Republican Presidential Primaries’ Coming Showdown

Chido Nwangwu writes that there are many interest groups and individuals within The Republican Party who are opposed to the presidential ambition of controversial Donald Trump in the United States.

The immediate past former Vice President of the United States Mike Pence has decided to take on his controversial ex-boss Donald Trump for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.

Over the past three years, especially Mr. Pence has shown that he is a man capable of controlling his emotions, even where the affirmation Trump jeopardized his life when the Republican and right wing activists set up on congressional building at the Capitol.

He has shown self-restraint. But it seems he has had enough hence his decision to formally make his announcement speech on Wednesday laced with direct attacks and suggestive digs at the famously controversial Mr. Trump.

After several months and years of dilly-dallying or add best tiptoeing around the big elephant in the room by Mr. Pence, he decided a few days ago to state clearly that Trump deserves blame for the unconstitutional and unlawful efforts which sought to overturn the 2020 election during the January 6 insurrection.

Pence whose major base and active supporters draw from Conservatives and evangelical christians, pointedly said of the embattled Trump: “Anyone who puts themselves over the Constitution should never be president of the United States, and anyone who asks someone else to put them over the Constitution should never be president of the United States again.”  Specifically, on January 6, 2021, rebuffed Trump’s schemes and pressure to stop the counting of the electoral votes, necessary, to certify the results of the election of Joe Biden.

The evidently Trump-inspired mob of insurrectionists who were aware that Pence was in  the U.S. Capitol to complete the constitutional duties of his office were very violent and chanted “Hang Mike Pence.”

Pence, a former Governor of Indiana and ex-member of the United States Congress, claimed during his comments a few days ago: “I know we can beat Joe Biden.”  Significantly, he said in Iowa where the Republicans/GOP is characterized as the first-in-the-nation caucuses: “But we must resist the politics of personality and the siren song of populism unmoored to conservative principles.”

In a spectacular double-speak, Pence, a former Indiana congressman and governor, who turned 64 on Wednesday January 7, 2023, artfully added that he will “always be grateful for what President Trump did for this country” and  proudly stood by former President Trump as his VicePresident “every single day when we made America great again.” 

Politicians, prevarications and the art of being on the two sides of an issue. They have good company with economists who are famous for their omnibus  qualifier: “on one hand, and on the other hand….”

Depending on who you ask, it is part of the beauty and dynamism of politics strategies where there are no permanent enemies, but permanent interests.

Broadly, I underscore the fact that his main positions questioned the ideological truthfulness and reliability of Mr. Trump to conservative positions and ideals.

Also, he raised issues regarding the former president’s efforts and statements, which basically offer some defense of the Russian President Vladimir Putin. 

Trump did  those even before and after Mr. Putin’s invasion, escalated  subjugation, destruction and daily commital of War Crimes in the sovereign country of Ukraine. Putin is still seen and rated by some government officials as the biggest foe of the United States.

Trump benefits in a field of too many aspirants, If he is still able to contest in 2024 — although he has since declared he is running for President.  

Considerably at this time, the most serious threat to him capturing the ticket as flagbearer of the Republican Party for the next election of President of the United States will be, I’ll say: first, the disposition and outcome, of any substantial, potentially criminal outcome of the court cases and litigations he has around the country — especially those from the Department of Justice (DOJ) in Washington DC. That’s outside the Rpublican Party. 

However, inside the Republican Party, the racially polarizing political hustler, diversity insensitive and anti-historical facts dude who’s otherwise titlrd as the  Governor  Florida, Ron DeSantis, ignorantly dismissed Russia’s decimation and War Crimes in Ukraine as a “territorial dispute.”

This governor, who I’ll characterize as a mini Trump, reflects the state of the Republican Party in its headlong collapse into the pits of toxic ignorance, and destruction of some of its abandoned Lincolnesque values as a previously, credible counterweight to the other extreme liberalisms across the country.

One of Trump’s former allies, former Governor Chris Christie of New Jersey, is in the presidential contest, and has a message to the party members and Americans: “Tonight is the beginning of the case against Donald Trump.”

It’s easier said than done. Not so fast.

The divisive and cantankerous former President of the United States Donald Trump since Tuesday November 15, 2022 “officially launched” his third campaign for the White House.“In order to make America great and glorious again, I am tonight announcing my candidacy for president of the United States…. America’s comeback starts right now.”

The issue is not merely declaring opposition to the cunning Trump.  It is organizing and securing your team. He’s proven to be a cat with nine lives!  Time will tell, soon.

-Dr Nwangwu, is Founder of the first African-owned, U.S-based newspaper on the internet, USAfricaonline.com, and established USAfrica in 1992 in Houston. 

Follow him on Twitter @Chido247