*Before getting to the subject hinted at by the title to this post, let me say that this post will assume something that it is somewhat risky to assume: that the election held in 2028 will not be a Soviet style election in which the outcome is known in advance. The assumption will be that the votes will actually be counted and the person getting the most electoral votes (thanks for the stupid electoral vote system, sainted Founding Fathers!) will win the presidency.
In my humble opinion (okay, maybe not so humble) Chris Murphy would be the best candidate the Democrats could put forward in 2028 to face whatever Republican may run. And believe it or not, I read recently that Trump Jr. is thinking of running, which, again assuming the election is decided by following the law, would be a plus for us. I don’t understand the attraction Donald Sr. has for any voter, but whatever it is, Junior doesn’t have it.
First, an observation about the state of our nation. We are facing a critical period in our history. The odds are good that we will slip into full fascism before 2028, but if we don’t, the Democrats can’t afford to take any chances. They have to recognize and accept some painful realities about this very screwed up country. There is reason to believe that Kamala, surely the superior candidate in 2024, lost simply because she is a woman. There is also ample reason to believe that Obama pulled off a miracle and it’s unlikely that we could win with a person of color at the present time. In any event, we should play it safe, so a white male it should be. Chris Murphy fits that minimal requirement, but that’s hardly the reason I think he should be our candidate.
Ever since Trump was elected Chris has shown that he understands the nature of the threat Trump poses. Too many of our national Democrats seem to think that nothing significant has changed since the days when we had two relatively rational parties. Even given the criminal conduct of the Trump administration since the day he was inaugurated, they continue to adhere to a mental state not justified by the present circumstances. Consider, for instance, Jim Himes decision to vote to censor Al Green for interrupting Trump during the State of the Union address. The expectation for comity only runs one way, but folks like Himes don’t seem to recognize that. Consider also Chuck Schumer’s decision to vote for the Republican’s continuing budget resolution.
Chris, on the other hand, has made it clear that he understands the current situation and has been vocal about it. Once again, such understanding is a minimal requirement for our candidate, but not every Democrat out there measures up.
Whoever we run for president will need to frame the issues in a way to which a) Republicans will have a hard time responding, and b) a now Republican subservient media will have a hard time misrepresenting. That’s a tall order, and no one will achieve 100% success, but I think Chris will have the ability to do as good a job as could anyone. Hopefully he, along with other Democrats will learn that it’s time for the Democrats to start attacking the media just as the Republicans did to the “liberal media” in the now seemingly distant past. It was never really so liberal, only more fair minded, but those attacks brought the both siderism that has morphed into the IOKIYAR mentality among almost all of the nation’s media.
I really think Chris has the ability to expose the Republicans for what they are and the ability to properly frame the issues.
Somewhat relevant addendum: I just read that enough Democrats voted for the Republican budget resolution to get it to pass. Neither Chris nor Dick Blumenthal were among them. Yet another example of Democrats not understanding the situation in which we find ourselves.