As the Republican Primary heats up as we inch closer to the GOPs selection for Biden's opponent in the 2024 election, many candidates, outside of just Donald Trump, the seemingly obvious choice of the party, spar to get their names to voters. Many are now viewing the primary race outside of Trump just a competition to become his VP, which seems to have had an obvious effect on some candidates, most notably Vivek Ramaswamy, a well known and extremely charismatic candidate who used social media expertise to take many, especially younger republicans, by storm. (FiveThirtyEight).
This effect is clear on Vivek as recently, he called Trump the “best president of the 21st century,” evidently aware that a large portion of his voter base are leaning towards Trump. Additionally, it has been revealed that Vivek has had phone calls with Donald Trump several times now discussing his campaign, which is rare, as Trump has not given such communication to other opponents thus far in the race. (Washington Post). However, Vivek Ramaswamy has stated that he would not apparently not accept a role as Vice President if offered one, but it seems hard to believe this when he has had such relations with Trump throughout the primary. (Politico)
This being said, despite Viveks clearly charismatic nature and pulling of voters through his relations with Trump, it seems that few consider and legitimately look at his policies and beliefs for what they are. Some of his notable stances include going after the “climate change agenda,” in the first Republican Primary Debate, claiming that it killed more Americans than climate change actually did. Additionally, he has stated he believes that climate change overall is a hoax - and that fossil fuels and nuclear energy should be prioritized over major renewables. (NBC News). Additionally, he pushed for shutting down the public education that he claims “uses… money as a cudgel to get local school districts to adopt toxic and racial agendas,” believing that the funds could be better used to put an emphasis on private education (Washington Examiner). This take is definitely one of his most polarizing, yet he still pulls many individuals, seemingly educated through systems which he wishes to defund, to his campaign.
All this being said, I believe that despite Vivek Ramaswamys appeal to voters, he would not be a good presidential or vice presidential candidate due to his clearly extreme beliefs. Personally, I think his clear ignorance of climate change, which at this point is scientifically accepted by a majority of Americans, as well as his polarizing view of our public education system, makes him an unfit candidate for president. Ultimately, only time will tell if his election and policies ever hit the congress floor.
-Luke Phillips
Sources:
https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/vivek-ramaswamy-is-climbing-where-can-he-go/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/10/03/trump-ramaswamy-2024-gop-presidential/
https://www.nbcnews.com/meet-the-press/meetthepressblog/vivek-ramaswamy-issues-rcna119091
8 comments:
I have also taken note of the rise of Vivek, and at first I was very intrigued by him. I thought it would be cool to see someone so young become president and from the videos I have seen of home online, he seemed very passionate and knowable. I do think he is very smart on how to gain attention from the media and younger voters. It wasnt until I saw his ideas about defunding the education system and his views about climate change that changed my mind. I dont understand how someone can still deny the fact hat climate change isnt a real problem that needs to be worked towards. And regarding his plan to defund the federal education system, this is a very concerning especially for someone still in this school system. I dont want me and my brother to be test subjects in a new system.
In the case of the republican nominees, I believe Vivek will not win the hearts of Americans and be the Republican presidential nominee. Although Vivek appeals to some voters by using his charisma, he seems as though he may not know exactly what he is talking about which was put on full display in the Republican debates. Vivek's extremist views on schooling and climate change are sure to deter voters from voting for the Republican. This, paired with the already secure support Trump has, combined with Biden's less-than-acceptable presidency may have more Americans looking for someone that already has experience as president. I believe Vivek is indeed a "social media" candidate who will not gain the majority of support of Republican Americans.
I agree with previous commenters in that Vivek seems like all talk and no substance. In previous GOP debates, his lack of knowledge and experience in politics, such as in areas of foreign policy (and the fact that he would probably have failed his own proposed civics test for voting rights) have been pretty obvious. He also has gone back on his own word multiple times and consistently makes baseless claims (such as that he doesn't believe in systemic racism). I think this is also reflected in the polls, where he's sat pretty consistently at single digits. His strategy so far has seemed to be to draw as much attention to himself as possible and appeal to extremists and Trump supporters to set himself apart, but I'm not sure how well that has been working.
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/ramaswamy-campaign-new-phase-amid-bigger-spotlight-scrutiny/story?id=103657878
Putting aside the almost obvious fact right now that Trump will secure the Republican nomination (and my own personal beliefs that the primaries are irrelevant for this reason), I think Ramaswamy is incredibly aware of the voter population and how to best gain support for his campaign. As a Republican candidate, he knows many of his supporters also support Trump’s initiatives, and he uses this to his advantage by making his relationship with the former president known. He’s being smart. Plus, knowing how to market himself to the younger generation only helps his case. Furthermore, as I was reading this post, I was thinking a lot about chapter 8 in the textbook, specifically Anthony Downs’ political party theory. The one thing that seems counterintuitive in Ramaswamy’s campaign efforts, like you mentioned, is the polar extremity of his beliefs in relation to other candidates. Theoretically, as the ideas of Downs’ model illustrate, the best way to gain the greatest amount of supporters is by taking moderate stances on large political issues. Why isn’t Ramaswamy following this logic? Is there something about someone having extreme beliefs that is actually appealing to a voter, even those who may not hold the same beliefs? There’s almost a bit of reverse psychology at play here. We’ll see how it pans out.
I agree that Vivek is appealing as a GOP Candidate, until you look at his actual policies. If he severely changes some of his stances, I could imagine a successful campaign in the future. But for now, ideas like raising the voting age to 25 are insane. Raising the voting age to 25 means that for 7 years, the government would be taxing citizens aged 18-25 while taking away their voting rights. That is literally the definition of taxation without representation. The only solution to that would be changing the legal adult age to 25, which would mean the government losing millions of dollars in income taxes. Ideas like this appeal to some Republicans who don't know how government works, but for anyone with a sensible idea of how policies function, his ideas are completely laughable.
He's actually super skilled at creating a campaign and a theme for his race to the White House - a lost art in the last few years. His idea of defining what America represents is really interesting, and I agree with him that America needs to rediscover its national identity if we really want to transcend divisiveness. But for now, his lack of practical policies and ideas makes him an impossible pick for the GOP. Maybe some time in the future.
I believe if Trump wins, Ramaswamy could be in some way involved with the Trump administration, since the other GOP candidates have attacked Trump during the debates and don't have good relationships with him. Obviously, Mike Pence is out of the picture with their disagreement over January 6th and showing up to Biden's inauguration. Ron DeSantis has become a rival of Trump's despite his lacking performance.
Most candidates have taken the approach of criticizing Trump to differentiate themselves, but Ramaswamy has taken a different approach of praising him. Maybe he currently says he would decline a VP job because he needs to appear competitive in the race right now, despite losing by quite a bit....maybe this answer will change later on.
As others are beginning to point out, I believe it is unquestionable that Trump will secure the Republican nomination. During broadcasted debates, we have seen the lowest T.V. viewership since 2015,and evident sign that interest in the race has been at a decline without the presence of Donald Trump. The Republican party has seemingly made their decision, and that would only suggest that for the vice president spots, they would appeal to those who align with similar values. As Chris mentioned, most candidates have gone to critique Trump, only sparking arguments which paint the party unorganized and as full of chaos.
But despite his constant approval and praise towards Trump I find it interesting that he has decided to reject VP positions. Vivek believes that he can “advance our America first agenda, [and] take it even further than Trump did,” all while uniting the country. Yet with his extremely controversial beliefs, like calling climate change a hoax, I doubt that would be possible in the slightest way. He has even claimed that he would “secure the Southern border, not just by building the wall, but by using the U.S. military.” In general, none of his claims and mission statements align with the values he presents and states he maintains to the public, and in no way does he appear as an appealing candidate.
Sources: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/vivek-ramaswamy-discusses-his-run-for-the-gop-presidential-nomination
It's pretty clear that Ramaswamy's campaign strategy heavily relies on leveraging his connections with the Trump base, tapping into the sentiments of those who align with the former president's agenda.
I find myself echoing concerns raised about the substance of his policies. His outright dismissal of climate change and emphasis on fossil fuels and nuclear energy, while advocating to defund public education, raise red flags for me. The disconnect between his stance and widely accepted scientific consensus on climate change is concerning. Additionally, his proposed changes in the education system might resonate with some but seem polarizing and potentially detrimental to addressing broader societal issues within education. I'm wary of supporting a candidate whose policies seem extreme and misaligned with current societal needs.
Despite his charisma and adeptness at utilizing social media to captivate younger Republican voters, I doubt that Ramaswamy will achieve victory in a national election especially since his policies and beliefs seem out of touch with the majority consensus on critical issues.
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