Never Trumpers

It shocked me to hear a prominent Republican strategist urge Democrats on national television to pick a candidate with the best possible chance of defeating Trump in 2020 so that she and other Republicans could not only back him or her but sleep better at night knowing the country would be in safer hands.

She and other like-minded Republicans represent the millions of never-Trumpers who would never compromise their morals or risk their good name by backing him.  They see Trump as not on their level morally, spiritually, socially, or intellectually.  But most shockingly,  they think of the president as a fraud or loser who is in it for himself.  He has pissed off or disrespected so many mainstream GOP officeholders with his wild antics and crazy policy stances that they cannot stomach giving him the support he may need, like the radicals of their party for a second term.  There has not been this level of infighting within the ranks of the Republican Party since the election of 1912 when Teddy Roosevelt fought William Howard Taft tooth and nail for the party nomination.

So many top Republicans are putting their hope in the Democrats if it means dispelling a charlatan from office, getting the country back on track, and restoring the nation's standing as its best chance for 2024. They see Trump as having derailed what they built in foreign and domestic policy for generations or dismantling long-standing institutions in government and that four years of a competent Democrat can give the party a chance to regroup or save themselves.

Though they despise him,  Never-Trumper's defeat of the president in 2020 will not be easy.  A record number of poor and rural whites voted for Trump in 2016, which pushed him over the top in states like Pennsylvania,  Wisconsin, and Michigan.  A chunk of white suburban female voters also supported the president despite his vicious attacks on female lawmakers and numerous allegations of sexual misconduct toward those of the opposite sex.  Moreover,  the president's support is growing among black men, who feel pushed aside or marginalized by society and see the president as speaking their language.  If they and others back Trump the second time,  the opposition will not succeed. 

Their fight will not be with the Democrats in 2020 but with Trump and his backers.  They will risk the Supreme Court and their majority in the Senate to bring him down because they hate him just that much.

The Inspiring Lucy McBath

Who is Lucy McBath?  She is a trailblazer who beat the GOP establishment in Georgia.  She defeated incumbent Republican Karen Handle to become the first Democrat to represent the State's Sixth Congressional District since the Carter Administration.  As a black woman, she captivated voters with a heartfelt message of love and survival that transcended race and class in one of Georgia's most diverse districts.

The well-publicized death of her son propelled her into politics.  While sitting in a car with other young men at a Jacksonville, Florida, gas station in 2012,  he was shot to death by a middle-aged white man following an argument over loud music coming from her son's vehicle. He was found guilty of second-degree murder during his second trial.  Instead of burying her head in the sand,  she spoke out passionately against gun violence with other grieving mothers around the county, which included appearances at the White House on behalf of her late son and at the 2016 Democratic Convention, where she voiced support for Hilary Clinton.  Her activism culminated with her Congressional campaign in 2018.  She opposed the NRA and supported universal background checks for gun applicants.

She also spoke candidly about her battle with breast cancer as she made women's health a central part of her candidacy.  She came out in support of expanding Medicaid in Georgia to help fight chronic female illnesses.  She also backed Planned Parenthood, a woman's right to choose whether or not to have an abortion, and efforts to save rural hospitals across the State.  And like most Democrats,  she praised the Affordable Care Act, which she believes benefits all Georgians.

Finally,  McBath appealed to everyday citizens in the district she would come to represent in Congress,  who saw her as the neighbor down the street.  She fashioned herself as a routine Delta Airlines employee that many could relate to.  They also found common ground with her fight to overcome breast cancer and other personal issues that candidates shied away from.  It made her one of the people and clinched her victory in the tight race.

Whether or not she gets reelected in 2020,  she will have fulfilled her mission of love and care for others.  When her time in the national limelight does end,  she will return to her grassroots efforts of setting the record straight on the senseless violence that grips our beloved country.