My Thoughts on the US Presidential Primaries

Why have the Democrats kept Joe Biden as their candidate?

It isn't about his age, but his cognitive ability. We know he is suffering from dementia and shouldn't be there, despite his clean health report minus a cognitive test (hmm?). It is unkind not to retire Joe Biden when he is not fully functioning. Instead we have a President, who many suspected from the beginning, didn't have enough cognitive power to reason through complex political matters. Voters let themselves believe he was the "centrist" and "civil" candidate. (Very few "loved" Biden or Trump; most votes were anti-votes.) Biden's inability to preside has led to out-of-control federal budgets, economic hardship, the border crisis, the deadly evacuation in Afghanistan, and emboldening authoritarian governments and terrorists. Have I missed anything?

The US is in a worse position, yet there are still lackluster candidates in the Democrat primary. The other two candidates are too stuck in far-left policy. Some have suspicions they'll put in another candidate when Biden is declared mentally unfit. Why not do it now? It's time to let Joe Biden retire in peace. Though I have little faith in a possible Democratic candidate being a moderate because they already turned away Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. He already appeals to a wider electorate disillusioned with the establishment. Kennedy is more libertarian, but he is willing to work with people!

Why have the Republicans kept Trump as their candidate?

Then the attacks on Donald Trump have been overkill--as evidenced by the 9-0 Supreme Court decision about Colorado removing Trump from the ballot. Trump hasn't been convicted of anything--though he certainly caused trouble. If you want, point out his character flaws, his unwillingness to step down gracefully from power, his behavior toward women, etc. (By the way, the other side has not been gracious about transitioning power either.)

Though the attacks against Trump are not succeeding that well because most of us already have a firm opinion. Many already know we had a better economy under Trump. For all his bluster, Trump begrudgingly worked with others. At least he had staff who were more reasonable too. In the end, he was a sore loser, thus he is an annoying candidate to put forward. Many have questions about his actions on January 6, 2021. At first, I had more reservations about Trump after January 6th, though now I doubt the original narrative because of the lack of transparency, missing footage, and unequal treatment of right-wing J6ers.

The Republican Presidential Primaries started with a wide array of candidates that have been whittled down to Donald Trump and Nikki Haley. I believe it hurt the Republican Primary because they had too many initial candidates to split the vote away from the Trump-elephant-in-the-room. I preferred Ron DeSantis, Tim Scott, or Nikki Haley. (Some want DeSantis as VP.) I understand why most candidates stepped away because Trump won without even being present. Oh, to have such a loud personality!

I question whether I will consider Nikki Haley if/when I go to the caucus meeting tonight. If I could just mark a ballot, I probably would have picked her already (I am a registered Republican, but consider myself an Independent). I hesitate to choose Nikki Haley because she is more focused on foreign policy and sending foreign aid then balancing the ballooning budget. I believe Haley would make an excellent Secretary of State!

Because the Republican tide sways toward Trump, I look at him as the most likely candidate. I will probably vote for Trump instead of a third party this next Presidential election (unlike my 2016 and 2020 third-party votes). I don't believe Haley will win considering DC is the only place she has won so far.

We already know how Trump will preside--a jerk who does some good and some bad. It's about knowing how to work with his ego. It's also about ignoring his egregious comments. He worked and compromised on multiple issues. He appointed originalist judges who think critically about each case. He will improve the economy, which will in turn bless the rich and the poor.

I wish Biden/Trump election wasn't possible. We can try our best to vote in the primaries for other options if we so wish. I am leaning heavily away from a third-party candidate because our voting system is all-or-nothing (instead of ranked-choice voting!). I'd have to be convinced that a third party candidate could win more than 60% of the vote instead of having no candidate having a clear majority. I better understand why so many seniors pushed for a party candidate after what happened in the 1992 Bush/Perot/Clinton race.

PS. My opinions are subject to change as news unfolds.

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