Fall 2023 Part 5.

 

 

 

 

The 2024 Presidential Election 

The 2024 current United States Presidential Election is very unique in its cosmology with the same faces and new faces arising. It's not 2020 anymore, but many of the same political polarization has grown even more than in 2020 with reactionary laws being passed and the existence of Trumpism being firm. This campaign has President Joe Biden running for President again. Very few Democrats are running for President, and they are Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Marianne Williamson. Both Kennedy and Williamson are similar in being right on many issues like environmental causes and fighting for justice, but they have many eclectic views too. Robert Kennedy Jr. promoted the link between vaccines and autism which has no scientifically conclusive evidence. Williamson is known for wanting a higher federal minimum wage, addressing climate change, tackling student loan debt, and creating a U.S. Department of Peace. She supports reparations for black Americans which is supported by me. She wants a 2-state solution among Israelis and Palestinians, and she believes in universal health care for all Americans. The Republican side faces the issue of the future of Trump's political future and what replacements could exist if Trump loses the GOP primary. Many new people and previous candidates are running on the Republican ticket are Ron DeSantis, Larry Elder, Nikki Haley, Asa Hutchinson, Vivek Ramaswamy, Tim Scott, Mike Pence, and Chris Christie. This race on the GOP side will be more crowded. Independent candidates are running for President too from Steve Laffey to John Anthony Castro. 

This 2024 Presidential election of America is dealing with diverse issues like election security (as some want to illegally try to overturn the election if a Democrat wins the 2024 election legally), immigration, crime, gun control, healthcare, abortion, LGBTQ+ rights (including transgender and non-binary human beings), the economy, multiple investigations of Donald Trump, etc. This election relates to the future of America where we see the paradox of economic growth, high inflation, political divisiveness, far-right laws being passed, and divided legislature in the House including the Senate. President Joe Biden is expected to win the Democratic primary. Donald Trump is in the lead now, but folks can't underestimate Ron DeSantis (who has made laws sugarcoating black history and banning books unjustly in Florida) as he is making headway in the state of Iowa. There is no question that extremists want to abolish affirmative action nationwide (beyond just in universities or in colleges), cut voting rights, eliminate human rights in general, suppress literature, and harm the rights of immigrants. Only God knows the total future, but we have to be prepared for what the future holds in the Universe. 

The Early Campaigns

The 2020 Presidential election ended on January 20, 2021, when President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were inaugurated into office. Before that time, there was the United States Capitol attack on January 6, 2021, when Trump supporters attacked and stormed the Capitol to try to stop the counting of electoral votes. Trump was impeached for a second time on January 13, 2021, after the insurrection. As early as June 26, 2021, Trump started a series of campaign-style rallies. On November 20, 2021, President Joe Biden and some of his aides informed some allies that President Biden intends to run for re-election during 2024. By January 19, 2022, President Biden said that he will keep Vice President Kamala Harris as his running mate in 2024. By February 27, 2022, former President Donald Trump won the 2022 CPAC straw poll by over 30 points. On March 8, 2022, 2016 Democratic Party Presidential nominee, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said that she will not run again in 2024. Corey Stapleton, the former Secretary of State of Montana announced that he has formed a formal exploratory committee for a possible run for President on March 10, 2022. Trump said that if he runs for re-election, his former Vice-Presidential running mate Mike Pence will not be his running mate on March 16. The RNC voted unanimously to withdraw from the Commission on Presidential Debates by April 14. In Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, the Supreme Court of the United States declared that the Constitution does not confer the right to an abortion. The decision is met with controversy as abortion becomes a hot-button issue across the country (on June 24, 2022). The RNC has named Milwaukee as the site for the 2024 Republican National Convention. August 8, 2022, was the historic date when the FBI executed a search warrant at Mar-a-Lago relating to a criminal investigation into former President Trump. 

August 19, 2022, was when Philosopher and perennial candidate Jerome Segal announced his presidential campaign, becoming the first confirmed candidate for the 2024 Democratic primaries. The November 8, 2022, midterm elections changed everything. The Democratic Party retained control of the U.S. Senate, flipping one seat in Pennsylvania, while the Republican Party gained control of the U.S. House of Representatives with a net gain of nine seats, restoring the majority they had lost in the 2018 elections. By November 11, 2022, former Montana Secretary of State Corey Stapleton declared his intent to run for president in 2024 as a Republican, becoming the first confirmed candidate for the 2024 Republican primaries. November 15, 2022, was when former President Donald Trump announced his candidacy at a rally in front of his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida.  U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland opened an investigation into former President Trump's role in the U.S. Capitol attack and his handling of government documents, headed by special counsel Jack Smith (on November 18, 2022). From November 18-22, 2022, the Republican Jewish Coalition conference, which is considered the first major "cattle call" event of the cycle, takes place in Las Vegas, Nevada. On November 20, former South Carolina Governor and ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley said that she was considering running for President. On that same day, hip-hop artist and 2020 candidate Kanye West confirmed his 2024 campaign when answering paparazzi questions. On November 22, 2022, Kanye West met with Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago, along with white supremacist Nick Fuentes, in which West allegedly offered Trump to be his running mate. From December 1-3, the DNC’s rules and bylaws committee meets to finalize the primary schedule for the upcoming cycle. On December 29, 2022, President Biden signed the Electoral Count Reform and Presidential Transition Improvement Act, adding to and revising the procedures carried out for the counting of electoral votes and the presidential transition process. 

On February 4, 2023, the Democratic National Committee approved a new primary calendar, moving South Carolina to February 3, followed by Nevada and New Hampshire on February 6, Georgia on February 13, and Michigan on February 27. Iowa, which traditionally goes first, would then be held later in the primary season. The DNC gives Georgia and New Hampshire an extended deadline of June to modify their state laws so they can comply with the new dates (New Hampshire state law mandates them to hold the first primary in the country, while Georgia state law requires them to hold both the Democratic and Republican primaries on the same day), but this remains unlikely to happen since both states have Republican-controlled state legislatures. Former UN ambassador Nikki Haley announced her bid for the Republican Presidential nomination against former President Donald Trump on February 14. On February 21, 2023, author and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy announced his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination. From March 1-4, 2023, the 2023 Conservative Political Action Conference was held in National Harbor, Maryland, with candidates Trump, Haley, and Ramaswamy all featured as speakers. The DNC declared their full support for President Biden's re-election, stating they do not plan to host any official debates on March 3, 2023. By March 4, 2023, author Marianne Williamson announced her campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination as the first major challenger to incumbent President Biden. On that day, Trump won the 2023 CPAC straw poll, leading prospective candidate Ron DeSantis by 42 points. Former Governor of Maryland Larry Hogan said that he won't run for the Republican Presidential nomination in 2024 on March 5, 2023. By March 6, 2023, according to sources close to Donald Trump, Axios reports a shortlist of potential contenders for his running mate, including former UN ambassador Nikki Haley, former news anchor Kari Lake, South Dakota governor Kristi Noem, and Arkansas governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders. Joe Exotic ran for President from a federal prison by March 16. By March 18, The Palmetto Family Council's Vision '24 Forum is held in Charleston, South Carolina, with Haley and potential candidate Tim Scott in attendance.  Former President Donald Trump is indicted by a Manhattan grand jury for his hush money scandal with Stormy Daniels on March 30, 2023. 

Udpates Coming Forth

Former governor of Arkansas, Asa Hutchinson, who also served as chairman of the National Governors Association, informally announced his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination during an exclusive interview with ABC News' Jonathan Karl. This was on April 2, 2023. On April 4, 2023, former President Donald Trump turned himself in and pled not guilty to 34 felony charges in New York. By April 6, 2023,  Robert F. Kennedy Jr. filed to challenge Biden in the 2024 Democratic primary. The Democratic Party announced that its convention will be held in Chicago, Illinois by April 11, 2023. U.S. Senator of South Carolina, Tim Scott, announces the formation of an exploratory committee to possibly run for president. This was on April 12, 2023. From April 14-15, the National Rifle Association holds its 2023 Annual Meeting and Exhibit in Indianapolis, with a number of presidential hopefuls in attendance. By April 19, 2023, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an environmental lawyer and son of Robert F. Kennedy, formally announced his presidential campaign in a launch event in Boston. By April 20, Larry Elder began to run for President. April 25, 2023, was when President Joe Biden announced his bid for re-election in 2023. Asa Hutchinson is starting his Presidential campaign in a rally in Bentonville, Arkansas. Jerome Segal ended his campaign by May 6 and started his run for U.S. Senate in Maryland. Trump had his controversial town hall at CNN on May 10, 2023. Tim Scott started his Presidential campaign officially on May 22, 2023, at a rally at his alma mater at Charleston Southern University. May 24 was when Florida Governor Ron DeSantis started his Presidential campaign in an interview with Elon Musk over at Twitter Spaces. The RNC sets rules for their first presidential debate, requiring candidates to attract 40,000 unique donors with a polling threshold of 1% on June 2. June 4th was when Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s Instagram account was reinstated after it was suspended in February 2021 for sharing misinformation about the COVID-19 vaccine. By June 5, Vice President Mike Pence made it known that he was running for President. Cornel West is running for President of the People's Party by June 5, 2023, too. June 6th was when Former New Jersey Governor and 2016 candidate Chris Christie announced that he was running for President at town hall in Saint Anslem College. Mike Pence announced his Presidential candidacy at Ankeny, Iowa on his 64th birthday. This was on June 7. North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum announces his presidential campaign with a rally in Fargo, becoming the firstborn in his state to run for president.  Trump is indicted a second time on charges stemming from the Smith special counsel investigation on June 8, 2023.

One of the newest groups in the political world is the No Labels movement. This movement is made up of centrists who desire to possibly bring up a third-party candidate. They claim that they are opposed to the far left and the far right. The problem with the moderates in No Labels (and moderates in general) is that they desire no revolutionary change, but they do focus on a status quo reality. Also, the problem is that with climate change, racism, and other evils in the globe, a centrist policy won't make real solutions to these complex problems. Also, many people have exposed that some corporate executives in the No Labels crew have financed Republican and Democratic candidates. No Labels might decide to form a "unity" ticket that could cause Trump to win the 2024 by getting rid of votes from Biden. Another problem with No Labels is that the groups refuse to list their donors or anyone funding their movement. Mother Jones found out that many funders are past and present chief executives of corporations from Arby Partners to Fortress Investment Group. This is nor unusual as large companies desire a neoliberal system where no waves are promoted in change. Many of the donors gave millions of dollars to Republican causes and GOP candidates too. One funder is Michael Smith, who is a billionaire founder of natural gas company Freeport LNG. He aided the Mitch McConnell campaign. No Labels believes in the myth that centrism and token bipartisanship are the way to go. William Galston resigned from the group.  Nancy Jacobson has been the board president since the founding of the organization and in 2023 began serving as CEO as well. In December 2020, No Labels announced Maryland Governor Larry Hogan (R), as a national co-chair (prominent spokesperson) to serve alongside the No Labels founding co-chair Joe Lieberman. In January 2023, Benjamin Chavis joined Hogan as national co-chair. I'm shocked that Chavis is part of No Labels as Chavis is a well-known civil rights activist. Based on 14 interviews with former employees in December 2022, Politico described a "toxic" culture within No Labels. The article cited a "cutthroat culture, one where staffers are routinely fired or pushed out, have little trust in management, and believe the workplace environment can be difficult for minority and female colleagues." In response to the criticism, several senior officials for the group described to Politico the complaints as coming from, "aggrieved ex-workers" who could not "adapt" to a demanding office culture. No Labels is a contradiction by claiming to be not affiliated with any political philosophy but social change throughout history relies on adherence to political views. For example, Dr. King, Malcolm X, Harriet Tubman, and other heroes subscribed to certain political and economic views that weren't encompassing centrism. At the end of the day, each of these people used mobilization to resist the capitalist elite in militant terms. 

I don't know what happened to Robert Kennedy Jr., but he has made outlandish statements recently in his Presidential campaign. Recently, news reports accused RFK Jr. of airing a COVID lie that the pandemic virus will not harm Chinese and Ashkenazi Jewish people because the virus is an ethnic virus. Sources believe that RFK Jr. said the virus is a bioweapon targeting Caucasians and black people. Such views promote anti-Semitism, Sinophobia, and a lack of sound judgment. RFK Jr. recently denied saying such statements (he denied saying that the virus was targeted to spare Jewish people). RFK Jr. said that he denounces racism and anti-Semitism. He also said that there is a vaccine and autism connection, which is not scientifically proven. He was an environmental lawyer and was the nephew of President John F. Kennedy and the son of New York Senator Robert F. Kennedy. In the two months since announcing his campaign, Kennedy has registered between 12 and 20 percent support among Democratic primary voters. Robert Kennedy Jr. mixed populist rhetoric mixed with reactionary rhetoric and "free market absolutism." Former Ohio Democratic Congressman Dennis Kucinich is the chair of the Kennedy campaign. He desires a populist "left/right" alliance to take on the "corporate kleptocracy." RFK Jr. erroneously compared mandatory vaccines to the Holocaust. Later, he apologized for those remarks. Robert Kennedy Jr. is pictured with fascists and far-right extremists like Michael Flynn and Roger Stone including Charlene Bollinger back on July 18, 2021. In a June 23 article, Rolling Stone revealed that one of Kennedy’s super PACs,“Heal the Divide,” listed as its treasurer as Jason D. Boles of RTA Strategy. I do agree with RFK Jr. on opposing government censorship,but I don't agree with him on other issues. 

RTA Strategy has been the go-to firm for several recent Republican campaigns, including that of Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, failed Senate candidate Herschel Walker, and the overt racist Illinois Representative Mary “victory for white life” Miller. Rolling Stone reported that Kennedy’s support from the far right went beyond “one MAGAfied superPAC. ... His bid is awash in support from Donald Trump’s allies in MAGA world, conservative media, and some of the Republican donor elite.” Robert Kennedy Jr. said that in private the fascist Steve Bannon urged him to run for President for months. RFK Jr. talked with Donald Trump in 2017 about vaccines too. Kennedy made it clear to Musk and his right-wing audience that a Kennedy administration would be no threat to his unearned wealth or to his billionaire friends. “I am a free-market absolutist,” Kennedy said, adding, “I believe in markets. I believe in free market capitalism.” So, Robert Kennedy Jr. is a far-right extremist (running in the Democratic Party) as free market capitalism has been a detriment to social progress for centuries as history documents. RFK Jr. hypocritically believes in free markets across borders involving business transactions, but he wants to seal the border involving immigration. He promotes the racist Israeli restrictions of African migrants in Israel. Robert Kennedy Jr.'s campaign is not anti-establishment or progressive. He is a reactionary person which is in contradiction to the anti-imperialist legacy of tons of heroes in our history. 

Early Reflections

During this early stage of the 2024, many realities are abundant. We have the most important election of our lifetimes coming up in 2024. The GOP candidates are very clear on what they desire. They desire the destruction of the progressive blessings that many of us take for granted. Some of these blessings have been gone via many Supreme Court decisions from eliminating affirmative action in colleges to suppressing certain human rights. Mike Pence, Ron DeSantis, Tim Scott, Chris Christie, Larry Elder, Nikki Haley, and other Republican candidates desire Biden to have a one-term Presidency. Pence and Haley are very hypocritical to claim to want a better America, but they minimize the corruption and criminal behavior of Donald Trump. DeSantis even denies that the January 6th insurrection attack on the U.S. Capitol was an insurrection. Chris Christie and Will Hurd are the only Republican Presidential candidates so far who have publicly criticized the policies of Donald Trump as reckless and corrupt in strong terms. For DeSantis wanting to end birthright citizenship and supporting a Florida educational curriculum mentioning that slavery had some personal benefit to people shows his anti-democratic, racist mentality. As for the Democratic side, President Biden, Robert Kennedy Jr. (who promotes disinformation and loves free market capitalism), and Marianne Williamson are running for President. We have third-party candidates like Cornel West of the Green Party, Taylor Marshall, and other human beings. Third Parties have the right to exist, but it seems that one of the major parties will have the Presidency. Long term, we should have multiple parties having great influence not just a duopoly, but the threat of fascism remains in our society. So, making sure that a Republican won't have the Presidency in 2024 is very important. Either we have rights for all people or not. In other words, in 2024, the election will be between fascism vs. democracy. I'm not being hyperbolic. I'm being real. Therefore, a Biden/Harris re-election is so much better than a fascist MAGA leader of Donald Trump or a Republican in the White House in 2024. 

The GOP Debate which was the first GOP Debate of the 2024 Presidential election confirmed what we all knew. Every candidate on the stage (except for Chris Christie and Asa Hutchinson to an extent) didn't have the courage to unconditionally criticize Trump for his corruption, for his disrespect and violation of democratic principles, for his racism, for his xenophobia, and for his hatred of human beings who disagree with his authoritarian, reactionary agenda. While this was going on, Trump skipped the debate to talk with fellow racist and xenophobe Tucker Carlson. Luttig made the legal argument that Trump is excluded from the Presidency in the future because the 14th Amendment, Section 3 barred those from federal office who have violated oaths sworn to the Constitution. The GOP candidates hypocritically blame Democrats and liberals for trying to create a bigger government, but they advocate big government in promoting school bans, dictating social issues, restricting voting rights, and desiring limits to voting rights plus protesting. DeSantis and Ramaswamy (who is a close friend of Jared Kushner) advocate allowing Ukraine to just be conquered by Russia, which is a nation controlled by the dictator, war criminal Vladimir Putin. Christie and Ramaswamy debated each other on Trump and climate change. At times, the GOP was heated. Many candidates went after Ramaswamy because he is increasing his popularity in the polls. Even Nikki Haley criticized Ramaswamy on foreign policy issues. DeSantis talked about wanting Joe Biden to go to his basement and other platitudes.

Conclusion (Fall of 2023)

While Trump faces a trial, you have some House Republicans being so extreme that they want to push to impeach President Biden which is ludicrous. Trump wants any Republican who is against a Biden impeachment to be primaried as he said on July 29, 2023, at Erie, Pennsylvania. Trump is a disgrace as Biden has never agitated a mob to try to overthrow the 2020 election, and Biden has never desired to end birthright citizenship. Now, we have the Ukrainian counterattack advancing toward Melitopol, Mariupol, and Bakhmut. The Trump supporter Navarro talks of civil war blaming Democrats which is not the case. Even the African nations are criticizing Putin because the Russian Black Sea grain blockade is causing starvation in many places of the world. Chinese leader Xi wants to not work with other nations in desiring to massively cut carbon emissions. Even interests from Wall Street have to grudgingly acknowledge that Bidenomics is not the end of the world. There is a new generation of people calling themselves "Independent" and "free thinkers" of every color who claim to reject the views of either so-called extreme. From my experience and research, these people are radical centrists and far-right people who desire the status quo under the guise of claiming to be "independent." They say that we must talk to the other side, but some things are non-negotiable. The reality is that Republicans and Democrats aren't perfect, but these 2 parties aren't identical. One party explicitly wants historical revisionism, voter suppression laws, and stopping black representation politically in the state of Alabama. The other party doesn't support these aims. The Supreme Court has been compromised by reactionary interests too. Chief Justice Roberts refused to testify in a hearing on Supreme Court ethics. Thomas and Alito accepted luxury vacations from GOP megadonors. Gorsuch sold property to the CEO of a law firm that argues cases before the Supreme Court.

An important message in closing is that unity in the Black African Diaspora is important. That means that we have the same African roots regardless if we are African American, Afro-Caribbean, Afro-European, Afro-Latino, etc. We have the same worth and value as any other human being. When you honor and love what God made you to be, treat people right, and support righteousness (in word and indeed), then blessings come about. I am a Black American, and I decided not to identify as FBA, Freedmen, Aboriginals, or ADOS for many reasons because I don't make an idol of America and my ancestors were victims of slavery from Africa not born slaves (there is a difference). My people came from Africa being descendants of the first humans on Earth, being black people. We have to confront evil. Recently, a white cowardly racist murdered three innocent black people (who are 2 black men and one black woman) in Jacksonville, Florida. That murderer is evil and hate crimes have increased in America in the past 10+ years. We have to promote our unity as Brothers and Sisters. There are tons of places now where African Americans, Africans, Jamaicans, Haitians, Afro-Latinos, etc. celebrate black culture with love and mutual appreciation. One example of this unity is when Sha'carri Richardson and Shericka Jackson congratulated each other when they won their respective races of the 100m and the 200m during the 2023 World Track and Field Championship. Many ADOS and FBA members, who spew xenophobic rhetoric, ally with Donald Trump (because they share Trump's views on isolationism, xenophobia, and bigotry). Afrophobia must be rejected as Africa has diverse, beautiful cultures that have inspired the world for millennia. Therefore, it is important to advance black unity globally as we are a great people. 

By Timothy