The Overplayed Hand

Joe Biden going to a historically black university and claiming both that white supremacy is the greatest threat to the nation and that he promises he isn’t just saying that because he’s at a historically black university is like Jared the subway sandwich guy showing up at a kindergarten claiming the children are the future and not just because that’s what he wants for lunch.

Democrats looked at 2022, saw the GOP make gains in places like New York and where ever they distanced themselves from Trump, and decided they needed to make 2024 about abortion and white supremacy. In other words, 2024 will be the Democrats thinking the culture war tide favors them.

Meanwhile, it should be noted that Republicans did very well when they focused first on economic issues and crime and only secondarily talked about cultural issues. The Biden team and their media friends continue to make “white supremacy” the existential threat they think will galvanize the base.

In the past two weeks, there have been multiple stories that black voters are not as enthusiastic about Biden as they were in 2020. It is no coincidence at all that Biden gave his white supremacy speel at an HBCU after those stories started coming out.

Democrats, until the end, are going to be dogmatically convinced this approach will work. They have problems, however. The country is headed into recession. Crime remains an issue. Biden’s age remains a major issue. And Biden is hitched to Cackles as Vice President. Both COVID and cancer have higher favorability ratings than she does.

The other problem with the white supremacy trope, particularly if the GOP decides not to go with Trump, is that Biden will essentially be running a guilt campaign for white voters. They already voted for Barack Obama and Kamala Harris. Telling them to do it again or they’re racists while their 401K’s crater is not a sound re-election plan.

Speaking of Trump, DeSantis pulled one over on Trump in Iowa. Trump canceled an event because of the weather. DeSantis, already in Iowa, had not planned a Des Moines stop. But with Trump’s cancelation, DeSantis and his wife showed up at Jethro’s BBQ Southside, a local Des Moines barbecue staple, and wowed the crowd. Iowans love to see the presidential candidates glad-handing, and DeSantis did it.

It’s also notable that DeSantis’s wife joined him, and pretty much every reporter said she was a rockstar in her own right and helps DeSantis tremendously. As I’ve been mentioning, DeSantis has the opportunity to reset the press narrative about him. If anything, the Trump team has helped lower expectations on DeSantis. Now, with an imminent entry into the presidential field, if DeSantis keeps up his Iowa performance, he could resolve concerns some skittish GOP voters have about him.

By the way, the entire conservative movement should wake up to the fact that MAGA World has now spent more money trying to stop the actual conservative Governor of Florida who actually conserved much than MAGA World spent against any Democrat in 2022. I mean, for that matter, MAGA spent more money to stop Brian Kemp in 2022 than against anyone else at all, including Liz Cheney.

The reality is that for a portion of the right, mostly within the MAGA world, grift is more profitable than winning. Whining and screaming about stolen elections, DeSantis, Kemp, etc. keep the money flowing without having to put in the real work of winning or advancing ideas. Costing the GOP two Senate seats in Georgia, MAGA could put up Herschel Walker and fundraise off his name. Never mind Walker could no win. MAGA could.

Joe Biden wants you to think white supremacists are the biggest threat to the nation. Trump and MAGA World want you to think DeSantis is. But the actual biggest threat is the Biden agenda. So it is disappointing to have, coupled with that agenda, a Republican front-runner spending more time trashing conservatives than that agenda.