Dakota Beacon

Be careful how you vote.

The Republican National Convention will be held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin from July 15-18, 2024, and will select the party nominee for the presidential campaign.

Consider a bit of history. Some readers are old enough to remember the following. In 1992 Ross Perot (Reform Party, TX) threw his hat in the presidential campaign running against incumbent President George Bush (R) and newcomer William Jefferson Clinton (D). Perot effectively siphoned votes from Bush and we ended up with Clinton.

Four years earlier, at the 1988 Republican Presidential Convention, George Bush gave his famous pledge – “Read my lips. No new taxes.” In 1990 he reneged on his pledge earning him the anger and distrust of the American voter. As a perfect product of “the swamp” he deserved the public’s ire.

Be careful how you vote.

People have their reasons for not liking former President Donald J. Trump (R). Some don’t like his tweets. Some say he doesn’t “look presidential” by “swamp” standards. (Trump has his faults but identifying Trump with the Washington, DC “swamp” is not one of them.) Other reasons some folks don’t like Trump include the following tongue-in-cheek observations. He endangered fellow Americans by holding mass rallies. He repeatedly attacked the media. He urged Russia and China to interfere in America’s 2016 elections. He rejected manmade climate change and withdrew America from the Paris climate accord. He nominated white men to the Supreme Court and preferred justices who have narrow views of the constitution. He watched Fox News. He wasted billions of dollars building a wall on our southern border. The list could go on. In the end, two tabulations might be set side-by-side, one listing “Personality Traits” and the other “Policy Performance.” Which outcome would outweigh the other? Any preference? Some may not like his personality, but no one can deny his successful policy accomplishments foreign or domestic.

Be careful how you vote.

Observing the 2024 Democrat National Convention in Chicago could be a painful replay of the 1968 Chicago convention riots. Again, a few readers are old enough to remember.

The 1968 Democrat National Convention attracted groups protesting the United States' involvement in the ongoing Vietnam War. The protests lasted approximately seven days from August 23 to August 29. Many left-wing counterculture groups began planning protests, marches, and demonstrations in response to the convention and the impending presidential nomination of Democrat vice-president nominee Hubert Humphrey. There were several unsuccessful attempts by local Chicago authorities to prevent the protests from occurring. They failed and riots ensued.

To the surprise of the news media, the public did not take their side. Most Americans, 56 percent, sympathized with the police and not with the demonstrators or the press. The media spent a lot of time reflecting on the white working middle class dubbed "the silent majority" by soon-to-be-president Richard Nixon.

In comparison, the 2024 Democrat National Convention to be held in Chicago may not be all that placid. This year’s convention will be held August 19-22, and is expected to draw more than 5,000 delegates, 20,000 media members and as many as 50,000 “visitors.” Many Democrats neither like President Joseph R. Biden, Jr.’s policies nor their outcomes.

Groups planning to hold rallies are hoping the party is forced to address the demands of protesters. One activist claimed that Democrats have failed to walk the walk after talking the talk to get elected. “The fact of the matter is the Democrats have used our issues to gain electoral advantage and then given us the bare minimum,” said Andy Thayer, a long-time Chicago activist who spoke on behalf of the groups.

But where can Democrats turn? November 2024 looks like a rematch between Biden and Trump. However, if “liberal” candidate, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. representing We the People Party, emerges as a Democrat third choice, he would inevitably hurt Biden’s chances. On the other hand, if a “conservative” candidate arises as a Republican third choice, that would certainly hurt Trump’s chances and America may get four more years of Biden. A final very unlikely and unimaginable scenario might pose a four-way race for president. In that case, all bets are off.

Be careful how you vote.

So far, only the executive branch has been considered. But there are also the legislative races for the US House and US Senate. Both houses reside under control of opposing parties by a thin margin – the House controlled by Republicans and the Senate controlled by the Democrats. Some elected members of each party are retiring or even switching parties. Either body could flip. Who ever is elected President will have to deal with the result.

Let us start first with the 2024 party conventions.

Then, be careful how you vote.

Dennis M. Patrick can be contacted at (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).