History is never exactly repetitive. There are no two times, seasons, locations, or peoples that are totally the same. There are, however, certain eternal principles which are constantly repeated by humans—for good or ill—that will usually (though not always) produce similar, or sometimes, exact consequences. If you overdose on drugs, don’t be surprised if you die. If a godless, communist thug comes to power in a country, chances are pretty good lots of people will get killed. These are principles that history has consistently verified.
I see some historical similarities between the Presidential elections of 1980 and 2024, enough so that it appears there is a good chance that Donald Trump will win. Yet, as always with history, there are differences, and those might be sufficient to change the outcome. Let’s look at this.
There are a few major similarities. The first is an utterly failed four-year Democratic administration. To anybody but die-hard Democrats, Jimmy Carter has been recognized as probably the worst President of the last 100 years, maybe ever. That is, until now. Joe Biden has surpassed Carter in incompetence and failure. The country is in far worse shape now than it was when Biden took office, and that situation certainly existed with Carter, too, in 1980. And it led to a Ronald Reagan landslide. For reasons I shall subsequently note, there will not be a Reaganesque landslide this year, but failed Presidencies have often produced changes in the next election, and that is certainly distinctly possible in 2024.
Kamala Harris is subtly trying to run away from Biden, to distinguish herself from him and the disaster of which she was a part. I don’t suspect she had much influence on the Biden/Deep State policies, but she is Vice-President, and she can’t escape that, as much as she is attempting to. People are going to tie her to Biden and the last four years, and rightfully so. Carter/Mondale got the blame for 1977-80, and Biden/Harris will get the blame for 2021-24.
And, a second parallel, Kamala, just like Carter, is a weak candidate, exhibiting no strength and inspiring no confidence among patriotic Americans in her ability to handle the supreme dangers of world affairs or any issues at home. Carter was largely unknown in 1976 and won because he was running against an equally vapid opponent and probably also as a reaction to the Nixon Watergate scandal. He slipped into the White House with no previous Presidential record to defend. Kamala is trying to cover her fallacies, but unfortunately for her, she DOES have the Biden/Harris administration to defend. And so far, she is making a mess of it. But then, could anybody else defend the last four years? It is a very difficult job that she has, and she has shown no ability at all to do it.
The Republicans, on the other hand, as in 1980, have a strong, pro-American candidate. Most of Trump’s positions appeal to patriotic Americans, and he displays a strength, determination, and positive, pro-American demeanor that is attractive. Just like Ronald Reagan did. Under Carter and Biden, America looked weak on the world stage and our enemies exploited that. Reagan and Trump exemplify American might; this helped Reagan win in 1980 and it will help Trump in 2024.
There are, of course, differences in the two elections. Reagan was largely the unknown in 1980, and for a while during the campaign, Carter was ahead. But the more the country got to know Regan, the better they liked him, and he won decisively. Trump is already known by the American people, and millions, unfortunately, despise him and will never vote for him. That’s a problem for him and might be decisive.
Of course, the media, in 1980, was anti-Reagan, but weren’t as blatantly obvious as they are now. In 1980, there was basically only CBS, NBC, and ABC (CNN didn’t begin broadcasting until June 1, 1980, and MSNBC wasn’t around until 1996). The animosity towards Regan and the desperation to elect Carter weren’t nearly as evident in 1980 as they are today. The MSM has completely thrown any semblance of objectivity out the window now, and everybody knows it. It wasn’t quite so apparent in 1980.
So, Trump is going to have to overcome that, too. The Internet can, and will, help him; it didn’t exist in 1980, either. Americans have many more sources to which they can turn for information. And millions are doing so.
There are two major things, however, that concern me, and diminish the 1980/2024 comparison somewhat. America is obviously not the same country as it was 44 years ago. There has been a decidedly leftward shift in the “zeitgeist” of the nation—ideas, philosophies, and policies which were unheard of in 1980 and would have horrified most Americans of that day. The Democrats are defending them vociferously today, and indeed, much of their current coalition didn’t exist, and couldn’t have, in 1980. The Democratic Party hierarchy now is hard-core Marxists/Leftist, people with no conscience whatsoever, to which political power means everything. And they will stop at nothing to obtain it.
Which is another issue. Can Trump overcome any election fraud problems? Recently, officials in Pennsylvania said final results might not be available on election night, which, translated, means “we may have to spend a few days looking for enough votes for Kamala to win.” Do the Republicans have a strategy to offset this? If they do, I haven’t heard it yet.
So, there are some parallels between 1980 and 2024 that look good for Mr. Trump—a horrible incumbent Democratic administration, a weak opponent, and a strong pro-American candidate. But the obstacles are formidable, especially the decided leftward drift of the nation.
For all his weakness, failures, and incompetence, Jimmy Carter still received 41% of the popular vote in 1980. How far left has the country gone since? This election will tell us.
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