The ‘Long Transition’ Is Close To Reality

Since last June when I posted Close Your Eyes and Think of America, I have been arguing for Republicans to treat the 2024 Trump presidential campaign as an "incumbency" campaign. I have argued to unify around President Trump as the avatar of restoration of constitutional order, not as the man himself, flawed as he is. I argued for this because of the need to spend the maximum time possible both assuring the Democrats' defeat in November 2024, and preparing for the work of a new administration that will be more arduous and difficult than ever before. Even Franklin Roosevelt did not enter office with as great a disaster on his hands as that which Donald J Trump will face.

Happily, today as we enter Super Tuesday, it appears that Republican voters are doing exactly that. When the votes are tallied tonight, President Trump should have if not more than 1,000 delegates pledged, nearly 1,000 delegates pledged. Steve Kornacki, Ben Kamisar and Adam Noboa have penned an article for NBC News (of all things) that analyze the best and worse outcomes for President Trump and Governor Haley for tonight and the March primaries over the next two weeks. The conclusion: This is over on or before March 19. And then the "long transition" begins between the Biden and Trump II administrations.

You say I am too quick in my prediction of victory? No, I am not predicting victory. What I am calling for is the Trump campaign to stand up the transition team now and develop the plans in the event of victory. There were far too many failures of personnel in the Trump I administration. The people and plans need to be identified.

You say, won't the voters be offended if Trump is seen as starting a transition? No, I am predicting that voters will see Trump doing so as a sign of hope. And hope is what we really need against the fascist dictates of Biden and the coming turmoil his policies are bringing.

Remember Peter Strok's "insurance policy"? We need a new insurance policy -- a fully-fleshed plan to which Republicans are committed and will execute if they retake the White House. We need that because Trump is an avatar of a movement that must not fall apart if or when Trump, the man, is removed from the equation. With Trump now ascendant his leadership can energize this process. The progressives need to be made to understand that there is no decapitation strategy against this. The level of demonization they have hurled at Trump and his supporters makes violence if not inevitable, at least highly probable. The only defense is a plan that enough people are committed to that no single event can unravel it.

And the time to start that plan is now.