Punditry StaffAlvin Bragg shot two birds with one stone when he indicted Donald Trump, which boosted his popularity temporarily, but which also might kill his chances of ever becoming President long-term if Bragg prevails in court. Bragg’s action has also weakened Ron DeSantis’ position vis-à-vis Trump. In effect, Bragg indicted Trump to help him win the nomination but not the presidency, at the same time he weakened DeSantis to the point he is unable to become the GOP nominee in 2024. All in one stone.
And since the chances of Trump becoming a U.S. President again are average to slim at best, according to many published polls, Alvin Bragg’s move, in pursuit of the rule of law, was also brilliant in saving the republic.
That said, we are fools if we underestimate Donald Trump and his capacity to stir the racists and the bigots in the name of making America great again. Our hope rests with the wiser voters, Democrats, Republicans, and Independents, who will have to imagine what a second-term for Trump might mean for everyone who does not aspire to his fanaticism.
Either way, Bragg’s indictment, if you have seen the images of how uncomfortable Trump was sitting as a defendant in that courtroom, has shifted the earth under Trump’s feet.
BRAGG FAILING MIGHT SHORT-CIRCUIT ACCOUNTABILITY
What if a jury exonerates Donald Trump of the crimes DA Alvin Bragg is accusing him of committing? How would an exoneration in New York impact the DOJ’s investigation that Jack Smith is conducting? Or, Fani Willis investigation in Georgia related to election tampering, both of which have more teeth because of a recording and the stealing of top secret documents?
Will other prosecutors take a back step, or will they charge ahead because their cases are much stronger? One wonders how long before an indictment comes in the other cases? Before a jury deliberates in the Alvin Bragg indictment, or after those court proceedings are over?
Either way, Bragg’s indictment, if you have seen the images of how uncomfortable Trump was sitting as a defendant in that courtroom, has shifted the earth under Trump’s feet. The sword of justice is clearly now above his neck after decades of escaping its sight, and this is making Donald Trump face a situation he has never faced in his life. And like all things new, it will take time to break in.
Mind you, however, the support the GOP has been able to exhibit is oxygen to his unfiltered mind. Trump may simply bounce back on the offensive sooner than we think.
No matter how hard they try to sell the Trump gravy train, Americans won’t be buying it if they refute him again in 2024 the way they refuted him in 2020.
A BIG TEST OF OUR SHORT MEMORY
Come the nomination campaigns in 2024, both Trump and DeSantis are going to remind us what it would be like to live under an authoritarian system of government. For the Democrats, while inflation is receding, issues such as voting and abortion rights are getting worse. The whole Presidential campaign becomes a story of how the public fares with its short-term memory when inflation is under control. However, the same cannot be true of Trump and DeSantis behavior, which are a permanent fixture in our conscious.
We can forget about inflation if it falls in our rearview mirror, but no one can forget who and how the two top GOP candidates have been acting against our democracy.
In other words, if Trump is the nominee in spite of Bragg indicting him, Democrats, if they play their cards right, might just send back President Biden to the White House. Should that happen, and should the MAGA Republicans insist on maintaining their control over the GOP, the Democrats may never relinquish the White House again until Trump dies, or decides never to run again.
No matter how hard they try to sell the Trump gravy train, Americans won’t be buying it anytime soon if they refute him again in 2024 the way they refuted him in 2020.
How Bragg Shot Two Birds With One Stone
Punditry Staff
