I live in Ohio in one of the bluest counties in the entire Midwest. I have never been governed by a Republican at any level lower than statewide office. The last Republican congressman to represent my district left office in 1982, and the Last Republican mayor of Toledo left office in 1989, a few weeks before I was born.
Since I’m accustomed to my preferred candidates losing just about every time I cast a vote, I try to find the humor in it all. Opportunities abound. For instance, when half of Toledo City Council was arrested for taking bribes, some of them for hilariously small amounts of money. Or when former Toledo Mayor Carty Finkbeiner suggested that the way to placate citizens complaining about airport noise was to move a bunch of deaf people into the neighborhood.
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At the national level, we have other opportunities for similar entertainment this year.
President Joe Biden’s poll numbers are underwater. The president never recovered from his botched Afghanistan withdrawal, and inflation continues to ravage the middle class. As Biden’s mental state deteriorates, his numbers will more than likely continue to crater. If trends continue and former President Donald Trump wins the GOP nomination, powerful Democrats may attempt to ditch the 81-year-old president in favor of California Gov. Gavin Newsom. That governor has essentially been running for president for months now.
In this scenario, both DNC operatives and Democratic voters alike would undoubtedly breathe a collective sigh of relief. The problem for them is that it’s still the economy, stupid. American voters also dislike the total insecurity at the southern border. Still, it would be undeniably funny to watch the newly crowned Democratic prince go down in flames at the hands of Trump.
That said, from Anthony Scaramucci to Rudi Guilliani, Donald Trump has proven himself generally incapable of making wise personnel decisions. If this trend continues, the running-mate sweepstakes are shaping up to be a real humdinger. There are multiple ways this choice could turn out to be wildly entertaining. Trump is openly flirting with making Nikki Haley (R-SC) his running mate. The presidential candidate and former governor is soft on the border and transgenderism and hawkish on foreign policy, everything the Trump base hates. It would be objectively funny to watch the MAGA world have to accept Haley on the ticket.
Or perhaps Trump will throw the base some red meat in the form of a clownish VP pick like Kari Lake, the Arizona politician who managed to turn what should have been a slam dunk governor's officehold into a crushing defeat. It is unlikely that there will be a Trump 47 without a victory in Arizona this November. MAGA fans getting exactly what they wanted, only for that very decision to later sink their hero’s candidacy would be an obvious moment of comedy.
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Top line: we will have many opportunities to laugh our way through 2024. Happy New Year!
Brady Leonard (@bradyleonard) is a musician, political strategist, and host of The No Gimmicks Podcast.