Witnessing History

The hour is very late (or early) depending on your perspective.

However, it is difficult to sleep when you have been witnessing history.

Donald Trump again winning the Presidency is truly historic.

President-elect and former President Donald Trump at his victory speech early this morning
Credit: https://www.cairnspost.com.au/news/world/donald-trump-delivers-victory-speech-after-us-election-win/video/94c9f9f1d334a07a1f959dcbea860c11

Only Grover Cleveland in 1892 was able to rebound from a Presidential defeat to assume the office again.

Grover Cleveland

Of course, Cleveland had it easy.

He did not also have to overcome two impeachment trials, untold legal attempts to put him in prison and bankrupt him and a couple of assassination attempts.

I did not even mention the harassment that Trump had to endure in his first term when he had to continually defend himself from the fake Russian collusion hoax and a mainstream media who was intent to undermine him at every turn in his four years in office.

Or having the bad fortune to be President when a once in a hundred year pandemic was gripping the world.

However, Trump is now the President-elect with a solid mandate of the American people to lead the country for another four years.

The story of what we have witnessed from Donald J. Trump since he came down that escalator at Trump Tower almost ten years ago will fill volumes in future history texts.

During that decade Trump single-handedly transformed the Republican party from what was considered a party of rich country club business types to a broad-based populist party that has become more multi-racial and focused on working class Americans. 

Trump did it al through the force of his personality and an indefatigable spirit.

All of it is nothing short of remarkable.

As I watched the returns last night I could not help but think back to two blog posts that I wrote many. many months ago.

The first one I wrote was in July, 2021 barely five months after Trump left office in the wake of his second indictment and the events of January 6, 2021 when most pundits were writing the political obituary of the man.

In that blog post, "Trump 2024?, I wrote that those who were writing off Trump might easily be proven wrong depending on future events.

I wrote that Trump could very well make a comeback depending on how Biden/Harris performed. 

As a result, Trump might look a lot more attractive to voters in 3-4 years. 

I saw that the country could very well have an implosion of some type due to the policies that Biden/Harris were pursuing. I had no idea that it would be as bad as it ended up being.

Hard times tend to make people focus more on performance than personality.

An implosion of the country under the Democrats and Biden/Harris. Trump has many critics but hard times have a way of focusing people on what is most important. Trump's personality is the most cited reason why many did not like him. When people are in trouble they are less concerned with personality and more concerned about performance. A deteriorating situation in the country will make Trump a lot more attractive to more people than you can imagine.

That prediction appears to have been prescient.

Look at this question from an exit poll from NBC News last night.

71% of voters stated they were dissatisfied or angry about the way things are going in the country.

Source: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-elections/exit-polls

This was a perfect environment for Trump to contrast how things were during his four years compared to the Biden/Harris years.

I should add that Trump won even though most voters (55%) stated they thought Trump's views were too extreme. Only 46% said they thought the same for Kamala Harris.

Source: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-elections/exit-polls

The second blog post that I thought of last night was one in January, 2023 in which I predicted that I gave only a 1% chance that both Biden and Trump would be on the ballot in November, 2024.

I stated I also believed that Biden was the more likely to not be on that ballot.

I looked pretty foolish repeating that prediction several times in these pages over the next year and a half.

Trump won the Republican nomination handily and the Democrats spent that time covering up for Biden's obvious failing mental acuity.

However, the Biden charade came to an end in July and Kamala was immediately anointed the nominee without having to earn the vote of one Democrat voter in the primaries.

It was a very bad move.

First, Kamala was an exceptionally weak candidate to begin with.

Second, it was made worse as she had to defend the failed Biden agenda while also attempting to run on a "change" agenda.

Third, Harris made it even worse by being unwilling to state her true position on almost any issue. This would never have occurred if she had needed to run in the Democrat primary. In the end, it deprived the American people of understanding where she really stood on the issues.

However, I believe it also contributed to her undoing as a candidate. Voters did not trust her because she was not authentic and open. 

Joe Biden should have announced that he was not going to run for a second term about the time I was writing that 1% chance blog post and opened it up to other Democrat contenders.

It set in motion an embarrassing showing for Kamala and the Democrats that culminated in the election returns last night.

Democrats will now have to decide where they stand on a number of issues including border security, freedom of speech, and the woke agenda that have either confused or alienated voters.

On the other hand, good or bad, the voters know Donald Trump (warts and all) and they know full well where he stands.

Whether you voted for Trump or not, take a step back and appreciate what this man has done, overcome and done again.

Take a moment and consider the history you have witnessed.

I don't know that many men have ever had to endure and overcome more than Trump has.

He is an uncommon man with an untold amount of fight and drive powering him.

May he use those qualities to Make American Great Again for everyone.

And may God bless him and continue to bless the United States of America.