JD Vance for President

Best Path Forward for United States

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Revision Notification: At the time of writing the original column, sourced information on FEMA and Federal response from inside the disaster zone. Since that time, further reports are that response is much better. In the interest of accuracy, have modified this column. October 6 2024.

Disclaimer: This is not an endorsement for any candidate, just a commentary from a fiercely nonpartisan political observer.

This is a follow-up from my column “Kamala Harris for President”, which forecasted a no-lose scenario for the Democratic Party. In that column, there was a case made that a Harris candidacy could end the national polarization nightmare.

Much has transpired since then, so please hear me out.

The country is no longer talking about polling that confirmed 70% of voters don’t want Donald Trump or Joe Biden as president. Thanks to VP Harris at the top of the ticket, half of that problem has been solved. Had The Democratic National Committee just left it at that, perhaps people could have looked past the unsavory way VP Harris obtained the nomination and cast a “not Trump” vote.

Not content with that simple victory, the DNC tried to remake Kamala Harris into the opposite of what she has been during her entire career in politics. One whopper after another, stilted talking points and suddenly she represents the new outside candidate? Yea, right. Like she has new, bold ideas that will transform America? In a campaign made for the truly hard-core left, the messaging simultaneously boasts of her experience as VP while denying she had anything to do with the policies that created inflation, censorship, open borders, and wars.

Instead of clearing media to let former President Trump self-destruct, VP Harris and the DNC have tried to convince a weary America that they are good at governing. Nature even handed them the Hurricane Helene disaster to demonstrate their ability to lead. Former President Barack Obama must be hitting his head on the desk and wondering why they didn’t follow his 2012 Hurricane Sandy playbook. The idea of a crisis manager is to get in front of the issue, communicate, set priorities and measurements, and advise people of how to help. This is not a time to be dialing it in from the beach (Biden) or attending a high brow fund raiser in California (Harris), recording a edgy podcast (again Harris) or thinking the daily briefings are somehow linked to a president’s personal popularity versus the public’s desire for information (Trump during COVID).

So, now we are stuck with dueling referendums for the 2024 presidential election. One major party offers a terrible track record with an unelected candidate versus an ego-driven loose cannon at the top of the other ticket.

Fortunately for every incumbent, either Florida Governor Ron DeSantis deploying the Florida National Guard and the Florida State Guard to critical ports or Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg negotiating solved the longshoreman strike. Massive supply chain disruptions would be a calamity for everyone, so at least that issue is off the table.

Because The Common Bridge is about seeking solutions versus advocating for one of the dysfunctional parties, it is time to offer an idea. The obvious answer came during the debate between Senator JD Vance and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. One VP hopeful came with knowledge of legislation, clear policy solutions, linkage from the Biden-Harris administration to today’s stresses and some of the best spin favoring President Trump. It would be natural to assume that Governor Walz has had better nights. Instead, he was caught somewhere between Joe Biden’s debate collapse and a strikingly accurate portrayal of Elmer Fudd. Describing his nine-year-old self pedaling a bicycle in a small town in response to being confronted with his lie about being at Tiananmen Square robbed undecided voters of the notion that perhaps he would bring competency to back up the questionable Kamala Harris.

Thus, the best outcome for the country is a GOP win in November. Then, the first time the cabinet convenes post-inauguration, declare the 25th amendment in effect. Donald Trump is removed from office. President Vance finds a moderate Democrat like Andy Beshear or a former Democrat-now-independent like Tulsi Gabbard or RFK Jr for confirmation as Vice President. A divided Congress confirms.

Wah-lah, the Biden-Trump dilemma solved at same time the Democrats destruction of the constitution and voting processes resolved in one fell swoop. Title IX is saved, censorship is reined in, and a capable, non-aged, Marine Corps veteran who understands lower and middle-class issues is serving as President of the United States.

The DNC remains the party that twice placed a woman at the head of the ticket and avoids a disastrous 2028.

Remember you heard it here first.