[June 1] President Trump’s entirely counterproductive, even dangerous, response to the current nationwide unrest makes even more evident the desperate need for a third candidate of substance to enter the presidential race. The good news? There is still time for such a candidate to emerge.
Trump is divisive, destabilizing, and temperamentally unfit to continue in office. Joe Biden increasingly appears unfit in the more traditional sense of the word while also significantly too beholden to the political Left. The nation needs a unifying ticket, one of moral weight and broadly representing the political center, to help restore common purpose in an increasingly polarized society.
The obvious leader of such a ticket would be a military man such as former Secretary of Defense Gen. James Mattis or the recently retired Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Joseph Dunford. Or maybe former Adm. James Stavridis. It’s hard to think of anyone else who would attract instant respect, although a few former professional athletes who have done impressive things after sports retirement (perhaps quarterback Steve Young, with his law degree, business success, and philanthropic record) might be able to galvanize a following.
But let’s say it’s Dunford, combined with an interesting running mate such as former congressman Artur Davis, a superb public speaker who was too conservative for Democrats but too liberal for Republicans (or, to keep the sports theme going, former head football coach Tony Dungy — with his famous calm, decency, and philanthropic work). Or perhaps with a tremendously successful business executive such as Pamela Nicholson, who rose from a rental car desk clerk to become CEO of Enterprise, which she led into rapidly successful growth. Critics who say it is too late for a third candidate to emerge are wrong….
[To read the rest of this thinking-outside-the-box column, please do follow this link.]
