Some thoughts on… Delivering the Presidency
The past few weeks have made this a historic election, and there are still 3 months until the election. The events include a disastrous debate between the current and former President, an attempted assassination on Trump, and Biden pulling out of the race. The polls would seem to indicate that the Trump-Vance ticket is leading nationally and in key electoral states. Has the Republican party locked the election?
As people choose parties, there are strong feelings about the candidates. Aside from feelings, I am asking three questions regarding the platform and policies of the candidates based on what they have said and supported. While the Democratic party ticket is formed, I’d encourage us to all read the official GOP platform.
Is the Trump-Vance platform good for my family?
· Individual rights: The platform curtails rights supported at the Federal level, allowing states to mandate the rights including ones on abortion and marriage.
· Gun Control: The party disagrees with restricting sales of semi-automatic rifles like the AR-15 which was used in the assassination attempt on Trump.
· Climate Change: The GOP goal is to repeal tax credits for green technology like electric cars, to increase fossil fuel production and to pare back environmental regulation.
I don’t believe these policies will protect our kids or keep them safe as they grow up.
Is the Trump-Vance platform good for the country?
· Economy: The platform seeks to reduce inflation by drilling more oil, cutting government spend, and stopping illegal immigration, yet provides scant specifics on policy.
· Immigration: The party offers an aggressive platform on immigration including using the Army and Navy to protect the border, deporting illegal immigrants, and strict vetting to “keep foreign Christian-hating Communists, Marxists and Socialists out of America”. Given the record number of arrivals into the US over the Biden administration, this will be a strong point for the GOP party.
· Election Integrity: The GOP claims widespread voting fraud, but the Heritage Foundation database (a conservative think tank) lists only 1,546 documented fraud cases in the US between 1979-2024 out of 150+ million people who voted in 2020. Trump and Vance continue to cast doubt on the 2020 election and have not made an unqualified commitment to accept 2024 results.
Many people are discontent with the economy, despite the fact that it's actually quite strong. Immigration policy is a strong argument for the GOP but given the uncertainty and anxiety that existed with Covid, the economy, immigration and the January 6 uprising under the previous Trump presidency, I don’t think this ticket will be better for the country again.
Is the Trump-Vance platform good for the world?
· International Trade: Protecting American-made goods, the party plans to implement policy that places baseline tariffs on all goods, revokes China’s Most Favored Nation trading status, and bans companies outsourcing jobs from doing business with the government. Biden’s policies have retained a number of Trump administration tariffs, but increased tariffs will also lead to higher prices and inflation.
· Rule of Law: The party promises to “hold accountable those who have misused the power of Government to unjustly prosecute their political opponents”, and to continue appointing conservative judges. Regardless of who wins in November, the recent supreme court ruling now provides the President exceptional powers and protections.
· Foreign Policy: The platform looks to distance relations with China, prevent WWIII by restoring relations with Russia and holding NATO financially accountable. These are similar policies to the previous Trump term, when the international approval of US leadership fell to a historic low.
Trump’s focus on America First has won allies domestically and has lost him respect with policy makers abroad. I don’t think the world benefits from an isolationist US.
With VP Kamala Harris as the presumptive nominee, Democrats now need to agree on a ticket and gather national support before the November election. Once they pick the candidates, assessing their stance along these three questions will be the next step.
For now, the bullet that almost took Fmr President Trump out of the race, may have just delivered him the Presidency.
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In September, a guest writer will be joining me on these blogs. Steve Uhl and I worked together as consultants at SDG over 25 years ago when he led the Boston Office. We will provide alternative views on the topics as we move towards the election.