It’s going to be an interesting election. On the Republican side, former President Donald Trump, in spite of, or perhaps because of, numerous court cases and convictions, is not only the nominee for his party but has managed to be the frontrunner in the upcoming election. At least so far.
His vice-presidential choice, to the surprise of many, is Ohio Senator J.D. Vance who rose from abject Appalachian poverty and a severely dysfunctional family to serve as a U.S. Marine, graduate from Ohio State University and Yale Law School, and author a best-selling autobiography that was made into a Ron Howard movie. He will not turn 40 until next month.
The sitting President, Joe Biden, who defeated Trump in 2020 was the Democratic nominee until a few days ago. Having won the highest number of votes in American history, over 81,000,000 in 2020, a terrible performance in the recent presidential debate derailed his campaign. With calls from within his own party to resign, or at least step aside as a candidate, and with powerful donors withholding money, Mr. Biden announced that he was ending his candidacy.
Who will the Democrats choose? While anything is possible at this point, since the Democratic National Convention is not until August, Vice-President Kamala Harris has the endorsement of President Biden and a few days ago raised a ton of money in just a 24-hour period. It remains to be seen if she will be the nominee, but she likely has the inside track. Who the vice-presidential choice will be is presently unknown.
A few things are all but certain: (1) A massive amount of money is going to be spent by both sides. (2) This will be an election like no other. Donald Trump is a convicted felon and Joe Biden, the sitting president, was forced out by his own party. Harris has not polled well in the past. (3) The country that is currently and severely divided is likely to remain so after the election, whoever emerges victorious. (4) The current third-party candidates, Oliver Chase (Libertarian) and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. (Independent), will not be elected but could siphon off votes from the two major candidates, which, if the vote count is close, could make a difference.
Elections in the United States, particularly at the national level, are not about what is best for the country or its citizens. It is about power. Those in power want to retain it and those not in power want to regain it. And, if the recent past is any indication, the fight for power is a political war in which the end justifies the means. Victory at any cost.
In just a little over three months, this war will be over, and the victors declared. Then, just when it seems that one can relax and be done with politics, the campaign for 2028 will have already begun.
[David Epps is the Rector of the Cathedral of Christ the King (www.ctk.life). Worship services are on Sundays at 10:00 a.m. and on livestream at www.ctk.life. He is the bishop of the Diocese of the Mid-South (www.midsouthdiocese.life). He has been a weekly opinion columnist for The Citizen for over 27 years. He may be contacted at [email protected].]
