recently on what may be the rough road ahead for President Trump if he decides to run for reelection in 2020.
My main point was that his personality overrides his accomplishments; that moderate Republicans and independents find him so unlikable, his temperament so noxious, that they won't vote for him next time around.
In my last column I wrote that, “Voters were willing to give the brash billionaire a chance in 2016. He was different. People like something different. Until they don't.”
2020 is still a long way off, so anything is possible. And along those lines, here are 10 reasons Donald Trump – despite himself — could win in 2020.
- Sen. Bernie Sanders
- Sen. Elizabeth Warren
- Sen. Kamala Harris
- Sen. Corey Booker
- Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand
- Deval Patrick (former governor of Massachusetts)
- Robert Francis "Beto" O'Rourke (progressive heartthrob whose claim to fame is that he just lost a closer than expected race to Sen. Ted Cruz)
- Eric Holder (former attorney general in the Obama administration)
- Sen. Sherrod Brown
- Tom Steyer (California billionaire environmentalist who runs ads on TV calling for Americans to rise up and demand that Donald Trump be impeached)
Once upon a time, just about everyone on that list would be considered too far left to to be taken seriously as a presidential candidate. But the Democratic base has moved so far in that direction that these people are mainstream stars in a party whose democratic-socialist wing has grown substantially in influence in recent years.
As for Donald Trump, no one is counting on a personality makeover. He is, as the expression goes, who he is. But if he can take a few baby steps in the direction of normalcy … if he can lay off the constant barrage of verbal smackdowns aimed at his opponents … if he can stop the vindictive cheap shots … if he can control his need to give juvenile nicknames to anyone who runs against him … and instead focus on progressive policies, then he's got a shot at a second term.
Where's the $32 trillion over 10 years going to come from to pay for their cherished “Medicare for all”? Do the American people want government officials making decisions about their personal health care? Who's going to pay for so-called “free” college tuition? Bernie Sanders wants “wealthy people and large corporations to begin paying their fair share.” Candidate Trump should tell voters – in a grownup, civil way – that raising taxes on America's job creators will mean fewer – not more – jobs, and a weaker – not stronger — economy.
So the Democratic field just might be Donald Trump's best hope for reelection in 2020 – unless, of course, he can't control his tart tongue and continues to alienate those moderate Republicans and independents he must have in order to win a second term.
And there's always the special counsel and whatever he might come up with.
Final Note: Look out for a Joe Biden-Kamala Harris ticket. They check off all the identity boxes Democrats care about: One is on the old side, the other on the young side. One is a man, the other a woman. One is white, the other black. One is a moderate (at least by today’s Democratic Party standards) the other an unapologetic progressive.
If that’s the Democratic ticket, you heard it here first. If it’s not, I didn’t say it.
(COMMENT, BELOW)
JWR contributor Bernard Goldberg, the television news reporter and author of several bestselling books, among them, Bias, a New York Times number one bestseller about how the media distort the news. He is widely seen as one of the most original writers and thinkers in broadcast journalism. Mr. Goldberg covered stories all over the world for CBS News and has won 10 Emmy awards for excellence in journalism. He now reports for the widely acclaimed HBO broadcast Real Sports.
He is a graduate of Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey and a member of the school's Hall of Distinguished Alumni and proprietor of BernardGoldberg.com.