To any individual who is at least a casual observer of American national politics, the statement that the United States is engulfed in a tumultuous and divisive political climate in contemporary times should come as no surprise. Indeed, while the 2024 presidential election remains a year away, major national media outlets and political parties remain hyper focused on the upcoming battle for the White House. In the Democratic primary, the sitting President Joe Biden is the clear frontrunner for the party nomination. Biden has enjoyed the advantage of the incumbency, and still maintains a majority of support from Democratic voters. Additionally, the president only faces token opposition in the form of Robert F Kennedy. Kennedy has generally been received in a more favorable light by Republican leaning voters than Democrats within his own party. Despite these advantages, Biden remains vulnerable, and recent polls show a majority of Americans disapproving of the president’s job performance.
Despite Democratic vulnerabilities, the GOP is not faring much better. Consistently, Republicans across the country continue to prove that they are unable to offer serious alternatives to Democratic leadership, because despite the fact that some of them speak professionally, the party and the coalition continue to prove that they are unable to govern effectively if given the chance. Indeed, just this fall, after barely a singular year of holding a small majority in the House of Representatives, the party devolved into chaos after a band of rogue conservatives joined Democrats to remove the speaker Kevin McCarthy from power (the first time this has occurred in history) illustrating dysfunction.
In another recent development, a veteran Republican representative named Drew Ferguson from Georgia announced he will not be seeking re-election next cycle. Perhaps Ferguson is worried about the party’s prospects heading into the 2024 election in which Donald Trump is likely to be on the ballot (and who is unpopular in Georgia). He joins other representatives in retirement.
