Political Landscape '24: Can Trump Be Stopped? Biden Too Old to Win Again? RFK, 3rd Parties, More...
On August 23, the first debate among the Republican wannabes for President will take place in Wisconsin.
Amazing but true, next year’s campaign is already upon us (a mere 451 days before the Nov. 5, 2024 election, for those keeping score at home) as eight GOP candidates have qualified for the Fox News-sponsored debate at Milwaukee’s Fiserv Forum in less than two weeks.
Don’t bet on Donald Trump showing up.
Bill Carrick, one of the nation’s most experienced, talented and well-regarded Democratic political practitioners, explains why Trump is a near-certain no-show – and also answers a host of other key questions about the upcoming campaign, on a new edition of Newsmakers TV. It's the first in an occasional “State of Play” series aimed at mapping the 2024 political landscape.
Carrick began his career more than 40 years ago, as political director for the late Senator Ted Kennedy. Since then, he's managed or consulted on multiple presidential campaigns and, for the last three decades, served as a chief campaign adviser for Senator Dianne Feinstein, while directing media strategy on scores of candidate and ballot measure races in California.
In our extended conversation, Carrick offers smart and well-informed insights about:
The hugely consequential stakes of the 2024 race, which boils down to a contest between those embracing the norms of liberal democracy and right-wing forces pushing the nation towards authoritarianism.
The reasons why Trump’s strength grows within the Republican Party with each criminal indictment brought against him - and some possible cracks in the near-monolithic support which current public polls show for him among GOP voters.
The ill-advised strategic mistake shared by nearly all Republican challengers of Trump, with rundowns on the campaigns of Ron DeSantis, Mike Pence, Chris Christie, and other alleged rivals in the party.
The considerable political dangers that old age pose for octogenarian President Joe Biden – and the opportunities they present for the GOP to run directly at unpopular Vice President Kamala Harris.
The disruptive threat posed by third party candidates, from "No Labels" to Green aspirant Cornel West, if the election follows recent trends of being decided by mere tens of thousands of total votes in a few key states.
Carrick also offers his take on embattled Senator Feinstein, his longtime client, and why progressive Democrats should watch out for what they wish in calling for the resignation of the 90-year old incumbent before her term ends at the end of next year.
Plus: an assessment of the three-way Democratic race to succeed Feinstein; the party's intertwined problems of the primary calendar and the barking mad candidacy of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.; and professional punditry about the 2024 battles for House and Senate control.
All this and more, right here, right now, on Newsmakers TV.
JR
You can watch our conversation with Bill Carrick via YouTube below, or by clicking through this link, or listen to the podcast version here. TVSB, Cox Channel 17, airs the show on weekday evenings at 8 p.m. and at 9 a,m. on Saturdays and Sundays. KCSB, 91.9 FM, broadcasts the program at 5:30 p.m. on Monday.
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CARTOON OF THE WEEK
New Yorker cartoon by Will McPhail.