Karl Rove is an exemplar of the GOPe old guard, but give him his due, he does know politics. Here in the Wall Street Journal, Rove writes about the major party frontrunners for the 2024 nominations, and he isn't kind.
The 2024 presidential race is shaping up as the race few people really want. Neither the octogenarian Democratic incumbent nor the near-octogenarian Republican frontrunner is popular. The June 13 Economist/YouGov poll found that only 33% of voters want Donald Trump to run and 26% want President Biden to do so. Strong majorities—56% and 59%, respectively—would prefer they stay out.
There are lots of reasons Americans may dislike either frontrunner. Maybe they see Mr. Biden as too weak and too far left or Mr. Trump as too destructive and corrupt. But these polls may also reveal a desire for a generational shift. Americans may think we can do better for president than two men who’ll be a combined 160 years old by the time we vote next year.
Our nation is deeply divided and angry; it faces tremendous challenges at home and dangers abroad. These are best confronted by energetic new leadership. Whichever party figures this out will have the upper hand next year.
Don't be surprised if neither major party "figures this out." If you had to bet now your money would be on a Trump vs. Biden ticket. I'll make an off-the-wall prediction: neither party will hold presidential debates!
Postscript: Summarizing presidential history, Rove writes:
George H.W. Bush, who at 18 was for a time the Navy’s youngest fighter pilot in World War II.
Bush was one of the youngest Navy pilots but did not fly a fighter. He flew a Grumman torpedo bomber and was one of few who survived that very dangerous assignment. WWII military history is a hobby of mine.
