I’ve read the bad polls and the not-so-bad polls. I’ve read Kos’s take. I’ve read others’ takes.
My first reaction was that Biden should stay in. As time went on, I wobbled. Then I came back to Biden should stay in. I’m back to wobbling.
The only relief to this ambivalence over the last several weeks was our recent focus on 2025. When we Democrats focus on that evil plan for our nation instead of fighting over Biden, our energy and excitement seem to return.
But yesterday and today, we’re back to the endless, vituperative Biden stay/Biden go battles. These battles are doing real damage to our chances in November.
In 2008 I assumed I’d be supporting Hillary Clinton since I had always respected and admired her. But I kept my mind open. It was after the Iowa caucuses that I realized I had been secretly (keeping it a secret from myself!) rooting for Obama.
So I chose to support Obama even though I still really liked Hillary (and hated the gratuitous nastiness that was thrown at her).
Similarly, I realized last week that I was secretly rooting for Kamala Harris to be the candidate. Does my secret wish indicate what’s best for the party? I have no idea.
I’m exactly like our party right now — I go back and forth. I can argue either side. I get furiously angry at people who take one side or the other.
I feel tremendous gratitude to and support for Biden. He was very low on my list in the 2020 primaries but he’s been one of the best presidents in my lifetime. He deserves to be ranked in the top 10 presidents in our nation.
But I can feel the dismal responses to him, the malaise (à la Jimmy Carter) in our party. And I can feel my own shakiness about how he will do in this campaign, whether too many Democratic and Democratic-leaning voters will sit out the election.
I don’t trust anyone who says they absolutely know what we should do. To be honest, I don’t trust anyone’s views, including my own.
I just wish we could move on to what we really need to be doing.
p.s. I do know one thing — it’s either Biden or it’s Harris. In the end, I’m fine with either one.