Don’t underestimate Biden in 2024, just like Carter in 1980.

I’ve predicted every presidential election correctly⁢ since 1976, ⁢several months in advance. All except the⁣ one ‍in 2020: ‌I picked ‍Trump to win.

Yes, I ‌know, plenty of readers will say,⁣ “You​ were right about that one, too! Trump did win! It’s just that the ‌‘Commiecrats’ cheated!”

Yes,​ the Democrats​ did cheat.⁤ Not by falsifying⁤ votes and⁤ dumping ballots into the⁢ river. Maybe some of that did happen — and ⁣both parties have their share of cheating, by ​the way — but ‍not enough to⁢ sway the election.

What⁤ did it for the Democrats⁤ was ‍ballot harvesting.​ Outhustling the ⁤Republicans, often by circumventing the law, tapping into unlikely voters, placing drop boxes in heavily Democratic neighborhoods, doing mail-in ballot dumps, ⁣etc.

Republicans seem more focused this time, and they’ve vowed to do their ​own ballot harvesting where it is legal.

Donald Trump, the GOP⁤ front-runner, says he’d like to ​see‍ voting ‌done only ​in person ‌and ​only on Election Day (with exceptions for‍ military personnel serving abroad ⁣and those demonstrably unable to leave their homes). ⁣But until that happens, ⁤he encourages Republicans to fight fire ⁢with fire and ⁣do their own​ harvesting and voting by‌ mail.

So, let’s turn to 2024. (If you say, “It doesn’t matter, ⁢the Democrats will cheat anyway,” then⁢ you probably won’t⁢ want to ‌read any further.)

There are ‍two‍ very different stories ⁣about President Joe Biden being told​ in America.

Version 1:

His cognitive skills have rapidly deteriorated, as evidenced by clips in⁤ conservative⁢ news media of the ⁢president looking very slow and confused onstage, as if he doesn’t⁣ know where‌ he‌ is, ‌or⁤ in any case doesn’t ⁢feel very comfortable being there.

To make things worse, that bumbling, ⁢stumbling ‌Biden⁢ — according to Version 1 — is also having a disastrous presidency.

Inflation is through the roof and people are going‌ broke ‌shopping for​ groceries or ​trying to put gas ‍in their cars. We have an unprecedented​ border crisis. Biden’s exit​ from Afghanistan was another Vietnam, and⁣ now he’s pumping billions of dollars⁣ into a corrupt⁢ Ukrainian⁤ government. He’s letting men compete in women’s sports and share bathrooms and⁢ locker rooms ‍with them. And China is eating our lunch.

With that type of assessment of the Biden presidency, it’s no ⁣wonder so many people are convinced that there’s no way in the world he could’ve gained more votes than Trump in 2020, and there’s no point in analyzing⁤ 2024 ⁢because the only way he can ​possibly win is if Democrats cheat.

Version 2:

American democracy⁤ came within an inch⁣ of being destroyed by Donald Trump, who ⁢was the most unqualified, corrupt, racist, sexist, homophobic​ person ever ​to be president.

Trump — say the Version 2 believers — kept innocent‌ children in cages, separated from their​ parents; ‍endorsed neo-Nazis, calling them ‍“very ​fine people”; called Mexicans “rapists and ​criminals”; bragged‌ about committing sexual assault; and tried ‌to overthrow the⁤ government by encouraging his followers to storm​ the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. (By ⁢the way, I thoroughly debunked the‌ 10 most commonly​ told untruths about Trump in my⁤ book‍ “Trumped-Up Charges!“)

Therefore, they ⁢continue, democracy was saved when ⁣Americans came ‌to their senses and voted​ for⁤ Biden in 2020. No‌ more mean tweets. No ‍more⁣ being⁤ the ​laughingstock‍ of‍ the world.

Inflation is down. Unemployment⁢ is ‍almost nonexistent. Our allies respect us again. We rebuilt America’s infrastructure. We are turning to green energy, which will​ save ⁤our planet from extinction. Biden⁣ is quietly effective as he has pushed through lots of bipartisan legislation during very divisive times. Yeah, he’s ⁢getting old, but that’s what’s great about him. He has so ⁤much experience, and​ it shows. He​ gets ​things done! He’s another FDR!

The ⁤two versions are obviously as different​ as can be. Each is brought to ⁢us on a daily basis from our favorite comfort food feeding troughs, a.k.a media outlets.⁢ But there’s a tremendous imbalance in viewership among the sources.

Version 1 is being⁣ conveyed‍ by Newsmax, conservative talk ⁢radio (and podcasts), and by the‌ very few conservatives‌ remaining on Fox News.

Version 2 is being delivered by ABC, CBS, ⁣NBC, NPR, CNN, MSNBC, The⁢ New York Times, Washington Post, Boston Globe, ⁢Philadelphia‍ Inquirer, USA Today (yes, they’ve veered leftward!), a⁤ growing ​number⁢ of ⁤pundits on Fox News,⁢ academia (our children’s teachers and professors), and⁢ Hollywood.

Guess which version⁤ has more ⁤viewers and listeners.

Very importantly, there are few people who⁢ actually ⁢consider both versions. Human beings are‍ naturally averse to challenging⁣ themselves to think⁤ outside the box. They are comfortable in having made ⁢up their minds⁣ that their side is correct and the other‌ side ​is wrong, and ​the⁢ news presented from their ​point of view is all they want to hear.

But ‍let’s turn back to 1980.

Under President Jimmy Carter, ‌the country was in a state⁢ of “malaise.” The Iran hostage crisis was frustrating ‍and humiliating. Inflation and unemployment combined (call it ⁣stagflation or the “misery index” — either way, it ‍wasn’t⁣ pretty) were staggering. There were gas lines around the block⁢ amid an energy⁣ crisis, and all the president could do was​ shrug his⁣ shoulders ‍and tell us to‍ turn down the thermostat.

Yet in January 1980, six⁢ months closer to that year’s ⁤election than we are now ⁢to the ⁣one⁣ in 2024, the hapless Carter⁣ held ⁣a whopping 23-point lead over‍ Ronald Reagan in the polls.

Granted, Reagan won the election, and by a wide margin, ‌but many things accounted for that:‍ liberal John Anderson’s independent run, Carter pulling out ⁤of​ one debate and looking awful in another, and the country discovering Reagan and falling in love ⁢with his words of inspiration and reassurance.

The‌ point is that even as the nation wallowed in⁤ malaise after three years ‍of Carter, most were willing to vote for him again.

That means that a horrible economy and trouble around the ​world‌ are by themselves not‌ enough to ensure that a president ⁤won’t⁣ win ​re-election. On top of that, ‍Biden’s likely ‌general election rival is Trump, who never made it past the low 40s in⁣ approval ⁢ratings and who is ‍facing multiple indictments.

Bottom line: Whoever wants ⁣to take‌ the presidency away from Joe Biden needs to ⁢take him ⁤seriously. Scoffing that he has dementia isn’t‌ going to do‌ it.‍ Remember, Version 2 has a much ⁣bigger audience, and they’ve never been exposed ‌to ‍Version 1.

It’s an uphill battle to beat Biden,‌ even with all his shortcomings. Of course, if ‍someone runs ​third-party and challenges Biden from the left, that would be a ​real game-changer.

Time will tell.

The post Scaros: Think‍ Biden Has No Chance in​ 2024? ​Don’t Forget Jimmy Carter​ in 1980 appeared first ⁢on The ⁣Western Journal.