Claremont's Charles Kesler appears today in the NYT Sunday Edition Claremont in the News In today's Sunday edition of the New York Times, Claremont Senior Fellow Charles Kesler argues that the president’s re-election campaign may offer some surprises in its pitch to American voters. A version of this essay appears online at NYTimes.com, and will also appear in the winter issue of the Claremont Review of Books. Donald Trump, Defender of Democracy By Charles Kesler Addressing his cheering supporters in New Hampshire, Bernie Sanders declared, “This victory here is the beginning of the end for Donald Trump.” But wait, wasn’t the House vote to impeach him the beginning of the end for Donald Trump? The United States had never before impeached a president running for re-election, and now we are beginning to see some of the incongruities of switching from one constitutional process to another so quickly. One could be forgiven for thinking that the Democrats’ nominating process will play out as a sequel to the impeachment proceedings, a strange coda in which each candidate will try to prove to fellow Democrats the case against Mr. Trump that the House managers failed to win in the Republican-controlled Senate. Of course, Mr. Sanders, Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar, the top three finishers in New Hampshire, will have to carve out room from their denunciations of Mr. Trump for criticism of one another. Occasionally, they may even remember to say an unkind word about Joe Biden, the former front-runner. The gravamen of their case, however, will be to show that the president and his policies are a disgrace and must go. That much is normal. What isn’t normal is that this year’s Democrats feel they must condemn also, and especially, Mr. Trump himself as a danger to the Constitution and to the integrity of the 2020 election. They have to show that the impeachment was not in vain. So how will Mr. Trump go about running against one of these Democrats (or even Michael Bloomberg)? His re-election pitch will rest on three elements: the president himself, the economy and his Democratic opponent. The experience of impeachment may have provided a fourth: Mr. Trump as defender of democracy. He begins in a solid position coming off impeachment. Remember, President Bill Clinton’s popularity was greater after impeachment than before. According to Gallup, Mr. Trump’s job approval rating shot up to 49 percent, his highest since taking office, as the Senate considered his case. Propelled by a robust economy and a dynamic State of the Union speech, those numbers may go higher... Continue reading on NYTimes.com About___Magazine___Fellowships___CCJ___Events___Donate The mission of the Claremont Institute is to restore the principles of the American Founding to their rightful, preeminent authority in our national life. ‌ ‌ ‌ The Claremont Institute | 1317 W Foothill Blvd #120, Upland, CA 91786 Unsubscribe [email protected] Update Profile | About Constant Contact Sent by [email protected] in collaboration with Try email marketing for free today!