There’s another very good diary about this subject, here. I’ll be more succinct, and more blunt. A lot of what I’m saying is inspired by my hero, Keith Olbermann, on his podcast last week when he gamed out what would happen if the Dems bow to the bed-wetters and push Biden aside.
The infuriating thing about Ezra Klein’s flight of wishful thinking in the New York Times is its absolute refusal to learn ANYTHING about what has happened to American political discourse since Saint Ronnie was president. Klein assumes that Biden will be convinced to step down for the good of the country….there will be an orderly (even healthy) competition amongst Democrats to anoint a new candidate...the press will applaud this process, and reward the Democrats for their courage by giving this candidate a proper platform to share their views with the public….and voters will make an intelligent informed choice.
Does Ezra Klein have a television? Has Ezra Klein watched it since 1996, when Fox went on the air? Does Ezra Klein read the New York Times? Has Ezra Klein ever heard of this fella named Donald Trump?
With a tip of the hat to Keith Olbermann, here’s what will happen if Biden either steps aside or is pushed aside:
- Donald Trump will immediately anoint himself as the “GIANT KILLER” — the ONLY human capable of showing such dominance that he FORCED an incumbent president to scamper away in fear, because of Trump’s certain victory! Trump’s whole act is dominance and humiliation of his foes, and this plays right into it.
- (You can take this one to the bank). EVERY pundit who is currently tut-tutting about Joe Biden, and how the Democrats “must” convince him to step aside for another candidate will IMMEDIATELY work off a new script — DEMOCRATS IN DISARRAY! PANIC IN WASHINGTON! CATASTROPHE FOR AMERICA! Their coverage of the candidates will be framed as “Democratic desperation in a race now dominated by Republicans.” How do I know this? I’ve seen this movie before. In 1972, George McGovern replaced his Vice-Presidential candidate, Thomas Eagleton, with Sargent Shriver after it was revealed that Eagleton had undergone shock therapy to cure his bouts of depression. The press, already in the bag for Nixon, went right for the “Dems in disarray, no chance of recovering” narrative. The burgeoning Watergate story was ignored in favor of stories about McGovern being “Ho Chi Minh’s Choice for President.”
- The new Democratic candidate will immediately become the newest chew toy for mainstream pundits like Maureen Dowd. “Gavin Newson — His Foreign Policy Experience is Visiting Hawaii” “Can Gretchen Whitmer Solve Her ‘Hillary Problem’ of Looking Like Miss Bossy-Pants?” (This will be made much worse by the Fox Newsers, who will find all sorts of bullshit non-stories to feed to the both-siders)
- The Democratic convention will be dominated by stories about “Will Biden step back in?” “Will Desperate Dems Anoint Biden in Light of Plummetting Polls? Will Hillary Snatch the Nomination at the Last Moment?” (This las from Fox News — a Hillary/Michell Obama ticket...)
My advice to every Democrat (and Kossack) is to get and read Rachel Bitecofer’s “Hit ‘Em Where It Hurts,” a clear-eyed, persuasive argument about how the Dems only win when they attack the right-wing crazies with the same ferocity they use to attack our side. Here’s a sample — frame this election as “FREEDOM VERSUS FASCISM.” Bumper sticker simple, and TRUE.
Biden is the candidate. He’s doing a solid — even brilliant—job. Our job to to make him inevitable as we reveal Trump to be the vile, indefensible unelectable scumbag that he is.