Elon Musk illustrated the truth for many in America’s political “middle”:
I’m not in “the middle”, by any means. I used to call myself “center right”, but these days I am proud to call myself a Paleocon, from the “let’s get back to the Sharon Statement” school of paleoconning.
Trump from 2016 to 2020 governed largely, but far from consitently, as a conservative; he secured the border, exerted productive pressure to support US interests overseas, and cut a crap-load of regulations. He also blew up the deficit – just as Dubya and Lightworker before him, and not nearly as badly as Joe “Obama 2.0” Biden have. Never mind his Democrat origin story – I have one too – but he’s a populist standup comic, not an activist. He can, and is, publicly on any side of any issue that suits him. No different than his opposition.
But as the Biden campaign settles in to try to battle back from polls that, at the moment, seem a little encouraging to Trump, it’s worth asking – what is “the center” in America today? Or, more accurately, where are the American people as a mean, and who is closer to it?
Issue | Polling | Biden | Trump | ||
The Border | Trump +21 | Mayorkas: “The Administration bears no responsibility for the problems”. | Illegal immigration is destroying the country. Build the wall. | ||
Abortion | Trump +5. 16 week ban has 48% approval. | Biden supports taxpayer-funded abortion until and after birth and repealing the Hyde Amendment. | Trump opposed a federal ban and the six-week ban, and is casually pushing the 16 week ban. | ||
National Security | Trump +6 | Do we even need to go into it? | “Make America strong again”. “Today, [the world] laughs at America” | ||
Crime | Trump +13 | Crime is a result of “systemic racism”. | “We should execute…” fentanyl smugglers. | ||
Inflation | Trump +18 | “Inflation is transitory, so let’s spend our way out of it” | Time to reel in the spending – but don’t touch | ||
Jobs and the economy | Trump +5. Also – in 10/14, interventionism was nine points behind “government does too much” | Tripling down on “Bidenomics” – spending our way to | Pointing out, correctly, that Bidenomics is strangling the American dream. | ||
Climate | Pew, 10/23: 30+ support phasing out fossil fuels | Administration is committed to “net zero by 2050” | “Drill, baby, drill!” | ||
Israel vs. Hamas | 82% of Americans support Israel. 62% say any ceasefire must be contingent on release of the hostages. | February 2024: “The hostages should be released, but…” Administration is actively undercutting the Israeli war cabinet supported by 80% of Israelis. | Trump advocates revoking student visas for antsemitic students. | ||
Ukraine | 54% of Americans support maintaining / increasing aid to Ukraine | Biden has no clear realistic end goal in sight. July 2023: “We’ll stay as long as it takes”, whatever that means. | Trump supports increasing aid with the goal of bringing Putin to an “off ramp”, a negotiated settlement. February 2024: “Trump is the only president who hasn’t given Putin what he wants”. | ||
NATO | 53% of Americans support NATO | BIden has pushed NATO in no direction in particular. | Trump pushes for NATO members to pay fair share, thus strengthening the alliance. | ||
Education | Biden +2 (43-41) – hardly a mandate. | Biden backs CRT, racial division. | Promises cutting federal funding to school systems teaching CRT. |
Say what you will about the value of moderation; I’m here to pull the conversation to the right however I can.
But if the center decides the election, then Trump might just have a shot.