10 Jan A Biden and Trump Rerun: Don’t Watch It
Sanford and Son was a favorite, as were Mork & Mindy and Starsky & Hutch. They all screamed 1970s television, and each show was about a pair of people. Then, the 1980s brought much the same with duos LaVerne & Shirley and Cagney & Lacey. In the 1990s there was Will & Grace, a show that lasted until 2006 and even made a comeback a decade later. Another twosome show called Rick and Morty apparently has been popular in recent years.
With all of these TV programs, especially those produced prior to digital recording and even before VCRs, the question for devotees often was “will it be new tonight, or a rerun?” Watching the dynamic duo the first time was better than the repeat airing of the same episode.
Sometimes, however, even a new, original showing was not all that good in the first place. That brings us to one rerun that nobody should want to watch: Biden and Trump.
Why It Was Not and Is Not a Good Show
Can all agree on at least one thing regarding the original 2020 episode of Biden and Trump? That is, it was terrible. A TV review could read like this: bad opening scene featuring inept campaigns and campaigners, regrettable staging with one candidate in his basement and the other baselessly shouting at rallies and on Twitter. Relentless negative ads interrupting constantly. A disjointed climax tinged with uncertainty and fear on election night. False claims of victory and theft, lawsuits, threats, and a devastating attack on the U.S. Capitol. All capped off with an embarrassing final scene when a huffy loser boycotts the inauguration.
Raise your hand if you liked what you saw. No, America is worse off for having had to sit through that show. As a friend once said, “We all are dumber after watching that, and we can’t unsee it.”
Principle Based Politics will host an interactive one-hour discussion via Zoom on Tuesday, January 24, 2023. Following up on today’s blog post, the topic will include brainstorming on how to avoid a rematch between Presidents Biden and Trump in 2024. Please mark your calendar and accept our invitation to join this important discussion.
Similar to television shows, there is no rational basis for expecting a political rerun to be better than the original. The problem is that there would be the same leading characters, and the same script with the same plot.*
*Republicans obviously did not like the 2020 results. As for Democrats, if the truth were told, most were not excited about their candidate or his victory except that he did unseat Mr. Trump. Despite that accomplishment, President Biden’s favorability ratings have been at historic lows.
A Biden and Trump repeat would not be good for America, just like the last race was not. It would erode further our leadership principles, such as the respect the U.S. receives abroad and at home. Leadership principles of integrity and honesty suffered badly both through Mr. Biden’s false promises to govern from the middle and “bring America together” and Mr. Trump’s “big lie.” The government principle of limited government also was torn apart in 2020, as both candidates tripped over themselves to offer bigger and bigger spending programs disguised as “stimulus” or “recovery” payments, thereby unleashing inflation. Both presidents’ reliance on executive orders has amounted to ruling by fiat rather than honoring American freedom and democracy. More than anything, the 2020 election and its aftermath violated the principle of peace.
It was appalling the first time, and it could be worse on rerun.
Don’t Sit Back and Watch
Our suggestion is that citizens get up off the couch and demand better from our political parties. You can begin by letting it be known publicly that you do not want to see either Trump or Biden nominated. Tell that to anyone you know who has connections in politics. Tell it to pollsters if they call. Write letters to editors. Post online to that effect. You have a voice in this, and you should use it.
Vote early and often on the subject, too. By that, we mean vote with your eyeballs by not looking at the attention seeking, pandering, or slimy antics of either Biden or Trump. Don’t like, retweet, or share their posts. Don’t attend their campaign events. Importantly, vote with your money by refusing to donate to either. Lastly, and most importantly, vote with your actual vote by casting your primary or caucus ballot for another, better candidate. We hope sensible voices are heard long before the primary and caucus ballots are determined.
Surely, with all of the options we have now, there must be something better to view than a rerun of Biden and Trump.
Written by Quentin R. Wittrock, founder of Principle Based Politics.
Look for his posts each week, as this blog will explore and promote the idea of principle in politics, both as to individual elected leaders and our federal government as an institution.
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