Why Democrats Could Lose the Fight Again in 2020
In order to be good, functionally good, you must first understand the nature of bad. In order to understand bad you must have a little bad in you, controlling it, so you can fight it and win. It’s like a vaccine for a deadly virus. You get injected with a small amount of the virus so that your body’s own defense systems can understand it, figure it out, and defeat it.
A lot of things can go wrong, however. Understanding bad is a tricky science. There are many different kinds of bad and many different perceptions of bad. Sometimes bad can be disguised as good. Seldom, however, is good disguised as bad. Good is quickly recognized by bad and quickly snuffed out. It’s how bad works. It’s strong. It’s a bully. It’s a defamer, a name-caller. It sometimes has a bloated orange face topped with bizarre yellow hair or some other demonic physical characteristics like beady eyes, small hands, pursed lips. Or, it can be a handsome silver-tongued devil ...be careful ...
“Sometimes Satan comes as a man of peace.”
Bob Dylan
(see link down below for song and lyrics)
But let’s work off the premise that there is a little good in the bad of all of us and as well as little bad in the good of all of us. It’s our common human trait, and evens the playing field of speculation.
The way things are shaping up now politically in America, especially since the 2016 presidential election, and especially, with the laser-focused dramatic presentations by America’s illustrious, frenetic media, the Democrats have taken on the mantle of “good” while the Republicans are looked at by many as “bad”. The margin of error in this good-bad science is the the percentage of voters who actually go to the poles to cast their vote and of those who vote for Donald Trump, who, to many, is the embodiment of “bad”.
Many refer to Trump as “President Goldfinger”. This personification of “bad” analogy needs no further explanation. However, many will tell you he’s a “good” president.
So, the most critical, singular job for the Democrats is to defeat ...”bad”. Defeat President Goldfinger. Who will be our James Bond 007 savior?
According to the scientific analysis and the diagnosis to defeat bad, as outlined above, the Democrats must not only understand bad, but must become a little “bad” themselves to defeat it in 2020. They need to take the gloves off and fight to win.
Unless there is some new Republican candidate to challenge Trump in 2020, which would take “courage” of which I see none in either the Republican congressional or party mix, the Democrats, not known for their courage either just their good-meaning ideology, have to muster together to beat Trump and win the election.
So, who can do this? What Democratic candidate will rise to the occasion and “go over the top” and win?
Right now, I don’t see any. “It’s deja vu all over agin.” The huffing and puffing Democratic candidates are falling from the tree like low hanging fruit. Trump is already laughing at them, and so are many Americans, and so is the American media.
Beto O’Rourke? Please ...give me a break. I don’t know where this kid came from or where he thinks he’s going but I can’t in my wildest dreams see him as President of the United States going toe-to-toe with world leaders or even with corporate America. He reminds me of a high school kid running for class president. He needs a guidance counselor not a campaign manager. Why is the media giving him so much attention?! Oh, yeah, ratings ...the foolish candidate du jour.
Bernie Sanders, fugettaboutit. Elizabeth Warren, ditto. Kamela Harris, nice try but no cigar. Gillibrand, you’ll never hear from her gain. Klobuchar, nice woman, but ...okay, give it a shot, what the heck. Hickenlooper, nah. Cory Booker, nuh-uh ...and on and on they come like a herd of expectant cows heading for the barn yearning to be relieved of their ambitions and destiny. Hillary, sorry, but still, ‘lock her up’.
Even former Republican Speaker, Paul Ryan, is making headlines suggesting a possible run, but this weakling soda jerk from Wisconsin quit his job and the American people’s trust, so we don’t need to hear from him agin.
Too many cooks spoil the broth. We’re choking with Democratic idealists trying to satisfy their own appetite for fame and fortune cloaked in the American flag preaching the “good” against the “bad” for a better society, like they have the answer. They are just treading water in the bottomless sea of media influenced public opinion in our foolish entertainment-based bread and circus culture. The majority of Americans care less about an unimpeachable president, than they do about the best media star entertainer. It’s showtime all the time in America, and we love it. It seems to be our destiny.
Like it or not, our American presidential election process is a media-driven reality show. Maybe we should format it like the Oscars. Limit the first round nominees to five and pick the best one. Then maybe the phrase “it’s an honor just being nominated” would mean something. Right now you have neophyte wannabees like Beto O’Rourke up against savvy, experienced adult pros like Joe Biden with a variety pac of candidates in between running interference, confusing our perceptions, clouding our judgement.
Bad will always trump good if we’re not careful. It’s too powerful a force and it seems to be gaining all the time. It’s okay for the Democrats to chat a noble course, but what’s required to win is a strong situational awareness and a vigilant captain at the helm.
We need to understand bad to defeat it, take the gloves off, learn the language, recognize the signs ...vaccinate ourselves with a little bad so as not to be fooled by it. Remember, sometimes Satan comes as a man of peace ...
‘Man of Peace’ by Bob Dylan
John Kushma is a communication consultant and lives in Logan, Utah
