By Jeremy Steiner
For The Herald
On Wednesday, Republicans host their first debate debuting several fresh presidential candidates. Voters will view a platform of relatively unknown politicians on a national stage.
Although these candidates have great personal stories and strong political records with solid experience in governing states or in the U.S. Senate, they lack national name recognition. Unfortunately, since most have been polling below 5 percent for months, this first meeting may be their last.
If former President Trump shows up, not only is he the most well-known candidate, but he’s also the most unpopular according to general polling among U.S. adults. After losing the popular vote in 2016, he lost the last election by more than 7 million votes. All his Republican rivals make the case that even if he wins the nomination, he can’t beat Biden.
What voter who supported Biden last time will now somehow switch over to Trump with his losing record, impeachments and indictments?
So the reality is, we now face Decision 2020: Part 2, a rematch with two old men, both with legal troubles.
A plethora of polls over the past year show Americans don’t want either to run again. A recent CNN survey found that only 33 percent favored Trump and 32 percent backed Biden, and 36 percent viewed neither positively.
This week a new Associated Press poll showed 53 percent of Americans would definitely not support Trump if he is the nominee with another 11 percent saying they would probably not support him. For Biden 43 percent say they would definitely not support him in the general election, with another 11 percent saying they probably wouldn’t.
The terrible two aren’t just unpopular now, but polling over the past few years have proved them both to be viewed with low approval ratings. For decades, Gallup has tracked presidents on a monthly basis based on their approval and disapproval. In Trump’s four years as president, his approval never topped 49 percent. Biden’s highest was 57 percent and then has dropped and consistently lingered in the low 40s and high 30s.
This hasn’t happened before, Presidents Bush, Clinton and Obama had multiple months of approval ratings over 50 percent and 60 percent. But now our politics is broken. The voters are sending a clear message of disapproval on a monthly basis, but neither Biden nor Trump are listening.
Outside of politics, who would support a leader’s long record of losing; let alone all the potential criminal activity? If a CEO continually had record low profits, if a pastor only delivered a decline in the congregation, if a coach consistently had a losing season; they’d be fired or asked to resign.
Why can’t we create a system where we’re allowed the choice to vote for popular politicians? In most areas of American life, we’re provided plenty of popular options when it comes to choosing a car, travel, homes, gyms or clothes. When it comes to picking a top professional for health care, home services or kids sports, most pick the top person or company.
Some will argue that elections provide citizens a chance to show their approval or dissatisfaction at the ballot box every four years. But now we have clear and consistent data proving a president is unpopular for months and even years leading into the election. Can’t we find a better way to ensure voters at least have choices that are popular and inspirational?
We already have rules and regulations restricting our election system like age and locality. Is it so constitutionally challenging to also require that incumbent candidates hold the simple quality of likeability?
When it comes to presidential politics, why does it muster such negative notions, like: I’ll hold my nose and vote for one of them or I’ll vote for the lesser of two evils?
Former Attorney General Bill Barr recently responded when asked who he’d vote for: “I’ll jump off that bridge when I get to it.” And in another interview: “I will have to wait to see what the situation is and I will pick my poison at that point.”
Has our precious practice of participating in presidential politics really come to a suicidal decision? We hold the awesome ability, the right and responsibility to vote for our next national leader who will be making the most significant decisions impacting our country and world. And yet we compare this choice to avoiding a flatulent smell or calling fellow citizens wicked like Satan or a mass murderer.
If there’s still a chance to save our system and provide Americans with a choice of popular presidential politicians, we should do some California dreaming. One of our most popular presidents ever was Reagan, who served two terms as California governor and won the presidency twice with landslides.
During the Cold War, in 1964 he gave a famous speech called A Time for Choosing, in which he compared the choices between freedom and totalitarianism.
Today, there are two top popular politicians residing in the Golden State: Gov. Gavin Newsom and former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Their approval ratings are at 56 percent and 57 percent, respectively.
The reality of either of them making a presidential run is an unrealistic dream; Schwarzenegger, because he was born in Austria, is ineligible. Biden would need to pull hid scandidacy to make way for Newsom; Arnold would need a constitutional amendment. Neither will happen.
So our only hope for a fresh start that most Americans want is if Biden pulls a line from LBJ: “I shall not seek, and I will not accept, the nomination of my party for another term as your president.”
And for Trump, he promised his second term will be about retribution. Instead, how about an early retirement. For the sake of our nation and your family, with 91 indictments, step down and leave a legacy of putting country before party and self.
Jeremy Steiner is executive producer for the nationally syndicated Michael Medved radio show and lives in Edmonds.
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