A case for someone who's not Trump in 2024
A few days ago, I suggested a massive community-based effort to pressure local leaders and candidates to change the direction of the country before the congressional elections in November. This would be the first step in a seven-year plan. If successful, we get a Republican congressional majority in January 2023 to begin fixing what the Democrats have broken. This congressional majority will investigate Democrats as Democrats have done since taking the majority in 2019. The investigations should be massive, wide-ranging, and brutal. In 2024, we elect a president who will take out the trash.
Republicans can be amazingly ineffective at this type of politics. Unlike Democrats, they don't play politics as a blood sport. The weakest link in the seven-year plan is the possibility that the new majority will do as they have always done. We can keep up the pressure, but they are typically only a couple of media interviews away from surrender. It is how they roll.
Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) is in line to be the new speaker. McCarthy seems to be nice enough and may not be a danger to children or small animals. He does okay interviews. I doubt whether he is ready for this political battle. Few people are ready for a battle like this.
This challenge calls for a higher sort of combativeness. The new Republican majority should choose Donald Trump to be the new speaker of the House. This is not just to add some spark to the House or line him up for the presidency in case of a dual impeachment. Instead, his presence may be the necessary nuclear option that makes the difficult congressional phase successful. This battle calls for a warrior, and Speaker Trump would be that warrior. If the new majority can do this, they will be empowered to do anything.
Of course, the Democrats will say he cannot be speaker, but the Constitution simply says, "The House of Representatives shall chuse their Speaker and other Officers[.]" The new majority would need courage. It will be hard to hold the Republican caucus together to do this, but revenge is a good motivator.
There are good reasons to make Mr. Trump the speaker:
Image: Donald Trump by Gage Skidmore. CC BY-SA 2.0.
1. The visual of former speaker Pelosi handing the gavel to the new Speaker Trump would be on posters, T-shirts, and billboards everywhere.
2. Speaker Trump changes the House dynamics in unpredictable ways. The media would focus obsessively on him, what he said, what he is going to say, and what he might say. They could no longer silence him. Even the title is "Speaker."
3. Speaker Trump would be the point man on impeaching Joe Biden. This should be done just because they can. I think they should impeach private citizen Barack Obama as well. Like Democrats, Republicans can make up the articles as they go.
4. The House must begin a massive round of investigations. This would include the Department of Justice acting as the DNC's enforcement arm, the Intelligence Community, and the entire COVID Industrial Complex from Dr. Fauci on down. That is just the start. Just to keep it interesting, the House can subpoena the financial records, tax returns, and lawyer notes for people in the Biden administration plus any Democrat who complains. In February, they could start on former speaker Pelosi, the Capitol Police, and possible FBI involvement on January 6.
The face on all of this would be Speaker Trump. It would be his greatest production ever, and it would be huge.
For those insisting that Trump should be the next president, I agree. He should be. However, if we are going to turn this country around, the person who takes over the presidency in 2024 may need a full eight years to do what needs to be done to take out the trash. If Trump were president, he would begin as a lame duck, and the last two years would be overshadowed by the coming election in 2028. Trump would certainly be one of the strongest lame ducks ever, but it would matter. As speaker, age would also be less of an issue.
Consider the possibility of Speaker Trump for two years followed by working with his chosen replacement for president for eight years. Beginning in 2025, it would be a political Dream Team, with Speaker Trump continuing in the House, the real conservative who replaces Mitch McConnell as majority leader, and a president in the mold of Trump in the White House.
Trump may not be interested and might rather run for president again. One important question: Is there a rule or law barring the speaker of the House from running for president? No, there is not.