OpEd: Statement From Bill Hogan – It is time for Republicans to stop accusing Democratic politicians of being socialists, although it is somewhat accurate that they want to redistribute wealth from the rich to the poor – while putting a chunk in their pockets.
To be really accurate Republicans should be tossing around the characterization of some top Democratic leaders, especially in a nationwide context, as “sociopaths.” That term describes a person (or entity) totally devoid of a moral compass, who knows not right from wrong, truth from falsity, but is obsessed and motivated only by what is good or bad for themselves, personally or financially.
They are selfish, greedy, neurotic, narcissistic and, invariably, arrogant, although Republicans can be guilty of the same thing. They are also liars who wallow in the swamp of victim-hood, self-pity and low self-esteem.
They never take blame for their bad judgments and stupid decisions.
Others might know them as Biden-Harris Democrats. They didn’t know (or care) that Biden’s cognition was declining; or that the southern border could be closed by an executive order (as Trump did) and blamed the Republicans for opposing a bi-partisan immigration bill that would have allowed “only” 5,000 illegals a day; or that there are only 2 genders; or that, hypocritically, a ceasefire was urgent in the Israel-Hamas War but not in the Ukraine-Russia War. Or that inflation was not illusionary.
The cardinal rule of politicians (of both parties) when they are wrong and/or have screwed-up is to never explain and to never apologize, to blame it on somebody or something else, to quiver with righteous indignation and anger and to expect voters to quickly forget what is past. And they invariably do.
That’s the current plight of the Democrats: They care not about right/wrong or true/false but only what’s good for them – which is that Trump MUST FAIL. They could care less about what’s good for America. They are joyous that the stock market is down, eager for consumer prices to continue to rise, they prattle about “chaos” but most of all they are angry that they lost to the hated Trump.
The problem is that Trump has been president for less than 60 days and will remain in power for another 46 months, or 1,400 days. That’s a lot of days to maintain anti-Trump, anti-Musk and anti-Tesla hysteria. You can’t be “Chicken Little” and daily scream that the sky-is-falling because at some point people tune-out. The market will rebound, the wars will end, and tariffs will be a dim memory. All will change.
Democrats must placate their anti-Trump voting base, which is about 48 percent of the nation, and satisfy their donor base which demands that they “fight” or they won’t give. They must maintain their woke and identity obsession, although some are trying to tack to the center a bit. Either way, Trump derangement syndrome is what unites them. No deviation is permissible or tolerable. They cannot and will not “work with” Trump or the Republicans on any issue, and they will never acknowledge or give credit to Trump for any success.
That’s a dumb strategy and it will get dumber as the days and months crawl past and as people get exhausted with the negativity. But it’s already manifesting itself in the 2025 and 2026 gubernatorial contests: Democratic aspirants are running to the Left to win their primaries and then will pivot to anti-Trumpism to win their elections. There are 2 governor races in 2025 (VA and NJ) and 36 in 2026.
CALIFORNIA: Out of sight is out of mind and Kamala Harris just won’t let that happen. Her ego craves relevance, and that means getting elected president in 2028. And to do that she thinks getting elected CA governor is essential to her political resurrection. So did Richard Nixon in 1962. It is remarkable that Nixon, then VP, lost for president in 1960, lost for CA governor in 1962 and then won for president in 1968. Harris wants to shift that L/L/W sequence to L/W/W and it is crucial that she prove herself a winner.
In 2026 incumbent Gavin Newsom (D) is termed-out. Harris is age 60, so 2028 will be her last and only chance to rehabilitate her career aspirations and not be remembered in history as the second woman defeated by the much-reviled Trump.
Harris is surely popular with CA’s Left-leaning electorate. Harris-Walz carried CA by 3,194,582 votes, and she won her senate seat in 2016 by 2,840,836. But CA Democrats, in their zeal to eradicate Republicans, erased partisan elections. Every state and federal candidate now runs in a primary in June and the top-two finishers are in a runoff in Nov., regardless of party. There are a whole bunch of Democrats already running and actor Mel Gibson may be the Republican choice. There is no doubt Harris would finish first initially but then faces a risky one-on-one.
Money will be a problem. Harris will need $80 million and must convince donors to give because she will be next president and thus a wise investment. Good luck with that. Nixon lost because Californians knew the job he really wanted was in Washington, not Sacramento. Likewise, Harris will be rejected.
NEW YORK: Being in the right place at the right time is the key to political success and advancement. Incumbent Kathy Hochul (D) was once the obscure Clerk of Erie County (Buffalo) who got put on Andrew Cuomo’s (D) ticket in 2010 for lieutenant governor to balance the ticket. When Cuomo resigned in Aug. 2021 due to sexual harassment allegations, she was elevated to be the first female governor of NY.
Cuomo, whose father Mario was governor 1983-94, was elected to that office by 1,363,027 votes in 2010, re-elected by 532,403 in 2014 and by 1,425,738 in 2018. Cuomo gained great visibility during COVID with his televised daily briefings, but lost luster when it was found that he dumped COVID patients into nursing homes. He also had a penchant for the unwanted kissing and groping of females, which he excused as “an Italian thing.” Impeachment proceedings were begun, but Cuomo wisely quit.
Hochul is not popular. Her approval ratings are in the 20s. She insists that NY remain a sanctuary state for illegal immigrants, denies high crime on NYC subways, refuses to remove Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg or NYC mayor Eric Adams (which she has the power to do) and is perceived as pompous and arrogant. She was re-elected by just 378,326 in 2022 over Lee Zeldin, now federal EPA administrator. She will face a 2022 primary. Expect her to lose.
OHIO: Don’t let the grass grow under your feet. Vivek Ramaswamy is a bio-tech multi-millionaire who had the audacity to run for president in 2024. He ran an intelligent and civil campaign, showed himself to be likeable, personable and articulate, raised his name ID exponentially, and dropped out and endorsed Trump at the right moment. He was briefly the co-chair of DOGE but (probably wisely) bailed to run for OH governor. He was born in Cincinnati and runs his company out of that city.
He obviously has presidential ambitions but the post-Trump Era is already clogged with pro-Trump Republican superstars – J.D. Vance, Marco Rubio, Pam Bondi, Pete Hegseth, Kristi Noem, Ron DeSantis, Tim Scott, Mike Johnson, Tom Cotton, Glenn Youngkin – who would love to run for president in 2028 or would exult in being Vance’s VP pick. Being OH governor at least puts Ramaswamy, age 39, on the upward-moving escalator and an opportunity to build his own record. He already has Trump’s endorsement.
Ramaswamy wants to make Ohio River Valley into a high-tech corridor, much like Silicon Valley. Trump won OH by 475,711 votes in 2020 and 646,417 in 2024; term-limited governor Mike DeWine (R) won by 1,034,935 in 2022. Ramaswamy will win easily.
ILLINOIS: Incumbent JB Pritzker (D) is a big man with a big fortune and big dreams who is suffering a big delusion – namely: that he’s going to get elected president in 2028. That’s laughable.
TEXAS: Red-to-Blue is the name of a Democratic group which has raised millions to battle Republicans in TX and is built on the premise that non-Whites will habitually vote Democrat forevermore. Forget about it. TX Latinos are turning Republican. Trump won TX by 626,221 in 2020 and 1,558,347 in 2024, an increase of 932,126; governor Greg Abbott won in 2022 by 883,441. Rio Grande migrant crossings numbered up to 9,000/day during Biden-Harris; now they’re just a couple dozen. Abbott strung up miles of razor wire and laid pontoons, was much-maligned by the media and sued by DOJ. And he bused the migrants north. Texans believe he truly “saved” TX.
Abbott ranks with Sam Houston, Davy Crockett, Colonel Travis, LBJ, and John Connally in the phalanx of Lone Star icons. He is unbeatable in 2026.
OpEd: Statement From Bill Hogan
